Issue 10 Side A
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Our long-awaited Issue 10 is here, and it’s a two-parter. Side A explores themes of liminality: the betweenness of times and spaces, ways we merge with the more-than-human world, moments of pause and flux in our lives and identities. Many of these pieces gesture towards the future, which we hope you enjoy as we say goodbye to Queer Out Here (at least for a little while) with this issue. So now, as always, take your ears adventuring!
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Information about Issue 10 Side A
Length: 58:47
Transcript: Google Docs / (PDF coming soon)
High quality audio version: Google Drive (.wav file, <1GB)
Running order:
Endless Metamorphosis - Toulouse Lost-Track
At the Border - Claire
Yoga as Our Guide Towards Interconnectedness - Amy Bullard
Oracle Envoys - Michael
Winter Solstice 2025 - Jonathan
so much tending to do - narinda heng
Don’t Go in the Lake - Jo Brydon-Dickenson
Motta Maadi Musings - Sambhavi
Cover art: Our cover was designed by Sixto-Juan Zavala (he/they), a designer, illustrator and storyteller who has also previously contributed to Queer Out Here! Sixto-Juan created the covers using an experimental typeface called “Rhizomatic”, which they designed with Misa Yamamoto as collaborators in Essentials Creative collective for an art installation at Chicago Botanic Garden.
Discussing the typeface, Sixo-Juan writes, “The rhizome is a non-hierarchical structure that can be useful to allow for multiple outputs without a central structure. An example of a rhizomatic model is the internet; an example of a rhizomatous plant is an iris. The typeface combines geometric and organic forms, referencing digital as well as biological rhizomes. Deleuze and Guattari's theories of the rhizome have been widely applied by many queer theorists.” Sixto-Juan further shares about his design of the Queer Out Here Issue 10 covers, “These designs reference organic forms of plants as well as the digital media that we use to create and edit our stories. Plants carry a significant impact in my outdoor experiences so I wanted to feature them in the cover design.” You can check out more of Sixto-Juan’s work on their website, sjzavala.com.
Content notes: The pieces in Queer Out Here talk about many things related to being queer and the outdoors. Issue 10 (including Side A and Side B) contains:
Mentions of climate crisis and its impacts, including climate grief
References to queerphobia, racism, ableism and other predjudices, including family estrangement
Pieces that include moments of emotional distress, anxiety and/or concern for physical safety
Discussions of living with disability, physical illness and pain
Allusions to medication and self-medication
Mentions of gender dysphoria and sexual activity
Some swearing
Some wind distortion and harsh or sudden sounds
If you have specific anxieties or triggers, check the transcript or ask a trusted friend to listen and give you feedback. Please let us know if there is something we’ve missed and we will add it to the show notes on our website.
Acknowledgement of Country: This issue and its documentation were edited in part on Brayakaulung (Gunaikurnai) Country. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We pay our respects to Gunaikurnai elders and we extend this to all Indigenous elders and Indigenous and First Nations listeners around the world.
Show notes for Issue 09
Opener - various contributors
0:00:00
Transcript
Short description: Clips from pieces in Issue 10 (Side A and Side B) woven together to create an opening soundscape and story.
Introduction - Jonathan (he/they) and Allysse (she/they)
0:01:00
Transcript
Short description: Welcome and housekeeping with Allysse and Jonathan. Background sounds of a rainstorm.
Sweeper - Emma (she)
0:03:35
Transcript
Short description: Emma has a couple of goes at recording a sweeper at the Welsh Wildlife Centre.
Endless Metamorphosis - Toulouse Lost-Track (they)
0:05:55
Transcript
Short description: Poem. Questioning and celebrating different life stages and forms to allow ourselves to endlessly transition and continuously become.
Creator bio: Toulouse Lost-Track is a wholesome drag king who is foraging for fruits instead of forging crowns. He spends most of his time consulting with trees, is covered in leaves, and follows the signs of nature in an attempt to find his own nature, or perhaps escape his nature, become one with nature… what even is nature? He’s not quite sure at this point. But he invites you to accompany him on his dragventures to discover a world of queer possibilities and non-categories. What was once a seedling of an idea has embodied itself in a hiking guide, workshop facilitator and nature connector who, once let loose, found a well of creativity and started sprouting poetry about his journey of self-discovery, his sense of belonging in nature and his fascination with the (un)imaginable diversity of being(s) that surround us.
