Mack Harsell (they/them & he/him)
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I am a queer poet with ADHD and autism, particularly interested in queer history and intersectionality. The alias "The Purple Poet" is a reference to lavender's symbolism within the LGBTQ+ community!
During March of 2021, I wrote a poem for my high school's literary & arts magazine, Panorama, with no expectations that it would be published or that anything would come of it. My piece made the front two pages of the spring edition! People started coming up to me, telling me how touched they were. In the following months, I wrote profusely and began adding my work to this site as an anthology and to be able to share my work in its entirety. In July of 2021, I decided I wanted to start posting my work on social media.
I have a total of 22 of pieces published in Panorama across seven editions and now two in TCNJ's The Lion's Eye. I'm very proud of that and forever grateful to the people who push me to keep sharing my work.
I had the privilege of interning at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice during my gap year where I hosted events, facilitated research, and served as an organizer for Princeton Pride 25'. I initiated the Queer Community Connections Guide, a detailed directory of local and national organizations for those seeking different services. Transgender day of Remembrance and Transgender Day of Visibility are two of my proudest moments.
This year I am a student at The College of New Jersey, aiming for a degree in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and a certificate in Spanish. I was accepted into the Bonner Community Action Scholars program where I will complete 150 hours of dedicated community based service each semester. I also serve as the freshman representative on the eboard of Prism, one of the college's LGBTQ+ student groups.
Check out this podcast episode I did for my Astronomy class final during senior year of high School!
Join my teacher and I for a conversation on two astronomers, Frank Kameney and Sally Ride, and their contributions to inclusivity and representation in the world of astronomy. She and I will be discussing the intersections of being an astronomer who is part of the LGBTQ+ community as well as her own experiences of being queer in the world of science.
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