“We read Kaan’s poems and we cried. We don’t know if you need to be both Turk(ish) and queer to be moved to tears by these poems but we suspect not.”

– Tuna Erdem and Seda Ergul, Queer Arts Projects

POETRY

Kaan K explores themes of queer and trans identity, diaspora identity, mental health, recovery, community and resistance. They were part of the collective London Queer Writers, and founded and run a writing group for people of colour. Their work has been featured in print and online, Angst Zine, MIR online, Porridge Magazine, Fruit Journal, Kalu Mala and Mixed Mag. In May 2020, they were commissioned as part of Homotopia’s Queer Art Always exhibition to create two original pieces during lockdown on exploring gender through drag and poetry. In October 2020, a documentation of their transformation into drag was featured as part of Queer Arts Projects’ online exhibition Work in Progress, including poetry based on gender and becoming a drag king.

Kaan K’s first chapbook is forthcoming with 14Poems in June 2024. Their first full-length poetry collection is funded by Arts Council Wales and will be published in 2024. You can preorder a copy here.

JOURNALISM

Up until its closure in February 2023, Kaan K was gal dem’s gender columnist. You can read Kaan’s gal-dem column here

In 2017, Kaan began an editorial apprenticeship at The Independent, where they worked for two years on the Voices comment desk. Their writing focus was on queer and trans issues, and in 2018 they helped lead on the Voices’ desk’s LGBTQ+ History Month. They also wrote news, reviews and features including theatre reviews, vegan cheese round ups and a long read on Man Up, Europe’s biggest drag king competition.

Prior to this, Kaan was managing editor at Powered By Girl and SPARK Movement, two global activist initiatives that supported teenage girls and non binary people into campaigning through blogging and online activism.

Kaan has written for The Independent, HuffPost, gal-dem, The Telegraph, Louche Magazine and the British Journalism Review. They have also contributed to a range of reports, including for the Fabian Society, Plan International and Carel Press. They specialise in first-person journalism, long-read journalism, personal essays and poetry. They are open to commissions of any type of writing.

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In November 2018, Kaan co-authored the children’s book “What is consent? Why is it important? And other big questions”. Their favourite journalism moment was when they attended the 2018 Trump drag protest dressed as the president himself, Their proudest was interviewing Travis Alabanza about their show, Burgers.

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