In this collaborative project, with words by Dena Igusti and photographs by Esther Lee, issues of grief, memory, gender, and survival are all dealt with in equal measures of tenderness and sharpness. I Need This to Not Swallow Me Alive unfolds small worlds, demanding to be seen.

Esther Lee (ESTHERFROMNEWYORK) is a queer Korean American photographer born and raised in Queens, New York. She focuses on editorial-inspired portrait work, aiming to center individuals from marginalized groups. She has worked with artists and creatives featured in Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Parade, and more. She is the creative director of Off-Broadway SHARUM and co-founder of UNCOMMON;YOU.

Dena Igusti (she/they) is a queer Indonesian Muslim poet, playwright, and producer born and raised in Queens, New York. She is the author of CUT WOMAN (Game Over Books). She is the co-founder of Asian multidisciplinary arts collective UNCOMMON;YOU and literary press Short Line Review. She is a 2018 NYC Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador and 2017 Urban Word Federal Hall Fellow. She is a 2019 Player’s Theatre Resident Playwright for her co-written Off-Broadway production SHARUM. She is a 2020 Ars Nova Emerging Leaders Fellow and part of Spotify Sound Up’s 2020 cohort. Her work has been featured in BOAAT Press, Peregrine Journal, and several other publications. She has performed at The Brooklyn Museum, The Apollo Theater, the 2018 Teen Vogue Summit, and several venues across the nation.