18.30, 3/9/26
Writing Queer Stories: Then, Now, Next with Elizabeth Lovatt, Curtis Garner and Grace Flahive
Join authors Curtis Garner, Elizabeth Lovatt and Grace Flahive for a lively and intimate conversation as they discuss writing queer stories in the past, present and future through their books. How do we uncover our queer history? How do we tell queer stories today and what might they look like in the future?
In Thank You For Calling the Lesbian Line Elizabeth Lovatt explores the history of lesbian callers to a 90s helpline to unveil the ways in which lesbian lives have changed while reflecting on her own.
In Orange, Curtis Garner examines how we reconcile our past selves with the people we become, those we bring with us and those we leave behind in this contemporary coming-of-age novel.
In Palm Meridian, Grace Flahive introduces us to a raucous sapphic retirement resort in the year 2067. Brimming with heart and hilarity, this bittersweet novel explores one possible vision of a queer community in the not-too-distant future.
Bios:
Elizabeth Lovatt is a writer originally from Leicester and now living in London. She has a MA in Creative and Critical Writing from Birkbeck. Her first book Thank You For Calling the Lesbian Line was published by Dialogue Books in 2025 and was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize 2026 and the 2026 Lambda Literary Awards.
Curtis Garner is the author of the ‘instant queer classic’ Isaac, which was published by Verve in 2024 to critical acclaim. He has a degree in Creative Writing and English Literature and an MA with Distinction from Manchester Writing School. He was born in Cornwall and now lives in London. Orange is his second novel.
Grace Flahive was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She studied English Literature at McGill University in Montreal before moving to London in 2014, where she’s lived ever since. Palm Meridian is her debut novel.