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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
“…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 […]
Join queer artist Annie Lord for a workshop exploring objects in the archive. Still lifes are artworks featuring inanimate and often everyday objects. In this informal creative workshop, you are invited to draw from our queer-themed displays of flowers and objects, or to find something in the archive collection you would like to capture instead. […]
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 […]
From the legends behind A Queer Was Here and Auld Edinburgh, comes the Lavender Menace Queer History Quiz! Join us at Argonaut Books for a fun and informative evening. Think pub quiz, but all about Scottish queer stories and culture – and where your creative skills count as much as your knowledge. Written answers? Sure, but you’ll just as […]
What does it mean to find flashes of recognition in the archive? How might moments from the trans past open up avenues to imagine new ways of being, writing and thinking trans futures? Join writer and researcher Sasha de Buyl (they/them) for a creative writing workshop, working with materials in the Lavender Menace archive! Attendees […]
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. The theme for June is Queer Nature. You don’t need to prepare […]
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 […]
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 […]
