The last LGBTQ+ anthology, published 20 years ago, included heterosexual people proving the humanity of homosexuals, whereas 100 Queer Poems is a revolutionary representation of queerness. McMillan discussed that writers in previous anthologies who were non-queer poets represented allied bodies of work, which he has tried to deter from in the anthology. Shaw then brought up the anti-Trans connotations associated with the word “queer”, which only came about while they were writing the book. However, they mentioned that, historically, every word has exploited the LGBTQ+ community in one way or another. Mcmillan said that the first time he heard the word “gay” was to insult him.
The anthology begins by exploring self-identity in adolescence and moves towards our ever-evolving queer future. Queer poetry about childhood experiences often reveals the tension between the birth family and chosen family. However, McMillan confirmed the narrative that you must leave to be happy is untrue. He said that the joy of staying is also critical. Poetry visits those moments of oppression when we were unable to formulate language. The gift of language is to represent what straightforward language struggles with. Strong metaphors utilised throughout the poetry add a glint of meaning that reads in many ways where you can pay attention to different things.
The book attempts to continue ongoing conversations by bringing together different voices that put queer poetry up to the light. It questions what makes a poem queer, is it in subject, language, form, or something else? The contemporary theory of intersectionality considers privilege and prejudice in different political and social contexts.
Shaw revealed that when they grew up in Burnley, they studied Wilfred Owen, whose poetry is in the anthology. They admitted that there was no mention of Owen’s homosexuality in school. They noted the identifiable difference in where we display poetry and how it impacts how we read it. W.H. Auden’s well-renowned poem “Funeral Blues” is one of the most infamous poems in the anthology. This poem reclaims queerness in the anthology that has failed to be considered before.
Reading queer poetry by late poets evokes deep poignancy among readers. We are haunted by history in these dances of humour and melancholy, where weddings are straight, and funerals are gay. Shaw candidly spoke of just how modern the acceptance of queer people is, namely in marriage. They reflected on the fact that gay marriage only became legal around 12 years ago and that up until that point, heterosexuals were happily getting married knowing this fact.
100 Queer Poems is not a legislative change, but the poetry allows us to imagine new possibilities for language and to get excited for what is to come. The co-editors did impressively passionate readings of some of their own poetry and from the anthology. Shaw made a striking remark about their physical reaction to poetry that cannot be expressed verbally. This resonated with me and represented the beautiful impact of poetry on its readers. Join me in reading this compelling collection of poetry together.
Rating: ★★★★★
100 Queer Poems was published in 2022. Other Off the Shelf Festival events can be found here
