Coming October 13, 2026...

SWANA Dykes
Edited by Nikki Luna and Khadija Pitts-Ceesay

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Editors Khadija Pitts-Ceesay and Nikki Luna deftly assemble creative and artistic works that envision a world beyond militarized borders and that reflect the powerful and poignant ancestral narratives that these artists preserve through their work. In SWANA Dykes, artists and writers investigate many urgent topics: the sacredness of transgender people and gender non-conformity, resistance against militarism, policing, and genocide, the exploitative Kafala system, and archives as a tool of liberation.

Writings in SWANA Dykes make connections between different oppressive systems that seek to isolate, illustrating how interconnectedness is a necessary facet of movement work. Refusing compartmentalization, these artists explore their personal experiences of sex, familial bonds, fashion, artistry, and relationships. Featuring work from first-time and previously published artists, SWANA Dykes is a compelling addition to artistic conversations of queerness, gender nonconformity, anti-militarism, SWANA heritage, and more.

About the Editors
Nikki Luna is a Painting major graduate from the Universidad de Filipinas (UP) Fine Arts, she went on to take her art residency at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York. Luna, has represented the Philippines at the Cairo Biennale, Singapore Biennale, Aichi Japan Triennial, Beijing Biennale and continues to exhibit around the globe, A recipient of the UK Chevening Award 2018, Thirteen artist awardee of the Cultural Center Of The Philippines and former New York Asian Cultural Council grantee. Nikki Luna is the founder of independent feminist publishing house Power In Her Story, creating books focusing on mainstreaming women's human rights and gender equality, with emphasis on the needs of marginalized groups of girls and women.

Khadija Pitts-Ceesay is an Afro-Arab poet from Pittsburg, Kansas. She has been writing poetry since 2014 about her sexuality, religion, and race and owes much of the ideas behind her work to her relationships with family, both good and bad. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Pittsburg State University where she studied English literature and poetics. Her debut book of poetry Black by the Bedside will be released in August. During her free time, Ceesay enjoys reading, crocheting, and spending time at home with her wife and two cats.

Press Kit for SWANA Dykes.