What happens when communities create spaces of their own? How do bookshops, bars, phone lines and cultural networks become sites of survival, creativity and political possibility?
Join us for an evening exploring the radical spaces that have shaped lesbian and queer lives across generations. Through literature, poetry, history and conversation, our speakers will reflect on the places, both physical and imagined, that have fostered connection, resistance and belonging.
Award-winning poet Joelle Taylor will read from Maryville, her acclaimed collection set between 1957-2007 in a London dyke bar, tracing the lives, loves and losses that unfold within its walls.
Writer and bookseller Jane Cholmeley will discuss A Bookshop of One’s Own, her account of the pioneering Silver Moon Bookshop, and the transformative role of feminist literary spaces.
Author Elizabeth Lovatt will speak about Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line, her exploration of the volunteer-run lesbian support phone line that connected women across Britain before the internet transformed queer community.
Poet and cultural curator Desree will read the work of Pat Parker and reflect on the radical female and lesbian spaces of the 1970s and 1980s, considering their enduring influence on contemporary queer culture.
Together, these speakers will explore how literature, activism and community-making intersect, and what these histories can teach us about creating and sustaining spaces of our own.
This event centres lesbian, female, trans and intersex experiences and literatures while engaging with wider queer histories and cultures. All are welcome.
Doors: 7pm
Readings and conversation: 7.30-9.30pm
Book signings and bar open: 9.30-late