Queer Worlds: On the Street, the Stage, and the Page

Featuring readings by award-winning poets Mary Jean Chan, oakley, Dean Atta, and Sara Saab, and discussion chaired by Dean Atta and Andrew van der Vlies, this evening event explores, presents, and reflects on queer lives lived on the street, the stage and the page across the world.

Andrew van der Vlies is Professor of Contemporary Literature and Postcolonial Studies at Queen Mary University of London, and Extraordinary Associate Professor at the University of the Western Cape. His books include Present Imperfect: Contemporary South African Writing (2017), South African Textual Cultures (2007), and, as editor, South African Writing in Transition (2019, with Rita Barnard).

Dean Atta was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize for his debut poetry collection, I Am Nobody’s Nigger. He was named as one of the most influential LGBT people in the UK by the Independent on Sunday. His debut novel, The Black Flamingo, will be published in August 2019 by Hodder Children’s Books.

Mary Jean Chan is a poet, editor and academic from Hong Kong. Her debut pamphlet, A Hurry of English, was selected as the 2018 Poetry Book Society Summer Pamphlet Choice. She is a Ledbury Poetry Critic and an editor of Oxford Poetry. Mary Jean’s debut collection Flèche is forthcoming from Faber & Faber in July 2019.

oakley is a writer originally from the West Midlands. They have received development as a playwright from Birmingham REP, National Theatre and The Royal Court. Performing across the UK and writing regularly for Apples & Snakes, oakley went on to win the ‘Out: Spoken’ prize for Page Poetry in 2018 for their poem ‘Wings’.

Sara Saab was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and now lives in North London. In 2018, she was a finalist in the Omnidawn Poetry Chapbook Prize and a semi-finalist in the Snowbound Chapbook Award. Sara writes poetry and fiction.

Keith Jarrett is a UK and international poetry slam champion, and a Spread the Word LGBT Hero. His work explores Caribbean history, religion and sexuality. Keith’s monologue, Safest Spot in Town, was commissioned for BBC’s Queers, and his poetry book, Selah, was published in 2017. He is a PhD scholar at Birkbeck, London, completing his first novel.

FAKA © photo credit Jamal Nxedlana