The residency was inspired by the Poetry Translation Centre’s publication of Diana Bellessi’s To Love a Woman translated by Leo Boix as part of their World Poet Series. Bellessi is considered to be the godmother of feminist / LGBTQI+ / Lesbian poetry in Argentina and her work demonstrates a deep commitment to progressive politics, ecological conservation and the social condition of the working class in Argentina and Latin America. Her poetry is seen as groundbreaking for its depiction of lesbian desire and has exerted a strong influence on prominent poets and writers from the 80s and 90s through to the present day.
The Queer Digital Residency was funded by the Jan Michalski Foundation and Oxford Brookes University.