“Lighthouse” Queer Space Special with Mairi Oliver

If you can’t find me, I’m probably still browsing shelves of queer joy at Lighthouse, Edinburgh’s superb radical bookshop. The delightful owner Mairi Oliver took some time to chat with me about the long history of radical and queer bookshops that have come before and exist alongside this absolute gem of a queer space. We speak about queer spaces changing hands and transforming, rather than disappearing, about the magic of queer and trans book events, and about why radical booksellers are so important for local community.  References:Word PowerElaine HenryConstant Reader BookshopLavender MenaceWest & WildeSigrid NielsonBob Orr June Thomas’s A Place of One’s OwnJane Cholmeley’s A Bookshop of One’s OwnSilver Moon BookshopJames Ley’s Love Song To Lavender MenaceNaomi KleinSara AhmedRadical Book FairCategory is Books (Glasgow)Gay’s The Word (London)Housmans (London)Five Leaves (Nottingham)Alliance of Radical Booksellers https://www.radicalbooksellers.co.uk/Bread and Roses AwardJake Hall’s Shoulder to Shoulder: A Queer History of Solidarity, Coalition and ChaosN.S. Nuseibeh’s Namesake  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Mairi speaks about how Lighthouse builds on a lineage of queer spaces. How do you feel about queer spaces transforming versus disappearing?     In this context, we also speak about the higher expectations for queer spaces. Have you experienced this? Do you think queer spaces should be held to a higher standard? What is the effect of this?     When we speak about the relationship between readers, booksellers and authors, Mairi makes some interesting points about how the role of writers is changing. What struck you as particularly important here?     Mairi ends the episode with a note on the urgency with which we need to address current political discussions. How can books and bookshops help us do this?

What makes Hong Kong queer? Alvin K. Wong joins me to speak about how queer and decolonial thought can help us better understand Hong Kong and its relation to the Sinophone world, to Eurocentric queer theory, and to global protest culture. Alvin speaks about queer and trans photography, films and novels from Hong Kong and sprinkles in some excellent theory reading recommendations. Listen now to learn more about Hong Kong and why it is such a frequent site of (unruly) comparison.  References:Wong, Alvin. Unruly Comparison: Queerness, Hong Kong, and the Sinophone (Duke UP, 2025)Wong, Alvin. “Transgenderism as a Heuristic Device: On the Cross-historical and Transnational Adaptations of the Legend of the White Snake,” in Transgender China, ed. Howard Chiang (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), 127-158.https://complit.hku.hk/index.php/faculty/alvin-wong/[email protected] for the Study of Globalization and CulturesSociety of Sinophone StudiesMichel FoucaultJudith ButlerRey ChowAckbar AbbasUmbrella Movement in 2014Milton FriedmanRoderick FergusonJosé Esteban MuñozQueer of colour critiqueGayatri Gopinath’s Impossible Desires (Duke UP, 2005) and Unruly Visions (Duke UP, 2018)Emily Apter’s The Translation Zone (Princeton UP, 2006)Nelson Tang Chak-man’s Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been? (2019-20)Ann StolerJacques DerridaAnjali ArondekarWong Bik-wan’s Lienü tu 烈女圖 (Portraits of martyred women, 1999)Ma Ka Fai’s Long tou feng wei 龍頭鳳尾 (Once Upon A Time in Hong Kong, 2016)Lisa LoweScudMak Yan Yan’s Butterfly Jun Li’s Tracey (2018)W v. Registrar of MarriagesA Woman is A WomanMimi WongChen Ran’s A Private Life  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What happened on 1 July 1997? Why was 2019 a central year in Hong Kong’s history?     Why is Hong Kong such a frequent site of comparison? What makes Hong Kong (seem) exceptional?     What does Alvin observe about Eurocentrism in queer studies? Which other power dynamics does he put this in relation with?     Alvin speaks about juxtaposing different types of texts. What does he juxtapose and why?     Several of Alvin’s reading recommendations have been published in translation. How often do you read translated texts?  

