Queer Gothic Words Presents: A Bat Walk
Thu 20 August @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
And bats went round in fragrant skies,
And wheel’d or lit the filmy shapes
That haunt the dusk, with ermine capes
And woolly breasts and beaded eyes
- Tennyson
Bats have inspired many writers and artists throughout history. They’re a liminal being, living between land and sky, emerging at dawn and dusk. This is perhaps what leads some queer people to feel an affinity with them. They also have strong associations with vampires and Gothic literature.
Join us to learn all about these mysterious mammals, muse on their literary Gothic associations, and look for bats in their natural habitat.
About the facilitators
Claudi Gebhardt
Claudi is the Scottish Bat Officer. She has been working at the Bat Conservation Trust since 2021, but she’s been involved in the bat world for 20 years. She supports bat groups in Scotland, providing training for bat survey skills, as well as enthusing people about bats and engaging communities through bat walks and workshops. In her spare time, Claudi also enjoys creating art and poetry, and volunteering with nature and LGBTQ+ organisations.
Cooper King
Cooper is a volunteer with Lavender Menace, who runs the Queer Gothic Words book group, and a PhD student studying Gothic literature. He’s most interested in the intersection of horror with queerness and transness. He’s excited to spend this time reflecting on nature and literature with Claudi’s expertise.
What to expect
An informal talk on bats and queer Gothic literature, and a short walk to look for bats. Claudi will tell us all about bats in Scotland, the species, their habits, and explain what we might find. Cooper will highlight the role of bats and vampires in Gothic literature. After 40 to 60 minutes of chat in the archive, we will go for a short walk to look for bats around St Margaret’s Loch in Holyrood Park. Bat detectors and instructions on how to use them will be provided. No experience necessary and no advance preparation needed. Some parts of the route may be dark, so it is useful to bring a head torch so you can see where you’re walking. The whole event will last approximately 2 hours, depending on how long people want to look for bats – attendees are welcome to leave the loch whenever they feel like.
Edinburgh Palette will be closed by the time we finish the bat walk, so don’t leave any belongings at Lavender Menace as we won’t be going back there. The car park will still be accessible if you would like to park at Lavender Menace and collect your car after the walk.
Event may be amended/cancelled at short notice
This event is weather dependent – bats won’t venture out in adverse weather conditions, so neither will we. If you book a ticket for this event, please keep an eye on your inbox as we will email the night before to confirm whether the walk part of the event will go ahead. If rain is forecast, we may meet for the discussion part of the event only, or amend the timing.
Booking
Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Booking in advance is essential as places are limited, so, if you are unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so we can offer your place to someone else.
Venue & Accessibility
The event will begin at the Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive in Edinburgh Palette. There is information on how to get to us on public transport and by car, along with access information, on our location & accessibility page. We will then take a short walk (~0.5 miles/10 mins) into Holyrood park to look for bats at St Margaret’s Loch. The route will likely follow pavements without steps. Once we reach the loch, we will stand still or walk slowly for as long as people would like to. It may be possible to sit if the benches are free. If you require a step-free route or have any other access needs in order to attend, please email us in advance so we can accommodate you.
Any other questions
Please email us: themenaces@lavendermenace.org.uk
