This free event brings together the people behind Scotland’s first LGBT+ bookshops, Lavender Menace (1982-87) and West & Wilde (1987-97). Sigrid Nielsen, Bob Orr, and Raymond Rose were all involved in these first two bookshops in Edinburgh, where LGBT+ people could find books, space, and community. The event will be hosted by Anna Broomfield, the […]
What is solidarity? And how can solidarity effectively challenge the status quo? Join acclaimed writer, activist and historian Sarah Schulman to celebrate her latest book, The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity. Schulman looks to the past, present, and future to unpack the often misunderstood concept of solidarity. Reflecting on her own experiences as a queer […]
Join us at our monthly Queer Joy book club! In April, we’re reading The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. We normally meet on the third Sunday of each month to discuss queer books through a lens of finding joy in LGBTQ+ stories. Queer books are often distressing or tragic, so we started […]
Step back in time with queer history researcher and writer Indigo for this walking tour of Edinburgh. Together, we will explore the infamous sapphic scandal that inspired The Children’s Hour, starring Audrey Hepburn, and Scotch Verdict by historian Lillian Faderman. As we weave our way from the New Town to the Old Town, we’ll explore […]
On the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month, the Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive is open 2pm–4pm for our informal Social Sundays. Join us for tea, cake and lots of queer book discussion! There is no need to sign up in advance, you can just turn up. Social Sundays are a great way to […]
Join us at the Museum of Edinburgh for a fun and informal sketching workshop at the Past Shelves exhibition with queer artist, Annie Lord. No experience necessary! Annie will lead some guided drawing exercises to get you started then you are encouraged to spend time sketching anything in the exhibition or museum that catches your […]
The Lavender Drawing Board: Co-working for queer creatives Researching, writing and creative freelancing can be a lonely road. The Lavender Menace Drawing Board offers a calm, supportive atmosphere for studying, reading and library-reasonable creative work in the company of fellow queer bees. Because of the nature of the building, we can’t guarantee silence but we […]
“…ive us a visual record of our passages… a mosaic of lesbian strength, of our strivings to remake our outer and inner worlds.” – Joan Nestle In an era shaped by Section 28 and silence, many lesbian lives of the 1980s and 1990s were undocumented or deliberately hidden. Join the Lesbian Snapshot Collective to bring […]
A friendly monthly discussion group about gay books and gay writing, for people who enjoy reading and talking about how gay writing has impacted our lives. We meet on the second Sunday of every month and we pick a different theme/topic each time. In May, we’ll be talking about queer parents and found family. You […]
On the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month, the Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive is open 2pm–4pm for our informal Social Sundays. Join us for tea, cake and lots of queer book discussion! There is no need to sign up in advance, you can just turn up. Social Sundays are a great way to […]
A monthly informal gathering to discuss literature by lesbians and queer women.
Future Drop Outs is a co-working group for queer students, researchers, and writers. Join us for a calm, supportive studying session, 1-4pm on the third Monday of the month. What to expect A relaxed and relatively quiet space to work on your own project in the company of others. Because of the nature of the […]
