Books BOOK REVIEW: ‘Proud Pink Sky’ by Redfern Jon Barrett Proud Pink Sky’s futuristic but retro story asks us what it is to be a real ally, it asks us to look beyond our comfortable privilege, it urges us to hold out our hands to our LGBTQ+ siblings and feel the commonality, and fight for equality for all. Proud Pink Sky reminds us that hope will never be By Eric Page • 5 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: QUEER LIFE, QUEER LOVE. VOLUME 2 Matt Bates These stories hold the beat of Queerness strong…. holding up to the light, pressing close in the shadows, highlighting in ultra neon, throwing the most fabulous shade, the intersectional voices of the authors are seriously diverse. By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: Broken Hearts & Zombie Parts by William Hussey Great fun, heart-warming happy every afterish storytelling for fans of young Queer romance. By Eric Page • 2 min read
Books BOOK REVIEW: Boyslut by Zachary Zane ….a self-declared swaggering manifesto for revolution, a crowing cockfest and a candid sweaty romp through his own filthy sex life! Too throw off the shackles of shame, the niceties can go f**k. By Eric Page • 3 min read
Books BOOK REVIEW: Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth Sunburnt offers us a peek into blistering adolescent angst, a furious fission of elemental feelings exploding, boiling and churning with huge undercurrents sending out massive uninhibited flares that disrupt expectations and apparent paths forward. By Eric Page • 4 min read
Books BOOK REVIEW: ‘Everything Possible’ by Fred Small (author) and Alison Brown (illus) Everything Possible celebrates love and friendship, gently encouraging children to dream their own dream and choose their own path, wherever it may take them. The colourful illustrations celebrate the diversity of younger people, letting them ‘see themselves’ in this inspiring and uplifting story. By Eric Page • 2 min read
Books BOOK REVIEW: First Time for Everything by Henry Fry Author Fry centres Danny’s increasingly erratic choices in the narrative allowing us to explore with him, enjoy the fall out, laugh at the raw painful awfulness of it and wallow in the reflective dialogue of his endless therapy and patient loving friendships. It’s a cool narrative engine and whilst By Eric Page • 4 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: Brighton Schlock by Merryman Downes “A rich, heady confection of daftness.” By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: A Short History of Queer Women by Kirsty Loehr This perfect book leaves you with an appetite to learn more, offering reassurance of constant affirming glorious presence of women loving women throughout known herstory. By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: ‘This Way Out’ by Tufayel Ahmed There’s not enough life affirming queer, Muslim, brown protagonists on our LGBTQ+ bookshelves, and this romantic honest book is to be celebrated not only for the clarion voice of Amar but for its honesty of the struggle to find and keep rare, precious queer love in a world set against us every attai By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: The Queens of Sarmiento Park by Camila Sosa Villada I absolutely adored it, in the face of bleak reality and a world which rejects anyone different it offers pure trembling life affirming moments of brilliant vibrant hope, a spiritual connection with the essence of life, an irrefutable rightness of being you, which cannot be taken away by harsh grind By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: ‘A Working-Class Family Ages Badly’ by Juno Roche This is writing that takes us somewhere, sometimes through a shockingly forthright landscape. That’s a rare talent, one that they’re modest about. We’re offered up moments, captured in their minds eye, held up, turned in the light, reflections, refractions, thoughts playing off the shiny surfaces th By Eric Page • 3 min read
