Random Musings

You know those memory reminders you get on FB? They tell you where you were and what you were doing X number of years ago, and I’m often astounded that so much time has passed.

Today was one of those days.

In 2010, a new author contacted the publishing house I was with at the time to ask about doing readings of her new book. The house got in touch with me to see if we could set up something with more than one author.

The very first LGBTQ book festival in Nottingham was born. That event went sideways because of scheduling issues, but despite the awkward birth, born it was.

The event continued to happen until I left the house in 2021 (the fork in the road). But a new iteration of it took over when my wife decided to make it an inclusive event featuring authors from all over the place, as well as bringing in narrators, illustrators, and even podcasters. We’ve been running that version together ever since. Our new home at Nottingham Central Library is AMAZING.

FIFTEEN YEARS.

We’ve now been putting on an LGBTQ Book Festival in Nottingham for 15 years. How many events have that kind of lifespan? How many LGBTQ events have half that lifespan? As I write this, I admit to a foreign sense of pride and awe, and a deep, profound sense of community. I am unbelievably grateful for the people who have helped keep the event going; the readers who attend year after year, and even came along via Zoom during a global pandemic, and the authors, who spend their own money and time to be on panels, do signings, and chat with the readers.

It’s pretty incredible, really. The last two years, Queer the Shelves has sold out months before the big day, and that feels pretty damn good too. In a time when we really need community, we’re here for people and we get to watch it happen in real time.

Just…fucking fantastic.