In the English Faculty we are delighted to celebrate LGBTQ+ history month with some of the poets who appear in the anthology State of Play, edited by Eddie Tay and Jennifer Wong, a recent TORCH Humanities Exchange Fellow. The conversation was first sparked back in late November when the poets met in a hybrid event of readings and discussions, which I was privileged to chair. In the interviews that follow the poets expand on their thoughts about poetry and queerness, and reflect on difficult emotions and favourite books.
— Elleke Boehmer, EDI lead for the English Faculty
***PLEASE NOTE THAT STRONG LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL CONTENT IS USED IN SOME OF THE INTERVIEWS, EXCERPTS AND POEMS.***
In this special column during the LGBQT+ history month, we offer these exclusive interviews with some of the anthology contributors from State of Play: Poets of East and Southeast Asian Heritage (Outspoken Press, 2023) co-edited by Eddie Tay and Jennifer Wong. State of Play brings together conversations between an international line-up of poets, taking place over the course of a year. In the interviews below, in connection with their writing communities and personal backgrounds, these poets shared what it is to take part in this transnational dialogue, the creative process behind it, their thoughts on (queer) identities and on books that inspired them.
You can also read more excerpts and quotes taken from the anthology, featuring the selected contributors (permission from Out-Spoken Press).
See also the event recording featuring contributor poets including Chen Chen, Lora Supandi, Sarah Howe and Natalie Linh Bolderston, and their conversation with Prof Elleke Boehmer at Stanford House in November 2023.
