exquisites is a bi-coastal queer reading, workshop, and publication series co-founder by danilo machado and Charlie Marie Kohl.
Originally based in Brooklyn, New York the series launched a West Coast iteration in 2026 in Berkeley, CA. danilo continues to host the Brooklyn series, and Charlie now hosts the Berekeley series. The curatorial style of the series is inspired by the surrealist game exquisite corpse, where the whole is made collaboratively.
As a collectively curated reading danilo or Charlie selects an initial writer for each reading who begins a chain of nominations (they nominate a poet, who nominates another, and so on). As the series grows, a nonheirarchical constellation of intersectional queer and trans poets at various stages of their careers—from awarding-winning published writers to emerging poets for whom exquisites is amongst their first readings—grows.
Since June 2022 exquisites has hosted 180+ readers and redistributed over 20k in funding to queer and trans writers and artists. The 2026 volume 6 anthology will include the readers from both coasts!
To stay up to date with readings, workshops, and publications follow us on IG: @exquisitesbay & @exquisitesbk