Folx of Chattanooga

Danielle Quesenberry is from Milledgeville, Georgia. A small town known for the writer, Flannery O'Connor, and its 400 acre estate of a crumbling and closed asylum, Central State Hospital. And yes, she played ghost hunter amongst the crumbling buildings as a teenager. 

Growing up in the area, sometimes, as O'Connor says, the truth is stranger than fiction. While her childhood is a dark place (and a story for another time), there are glimmers of beauty that carried her through to adulthood. She grew up on a farm and has a green thumb and the best pimento cheese recipe you'll ever taste. 

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While struggling to escape poverty and a family who did not accept her, Danielle did a handful of odd jobs, from landscaping, cleaning, bartending, and even bee keeping. She jokes that she is a Jill of all trades but mistress of none. 

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After putting herself through college with a degree in creative writing and literary studies, Danielle focused on providing space for the storytellers of the region by launching a literary festival. This work led her to nonprofit management; she's had the privilege of working for Georgia Equality, Georgia's largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. There, she learned about the power of grassroots organizing, and the importance of community. 

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Two years ago, she landed in Chattanooga, and continued to have the pressing need to write and share stories. After a year of speaking with community members, the scaffold for Out Here was born. 

Danielle will forever remain passionate about community, books, writing, great coffee, and good food. Her goal with Out Here is to provide a platform for the diverse stories of queerness she's experienced and will continue to experience in the rural South.