Up//Roar

A bold collection of contemporary queer poetry and political power

Since we published Joy//Us poems of Queer Joy, the world has changed dramatically, with rights under threat and allies pulling away. We feel exposed and uncertain: leaving the poems we turned down back then, as not being Joyful enough, far more relevant. So, a more serious book, but not THAT serious, resistance comes in many glorious guises.

Arachne Press has long been a champion of LGBTQ+ writers, and our first anthology of LGBTQ+ poetry Joy//Us, was something of a hit! It was a strange moment, publishing joyful poems, that celebrated all that is best about our community/ies and lives. Times have moved on fast and here we are now with Up//Roar Poems of Queer Resistance. So what is that? Coming out as Queer Resistance! Living bold as Queer Resistance! Pushing back as Queer Resistance! Shouting out as Queer Resistance! Showing up as Queer Resistance! Knowing history as Queer Resistance! Doing the work as Queer Resistance! Politics as Queer Resistance! Creativity as Queer Resistance! The exclamation mark as Queer Resistance! Now is the time for Queer Resistance!