Creator link: Instagram
Creator statement: This poem was written as part of a workshop-performance-walk called Queer (in) Nature. The intention is to let people discover queerness in nature - both in the sense of learning about how queer nature is, as well as reflecting on their own nature and queerness - and to find freedom, belonging, possibilities, and kinship in and with nature. It is the concluding piece (food for thought) after discussing the different life cycles of caterpillars/butterflies, a life cycle that includes different life forms and a complete transition/transformation between them: their entire body dissolves into liquid before rearranging itself into a new solid form. It is an invitation to question what constitutes a life form, a life stage, a body, an identity, even memory, and what we are aiming to become. And the value we attach to these different stages, their linearity, their hierarchy, their desirability and their purpose. It is an invitation to imagine different possibilities of being, becoming, embodying, transitioning, transforming - beyond what is fathomable to us, beyond what we think is the goal or endpoint. Because, frankly, the only permanent endpoint, the only final form, is death. (Well, depending on what you believe.)
At the Border - Claire (she/they)
0:08:00
Transcript
Short description: Song. A folk song written like a question, exploring fluidity and gender identity by bringing you on the edge of a wild North Atlantic cliff.
Creator bio: Claire is an educator, musician and illustrator living in West Cork (Ireland). Originally from France, their passion for folk tales and music, lichens, the ocean, non-binary weather and dear friends met along the way drew her to stay on Irish land. Feminist and queer, their work at West Cork Sudbury School focuses on supporting children’s voices and autonomy through self-directed learning, democratic education, transformative justice and play. As an illustrator, Claire’s work explores the sensory aspect of nature, how the non-human world invites humans into a state of play and wonder. From watercolours to murals, they favour community based projects that build connection between people. For a few years, Claire has also collaborated with a lot of musicians playing the flute, the guitar and singing, cherishing spontaneous birdlike improvisation and songwriting.
Creator link: Instagram
Creator statement: I started writing the words for this song while I was walking on the Sheep’s Head Peninsula, a piece of land stolen from the sea, at the edge of West Cork, Ireland. I’ve always loved walking on the brink of a cliff. Everything feels wild, unexpected... dangerous. Sometimes I barely dare to look down; my head spins, creating scenarios. And at the same time I experience a deep sense of home and peace. No one is to judge me here. More than that. Everything reflects this constant change that I know moves inside my veins, transforms my skin, my cells. Everything becomes each other, the wind is a wave, the lichen eats the rocks that crumble into water, the foam fly in the sky that reflects the ocean. This outside swirl seems to appease the storm inside my head. It allows me to rest for a minute and to accept that my identity can stay a question, flying with the gannets and the cormorants. Those thoughts were the beginning of the song. The rest came with the need to share some fears about coming out - our world has made it so hard to share what lives inside us.
Sweeper - Lisa (she)
0:11:37
Transcript
Short description: Lisa visits Bellbird Corner, a bushland reserve surrounded by farm paddocks. Recorded on Gunaikurnai Country.
Yoga as our guide toward interconnectedness - Amy Bullard (she)
0:15:15
Transcript
Short description: Non-fiction/essay. Exploring yogic wisdom and how to embody interconnectedness in a world that craves separation.
Creator bio: Amy is an accessible yoga guide based in York (UK). She is a member of The Teapot Collective: a collective of facilitators and yoga guides focused on sharing creative and embodied healing practices both online and in person. Amy is passionate about applying the ancient wisdom of yoga as an antidote to the injustices we face in our world today.
Creator links: Substack
Creator statement: Yoga is much more than just asana, movement, it is a holistic philosophy and way of life that has been practiced for thousands of years. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a key text that many yogis will refer to and one that I describe in this piece. Yoga has not always been accessible to all. For a long time it was gatekept by rich men in pre-Partition India and South Asia more broadly. In addition, when the British colonised India they made practising yoga illegal and it was only until India’s independence from the British that folks could practice freely and openly again. We are now living in a context where yoga is becoming more and more accessible to all - we are now witnessing folks from all different backgrounds sharing their connection to the philosophies, which is bringing so much depth to the practice. We still have a long way to go. Yoga continues to be entwined with Hindu Nationalists like with the current President of India, Modi, who is utilising the practice to harm marginalised folks, particularly Muslim people. It is important we understand the context of yoga and how at its core it can bring us toward freedom, as I describe in this piece, and at the same time how it is being co-opted by groups and individuals to commit violence.
Content note: Wind distortion
Oracle Envoys - Michael (he/they)
0:23:07
Transcript
Short description: Music/sound art. A floating melody drifting over the waves of a nearby cliff.
Creator bio: Michael O’Shaughnessy is a composer and sound designer with a bachelor's degree in Popular Music. With a strong focus on orchestral arranging and a passion for immersive soundscapes, he aims to craft memorable experiences for both film and video game media. An artist that prides themselves on immersive and expressive audio experiences, Michael brings a deep level of care to every project he joins.
