Neither Noir

Neither Noir is an award-winning poetry collection that explores the intersections of race, identity, sexuality, mental health, love, faith, belonging, and survival from a Black queer South African perspective. Through intimate poems, reflections, and vivid imagery, Dr. Sakhile Msweli examines what it means to exist between worlds and identities, searching for wholeness in a society that often demands certainty and conformity.

The title, Neither Noir, reflects the experience of inhabiting spaces of ambiguity—being neither one thing nor another, while carrying the weight of multiple identities and histories. The collection navigates themes of desire, rejection, loneliness, masculinity, family, religion, grief, and resilience, while celebrating the beauty, complexity, and humanity of those who live beyond conventional boundaries.

At once deeply personal and universally relatable, the poems move between moments of tenderness and heartbreak, anger and hope, darkness and light. They invite readers into a world where vulnerability becomes a form of resistance and where authenticity is pursued despite fear, stigma, and exclusion.

Written with emotional honesty and lyrical precision, Neither Noir is a powerful meditation on self-discovery, healing, and the courage required to live truthfully. It is a collection for anyone who has ever felt unseen, misunderstood, or caught between identities, yet continued searching for belonging, love, and home.