Mees Kempenaers

Mees Kempenaers is a doctoral researcher at the Department of Literature, Ghent University, specializing in trans poets and poetics. Their research intersects English literature, gender studies, and queer theory with a focus on 20th and 21st-century works.

• Specializes in trans and queer literary studies
• Focuses on affect theory and heteronormativity in poetry
• Active in teaching English literature courses since 2017

Research spans analyses of contemporary queer poets like Richard Siken, explorations of material feminist frameworks, and curation of LGBTQ+ literature. Their publications demonstrate interdisciplinary engagement with Sara Ahmed's scholarship and queer archival practices.

Teaching roles include:

• Seminar teacher for English Literature 1 (2017-2021)
• Guest lectures on trans narratives (2022) and queer American poetry (2018-2022)
• Co-teacher of seminars analyzing works like Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts