Kyle Neo swapped drama for dharma

Kyle Neo never considered himself a writer, let alone one who writes about the Dharma. “Growing up, I struggled with academics, but excelled in asking the question ‘why,’” he says. Nine books later, he is still asking it.

Kyle is a writer and publisher based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He works as Dharma Kueen, a drag-inspired spiritual alter ego whose name is a pun on “drama queen”. He writes essays, poetry and books, publishes a free mini zine, and runs workshops and retreats. He also helps queer Buddhist writers publish their own work, with editing, book design and illustration.

01 — The startA temple guide who kept asking why

His path began in 2009 as a Buddhist temple guide, before he went deeper into Buddhist philosophy and psychology. His first book, 108 Places to See Before Nirvana, came out in 2013. He wrote it, he says, while “trying to find a way to sustain my life while staying close to Buddhism.”

Shortly after it was published, he was diagnosed with cancer. He started a blog called Dear Tumor, which began as a dialogue with the tumour itself, and kept it going through treatment. “Writing turned out to be therapeutic,” he wrote later. “Writing helped me to release my emotions and validate my experiences.”

Within a year of his treatment ending, he lost several loved ones, including a close friend and his father. He rented a small hut in Koh Phangan to heal, and found himself opening his laptop to write again. That became his second book, Life I’ve Learned as Monk Key, written at first to thank the people who supported him through his illness.

02 — The workNine books, a zine and a glittering alter ego

Kyle now has nine books to his name: essays, travelogues, illustrated books and two poetry collections, Between my Throat and these truths and Who is asking to be born again? His newest, What A Bat Heard From the Buddha, is a novel that reads from both directions. He launched it at Singapore Botanic Gardens in September.

He founded Kusala Magazine in 2020 and Rainbodhi SG in 2022. Every four months he also publishes the Dharma Kueen mini zine, a free download made to print on A3 and fold. Its first issue asked a question he still hears often: what has my queerness got to do with Buddhism?

No Drama, No Dharma! Don’t be a Dread, just be a Kueen!

03 — The whyAwakening should be inclusive

Dharma Kueen is, in Kyle’s words, “my spiritual persona, my alter ego, my glittering response to the sacred.” Swapping the drama for dharma gives what he calls “a bold, queer reimagining of spiritual life.”

His zine argues that being Buddhist doesn’t mean being a doormat, or checking out of the world’s mess. And he is clear about why he publishes. “As a Buddhist writer, I believe fame and fortune are not the end goals of publishing,” he says. His aim is to share his own story so that readers can see things from a different perspective.

04 — The next chapterA novella and a retreat in Chiang Mai

From Chiang Mai, Kyle can be booked online for design, layout and illustration, and in person as a workshop and retreat facilitator. His workshops mix reading, writing and silent reflection. We asked him three questions. His answers, lightly edited:

Is there anything you would rather not talk about?

I’m happy to share all of these topics. Nothing is off-limits for someone with five Scorpio placements in their natal chart, haha. I’m open to discussing anything that people might usually find difficult to confront.

What can people book you for?

Online, design, layout and illustration. Offline, I’m a workshop and retreat facilitator in Chiang Mai.

What comes next?

A novella titled The Farewell Passenger, which is a semi-autobiography. And from 19 to 21 February 2027, Between Truth and Becoming: a long weekend retreat of writing, stillness and shared reflection.

Kyle Neo is on GigDay as a writer and publisher. Seventeen years after he first guided visitors around a temple, he is still doing what he has always done: asking why, and writing down what he finds.