A gorgeously queer exploration of the beauty of our lives, above and underground
- Joseph Martin, Awkward Productions
Join us to celebrate the launch of Tubelines, the highly anticipated new poetry collection by award-winning author and playwright Kestral Gaian.
Written across five years, in eight notebooks, on trains that connect two hundred and seventy-two stations, Tubelines is a poetic journey through the London Underground, and through life itself. These poems, though rooted in the familiar sights, sounds, and rhythms of the Tube, expand far beyond it: they capture fleeting moments of intimacy between strangers, the absurdities of daily travel, and the quiet revelations that surface when we pause to notice.
At this special launch event, Kestral will read from the collection and share the stories behind the poems. how chance encounters, crowded carriages, and the underground’s peculiar poetry became mirrors for identity, queerness, memory, and connection.
Expect poetry, conversation, and celebration, with opportunities to ask questions, purchase signed launch edition copies, and raise a glass with the author and the Reconnecting Rainbows Press community. Whether you’re a lifelong Londoner, a visitor passing through, or someone who has never set foot on the Underground, Tubelines invites you to recognise yourself in its pages. Join us for a launch that celebrates both the everyday and the extraordinary.
On this journey through the underground, I found myself laughing, aching, and feeling seen. These poems will have you tapping in and never wanting to tap out. So please, mind the gap between some hilarious public observations and heartbreaking realisations and grab a ticket to experience every moment for yourself.
- Avery Duncan, Queer Artist