Queer Lit Quarterly (Hydref/October)

16 Oct 2026, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Stiwdio Perfformio / Performance Studio

Produced by Gayberystwyth Books, supported by Aberration
With financial assistance from Literature Wales

Age Restriction: 12+ years

Running Time: Doors open at 6.30 pm, with the author’s talks starting from 7 pm. Each author will read from and give talks on their books and take audience questions. You will also have the opportunity to buy signed copies of the books. Approx finish 9.30 pm

Queer Lit Quarterly is an evening of book talks and book signing hosted by Gayberystwyth Books with the support of Aberration Cymru. This is an opportunity to meet queer authors and researchers and publishers, who will read from their books, speak about their motivation and the writing process and take questions from the audience, finishing the evening with a panel discussion. You will have the option to meet the authors, purchase their books and have them signed by the authors. 

 DR KIT HEYAM 

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender 

 (Basic Books, May 2023) 

 Dr Kit Heyam is a non-binary trans person (they/them or he/him), based in Leeds with a partner and child and is author of the Lammy-nominated Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender, will talk about writing trans history in a trans-hostile political climate – as well as giving a sneak peek at their new work, a trans history of family forthcoming in June 2027. In all their work, Kit is motivated by a commitment to making visible the diversity and complexity of queer experience. “Trans people aren’t monolithic, and neither is our history: this needs to be reflected in our workplace strategies, our heritage narratives and our classrooms.” Before We Were Trans is a new and different story of gender, that seeks not to be comprehensive or definitive, but – by blending culture, feminism and politics – to widen the scope of what we think of as trans history by telling the stories of people across the globe whose experience of gender has been transgressive, or not characterised by stability or binary categories. 

 JACK SHOULDER 

 Hotties in Art 

 (Greenfinch, September 2026) 

Jack Shoulder is a writer, historian and educator who encourages people to see the world in a new way, by sharing stories that have been hidden, glossed over and overlooked. Although his dreams of being a Blue Peter presenter never panned out, he has found his audience of art lovers and history buffs by taking a look behind some of the most famous works of art in the world with Museum Bums: A Cheeky Look at Butts in Art History, with callipygian collaborator Mark Small, and the upcoming Hotties in Art – exploring the stories behind our favourite Art History boyfriends as well as his popular tours of museums across the UK and a charming online presence with Museum Bums and #TodayInQueerHistory. Offering a fresh and humorous introduction to art, Hotties in Art searches art history, across movements and throughout the world to find the most alluring artworks – some famous while others rarely ever seen before. Whether you are looking for boyfriend material, a heavenly hunk, a bright young thing or even holding out for a hero, there is a Museum Hottie carefully curated for you. 

 SACHA COWARD 

 Queer as folklore: The hidden queer history of myths and monsters 

 (Manchester University Press, November 2025) 

 Sacha Coward has worked in museums and heritage for over ten years. For the past three years, he has been freelancing as a historian, public speaker, tour guide and researcher. He has run LGBTQ+ focused tours for museums, cemeteries, archives and cities around the world. Sacha is passionate about queer history, mythology, folklore and storytelling in all their many forms. Queer As folklore is his first book. A celebration of queer history like you’ve never seen it before. Queer as folklore travels across centuries and continents to reveal the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling, magic and fantasy. Featuring images from archives, galleries and museums around the world, each chapter investigates the queer history of different mythic and folkloric characters, both old and new. Leaving no headstone unturned, Sacha Coward 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. Queer communities have often sought refuge in the shadows and created safe spaces in underworlds. But these forgotten narratives tell stories of resilience that deserve to be heard. Join any Pride march and you will see a glorious display of papier-mâché unicorn heads, drag queens in mermaid tails and more fairy wings than you can shake a trident at. These are not just accessories: they are queer symbols with historic roots. To truly understand who queer people are today, we must confront the twisted tales of the past. 

 CRYSTAL JEANS 

 Blueprints: A Taste for Oversharing 

 (Parthian Books, February 2026) 

 Crystal Jeans is a Welsh author and poet known for her novels, short stories, and essays, including The Inverts and Accidental Darlings. Crystal lives in Pontypridd with her young daughter and partner. Blueprints is a searing, reflective and truthful collection of essays by award-winning writer, Crystal Jeans, as she explores the struggles of addiction and mental health during the turbulent transition of adolescence into adulthood through to the strains of marriage, childbirth and parenting. Growing up in south Wales, navigating gender and sexuality, Jeans writes about her relationships with others as well as her own body with a frank self-awareness. Fiercely feminist, brutally honest and full of sharp cultural references, Blueprints is not another trauma story but a vital validation of the act of writing about pain and loss while grappling with identity in a troubled world.

Access Needs: Please contact venue to book if you have any access needs that will require suitable seating or if you need a designated wheelchair space.

Thanks to Literature Wales for partially funding this event with their ‘Inspiring Communities Fund’. 

——