Minority Writes: How Queer Books and Bookshops Changed the World

Join three leading voices in queer literary history for a celebratory conversation about the books and bookshops that have shaped LGBTQ+ lives.

Layla McCay, author of The Queer Bookshelf, and A J West, author of How Queer Bookshops Changed the World, come together to explore how, in the face of government oppression, media hostility and violence, queer stories have been written, published, sold, shared and loved, often against the odds.

From back room bookshops and banned paperbacks to award winning novels and mainstream popularity, this discussion traces how authors and booksellers have helped queer readers find stories that matter both personally, and in shaping history.

Drawing on global histories, personal research, and a love of reading, Layla and West will discuss the power of queer books and bookshops to reflect different LGBTQ+ experiences through the decades, to challenge censorship, and to expand possibilities. The conversation will range across past, present and future: how queer literature has developed and flourished, why bookshops have mattered as cultural and political spaces, and how the way we find queer books still matters – and is evolving.

This conversation is a love letter to queer literature, essential for anyone interested in queer books, how they reach their readers, and why they matter. It is chaired by writer and broadcaster Damian Barr.

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