Language is a Queer Thing
Language is a Queer Thing is an international poetry exchange program that brings together diverse and multicultural LGBTQIA+ poets from India and the UK through a nurturing community space, generative writing and performance workshops, 1-1 mentor meetings, in person residences and festival collaborations in different cities.
Since its inception in 2022, the project has travelled to cities such as Birmingham, Leeds and Mumbai, supported 12 emerging and mid-career LGBTQIA+ poets from India and the UK with career development opportunities, published their work in 2 anthologies by VERVE Poetry Press, and helped them reach over 2 million listeners through BBC Radio programmes and in person audiences at leading festivals such as BBC Contains Strong Language, Tata Literature Live, Jaipur Literature Festival and Spoken Fest.
WATCH THE FULL PERFORMANCE BY OUR FIRST COHORT AT BBC CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE FESTIVAL
The Queer Writers’ Room
The Queer Writers’ Room is a creative writing and cultural exchange program for young LGBTQIA+ writers from underrepresented communities in South Asia. Supported by the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai and delivered in partnership with the International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa, the program invests in young LGBTQIA+ writers as catalysts for change.
The program provides emerging writers from South Asia with knowledge, skills, and opportunities to meet and connect in a nurturing environment through a mix of craft workshops, author conversations, generative exercises, and mentoring opportunities. New work produced by the participants is published in the form of an anthology.
The 2024 edition of the program featured a writing retreat in Colombo, Sri Lanka and mentorship by leading American authors - Kazim Ali, Maggie Milner, Christopher Merrill and Darius Stewart.
Read the first issue of the Zine - Tributaries
QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab
The QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab began in 2023 in response to the lack of dedicated industry support, creative guidance and mentorship opportunities for LGBTQIA+ filmmakers in South Asia. It is an effort to build a more inclusive and equitable creative industry by supporting diverse queer talent from underrepresented communities in the Global South.
Supported by the Netflix Fund For Creative Equity, the Lab brought together an extremely talented cohort of 10 emerging queer filmmakers from India and provided them professional development and mentorship support to develop their scripts. Leading industry speakers/mentors included Neeraj Ghaywan, Alankrita Shrivastava, Saim Sadiq, Onir, Gazal Dhaliwal, among others.
The Lab culminated with industry engagements in Mumbai, and at the BFI FLARE: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival in March 2024, spotlighting queer talent and stories from the Global South. The industry event, listed among the top 10 brown culture highlights by Product of Culture, featured leading queer filmmakers from South Asia and the MENA region, including Amrou-al Kadhi whose film, Layla opened at FLARE 2024.
The Lab will return for a second season in 2024.
Digital Cultures
Our digital culture initiatives incubate and support a new generation of queer and Muslim content creators. We use our platform to spotlight and archive queer and Muslim history, culture and stories pertinent to the community.
In the past, we have partnered with companies such as Meta, Google and MUBI to create unique digital campaigns to increase visibility of diverse LGBTQIA+ voices and to generate awareness about queer arts and culture in South Asia.
