London's award-winning LGBTQ literary salon returns to Exeter for a night of queer storytelling.
Known for its high energy, entertaining performances, Polari is a literary cabaret in which the performers happen to be writers.
Founded in 2007, Polari has appeared at bars, book shops and book festivals, libraries, nightclubs and theatres across the UK and beyond.
The salon also runs The Polari Prize book awards for LGBTQ+ writing.
Tonight's event is hosted by author Paul Burston with Alice Denny, Casey Garfield, VG Lee and Chris White.
Part of the Polari Prize 15th Birthday Showcase, funded by Arts Council England.
Paul Burston is the author of six novels and five non-fiction books and the editor of two short story collections. In 2016 he featured in the British Council’s Global List of ‘33 visionary people promoting freedom, equality and LGBT rights around the world.’
His bestselling memoir We Can Be Heroes is published by Little A and has been described by Russell T. Davies as “brutally honest” , by Bernardine Evaristo as “a compelling and hugely enjoyable memoir about a fearless life lived to the full” and by ES Magazine as “probably the gay book of the year.”
Alice Denny is a performance poet currently based in Brighton. She has appeared with Polari many times and is a judge for the 2026 Polari Book Prize. Her poems reflect her personal perspectives on the joys of womanhood, love, loss, sexuality, marginalisation and injustice. Alice despises bullying in all it’s forms, especially in herself.
Casey Garfield is a queer poet, occasional publisher, and devoted pal. Their work has been featured in publications such as McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and Under The Radar Magazine, festivals including Wild Paths and the forthcoming SOUND: Plymouth Poetry Festival, and workshops facilitated for the NHS Wellbeing Service. Their most recent chapbook, ‘stories in which’, is currently available through Salo Press, with their next pamphlet to be published by Broken Sleep Books in April 2026.
VG Lee has published six novels and two collections of short stories. Her writing has appeared in numerous and diverse publications including Poetry Review, Diva Magazine, Beyond Bedlam (Anvil), The Lady Magazine and more recently The Guardian.
In 2012 she was nominated for a Stonewall Award, 2014 brought the Ultimate Planet Award for Best Established Author; and in 2017 she was runner up for Diva/YLVA Publishing Literary Prize for Fiction. In 2022 she was long-listed for the BBC National Short Story Award. Her new novel is Our Shadow Selves (Muswell Press)
Chris White is a performer, poet and the soggiest bottom in all Exeter. The founder and host of Spork! Poetry, plus a slam winning poet who frequently performs his work at nights and festivals from Raise the Bar to Tongue Fu. He's a former "Bard of Exeter," was the first Riddler in Residence at Exeter Cathedral, has performed on buses and boats, and likes writing silly words about queerness, identity and ducks.
When not poeting, he works full time as the events manager at Exeter Central Library, where he was recently nominated for a national Libraries Connected award.