Polari returns to G-A-Y Manchester for a night of poetry, prose and LGBTQ story-telling.
Hosted by Paul Burston with Rosie Garland, Max Wallis and Avi Ben-Zeev.
Rosie Garland writes poetry, long and short fiction, and sings with post-punk band The March Violets. Her poetry collection What Girls Do in the Dark (Nine Arches Press) was shortlisted for the Polari Prize 2021. Her latest novel, The Fates (Quercus) is a retelling of the Greek myth of the Fates, and her first collection of short fiction Your Sons & Your Daughters Are Beyond is out now (Fly On The Wall Press)
Max Wallis is a poet and artist based in Lancashire. His first book Modern Love was nominated for the Polari Prize. Widely published in both poetry journals and magazines, Wallis's main motive is to get poetry into places it's not normally seen. In 2024 he left London after a mental health crisis, returning home to his family. Diagnosed with complex-PTSD and adult ADHD, he returned to his first love: poetry. In 2025 he launched The Aftershock Review.
Avi Ben-Zeev is a London-based gay trans man, high school failure, and Yale PhD. As a writer, psychologist, and immigrant, he explores the challenges and freedoms of journeying toward belonging and home. Avi’s stories won the 2024 London Independent Story Prize (LISP) and the UK’s first transgender writing competition. He was shortlisted and highly commended by the 2023 Oxford Flash Fiction Prize, and his co-edited anthology, Trans Homo, was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist. His memoir Calling My Deadname Home : The Trans Bear Diaries is longlisted for The Polari Prize 2025.
About Polari
Founded in 2007 by author Paul Burston, Polari has appeared at the Southbank Centre, Heaven nightclub, The British Library and at book festivals, bars, nightclubs and theatres across the UK and beyond.
Inspired by the gay slang of the same name, Polari is a multi award-winning celebration of LGBTQ+ words and voices – whether written, spoken or sung. The salon also runs The Polari Prize awards – the UK’s only book awards for LGBTQ+ writing.
Tonight's event is part of the Polari Prize 15th Birthday Showcase, funded by Arts Council England.