Hampshire Poet blog - March 2026

During his two year tenure, your Hampshire Poet - Damian Kelly-Basher - will be writing a series of blog posts for us sharing what he has been up to, telling us his poetic plans for the future, and inviting you to get involved in poetry in Hampshire. Read on to find out what's happening in Damian's world!

Ellora Sutton

For March, Damian Kelly-Basher's Hampshire Poet blog is on Queer Poetry.

For this blog he has handed the reins to Hampshire-based poet Ellora Sutton.

On Queer Poetry - guest blog by Ellora Sutton

A note: historically, ‘queer’ has been used as a derogatory term. Following a long process of reclamation, ‘queer’ has become a term of empowerment for many in the LGBTQIA+ community.

As long as there has been poetry, there has been queer poetry. I’ve heard it said that poetry is inherently queer. It is queered language. It is queered prose (which, I like to think, makes prose poems doubly queer). In this sense, queer means othered.

Poetry is a way of knowing yourself, and of being known. June Jordan (herself a queer poet) put it best: “Poetry means taking control of the language of your life. Good poems can interdict a suicide, rescue a love affair and build a revolution in which speaking and listening to somebody becomes the first and last purpose to every social encounter.”

To me, queer is a verb. It says, proudly, you can’t hurt me with who I am. Queer is an energy, like gasoline or bread or sunlight. To quote ‘i love you to the moon &’ by Chen Chen: “let’s go by the speed of / queer zest & stay up / there”.

Damian Kelly-Basher

Queer poets to check out at your local library:

• Harry Josephine Giles

• John McCullough

• Frank O’Hara

• Danez Smith

• Mary Jean Chan

• Hera Lindsay Bird

• Joshua Jennifer Espinoza

• Mary Oliver

Ellora Sutton is a poet and PhD candidate based in Hampshire. Her debut collection, Little Bitch, is published by Verve Poetry Press in April, and you can pre-order it here.

Ellora is facilitating a free drop-in workshop for Winchester Poetry Festival at Bournemouth Writing Festival's Poetry Marquee on Sat 25th April. She was also winner of the Hampshire Prize at Winchester Poetry Prize 2019 with her poem 'Moon Collector'.

Damian Kelly-Basher is Hampshire Poet Laureate 2024-26. The appointment of the Hampshire Poet takes place every two years and is jointly led by Winchester Poetry Festival and Hampshire Cultural Trust. The position of Hampshire Poet provides the opportunity for a Hampshire-based poet to undertake commissions, lead workshops and give readings and talks throughout the county, as well as acting as an advocate for poetry and poets.

https://damkellybash.com/