After receiving an incredible number of submissions from across the Netherlands, we are deeply honored to share the poets selected for the second volume of the Queer & Feminist Poetry Anthology.
This year’s edition, Queer Joy & Gender Euphoria, is a celebration of what it means to exist, feel, love and imagine beyond limitation. It is a collection rooted not only in resistance, but in pleasure, softness, pride and the radical act of choosing joy.
The works we received moved us in many ways. Tender, bold, playful, defiant, intimate. The selection process was not easy. We were guided by a desire to curate a body of work that reflects a shared vision: one that centers joy as something expansive, layered and deeply political.
This anthology is more than a book. It is a living archive of queer voices. A space where we write ourselves into existence, into history, and into the futures we deserve.
Selected Poets
- AC Lans
- Alex River K
- Carmen José
- Chella Chella
- Dominic Pradana
- Eddy Tilro
- Elfie Muis
- Elias Bučko
- Elisa
- Evy
- Hawun
- Jiye
- Jowi Len
- Kevin-Ahn Kwang Soo-Groen
- La Lau
- Layla Silbernberg
- Leonie de Waal
- Leroy Kxng
- Lily Clarisa
- Lionel Deul
- Ludwika
- Luis Bracamontes
- Luka Prelas
- Luke Worthy
- M ALBERTO
- Maaike van Steenis
- Martijn Orlando
- Mikayla Vieira Ribeiro
- Mir
- Moni Zwitserloot
- Nadia Buiter
- Nicchelle Buyne
- Nim
- Nine de Jonge
- O.L. Trethyn
- Parel Joy
- Paula Breuning
- Pei Kuo
- sam(uēl)
- Sascha Sylbing
- Sofia M.
- Suus Duk
- Tal
- Tessa van Rens
- Titus Maria Williams
- Tuaca Kelly
- Valentijn Hamel
- Valentine Roze
- Vlinder Verouden
- willow sommer
With a special feature by Hendri Yulius Wijaya, Poet in Residence at Poetry International Festival 2026.
About this Edition
This second volume builds on the ongoing mission of Unwanted Words: to reclaim narrative power and create space for queer voices to exist on their own terms. As expressed in the open call, this anthology intentionally shifts away from dominant narratives of struggle and instead centers joy as a transformative force.
Queer joy, in this context, is not simple or one-dimensional. It is complex, tender, messy, radiant. It lives in the body, in language, in community, in becoming. It is both deeply personal and collectively imagined.
Launch Announcement
The anthology will be officially launched during the Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam on June 6th, 2026.
This moment will bring together many of the selected poets in a shared celebration of their work, their voices, and the communities that hold them.
Acknowledgements
This project is made possible thanks to the generous support of Cultuurfonds.
We also want to thank every poet who submitted their work. Your voices, whether selected or not, are part of this movement. This anthology is one moment in a much larger, ongoing story we are writing together.
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