Damian will be returning to Edinburgh International Book Festival this year for two events! You can see him on 18th August at 12pm-1pm alongside Catherine Taylor and again on the same day at 8.30pm-10pm when he will be hosting a Literary Salon, guests will include Monica Heisey, and more guests to be announced soon.
Tickets will be available from 29th June, click HERE to buy yours!
Read MoreTo mark the end of Pride month 2023, Audible and Out on the Page are hosting a ‘Celebration of Queer Storytelling‘ at Barbican on Tuesday 27th June, a one-off panel event which invites attendees to engage in a dynamic and joyous discussion about queer representation in modern storytelling.
I will be joining a panel of established, emerging and celebrated members of the LGBTQIA+ writing community, including award-winning writer, performer and theatre maker Travis Alabanza (None of the Above); award-winning author and Lecturer in Creative Writing Okechukwu Nzelu (Here Again Now, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney); award-winning Young Adult author Lisa Williamson (The Art of Being Normal, All About Mia); poet, playwright and education facilitator Gayathiri Kamalakanthan, and presenter and broadcaster Shivani Dave set to host and steer the panel discussion.
Tickets are available for ‘Celebration of Queer Storytelling‘ on Eventbrite.
This Pride month, Audible has teamed up with non-profit organisation, Out on the Page, supporter and champion of LGBTQIA+ writers and writing, to release this extensive Pride List of Queer Storytelling, which features contributions from some of the UK’s most important and exciting voices from the LGBTQIA+ community, including; Damian Barr, Andrew McMillan and Dean Atta.
Read MoreListen to BBC Radio 4 today at 4pm to hear Damian talking about She Ra!
Host Anita Anand joins Damian and podcaster Meff to hear about how the 80s icon She Ra - sister of He Ra - has become a main character.
We hear about how, in her newest iteration, the Princess of Power isn’t just openly gay but saved the world with a queer kiss.
Read MoreWhose Truth Is It Anyway? ‘Memoir and Me’ was featured on BBC Radio 4's Pick of the Week on Sunday 4th June!
Read MoreDr Lily Dunn previewed my three part series, Whose Truth is It Anyway?, which starts this Sunday 21st May, 4.30pm on BBC Radio 4.
You can read the full preview on her blog.
Read MoreIn this new three part series, I grapple with the slippery idea of truth in literature - from memoir to fiction to writing that occupies all the areas in between. What does it mean for a story to be true - and is the idea of truth changing? Who gets to decide whose truths make it into onto the page and into our bookshelves?
With contributions from Sathnam Sanghera, Olivia Laing, Ellah Wakatama, Taymour Soomro, Alexandra Heminsley and Suede singer and co-creator of the new album Autofiction, Brett Anderson.
In this first episode, I explore one of the most popular and personal genres of writing - memoir. Revisiting my own complex experience of writing a memoir, and dealing with the aftermath, I unpick what it is that authors and readers expect from type of writing. What makes a memoir more or less true? And do readers understand something different by that truth from authors? Do modern audiences expect a different kind of truth?
I also reveal some of my own discoveries about the process of writing a true memoir - including discovering that even the most candid memoir is also be shaped by legal and personal considerations. Not all truths are published equally.
Listen on BBC Radio 4, Sunday 21st May at 4.30pm for episode one of Whose Truth Is It Anyway?.
Read MoreSalon Insta Live Special with Zachary Zane launching ‘Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto’. Join the Salon at www.instagram.com/damianbarrliterarysalon/ 8pm-9pm GMT May 9th 2023 for a Salon Insta Live Special hosted by Uli Lenart from Gay’s the Word.
"Zachary Zane is one of the best sex writers working today."—DAN SAVAGE
Zachary is the sex and relationship columnist for Men’s Health magazine in the US. He is delightfully out there, often outrageous and happily determined to rid us all of sex shame. ‘Boyslut’ is his first book!
We have followed Zachary’s Instagram for years and love his positive messages around life, sex and love. We’re excited about his book! ‘Boyslut’ is a series of essays—part memoir, part manifesto. Zachary explores his own coming-of-age and coming out as a bisexual man and his journey towards embracing and celebrating sex without shame.
‘Boyslut ‘is a series of personal and tantalizing essays articulating how our society still shames people for the sex they have and the sexualities they inhabit. Through the lens of his own bisexuality and self-described sluttiness, Zane breaks down exactly how this shame negatively impacts our sex and relationships.
