Deneka Thomas (they/them) is a queer, non-binary writer, performance poet, arts educator and media practitioner from Trinidad and Tobago. Deneka is the founder and Creative Director of Bacano Leaf, a creative social enterprise that nurtures the Caribbean’s stories and culture by empowering young people to write and speak about their experiences, concerns, and their hope for better futures for themselves. Through poetry slams, workshops, digital media, and various creative initiatives, Bacano Leaf creates space for young people’s voices to grow and flourish.
Internationally recognized for their work on gender issues, LGBTQ+ advocacy, women’s empowerment, and environmentalism, Deneka has earned their place among some of the Caribbean’s most dynamic voices. They are the 2018 Grand Slam Champion of the First Citizens National Poetry Slam, a third-place winner in 2019, and a five-time finalist of the competition. Their words have resonated on stages like TEDx Port of Spain 2018, the Trinity College Hip Hop Festival 2019, the Women Deliver Conference 2019, and the Nairobi Summit (ICPD+25).
Deneka’s debut poetry collection, “These Hallowed Parts,” is on its way to the world. It maps a journey of coming out, trauma, and coming to terms with their queerness. Their work has also found homes in Moko Magazine, Shade Literary Arts, and other literary spaces, where it continues to stir dialogue and push boundaries. Their poems are love letters, battle cries, confessions, and calls to action, all at once. To witness their work is to reckon with the beauty and ache of what it means to exist, to heal, to hope.