Seized Books! A book launch with Pagemasters

Join us to celebrate the launch of Seized Books! with co-author and librarian Leila Kassir, illustrator Esther McManus and Jordan Taylor from PageMasters. Enjoy a panel like discussion about what went into making this book, then mingle and make badges!

'Seized Books! LGBTQ+ books and censorship in 1980s Britain: A catalogue' describes the publications that were wrongly confiscated from the UK's first lesbian and gay bookshop, Gay's the Word, by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, from 10th April 1984 onwards. A print version of an online exhibition hosted by Senate House Library, the catalogue explores a large list of gay and lesbian publications, from poetry and novels to non-fiction. 'Seized Books!' shifts the focus from the repressive interventions of the British state to the exuberance and liberation of LGBTQ+ publishing and bookselling in the early 1980s, and shows how queer communities continue to defend their freedom to read, even in a climate of increasing censorship.

The currently sold out book will be available to purchase at PageMaster's pop up bookshop, and a few copies will be available to borrow from Lewisham Library's emerging zine library.