PANEL TALK: Love and Place - Queer Canberra Then and Now

What does it mean to belong to a city across generations?

Canberra's queer spaces hold memories of connection, disappearance, and reinvention. Love and Place: Queer Canberra Then and Now is a rich intergenerational conversation, where queer artists reflect on the venues, streets, scenes, and communities that shaped them, and imagine how love, visibility, and creative practice continue to transform Canberra’s emotional and cultural life.

Moderated by Ketura Budd (Creative Director and CEO - You Are Here), the panel features:

Sia Ahmad - Director of MusicACT and Manager of Music In Exile’s Artist Accelerator Program, Sia brings over two decades of experience across the music and arts industries. She has released award-winning music internationally and performed at major venues and festivals including the Sydney Opera House, Dark Mofo, SXSW Austin, and WOMADelaide. With extensive experience in arts administration, Sia has worked across ACT government-funded venues and curated the hellosQuare label. She currently serves on the boards of the Australian Music Centre and Earshift Music and has previously advised the ACT Ministers’ Creative Council and LGBTIQA+ Ministerial Advisory Council.

Nigel Featherstone - A queer writer for page, stage, and music, Nigel’s work spans novels, plays, poetry, and libretti. His recent play The Story of the Oars premiered at The Street Theatre, Canberra in 2025. His novel Bodies of Men was longlisted for the 2020 ARA Historical Novel Prize and shortlisted for the ACT Book of the Year, and his novella I’m Ready Now was also ACT Book of the Year shortlisted. Nigel is founder of the spoken-word and music collective Hell Herons, whose debut album The Wreck Event was released in 2024. A former ACT Artist of the Year, his writing has appeared in major Australian and international publications. Nigel lives on Gandangara, Ngunnawal, and Ngambri Country.

Additional speakers to be announced.

Stay after the discussion to view A Loving City: Queerberra Revisited, now on at CMAG.