End of Pride Month Round-Up

Events, Reading Recs, and Author News

As the end of Pride Month rolls around, let’s remember that Pride began not as a celebration but as a protest. A fight for visibility and equality. Let’s remember that both of these are under threat in many parts of the world. And let’s celebrate the queer people and communities claiming spaces of joy and togetherness in the face of it all.

Local Queer Events

Last week, I spent an evening reading and assisting with Queer Diary, an event where queer adults read from their teenage diaries and creative writing. We sold swag, ended with a dance featuring throwback tracks, and I joined the line-up to read from a novel I wrote at age 13 (to much laughter).

And this weekend, a local dance teacher organized a Queer Regency Revel, a themed dance where attendees dressed like Jane Austen characters and learned Regency-era dances, lining up and swapping partners to the sound of a live instrumental band. Drag performances and a costume contest completed the evening. There’s so much creativity in Brighton’s queer community. Long may it continue!

Sadly, The Queery, the local bookshop, cafe and community space where I held a book launch and workshops, has closed down. A lot of us will miss it.

On a brighter note, Aggh! Zine, “a safe space to discuss subjects that are considered taboo or not mainstream,” has been awarded funding to offer 5 free creative workshops for LGBTQIA+ residents on low income or experiencing financial hardship or social isolation during the cost-of-living crisis. Three of the workshops are forthcoming, and you can find tickets and details here.

Queer Things I Wrote

In case you missed it, my YA novel Chasing Harmony was on CLMP’s Pride Month reading list last year! It’s a coming-of-age story about a bisexual musical prodigy, set on Prince Edward Island.

A lot of my work has queer themes, including my poetry collection The Heart Decided to Move and my short story collection Dream Signs.

I used to write a book review column called Hidden Gems of Queer Lit for Autostraddle, a sapphic-focused online magazine (which now has a print magazine too!). You can find my old columns and articles for Autostraddle here – worth a look if you’re seeking something to read!

Speaking of books, a couple years ago, I wrote a review of Alice Oseman’s YA novel Loveless for Pride Month, and shared some thoughts about the importance of asexual representation. I also did a Substack review of The Phoenix Keeper, a cozy fantasy novel with a sapphic romance, a bi lead, and a magical zoo!

And I have a short story, “Forest Creatures,” featured on Lilith’s Lair, “a private space for sapphics to explore their own desire.” It’s a lovely collection of writing, much of it spicier than my little story.

Author Events and News

I have some events coming up!

I’ll be joining a discussion on The Good Book Life about Protecting Pride – fighting the removal of LGBTQI displays in libraries.

I had a poem accepted by BFS Horizons, the British Fantasy Society’s poetry and fiction publication.

And on July 25, I’ll be taking part in a British Fantasy Society reading on Power in SFFH. More details below and here. I can’t wait!