LGBTQ stories and hidden histories will be celebrated at The Hive in Worcester at a free event exploring queer literary history from Worcestershire to Paris.
The Salon: Pride at The Hive, which takes place on 24 June, 6.15-7.30pm, will bring to life the stories of influential but often overlooked figures such as Radclyffe Hall and Natalie Barney.
A literary salon, an informal gathering where people come together to share ideas, creative work and conversation, sits at the heart of the event, offering a relaxed and accessible way to explore LGBTQ history.
Held in celebration of Pride Month, the event will give people the chance to learn about two vital figures in the world of LGBTQ literary history in an open, accessible and interesting way.
In the first of two talks at the salon, Tom Mandall, Academic Liaison Librarian for the University of Worcester at The Hive, will explore the life and legacy of Radclyffe Hall, who wrote The Well of Loneliness, a once-banned book about same-sex desire in early 20th century literature.
“I’ll be focussing on her connections to Malvern, in Worcestershire,” said Tom. “It’s a lesser-known local history, and we’ll be talking about how this setting shaped her work and her personal life.”
Tom added: “The Well of Loneliness is a classic, but it has had a mixed legacy. There’s something so important about stories like this that have fallen out of people’s awareness that feels really important to revisit.”
In the second talk of the evening, University of Worcester Sociology Lecturer Casey Maeve will examine the life of Natalie Barney, an American heiress who hosted one of the most influential literary salons of her era.
“My research focusses on lesbian literary and poetic networks at the end of the 19th and early 20th century,” said Casey. “Natalie Barney hosted this legendary salon in Paris, where people gathered every week for 60 years. It gave queer women a space to get critical reception they weren’t able to access in mainstream publishing; these were spaces for women living on the fringes to come together and be heard.”
The talks will bring these important themes to the community, and all are welcome to attend.
The event is an adaptation of a regular ‘salon’ at the University for staff and students; this event will bring that discussion space to the community.
“The idea of a ‘salon’ is that it’s deliberately informal,” said Tom. “There’s no need for prior knowledge, and it’s about sharing ideas and starting conversation, just come along with an open mind.”
Casey said: “The event is for anyone interested in queer history or LGBTQ stories. We’ll go from a specific local story in Radclyffe Hall to a much bigger international network, and that connection feels really relevant today.”
She continued: “It’s especially relevant as we’re holding it in The Hive, which is a uniquely placed location for the event. It bridges the gap between the University and the community and brings everyone together.”
“There’s a lovely idea that ‘we’ve always been here’,” added Tom. “This event is about recognising LGBTQ history and bringing it to the present.”