Brent Thomas Whiteside’s (they/he) Midwest upbringing, combined with being born queer into three generations of pastors, profoundly shapes their artistic practice. Working across poetry, theatre, film, and visual media, Brent Thomas explores faith, morality, and the supernatural through dark, surreal landscapes. Through ancestral excavation, they blend the sacred with the profane and transform what is traditionally damned into something divine.

​

At the core of their practice is a commitment to enlarging how Black history and memory are witnessed and carried forward. Drawing emphasis to the preservation of Black queer life—of family, place, belief, and the stories that persist. Whether writing plays, creating site-responsive performances, documentation through photography or film, they approach projects as a way of transforming personal and communal history into living archives. Their work often blurs the boundaries between poetry and memoir, performance and ritual, using image, language, and landscape to explore what is inherited, what is imagined, and what refuses to disappear.

​

Brent Thomas has received support from fellowships, residencies, and artistic organizations across poetry, theatre, and film. Alongside their independent practice, they have worked extensively in documentary and media production, contributing to projects spanning broadcast, independent film, and commercial storytelling.

 

They currently resides in Brooklyn NY with their dog, Birkin.