London’s award-winning LGBTQ+ literary salon comes to The Dragonfly Lounge
Founded in 2007 by author Paul Burston, Polari has appeared at the Southbank Centre, The British Library, Heaven nightclub and at book festivals, bars, museums, nightclubs and theatres across the UK and beyond.
Inspired by the gay slang of the same name, Polari is a celebration of LGBTQ+ words and voices – whether written, spoken or sung. The salon also runs The Polari Prize awards – the UK’s book awards for LGBTQ+ writing.
Hosted by Paul Burston, with Joelle Taylor and more TBA.
PAUL BURSTON is the author of six novels and four non-fiction books and the editor of two short story collections.
His memoir ‘We Can Be Heroes’ is published by Little A and has been described by Russell T. Davies as “brutally honest” and by Bernardine Evaristo as “a compelling, hugely enjoyable memoir about a fearless life lived to the full.”
In 2016, he featured in the British Council’s Global List of ‘33 visionary people promoting freedom, equality and LGBT rights around the world.’
In 2026 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
JOELLE TAYLOR is the author of four collections of poetry and one novel. Her collection ‘C+NTO & Othered Poems’ won the 2021 T.S. Eliot Prize, and the 2022 Polari Book Prize for LGBT authors. She is a co-curator and host of Out-Spoken Live at the Southbank Centre and tours her work nationally and internationally. Her new collection ‘Maryville’ was published by Bloomsbury in 2025 and has been longlisted for the 2026 Forward Prize for Best Collection.