We speak for us
In the wake of the UK supreme court’s ruling on the 16th of April that made nebulous the legal recognition of trans people under UK law, to read more about thoughts in the aftermath read here
What we found most disturbing about this legal case was the choice to exclude any trans voice at every stage. This is nothing new, we have had our existence has been scrubbed from histories, especially the small intimate histories lived each day.
At Generator we are proud to present ‘we speak for us’ where for one night and in one place trans voices will be heard. This evening is dedicated to excellence of trans poetics and features 6 brilliant writers from a variety of lived experiences.
Happening from 7-9pm on Friday 27th of June, free to attend but donation to the Good Law project’s fundraiser to challenge the Supreme Court ruling is welcome.
Our line up includes;
Rose Zinnia
Rose Zinnia: is a writer, editor, teaching artist, and designer. Born in Akron, Ohio, she is the author of Togethering (Ledge Mule Press, 2024), a chapbook of poetry & lyric essay. A 2025 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellow, Zinnia’s honors also include fellowships from Vermont Studio Center, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and the Kinsey Institute. Her writing appears or is forthcoming in The Offing, Poetry, CV2, Black Warrior Review, Poem-A-Day, The Journal, Gulf Coast, and West Branch, among others. She holds an MFA from Indiana University, works at the LGBTQ+ journal and press Foglifter, and lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Carl(e) Gent
Carl(e) Gent is an artist and writer from Bexhill-on-sea.
Much of their work seeks to refictionalise the life of Cynethryth, eighth-century Queen of Mercia through a range of amateur dramatics, tabletop gaming, self-publishing cesspits and the parading of decapitated kings in community carnivals.
Together with Kelechi Anucha she investigated the girly and divine links between folk and church song, and her ongoing collaborative practice with Linda Stupart has given birth to a range of live, published and exhibited restagings of the 1990s video game Ecco the Dolphin.
Their pamphlet, The Balls of Alban, was published by Monitor Books in 2022 and their book Felon Herb – outlining the ongoing production of absinthe as art – was published by Kelder Press, also in 2022.
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Len Lukowski
Len Lukowski (he/him) is a writer and performer living in Glasgow. Len writes short stories, creative non-fiction, lyrics and poetry. His writing has been in Extra Teeth, New Writing Scotland and Bi+ Lines. His debut poetry pamphlet, ‘The Bare Thing’ was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2022 and his first collection, ‘Bodily Fluids’ will be published in November. Len was a winner of the Wasafiri New Writers Award for Life Writing . He’s played in the queer punk bands Faggot, Twinken Park and Jean Genet.
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Belladonna Paloma
Belladonna Paloma is an artist, poet & witch based in Shetland. She paints, tattoos, writes poetry, and makes computer games. Her work investigates how divination disturbs linear time, grief rituals, toilet gods and necromancy. Belladonna is returning to Generator after her beautiful solo show ‘The Grave in full Vigour’ and publication sewer song. As well as a homecoming for Belladonna as she returns to Dundee, after graduating from DJCAD’s inaugural art & philosophy cohort in 2007. Since then she has presented work with Overkill Festival, IMT Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art, Abingdon Project Space & GAADA. She has previously published with Sluice Magazine, Pink Sands Studio Press & Sticky Fingers Publishing.
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Leyla Hussein
is an artist and writer from Dundee who honours her Pakistani heritage. Hussain’s work explores themes like intimacy, the breakdown of beliefs in the face of desolation and what it means to observe and be consumed by the & unknown&; and still find hope.
Hussain’s practice is informed by the complexities of the human condition, grief and community through ritual. She investigates how this is reflected in settings, images and experiences shrouded in mystique. She weaves her prayers into every work
She was awarded the “V&A Dundee Honorary Prize for criticality, imagination & support for others” and is currently working on a commission. She has worked with V&A Dundee, Exhale, LGBT Health, Leith Late Festival, Shaper Caper, Cooper Gallery and has presented at Generator Projects.
is an artist and writer from Dundee who honours her Pakistani heritage. Hussain’s work explores themes like intimacy, the breakdown of beliefs in the face of desolation and what it means to observe and be consumed by the & unknown&; and still find hope.
Hussain’s practice is informed by the complexities of the human condition, grief and community through ritual. She investigates how this is reflected in settings, images and experiences shrouded in mystique. She weaves her prayers into every work
She was awarded the “V&A Dundee Honorary Prize for criticality, imagination & support for others” and is currently working on a commission. She has worked with V&A Dundee, Exhale, LGBT Health, Leith Late Festival, Shaper Caper, Cooper Gallery and has presented at Generator Projects.
Jo Watters is a newer writer, living and working from Dundee. Jo writes mostly short stories and poetry, his work published in Transfer Magazine and Butch-Femme Press. He has just finished a course learning how to write screenplays for narrative film and this year has stumbled into the acting world as well. Currently he is on an advisory board working to set up a poetry anthology in his late aunt’s name, currently focused on uplifting disabled voices in Bristol.
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Jo Watters
Jo Watters is a newer writer, living and working from Dundee. Jo writes mostly short stories and poetry, his work published in Transfer Magazine and Butch-Femme Press. He has just finished a course learning how to write screenplays for narrative film and this year has stumbled into the acting world as well. Currently he is on an advisory board working to set up a poetry anthology in his late aunt’s name, currently focused on uplifting disabled voices in Bristol.
This event has been co-organised by Belladonna Paloma and Persephone Russell.
Persephone Russell is an artist-educator, writer/editor & producer. practice is concerned with using creativity as a method towards community healing. She is fascinated by the poetry of objects and their potential to hold open the space to imagine new worlds in 2023 she was selected for a John Byrne Award. She previously worked with Jupiter Artland, CCA, Dissenter Spaces, Craft Scotland & was Hospitalfield’s Free Drawing School Artist for 2024. She previously been commissioned published writings with Cooper Gallery, Generator Projects, Dreich & 1010 press - She co-edited the publications Burned & Sewer Song.