Category Archives: Events

Spring Calendar

What’s on in Mid Wales in spring 2026

~ with a queer twist!

Events by Aberration and other fab organisations

Portrait & Pride gallery tour 24/4 >>
Tour of the National Library’s portrait exhibition highlighting the queer stories behind some of the pictures. Aberration & NLW

Aberystwyth Pride 25/4 – led by Project Luna >>
Parade, poetry, marketplace, talks, drag, sunset swim + more.

Queer Lit Quarterly 8/5 >>
Four fabulous LGBTQ+ authors in one night! Gayberystwyth Books supported by Aberration

Balchder Mach Pride 16/5 – follow them on socials!
A packed day of celebratory LGBTQ+ events at the Owain Glyndwr Centre, Machynlleth, including ‘Cwtsh Corner’ with Queer Tales from Wales.

My Love All Love Excels: Book launch 5/6 >>
Norena Shopland launches her new biography of the woman-loving-woman poet, Katherine Philips. Supported by Aberration and Parthian

Click on the red links above to find out more.


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Portrait & Pride gallery tour 24/4/26

Portrait & Pride: A Very Queer Tour

{Jan Morris gan/by Michael Tomlinson, NLW / LLGC}

LUNCHTIME TOUR

1pm Friday 24th April 2026, Gregynog Gallery, The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth SY23 3BU

Join Jane (Aberration) and Phoebe (The National Library of Wales LGBTQ+ Forum) to start Aber Pride weekend with an informal tour of the Portrait and Power exhibition, celebrating some of the Queer stories behind the portraits. FREE.

There will be a chance to carry on the conversation in Pen Dinas café after the event.

An English language event.

TICKETS >>

CYMRAEG:

TAITH AMSER CINIO

1pm Dydd Gwener 24ain Ebrill 2026, Oriel Gregynog, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, Aberystwyth SY23 3BU

Ymunwch â Jane (Aberration) a Phoebe (Fforwm LHDTC+ Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru) i ddechrau penwythnos Pride Aber gyda thaith anffurfiol o’r arddangosfa Portread a Phŵer, gan ddathlu rhai o’r hanesion cwiar tu ôl i’r portreadau. AM DDIM.

Bydd cyfle i barhau’r sgwrs yng Nghaffi Pen Dinas ar ôl y digwyddiad.

Digwyddiad trwy gyfrwng y Saesneg.

TOCYNNAU >>

Queer Lit Quarterly 8/5/26

QLQ – FRIDAY 8 MAY 2026 ABERYSTWYTH ARTS CENTRE STUDIO 6.30 for 7pm, £6.50

TICKETS>>

Queer Lit Quarterly is a special evening for book lovers to hear LGBTQ+ writers speak about their work. There will be a chance to buy books and have them personally signed by the authors. Hosted by Gayberystwyth Books with the support of Aberration.

ROSIE WILBY

Rosie Wilby is an award-winning comedian, author, speaker, journalist and broadcaster. Obsessing about breakups ever since a girlfriend dumped her by email, Rosie embarked on a quest to investigate, understand and conquer the psychology of heartbreak.

Her nonfiction books The Breakup Monologues, accompanied by a podcast of the same name, and Is Monogamy Dead?, longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize, combine humour, heartache and science to take a very queer look at relationships. She’s now working on a novel based on her experiences in the comedy world.

J.S. STRANGE

J. S. Strange lives in Wales surrounded by books and cats. With an interest in the occult, the esoteric, and the paranormal, he often finds himself waiting for Halloween, or thinking how he can make his home more supernatural.

He is the author of The Boyfriend Academy: In a world rebuilt on order and obedience, Dylan must decide: will he become the man the academy wants – or the man he really is?

J.S. is also working on gay murder mysteries.

SACHA COWARD

Sacha Coward has worked in museums and heritage for over ten years. He has run LGBTQ+ focused tours for museums, cemeteries, archives and cities around the world. Queer As Folklore is his first book. It explores the hidden queer history of myths and monsters, travelling across centuries and continents.

Leaving no headstone unturned, Sacha takes you on a wild ride through the night from ancient Greece to the main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race, visiting cross-dressing pirates, radical fairies and the graves of the ‘queerly departed’ along the way.

MALCOLM PRINCE

For twenty years, Malcolm Prince was Paul O’Grady’s radio producer at the BBC. In a new biography, Paul O’Grady – Not The Same Without You, Malcolm writes about the mercurial star we knew as both drag act Lily Savage and the nation’s dog-loving agony uncle.

Malcolm writes:

‘It’s been a privilege to bring his remarkable story up to date and, just like Paul O’Grady, this book is heartfelt, candid and even has a little bit of bite.’

TICKETS>>

This event is partially funded by the Literature Wales ‘Inspiring Communities Fund’. We thank them for their ongoing support.

Age Restriction: STRICTLY 12+ years

Running Time: 2.5 hours approx. (with breaks)

‘My Love…’ book launch 5/6/26

My Love All Love Excels: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Philips

The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth: Friday 5th June 2026 5pm

{Cymraeg >>}

Join Norena Shopland and Aberration, in association with Parthian Books, as they launch Norena’s new biography on the Anglo-Welsh poet Katherine Philips.

Katherine has many accolades – the first woman to have a play commercially produced; a seventeenth-century Civil War poet of distinction; someone who broke the rules of poetry; one of the first notable female poets in the world; one of the first to write of same-sex attraction, the list goes on.

Katherine’s extraordinary story will be brought to life with poetry readings, songs and talks that will amuse and amaze, and will show why Katherine Philips must be regarded as one of Wales’ best poets.

An English language event. FREE!

TICKETS >>

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Aberration Beach Party Sept 2021