Venus Edlin

Venus Edlin is a creator, storyteller and performer who first came to the Portland area to attend Lewis & Clark College. Since graduating with a degree in rhetoric and media studies with a minor in dance, they have continued their journalistic work, social media management and drag gigs. Venus currently serves as the social media manager and marketing contact for the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works, a spring-time Festival focused on propping up new art in the Portland Metro Area. They also curated the community outreach, interactive lobby display and social media feed of I Think of You, a devised theatre piece at Portland Center Stage created from experiences of a class at a local men’s prison. No matter the format, Venus is committed to creative and clear communication; they believe as theatre-makers and artists, outreach is an important part of the storytelling vision. The through line between their endeavors is a care for community, radical agitation and uplifting marginalized populations. Venus’s journalistic work has appeared in OPB, Willamette Week and The Mossy Log, L&C’s student-led newspaper where they served as editor-in-chief. You might also see them working at United Athletic Club – Eastside, a LGBTQ+ friendly and Black-owned gym focused on strength and conditioning classes.