We are excited to be hosting our new series of Queer Writers of London, a discussion and social to highlight talented as well as emerging writers in London. Join us for a beautiful discussion on 28th February, from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm with JUNO DAWSON, best-selling novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and columnist.
The evening will also be joined by K Patrick, Rivers Solomon and hosted by Livia Kojo Alour. Rivers is the author of award-winning books such as "Sorrowland" , "The Deep," and “An Unkindness of Ghosts”. Faer writing has been featured in Black Warrior Review, The New York Times, Guernica and Best American Short Stories. K Patrick, our guest writer from Scotland is a poet and fictional writer. K's new poetry book Three Births documents the absurdity of obsessive desires, giving room to states of flux and flow in the body, relationships, ecology, and place. Livia Kojo Alour is an award-winning Nigerian–German-born poet, musician, and theatremaker based in London
For anyone who is not in London or can't join us, you can watch the live stream of the evening.
About Juno Dawson
Juno Dawson is a #1 Sunday Times best-selling novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and a columnist for Attitude Magazine. Juno’s books include the global bestsellers, THIS BOOK IS GAY and CLEAN. She won the 2020 YA Book Prize for MEAT MARKET. Her first adult fantasy trilogy HER MAJESTY’S ROYAL COVEN launched in 2022, becoming an instant best-seller.
She also writes for television and has multiple shows in development both in the UK and US. Her debut short film was THE BIRTH OF VENUS (BBC 2020) and she created the first official Doctor Who scripted podcast DOCTOR WHO: REDACTED (BBC Sounds 2022). An occasional actress and model, Juno had a cameo in the BBC’s I MAY DESTROY YOU (2020), a recurring role in HOLBY CITY (BBC 2021) and was the face of Jecca Cosmetics Play Pots campaign.
Juno grew up in West Yorkshire, writing imaginary episodes of Doctor Who. She later turned her talent to journalism, interviewing luminaries such as Steps and Atomic Kitten, before writing a weekly serial in a Brighton newspaper. Her writing has appeared in Glamour, The Pool, Dazed and the Guardian. She has appeared on Pointless Celebrities, BBC Women’s Hour, Front Row, ITV News, Channel 5 News, This Morning and Newsnight.
About Rivers Solomon
Rivers Solomon is an author of literary and speculative fiction. They write about life in the margins, where they're much at home. In addition to appearing on the Stonewall Honor List and winning a Firecracker Award, Solomon’s debut novel, An Unkindness of Ghosts, was a finalist for a Lambda, a Hurston/Wright, and a Locus Award. Solomon's second book, The Deep, was the winner of the 2020 Lambda Award and appeared on the shortlist for a Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Hugo awards. Emerging out of a collaboration with experimental hip-hop group clipping, fronted by Daveed Diggs with producers Bill Huston and Jonathan Snipes, The Deep investigates Toni Morrison's incantation in the novel Beloved: this is not a story to pass on. Solomon's third book, Sorrowland, the story of a young woman's godlike metamorphosis in the wake of a brutal upbringing, won the Stonewall and Otherwise Awards. Solomon's short work appears in Black Warrior Review, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Guernica, Best American Short Stories, Tor.com, Best American Horror and Dark Fantasy, and elsewhere. Rivers finds promise in the realm of the imaginary, where Blackness, queerness, gender desertion, and disability become sites of insurgency. Originally from Turtle Island, they currently live in London.
About K Patrick
K Patrick is a poet and fiction writer based on the Isle of Lewis. In 2021 they were shortlisted for both the White Review Poet’s Prize and Short Story Prize, and in 2020 they were runner-up in the Ivan Juritz Prize and the Laura Kinsella Fellowship. Their debut novel Mrs S is was published by Fourth Estate in 2023.
About Livia Kojo Alour (Host)
Livia Kojo Alour is an award-winning Nigerian–German–born poet, musician, and theatremaker based in London. Her solo show Black Sheep rose to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022. The show was awarded the Birds of Paradise Award for Exceptional Theatre. Livia is the author of Rising of the Black Sheep, a daring memoir-style poetry collection published by Polari Press London. She also has a 10-year touring career as a sword swallower under her belt. During this time she won several awards with different companies and performed a residency in Las Vegas. Her minimalist art piece the Female Sword Swallower’s Moon Calendar has been touring museums in Europe since 2019. In 2017 Livia held an inspirational TEDx talk about her life-threatening sword accident and overcoming fear. As a musician, she combines vocals and spoken word in a unique way to address cultural issues and speak about personal experiences. Livia’s show Black Sheep is scheduled for a second U.K. tour in autumn 2023 followed by a concert Europe tour as the supporting artist to Anne Clark.
Event information
- 6:30 pm - Doors open a
- 7 pm- Discussion and Q&A downstairs*
- 8 pm - Book signing and social in the bookshop
- 9:30 pm- Doors close
NOTE:*NOTE:*Unfortunately, our downstairs space isn't wheelchair accessible