This Pride Month, we’re thrilled to partner with Lighthouse, Edinburgh’s Radical Bookshop, to curate a special library celebrating the incredible writing of queer authors, with a special spotlight on Scottish talent!
As a UNESCO City of Literature, our city is the perfect backdrop for this vibrant celebration of diversity and creativity in writing. Come explore these powerful voices and stories with us!
Borrow a book during your stay, or speak to reception to purchase one to take away!
Lighthouse is a queer-owned and women-led independent community bookshop based in Edinburgh’s Newington area. They are an unapologetically activist, intersectional, feminist, antiracist, LGBTQ+ community space with over 10,000 titles for readers of all ages. In 2020, they were named Scotland’s Best Independent Bookshop by The Bookseller.
A number of great writers feature in our Pride Library, including the Booker Prize winner Douglas Stewart, the Queen of Scottish Crime, Val McDermid and Scotland’s first official Makar, Edwin Morgan.
Also featured are a selection of books from writers appearing at Lighthouse’s First Date Romance Festival, which takes place 14-15 June. Now in its second year, the festival serves up a dazzling variety of romance books, events discussing genre boundaries, subversive politics, queer joy, and feminist pleasure. Look for books by their speakers including Kate Young, Justin Myers, PJ Ellis, Bethany Rutter and LR Lam.
List of featured books:
Fiction
Gloaming, Kirsty Logan
Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stewart
Young Mungo, Douglas Stewart
Luckenbooth, Jenni Fagan
Summer, Ali Smith
Furies, a collection of writers
LOTE, Shola Van Reinhold
Wages of Sin, Kaite Welsh
We Were Always Here, a collection of writers
Queen MacBeth, Val McDermid
History and Non-Fiction
Ashes & Stones, Allyson Shaw
All the Violet Tiaras, Jean Menzies
Queer Art,
Holding Space
We Are Everywhere
Poetry
Bantam, Jackie Kay
Love Poems, Edwin Morgan
Scotland, Edwin Morgan
First Date – Romance Festival featured writers
Leading Man, Justin Myers
Experienced, Kate Young
We Could Be Heroes, PJ Ellis
Dragonfall PB, LR Lam
Big Date Energy, Bethany Rutter
Our Pride Library will be available to browse in reception and in The Library room, where guests enjoy breakfast.
Borrow a book during your stay, or speak with reception to purchase one to take home.
Discover more about Lighthouse and find tickets to FIRST DATE at Summerhall at their website lighthousebookshop.com,