STORIES WITHOUT BORDERS

Poet, novelist, and essayist Kazim Ali reflects on the intersection of queerness and cultural identity

- NIKITA SAWANT

Spotlighting 24 queer writers, On The Brink Of Belief offers a powerful collection of voices that challenge and expand the boundaries of contemporary literature. We speak to Kazim Ali about editing this anthology and bringing together the voices of emerging LGBTQIA+ writers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

GRAZIA: What inspired you to edit this anthology of queer narratives?

KAZIM ALI: The anthology was born from The Queer Writers' Room (TQWR), a literary incubator by The Queer Muslim Project. In 2024, I had the privilege of mentoring 10 young and emerging queer South Asian writers from TQWR as part of a delegation from the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.

G: The book features stories that span a variety of experiences and backgrounds. How did you go about curating these voices and perspectives?