Introductory Prayer

My name is Ceilbí, and this is my demonic prayer book! Think of me as a fallen angel you’ve wrongfully mistaken for a drunken twink on the side of your bed after a wild night out. How’d they get there?

I have struggled with not feeling queer enough for some time now- and at 28 years of age I feel like my life is going nowhere fast. So, it’s time to do what I do best- and get on my knees…and pray.

I would now invite everyone to stand for the Introductory prayer. Let me explain what this is all about- The Queer Prayer Book is a collection of stories, poems, and prayers!

For those unfamiliar with my work, prepare for the wild, rotten, and hellish as I take you on the ride of your life. But let me fully introduce myself:

I came out as queer and non binary in 2020(didn’t everyone?). My pronouns are they/them/theirs. I’m from a small town in Ireland, and I now live in London. My favourite writers are Mieko Kawakami, Sylvia Plath, and Tillie Walden. I love cartoons, and my favourites are Gravity Falls, The Owl House, and Undone. And, I grew up watching Joan River’s stand-up tapes way too young!

I have been writing for stage and screen for the past 10 years. I most recently was awarded the Keep it Fringe award for my upcoming show, ‘A Xerox of a Deer, ‘ which is coming to Edinburgh Fringe this August. I took part in the Orchard Project TV Writer’s Lab in 2024. I’ve been shortlisted for BBC Writers in 2022 and 2023.

The Queer Prayer Book is like if you wrote a book and put a new part online every week. I wanted a place for people to come and disconnect from the chaos of social media, the horror of feeling like everything about ya sucks, and the impending destruction of our world. It’s a distraction; god knows we need one.

Fuck, it’s been so hard to get to this point- I’ve been sitting on this book for 4 years now. Truthfully, I lost all my confidence these past few years. I thought about quitting so many times. I spent most of my days not even talking to anyone at all, spending hours bed-rotting and feeling unable to do little tasks. And I’d love to lie to you and say that’s changed- but it hasn’t. But all I can say is that writing makes me happy, and it really upsets me that I stopped doing it for so long.

This is going to get dark and scary and go places that are uncomfortable and heavy- but it’s also going to be silly and weird and be filled with stupid jokes that will hopefully make ya laugh.

It’s a fucking pleasure to have ya here. I hope you connect with my words- find yourself laughing out loud and feeling less alone.

I’ll be updating the prayer book every Friday. What are ya waiting for? Go read the first part!

You may be seated.