Queersland!

Steve MinOn was an internationally awarded advertising copywriter and a restaurateur before becoming a writer of fiction. He grew up in North Queensland and he now lives in Meanjin/Brisbane. Steve’s debut novel First Name Second Name (UQP 2025) won the Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer in the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards. He has written often about outsiders and his family’s mixed-race ancestral history, and his articles and short stories have been published in SBS Voices, Mamamia and various newspapers and anthologies.

Kris Kneen is the award-winning author of fiction, poetry and non-fiction. They have been shortlisted for many awards including the prestigious Stella Prize. Their poetry collection Eating My Grandmother won the Thomas Shapcott Prize. Their latest book Fat Girl Dancing was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, The Qld Premier’s Literary Award for a work of state significance and the South Australian Literary Award.

James is a musician, arts producer and generally a creative facilitator and agitator. Since the 1990s, he has devoted much of his creative energies towards queer arts events, live music performance, concert production and curating writer/ideas/conversation events. He is also a highly active musician himself, popping up in a range of Brisbane bands, primarily as a drummer. In 2015, he was the founding director of Melt Festival Of Queer Arts (Brisbane Powerhouse) and has also provided queer arts/music programming for Brisbane Pride Festival, Queensland Cabaret Festival and Brisbane Festival. Currently, he resides in semi-seclusion on a mountain outside Brisbane/Meanjin and works happily from home in the arts/events world as well as honing his piano skills with his solo project Ghostwoods, and creating new works with long-running music collective Silver Sircus, which he shares with close collaborator (and fellow Queerslander) Lucinda Shaw.

Ruth Gardner is a Brisbane-based creative and community leader working across music, performance, and event production. She runs Gardner Grows, a platform for her artistic projects, and is the co-owner and creative director of The Cave Inn, a well-loved venue for live music and the arts. Ruth has been a key voice on 4ZZZ’s Dykes on Mykes for over 15 years and currently serves as chair of the station’s board. With a strong focus on inclusivity and community-building, Ruth plays an active role in shaping Brisbane’s creative and LGBTQ+ scenes through her work in the arts and grassroots media.

Stephanie Dogfoot is a spoken word poet, comedian and cabaret performer from Singapore. They were the 2012 UK Farrago Slam champion and the 2010 Singapore Poetry Slam champion. Their first collection, Roadkill for Beginners (Math Paper Press, 2019), explores found family in strange places and strange family in found places. They are the producer of Singapore’s longest-running poetry open mic, Spoke and Bird. They have been invited to perform their work in 13 countries, including the Glastonbury Festival, the Ubud Writers and Readers’ Festival and tours of Australia, North America and Germany. They are inspired by mud, large mammals, joy and resistance.