More than 30 students applied for the roles, with four selected from across creative writing, literature, and history of art and design. Each is responsible for shaping the panels from the ground up – selecting speakers, drafting invitations, and writing promotional copy – an invaluable opportunity to build skills and networks for future careers in the arts.
Second year Creative Writing BA(Hons) student and Students' Union Communities Officer, Rosie Birch, said: "Being part of the Coast is Queer festival as a student curator has been amazing. We’ve had the chance to shape events that really reflect our values and experiences, and the diversity of the queer community. It’s exciting to see our ideas come to life and know that people of all ages will come together, share stories, and make connections that go beyond the festival."
PhD researcher in English/Creative Writing, Tom Hull, said: “As student curators we had very free reign and a direct impact on our festival events. We effectively got to put together a dream line-up of writers in conversation and actually make it happen – an exciting responsibility and a brilliant way to connect with people in the industry.”
Curating Collections and Heritage MA student, Suchitra Chatterjee, said: “This year, queer writers of colour and disabled voices are stepping into the spotlight, and I feel privileged to have helped curate their work. In their poetry and stories, I found fragments of my own dual heritage, disability, and queerness reflected back.”
Other Brighton students are also gaining hands-on experience as festival volunteers, ensuring the benefits of involvement extend widely across the university community.
Brighton academic Dr Vedrana Velickovic has also been central to the festival since its earliest days, working with colleagues at the University of Sussex, New Writing South, and Marlborough Productions to ensure the festival remains vibrant and inclusive.
Dr Vedrana Velickovic said: "The Coast is Queer is more than a festival – it’s a space where queer people of all ages meet, learn from one another, and celebrate stories that have often been overlooked. Leading this initiative through the university allows us to bring students and local queer communities together, showing how literature can create meaningful connections across age, experience, and our diverse identities."
Beyond student involvement, the university is taking a leading role in the festival by sponsoring events through its Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics, and the CAPONEU project. These include:
- What Can We Do About It? – With Ellen Jones, Lucy Webster, Hafsa Qureshi, Senthorun Raj, and Ian Henzel. 1.30pm 11 October.
One standout initiative is the event’s first-ever Intergenerational LGBTQ+ Reading Group, which invites queer people from their 20s through to their 90s to come together to explore queer cross-age connections. This event is led by Brighton academics Dr Vedrana Velickovic, Charlotte Wilcox, and Lesley Wood, from New Writing South.
The University of Brighton is committed to fostering queer visibility both on campus and in the wider community. By empowering students to volunteer, and contribute to local events such as these, the university hopes to support and inspire students and communities to create meaningful change through storytelling and shared experiences.