Writing Queer Identity: Caribbean Perspectives on Love and Liberation

In this conversation, Tanya Turton and Linzey Corridon explore how queer writers from the Caribbean and diaspora use story to express love, identity, and freedom. Through their work, they challenge convention, affirm authenticity, and celebrate the multiplicity of queer experience across cultures and generations. Moderated by Matthew Dawkins.

About the Presenters

Linzey Corridon is a poet, a nonfiction writer, and an academic whose research spans the fields of Caribbean studies, Black feminist studies, queer theory, and the digital humanities. A former Vanier Canada Scholar, he received his PhD from the Department of English and Cultural Studies at McMaster University. He is currently a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of English at Toronto Metropolitan University where he is completing his first work of autotheory titled The Problem is That We are Alive.

His critical and creative work centers Caribbean and diaspora quotidian experiences while challenging established frameworks governing concepts of race, gender, and sexuality. His first book project titled West of West Indian was named one of the best Canadian poetry collections of 2024 by the CBC, as well as being named a finalist for the 2025 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, the Hamilton Literary Awards, and the 2025 Caricon Prize for Literature. Born and raised in the multi-island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, he splits his time and energies between Canada and the Caribbean.

Tanya Turton is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, speaker, and known for her powerful storytelling and dedication to mental health advocacy. With a passion for amplifying intersectional stories, Tanya creates spaces where Black and queer communities feel heard, seen, and validated. Tanya is the author of Jade Is a Twisted Green, a compelling coming-of-age novel that delves into Jamaican Canadian identity, love, passion, grief, chosen family, and the rediscovery of life’s pleasures after loss. Her writing extends to the academic sphere, with a chapter in the textbook Reframing Trauma Through Social Justice titled Collective Care for Collective Trauma, which examines the impact of narrative therapy and collective care on marginalized communities. Her work has also been featured in Shameless Magazine and AllLitup.com. Turton’s writing has been described as “luscious, earthed, as if the text was breathing”. Driven by the belief that storytelling is a powerful tool for healing, Tanya is committed to creating spaces where narratives become a source of strength and connection.

Matthew Dawkins is a Jamaican award-winning author and poet. His work explores subject matters including race, queerness, nationhood, and mental health. His work has been featured in Arc Poetry, Westwind Poetry, Pinhole Poetry, and more. Until We Break is his debut novel.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Caribbean Vibrations is a proud supporter of the 2025 Canadian-Caribbean Literary Showcase.Caribbean Vibrations is Canada’s longest-running 30-minute weekly television series dedicated to Caribbean entertainment, culture, and lifestyle, spotlighting stories from the Afro-Black Caribbean diaspora across the globe.