Creator statement: A few months ago I took a trip up the country to Killarney (Ireland) where I then found myself on a quiet nature trail. I stopped on the path for a moment, took in my surroundings and listened. It was just nature and me. No need to act, no need to perform, no need to pretend. I sat there, and I just listened. It's amazing how powerful a quiet moment with nature can feel, how in tune it can make you feel with the world we inhabit. A flock of birds flying in the trees, chirping to their families; living their own little lives entirely separate to me. A quiet river flowing behind the tree; water lapping at the rocks edging the riverbank. Wind whooshing past my ears; gathering pollen from flowers as it goes and ensuring that the forest continues to grow. This piece was inspired by the silence around me in that moment, and it was inspired by the music around me when I stopped to listen.
Sweeper - Mags (she)
0:25:42
Transcript
Short description: Mags records a sweeper during the dawn chorus in Shivapuri, Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu.
Winter Solstice 2025 - Jonathan (he/they)
0:28:01
Transcript
Short description: Field recording/audio postcard. Hourly snippets painting a portrait of the shortest day of the year.
Creator bio: Jonathan enjoys being outside and creating things. He is one of the editors of Queer Out Here.
Creator links: Blog
Creator statement: For a while now, I’d thought about creating an audio diary of one day using short recordings at set times (rather than focusing on particular experiences, stories or places). Knowing that this would be our last Queer Out Here for a while gave me the impetus to actually do it! I recorded a few minutes on the hour, each hour, from dawn to dusk on the winter solstice in June 2025. The piece follows me as I encounter morning frost, feed our chooks, do some gardening, have a day out with my partner Dan and our friend Esther (visiting creeks, a small town gallery, a park, my parents’ house and their chooks and a river) then return home. I had fallen out of the habit of using audio as a form of record keeping, so it was nice to return to it for this piece.
Land acknowledgement: This piece was recorded and edited on Gunaikurnai Country, specifically the land and waters of the Brayakaulung people. I acknowledge these people as the traditional custodians of this never-ceded Country and pay my respect to their Elders past and present. Always was, always will be.
so much tending to do - narinda heng (she)
0:38:53
Transcript
Short description: Non-fiction/essay. Meditation on winter gardening in East Oakland, California.
Creator bio: narinda heng is a queer, Khmer American artist and outdoor educator living on Ohlone land. When not climbing or meandering in the woods, narinda spends her time gardening, making pottery, baking with wild yeast, and writing. Her poetry and essays engage themes of interdependence, diasporic identity, and relationship with the more-than-human world.
Creator links: Website
Creator statement: This is a short meditation finding meaning in tending to that which feels within our reach, in the midst of so much that feels beyond our control. Originally published at www.longcoolhallway.com
Content notes: Allusions to climate/political crises.
Don’t Go in the Lake - Jo Brydon-Dickenson (she)
0:43:20
Transcript
Short description: Music. A new tune for Northumbrian smallpipes, accompanied by the birdsong of the Harthope Valley
Creator bio: Jo is a trans historian and folk musician whose work explores themes of identity and relationship with place. In her musical work, she performs both traditional tunes and her own compositions on harmonica and Northumbrian smallpipes.
Creator links: Instagram
Creator statement: This is a tune I wrote for Northumbrian smallpipes, in the key of F minor, a key they are not really meant to be played in. I'm performing this piece which subverts the "rules" for the instrument right in the heart of Northumberland, their home territory, in a valley that has been one of my favourite places since I was very small. Accompanying me are the willow warblers, mistle thrushes, and cuckoos that call the valley their home.
Acknowledgements: James Brydon-Dickenson, who helped record the piece.
Content notes: Wind distortion
Sweeper - Ez (they)
44:44
Transcript
Short description: On a rooftop in Naarm/Melbourne, Ez admires the view as trains, traffic and helicopters accompany them. Recorded on the unceded land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation.
Motta Maadi Musings - Sambhavi (they)
46:20
Transcript
Short description: Audio postcard/diary. Recounting my becoming from my terrace (my physical queer place) as I prepare to bid adieu to it.
Creator bio: Sambhavi is a transdisciplinary researcher interested in all things culture, community, place and power. They have a master’s degree from SOAS University of London and an undergraduate degree from the University of Madras.
Creator links: Bluesky
Creator statement: My piece is an audio postcard/diary. I am walking on my motta maadi (my terrace) on the five year anniversary of moving to my apartment, and recounting how it's been queer out here. This is a time of transition as I, and my family, will be moving out of this apartment soon, so I will no longer have access to this physical queer place of mine. The recording is a claiming of the place even as I prepare to say adieu to it.
Content notes: Wind distortion.
Conclusion - Allysse (she/they) and Jonathan (he/they)
0:52:45
Transcript
Short description: Reflections on this issue, thank yous, and a long field recording of a rainstorm.