Borderland: Poetry and Words from the Intersection of Masculinity, Race, Bisexuality and Grief

Borderland: Poetry and Words from the Intersection of Race, Masculinity, Bisexuality and Grief is a poetry collection by award-winning author, music artist Ross Victory. Borderland explores themes of masculinity, race, bisexuality, and grief. Through narrative prose and free verse, Victory portrays himself as a son, student, teacher, and lover, showcasing joy, agony, identity, enhanced with sprinkles of visceral desire. He challenges societal conformity, reimagining divine love and resilience at the crossroads of hetero- and homonormativity.

In this collection, borders are not just lines on a map but a metaphor for the liminal spaces where identity and experience converge. Victory's creative expression serves as both protest and elevation, giving voice to those who traverse the rigid terrains of masculinity and race and the fluid nature of grief and bisexuality. Readers are invited on a one-of-a-kind adventure through the in-between, where the future feels both inevitable and uncertain, where the definitions of self and another blur, creating space for more personal freedom.

^{"E" denotes poems with suggestive/adult content. Approx. 5 pieces contain suggestive content.}

"The struggles are endless and yet, at the 'Borderland' I find solace, respite and the encouragement of those who are not me but they feel like me. The 'Borderland' is where every 'misfit' welcomes their bonafide place in the world without guilt or shame. " -zàri olàwàlé, Artist & Poet

"The confusion, the anger, the self-doubt, and the love, the joy, attraction and reflection takes you on a journey. As a bi man I felt seen and validated by the collection..."

-Nicholas Cairns, Bi+ Poet, Author of 100 Small Poems

zàri olàwàlé is a Nigerian-Jamaican British-born abstract storyteller and visual artist. He uses acrylics and mixed media to tell stories of joy, identity, fulfilment, sexuality, fluidity, aware-ness, tenacity, encouragement and ancestor veneration. Based in London, zàri curates his art on Instagram and values collaboration.