From stories of drug-fuelled threesomes and risqué Grindr hookups, to insights on dealing with rejection and living with his boyfriend and his wife, ‘Boyslut’ is often almost painfully funny. It is a personal and powerful testimony inspiring us all learn to live healthier lives unburdened by stigma.
This Insta Live Special will, of course, feature lots of sex talk. As ever, we’d love you to share your questions and thoughts in the chat. You can pre-order ‘Boyslut’ now from your local indie bookshop – Gay’s the Word has plenty of copies! Thanks for joining us. Enjoy!
Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/damianbarrliterarysalon/ to be a part of this very special Insta Live!
Read MoreHost Anita Anand joins Damian and podcaster Meff to hear about how the 80’s icon She Ra - sister of He Ra - has become a main character. We hear about how in her newest iteration, the Princess of Power isn’t just openly gay but saved the world with a queer kiss.
Click here to listen now on BBC Sounds and you can hear it again on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday, 8th June at 4pm.
Read MoreOn April 21st Damian will be taking over the Insta feed for the Royal Society of Literature. Damian is a Fellow and will be talking about his own writing (or lack thereof); his Literary Salon and upcoming events. Follow @royalsocietyofliterature on Instagram for the takeover!
Extra tickets have also been released for the RSL event with Damian at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern on the 25th April, celebrating 10 years of Maggie & Me! Tickets available HERE.
Read MoreDamian Barr’s Literary Salon returns to The London Library on Thursday May 25th, with Monica Heisey and a world premiere from Jenni Fagan. Hosted by Damian Barr.
The Salon is back in person and online for our first Salon of 2023! With two bold and brilliant writers.
Every story starts with a writer alchemising their own experience. Whether it’s a memoir or epic fiction, the truth of the writer is in there somewhere. Join us as we explore two equally superb, but wildly different, books where the writer uses their own story to powerful effect.
Jojo Moyes in conversation with Alex Clark on Insta Live at damianbarrliterarysalon, Friday 3rd Feb, 6.30pm
Join us on Insta Live at damianbarrliterarysalon where Jojo Moyes will be in conversation with Alex Clark to discuss her new novel, 'Someone Else’s Shoes'!
Jojo's novels have sold over 51 million copies worldwide, hit the Number One spot in 12 countries, have been translated into 46 languages and one of her bestselling books was adapted to a film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke! She is now about to publish her 16th novel, and we’re incredibly excited to have her on the Salon’s Insta Live just 24 hours after Someone Else’s Shoes hits the shelves in bookshops around the UK!
In this novel we meet Nisha Cantor and Sam Kemp, two very different women whose lives should never have crossed paths. After a bag mix-up at the gym, their lives become intertwined. Nisha, lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband inexplicably cuts her off entirely. Sam, is struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. Now Nisha’s got nothing and Sam’s walking tall in a pair of Louboutins that catch eyes – and give her career an unexpected boost. Except Nisha wants her life back - and she’ll start with her shoes . . .
Jojo premiered ‘Me Before You’ with the Salon back at Shoreditch House and we’ve launched every novel since. We’re delighted to welcome her back and also the brilliant Alex Clark, who interviewed Marian Keyes for Salon last year.
Alex is a journalist and broadcaster, often seen in the pages of the Guardian, the Times Literary Supplement and heard on BBC Radio 4. Alex has been Artistic Director of the Bath Festival and is a Patron of the Cambridge Literary Festival. She has been a judge for the (then) Man Booker Prize and the Orwell Prize. A wildly experienced interviewer and a chair of live events, her recent guests include Kazuo Ishiguro, Tessa Hadley and Melissa Harrison.
Join the Salon on our Insta Live for Jojo Moyes in conversation with Alex Clark, Friday 3rd Feb, 6.30pm.
Read MoreRSL x RVT: An Evening with Damian Barr ‘The Grand Hotel survives. So does Maggie. So will I.’ Tuesday 25th April, 7pm.
For the first time, the Royal Society of Literature joins forces with the legendary Royal Vauxhall Tavern for a night of celebration and conversation, marking the tenth birthday of Damian Barr’s memoir, Maggie & Me.
RSL Fellow, writer, broadcaster and Salon host Damian Barr is delighted to be in conversation with award-winning writer and broadcaster Sathnam Sanghera. They will discuss: Maggie & Me, the years since publication, the arts of memoir, fiction, and adaptation and the importance of telling your own story. And speaking of friends, Damian and Sathnam will be joined by some very special guests.
