'Bad Queer': Book talk with Gayathiri Kamalakanthan

A conversation with Gayathiri Kamalakanthan about their new book Bad Queer.

Gayathiri Kamalakanthan will be in conversation with Dr Anandi Rao, discussing their new book Bad Queer as well as their play Period Parrrty.

Book blurb

Surya knows exactly who they are.  Coming out as non-binary to their queer parents and best friend?  A glorious non-event.  Catching feelings for Blessing – the boy in drama club whose smile makes their heart race?  That’s trickier.  As their final year of school unfolds and the two of them grow closer, Surya starts to question: Does Blessing really see them?  Or just a version of them that doesn’t exist?

Featuring illustrations from artist Chi Nwosu throughout, Bad Queer is a novel-in-verse about navigating first love as a non-binary teenager. This is a love letter to queer futures – tender, curious, and fiercely alive.

Author

Gayathiri is a Tamil writer based in London. They’re interested in how language shapes belonging and how we might use it to build freer futures. Gayathiri’s play 'Period Parrrty' is a trans Tamil rom-com and opened at Soho Theatre in October 2025. Their debut novel, Bad Queer, is out with Faber.