What a night this was: with many mesmerizing performances, passionate words, and an amazing crowd full of love and engagement. 🌈❤️
The 2nd Queer & Feminist Poetry Awards, organized by the Unwanted Words Project Foundation, took place on 25 November 2023. Poets and spoken word artists from all over the Netherlands awarding works on LGBTQ+ identities and feminism. The theme this year: “Decolonizing Gender”,
was part of the program “Our colonial and slavery past and the city of today” of the Municipality of Rotterdam.
The Queer & Feminist Poetry Awards serve as a platform to recognize exceptional poets and spoken word artists who approaching feminism and the queer experience from an intersectional perspective
perspective, amplifying Indigenous voices and people of color. This year’s theme is “Decolonizing Gender,” inviting artists to address the impact of slavery and colonialism on LGBTQ+ and women of color.
“These awards were our way of celebrating the talent in our communities and helping LGBTQ+ talent open doors to bigger stages and opportunities,” said Luis Bracamontes, Founder of Stichting Unwanted Words Project.
During the awards ceremony, which took place on Saturday, November 25 at WORM in Rotterdam, more than 20 national and international artists competed for one of the following award categories: Best Queer Performance, Best Feminist Performance, The BIPOC Voice Award, Audience Award, Best Organization and Poet of the year. Winners were chosen on the evening of the event by a panel of judges following live performances. The jury of the 2nd Queer & Feminist Poetry Awards consisted of experienced writers from indigenous, people of color and LGBTQ+ – Zaire Krieger, Daniëlle Zawadi and Geoffrey van der Ven.
Building on the success of the first edition, which saw an abundance of artistic talent and community support, the 2nd Queer & Feminist Poetry Awards promises to be even more influential and thought-provoking. The previous edition took place on September 27, 2020 and featured a range of powerful performances that resonated with audiences, and the event received significant attention from poetry enthusiasts, artists and LGBTQ+ advocates.
Here is the list of the winners for every category:
For Best Queer Performance: Marc Alberto (They/Them)
For Best Feminist Performance: Luka (She/Her)
For The BIPOC Voice Award: Keanu (They/Them)
For Poet of the Year: Sunni Latin Barrow (He/Him)
Honorable Mention: Kevin Groen (He/Him)
For The Public’s Choice Award: Jowi Len (She/Her)
For Best Organization: The Writer’s Guide