London's multi award-winning LGBTQ+ literary salon comes to Eastbourne!
Author and host Paul Burston is joined by local author Hugo Greenhalgh ('The Diaries of Mr Lucas' - long-listed for The Polari First Book Prize 2025) and visiting authors Roxy Bourdillon ('What A Girl Wants') and Jane Traies ('3000 Lesbians Go To York' - long-listed for The Polari Prize 2025) for an evening of readings and chat.
“Always fun, always thought-provoking, a guaranteed great night out!” - Sarah Waters
7pm doors for 7.30pm start. There is a bar service available at this event.
£8 (£6 conc in advance), £10 (£8) on the door.
About Polari -
Founded in 2007 by author and activist Paul Burston, Polari is a live showcase for emerging and established LGBTQ literary talent.
Described by The Huffington Post as “the most exciting literary movement in London”, the salon also runs the Polari Prize book awards for LGBTQ writing, established in 2011.
This year there are two awards - for a debut book and for a book by an established writer.
The awards are sponsored by FMcM Associates and DHH Literary Agency. The headline sponsor is easyJet Holidays.
Tonight's event is part of the Polari Prize 15th Birthday Showcase, funded by Arts Council England.
For more info, please visit www.polarisalon.com
About the lineup -
Roxy Bourdillon is an award-winning writer and the editor-in-chief of DIVA, the world's leading magazine for LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people. As a journalist she has interviewed everyone from A-listers Emma Stone and Keira Knightley to the legendary Rebel Dykes. Roxy’s writing has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Grazia, Marie Claire, Glamour and more. Her groundbreaking work in media has earned her a place in both The Pride Power List, published in The Guardian, and the Attitude 101: LGBTQ+ Trailblazers Changing The World. Roxy's debut book, What A Girl Wants: A (True) Story Of Sexuality And Self-discovery is out now.
Hugo Greenhalgh is a journalist and writer. He published his first book, "The Diaries of Mr Lucas", last year. Currently working on his next, Hugo is also a former LGBTQ+ activist, having taken the British Government to the European Court of Human Rights in 1993 when he was just 19 over the age of consent for gay men - then 21 to a straight male 16. He currently lives in Eastbourne with two cats, 54 million books and a terribly dashing 80-year-old flatmate.
Jane Traies is a queer historian, writer and storyteller whose work focuses on preserving the stories of marginalised women’s lives. Her latest book, Three Thousand Lesbians Go to York, tells the story of the York Lesbian Arts Festival, the UK’s largest and longest lasting gathering of lesbian, bi and queer women, and of Libertas!, the bookshop that founded it. A treasure trove of inclusive queer history, 3000 Lesbians includes the memories of Jackie Kay, Stella Duffy, Sarah Waters, Val McDermid and many others who attended or organised the festival.