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# The UK’s only LGBTQ+ literary festival, the Coast Is Queer, to return to Brighton in October
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/the-uks-only-lgbtq-literary-festival-the-coast-is-queer-to-return-to-brighton-in-october/
- Published: 2023-09-11T15:00:24.000Z
- Updated: 2023-09-11T12:48:10.000Z
- Description: Brian Butler looks forward to the only UK queer literature festival – and it’s here in Brighton
- Author: Brian Butler
- Tags: Books, Juno Dawson, Marlborough Productions, The Coast Is Queer

The UK’s only LGBTQ+ literary festival – Brighton’s the **Coast Is Queer** – returns for its fourth season in October, bringing together a line-up of nationally and internationally-known queer writers, poets, performers and activists for four days of events in the city.

**Highlights of the festival:**

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/web-ready_04-juno-dawson-credit-eivind-hansen-e1674645199737.jpg)

Juno Dawson

**Thursday, October 12**: best-selling novelist, screenwriter and journalist **Juno Dawson** holds a conversation with a leading trans writer – and this year it’s **Harry Nicholas**, writer/campaigner and author of *A Trans Man Walks Into a Gay Bar*.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/fuchsiavonsteel2600400.png)

Fuchsia Von Steele

**Friday, October 13**: a showcase of some of Brighton’s best queer voices are at open mic event ***Rewriting Queerness***. It’s hosted by **Fuchia Von Steele**, and poets **Reanna Valentine**, **AFLO the poet**, and **Priss Nash**. Also on October 13 is an exhibition and performance called ***Unknown Soldier*** with **Seni Seneviratne**. It’s a moving one-woman performance and multi-media installation bringing to life the hidden family narrative of this poet/artist and her father’s experience as a Royal Signalman in the **North African Desert War**.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/fran_lock_xxx.jpg)

Fran Lock

And still on Friday, there’s a panel discussion – ***The True Homosexual Love***, which features the work of **Mark Hyatt**. Mark was a bold, experimental, sexually explicit poet who whose book *So Much For Life* presents a major lost voice of queer literature. Born in South London in 1940 from a Romani background, Hyatt was largely overlooked and died in 1972\. His manuscript survived and his reputation grew by word of mouth and inclusion in queer anthologies. Writers and activists **Fran Lock** and **So Mayer** will read from his works and lead an audience discussion.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/wildbloodand600400.jpg)

**Saturday, October 14**: The crème de la crème of queer cabaret and spoken word talent perform for you at **Quills and Thrills*,* featuring **Liv Wynter**, **Felix Mufti**, **Erin James** and **Wildblood and Queenie**, in a show presented by **Marlborough Productions**.

**Sunday, October 15**: a panel discusses what it means to be a queer writer in a time of war, when being visibly queer in your own country is an act of rebellion.

**Lesley Wood**, Festival co-ordinator said: “The Coast Is Queer is a unique opportunity for audiences to meet some of the boldest and brightest LGBTQ+ writers, thinkers and activists around today.”

**The festival is at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts 12-15 October.**

**Full information [HERE](http://coastisqueer.com/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)**