BOOKS: INTER VIEW THE JOY OF TEXT
POLARI HAS BEEN DUBBED “LONDON’S PEERLESS GAY LITERARY SALON”. WE ASKED ITS FOUNDER, AUTHOR PAUL BURSTON, TO EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT BEHIND THE NIGHT AND THE ANNUAL POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE…
How did Polari come about? Polari was born out of my frustration at the lack of opportunities for LGBT authors to promote their work. With very few notable exceptions, most of us are seen as ‘niche’ writers and are not invited to take part in book festivals or events in bookshops. In February, during LGBT History Month, one might get asked to read at a local library, but that tends to be it. So, being a cocky bugger, I decided to launch a gay literary salon of my own. That was back in November 2007. About ten people came. The following month, Neil Bartlett agreed to read for us, and the place was packed. And it grew from there. What past Polari events stick in your mind the most? We had Will Self once, reading from his book, Dorian. He addressed the audience in Polari parlance and introduced himself as an honorary gay. Needless to say, he went down a storm. Fenella Fielding was fantastic. She was reading on behalf of a gay friend of hers, Michael Menzies, who was too shy to read in public. “Would you mind terribly if Fenella read for me?” he asked. “That’ll be fine!” I said, trying not to sound too excited. She didn’t disappoint, either. She’s an amazing performer and a great friend of the LGBT community. And what a voice! We’ve also had Adam Mars- Jones, Francis King, Paul Bailey, Ali Smith, Philip Hensher – all of whom gave wonderful readings. And we’ve had performers like David McAlmont, Andy Bell, Marcus Reeves, Michael Twaits and LaJohn Joseph. It’s not for nothing that the New York Times called Polari, “London’s most theatrical literary salon”! What events does Polari have coming up? In April we have Terry Ronald, author of the best-selling
Polari Prize?
Becoming Nancy, plus historian Rose Collis, and Michael Wynne, author of Confessions of a Sex Addict. In May, the headliner is the wonderful VG Lee, reading from her new novel, Always You, Edina; plus we have the actress and author, Barbara Ewing. In June we have Neil Bartlett and Serena Mackesy. There are usually five or six people on the bill, including one or two people
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who are up-and-coming or just starting out. I believe strongly in supporting new talent. Are there any guests that you would dearly love to host at Polari? I’d love to have Armistead Maupin, if only because he’s one of my favourite gay authors. Also Stephen McCauley, whose books I adore. Can you tell us a bit about the
The Prize is for a first book that explores the queer experience, and is open to any work of fiction or non-fiction, prose or poetry, published by an author born or resident in the UK. Self-published books are eligible, including ebooks. In fact, last year’s winner, Autofellatio by James Maker, began life as a self-published ebook before being picked up by a publisher. For more information about the prize and how to submit, see my blog at
www.paulburston.com Are you still seeking submissions for the Prize for this year? And when will the shortlist be announced? We are still looking for submissions. The long list will be announced in July at the London Literature Festival. The shortlist will be announced in September, and the winner will be revealed in November, at Polari’s Fifth Birthday Party. Finally, you’re well known for your own fiction. Are you working on a new book at the moment, and if so, can you tell us anything about it? I’m busy working on a new novel. It’s about a woman whose husband is away at war, and it’s really about different forms of courage. There is a gay storyline, but it’s quite different to anything I’ve written before. It’s much tougher, far grittier. I’m also working on an ebook, which is a very topical story about a queerbashing and the impact it has on a small community. And I’d like to write more short stories. I’ve had four published so far. Another 20 and I may have enough for a book!
Polari takes place next on 10 April at the Southbank (Level 5 Function Room, RFH, Southbank Centre, SE1)
www.southbankcentre.co.uk The Polari Book Prize is sponsored by Square Peg Media – publishers of Out In The City and G3.
IMAGE © CLAIRE LAWRIE
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