28-05-2025
Kweensland. 1 by Ellen van Neerven
Kweensland. 1 is the first poem in a suite titled Kweensland: Sovereign Bodies and the Colonial Nation-State, which is about queer First Nations peoples and how traditional country does sit within the parameters of what is now called Queensland yet sovereignty was never ceded.
It's about gender diversity before the ships came. About listening deeply to Dhagun and stories that have been silenced. These poems are an ode to what to some are small protests and small details, but to the poet, are revolutions.
Ellen van Neerven belongs to the Mununjali Yugambeh people of south east Queensland. Ellen is an award-winning writer, editor and literary activist. They have authored three books including a new poetry collection Throat which explores different ways to be heard.
