Taylor Johnson’s debut poetry collection, Inheritance, explores the complexities and limitations of language, physicality and capitalism. Resisting singularities, each poem emerges with a distinct sound, space and sensibility. Whether driving in a Lincoln Town Car; moving through pine forests and becoming immersed in the sounds of animals and nature; languishing in a lovers’ invitation, transcending from the syncopation of Go-go or walking the pavements of Washington D.C.—‘dissolving into sound’. Johnson’s critical perspective is rooted in connection. These poems gesture towards the tools we might need for living alongside rather than against or in spite of an inundation of daily oppressions. Be it redefining trans Blackness, environmental degradation, or land ownership and labour. With receptiveness and tenderness Johnson strolls around language, listening to silence—inheriting it, filling it and remaking it. 

Quiet Fires, the debut poetry collection from andriniki mattis, queries the everpresent questions of Black lives. Be it in a bakery in Brixton, London, at a corner on Malcolm X Blvd, Brooklyn, or the pews of Notre Dame, Paris – whether crossing violent borders on land or in gender, we know how it is to be in a familiar place that feels foreign.

As we follow along on bike rides over the Manhattan Bridge or sit alongside queer lovers in Bushwick, mattis reflects on the profound impact of pandemics, indifference, and heartbreak. In these lyrical and intimate poems that interrogate white spaces on the page and in the world with evocative metaphors, we wonder: “is there ever a party if you're always working this skin”— where can we feel safe and loved?  In a world of climate change and the constant “twilight of violence”, be it gun violence or the expectations of capitalism, quiet fires erupt in these errant everyday moments. Centered around the experience of the Black queer, trans body, andriniki gabriel mattis uncovers the complexities of identity and the quest for self-discovery.

In The Back of My Throat is an anthology about queer Indonesian experiences across borders and other stories told with no shame.

Edited by Tatevik Sargsyan and Norman Erikson Pasaribu.

With contributions from: Zar Mose, Khairani Barokka, JR Hadi, Kristal Firdaus, Anna Sulan Masing, Pear Nuallak, Ko Ko Thett, Kyi May Kaung, Ziggy Zezsyazeoviennazabrizkie, Pychita Julinanda, Prahara Amelia, Madina Malahayati Chumaera, Nurdiyansyah, Mak Lin, Caesar Abrisam.

The title is taken from Prahara Amelia’s poem.

Norman Erikson Pasaribu is a Bali-based writer, translator, and editor. Their poetry collection My Dream Job will be out in the UK in 2024 with Tilted Axis Press.

Tatevik Sargsyan is founding publisher and editor of Anamot Press, Trustee of the Poetry Translation Centre and a design strategist working with charities and philanthropy.