Want to learn more about the issues that shaped dyke and queer politics in 1990s Britain? Love lesbian herstory but don’t have time for pre-reading or don’t fancy giving up your evenings to theory heavy workshops? Why not come to the pub with us instead?
Join Nazmia and Swithun every first Wednesday of the month as they read their way through the entire Lesbians Talk Issues pamphlet series in the order they were published. You are invited to read aloud in turn with us, read along if you prefer or just come and listen. Every session will include some reading, some informal discussion and a bit of time to hang out.
In May we will continue reading Lesbians Talk Making Black Waves by Valerie Mason John and Ann Khambatta. You can download a PDF in advance here. Last month we read to the middle of page 22.
This pamphlet foregrounds the experiences of black and Asian lesbians and we want to make sure black and POC attendees are able to come along as a priority for the reading of this text. We are ringfencing some tickets for black people and people of colour who identify as queer or lesbian. Please make sure you look at the ticket options carefully before booking and message us if you have any questions about attending or getting on a waiting list.
The Lesbians Talk Issues series is made up of seven pamphlets published between 1992 and 1996. The series aimed to “provide a forum in which topics of current interest within the international lesbian community can be dissected and discussed with immediacy and flexibility”. In order the series comprises: Queer Notions by Cherry Smyth (1992), (Safer) Sex by Sue O’Sullivan and Pratibha Parmar (1992), Making Black Waves by Valerie Mason-John and Ann Khambatta (1993), Left Politics by Kristina Studzinski (1994), Violent Relationships by Joelle Taylor and Tracey Chandler (1995), Transgender by Zachary I. Nataf (1996) and Detonating the Nuclear Family by Julia Brosnan (1996). Long out of print, the series has been recently digitised and is free to read as part of the Bishopsgate Institute’s digital archive.
This is a queer reading group that prioritises a lesbian lens, and is open to everyone interested in learning more about these pamphlets and the topics they cover. In discussions we aim to foreground the contributions of lesbians and particularly welcome those who are represented by the specific pamphlets being covered e.g. black lesbians or trans people who are part of lesbian communities.
Location: The Old Nun's Head, Nunhead Green, SE15 3QQ.
Tickets: Please book in advance so we can take numbers into account.
Ticket price is pay-what-you-can and our suggested ticket price is £3.
There is also a free ticket option - no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Any money raised through tickets will go to MAP - Medical Aid for Palestine.
More info: Email lesbianstalkissues@gmail.com or check/message @lesbians_talk_issues on Instagram.
Lesbians Talk Issues Revisited is supported by Consortium’s LGBT+ Futures Equity Fund.