The first festival of its kind in the UK, The Coast is Queer creates a space for queer readers, writers and allies to come together in a grassroots celebration of the written word and its ability to illuminate and enrich the life of our community.
The past decade has seen a substantial rise in the number of LGBTQ+ titles published and queer book shops springing up across the UK.
The festival also explores the ecosystems that make queer literature possible and invites authors into conversation with audiences and with each other.
History teaches us that liberation is not a straight line. It is an ongoing struggle that can move backwards as well as forwards.
The attacks on trans rights underway in the UK and the growing suppression of LGBTQ+ stories in the form of book bans around the world are yet more evidence that we need to come together to champion our stories and our story-tellers, now more than ever.
The festival has also teamed up with
Radio Reverb's The Brighton Book Club production team to release a series of
five podcasts featuring events from 2023's festival.