Join us at the RVT, a vital part of the London LGBTQ+ community since the 1950s, to raise a glass to a landmark memoir and a remarkable story, beautifully told.
Join us for the final episode of The Big Scottish Book Club on the 18th December 10pm on BBC iPlayer & BBC Scotland.
Damian Barr chats to writer and radio presenter Reverend Richard Coles about his best-selling debut novel, ‘Murder Before Evensong’; award-winning writer and poet Lemn Sissay shares his favourite books; and musician and broadcaster Cerys Matthews reveals her love of Dylan Thomas and discusses her new adaptation of ‘Under Milk Wood’. The readers of St Boswell’s share their thoughts on Scottish classic ‘Trumpet’, by Jackie Kay, and recommend the books they would give to a friend.
Thank you for all of your support! You can watch us live or catch-up with past episodes on BBC iPlayer & BBC Scotland!
The Big Scottish Book Club is back on Sunday 6th November, 10pm for episode two of the new series!
Damian's joined by Armistead Maupin to discuss his classic Tales of the City series, Glasgow-based comedian Josie Long reveals the writers that inspire her, and Andrew Cotter talks about his books Dog Days and Olive, Mabel and Me.
The Edinburgh Gay Men’s Book Group rate Scottish classic Trainspotting and regulars at The Portobello Bookshop give their recommended reads.
Watch live or catch-up with past episodes on BBC iPlayer & BBC Scotland!
The Big Scottish Book Club is back with a new series and new format!
Damian Barr is joined by special guests to talk literature & life with a big dose of insight and laughs!
The Big Scottish Book Club is an IWC (a Banijay UK company) production for BBC Scotland. The new eight-part series will start on the BBC Scotland channel and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 30th October at 10pm.
Click HERE for more info. You can also still enjoy series three on BBC iPlayer.
Read MoreJoin us on the 21st November for an in-person and online Salon at The British Library, as we celebrate Marple: Twelve New Stories, a brand-new collection of original tales penned by some of the world’s most acclaimed and bestselling female writers. Each story takes inspiration from Agatha Christie’s classic originals to feature a new mystery for Miss Marple to solve. As ever, she knows more than she appears to.
Damian Barr will be joined by contributing authors Lucy Foley and Kate Mosse, as well as Agatha Christie’s great grandson and CEO and Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd, James Prichard. The evening will feature exclusive readings, expert insights, and special appearances from Marple super-fans, celebrating the incomparable, enigmatic spirt of Jane Marple and her legendary creator Agatha Christie.
Tickets start at £10 for the in-person event (concessions are available) and £5 online. A ticket and book bundle will also be available and books will be on sale on the night. The box office and bar open at 6.30pm and the Salon will start at 7pm. Lucy Foley and Kate Mosse will also be signing books after the event.
The British Library is the national library of the UK, collecting an unparalleled archive of books, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, sounds and even websites. It’s collection of over 170 million items span both the momentous and the everyday, from Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, Jane Austen’s early writings, and Benjamin Zephaniah’s handwritten poetry to rare sacred texts, feminist literature and the UK’s earliest newspapers. The Library shares these collections with thousands of people every day, helping to inspire the next great idea or moment of joyful discovery.
See you there!
Welcome to our Book of the Week podcast! Every week, our team of editors and readers brings you a special reading from a new book that we've fallen in love with and that we think you'll love too. Visit our podcast on your favourite platform for a short reading and a recommendation from Damian. Your TBR is already teetering but there always room for one more, right?
Our Book of the Week podcast replaces Salon Exclusives--why? Well, there are just too many brilliant new books to share and we really don't want you to miss out. We launched Book of the Week with a world-first reading from the Marriage Portrait, Maggie O'Farrell's new novel. And we've got a lot more coming up! You can still listen to all our past episodes on our podcast and share with your pals. Thanks for listening!
Book of the Week is programmed by Matt Casbourne (matt@literary-salon.co.uk) and produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman (megan@literary-salon.co.uk) for Damian Barr's Literary Salon.
We started SEs in March 2019! Past titles have included The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, The Prophets and Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies which went on to win the Desmond Elliott Prize 2022. If you’d like to suggest a book for BOTW from Jan ‘23 onwards please email matt@literary-salon.co.uk.
Read MoreWe are very sorry, but An Evening with Miss Marple has been postponed. The event was due to take place tomorrow, Tues 13th Sept, but will now be held at a later date.
The British Library has cancelled all events until after the Queen's funeral.
We will let you know as soon as a new date has been confirmed. All ticket holders will be contacted by the British Library.
Read More