You know I love a queer bookshop and this Glaswegian dream of a queer space is absolutely delightful. Bug and Fin started Category is Books in 2018 to create the kind of space they were craving in their own neighbourhood. As the name promises, Category is Books has some exquisite shelving categories: from ‘Dyke Aching’ to ‘Trans Lit’ to the extensive poetry and theory sections, Bug and Fin show off their excellent taste on their shelves. In the recording, you can hear just how popular the shop is and how many people from near and far love to stop by for a browse and a chat. I’m telling you: this is a real treasure.  References:Dr Eamon McCarthy (new favourtite person) Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanitieshttps://www.sgsah.ac.uk/Section 28Kelly GardinerAdrian’s BarPluto Q Community Reading Roomhttps://www.plutoq.com/Hazel Jane Plante’s Little Blue EncyclopediaSam Szabo’s Enlightened Transexual ComixShola von Reinhold’s Lote  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Why do we need specialist bookshops? Why did Bug and Fin want to open one?     Why do Bug and Fin mention Section 28? Please look this term up if you are not familiar.     What is your favourite category, section or genre in a bookshop?     Why should you check Category is Books’ opening times before you go on your own queer pilgrimage there?  

What do transitions have to do with the nation state? More than you think! Ava Kim joins me to speak about how conceptions of gender are deeply (and problematically) entwined with the nation. Ava speaks about powerful examples of transition narratives from Chile, Vietnam and Argentina to illustrate this and gives us a sneak peek into her forthcoming book on trans genre.  References:Ava Kim’s Still / Life: Trans Genre and the Politics of Anti-Development (forthcoming)Ava Kim’s “The Future is Child’s Play” GLQ (2025)Davy KnittleMellon FoundationChristoph HanssmannStem the Tide: Trans Liberation in an Age of FascismTravestiNyke SlawikLucía Puenzo’s XXY (2007)Marlene WayarMauro Cabral GrinspanWinnicott’s space of playPaz ErrázurizGina Apostol’s InsurectoJessica Hagedorn’s Dream Jungle and DogeatersTrans subterfugeBalangigaSebastián Lelio’s A Fantastic Woman/ Una Mujer Fantástica  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Are you familiar with the term travesti? Please look it up and find a helpful definition.     Which forms of transition does Ava talk about? How do they relate to one another?     In how far is transition a narrative form? What does this have to do with the nation as a form?     How does Ava define trans subterfuge?     What are some of the connections between nation and gender Ava and I speak about? Can you think of others? Have you ever been affected by any of them?

Coming to you live from the Spoken Word stage at Out and Wild, the UK’s biggest festival for lesbian, bi, trans and queer women and those who are non-binary! This conversation with the delightful Leilah King has everything you could hope for: laughing, rhyming, swooning, and a whole lot of poetry reading. Tune in to hear Leilah speak about gender nonconformity in football, her journey as a neurodivergent performance poet, and how being half-Iranian affects her experience as a queer woman.CW: mental health, manic state, gendered violence  References:Midnight Picnics in Tehran (2019)We Are Hungry for Androgyny (2023)Polari PressMary OliverSam KerrAudre Lorde’s ZamiTravis AlabanzaJohn Steinbeck’s East of EdenThe Grapes of WrathCharles BukowskiIvan Coyote’s The Tomboy Survival GuideJames Baldwin’s Giovanni’s RoomJohn BetjemanPhilip LarkinSoft ButchTime of the MonthGay on Wye  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Leilah reflects on being a writer as well as a performer. How does performance affect her writing?     What was Leilah’s open mic night called and why did she set it up?     Who are some of the writers that have inspired Leilah? Who inspires you?     Leilah speaks about her intersecting experiences of being queer, neurodivergent and half-Iranian. How does your queerness relate to other parts of your identity?  

Come along on this deep dive into Alison Bechdel’s new autofictional comic novel Spent, that will give you everything from Edward Gorey Easter eggs to Harriet the Spy content. Alison teaches me things about myself (I’m a bottom-up thinker. Who knew!) and reflects on what Alison, the character, learns from finally meeting the much beloved Dykes to Watch Out For on the page. Whether you are a fan of goats, wood chopping, reality TV or Virginia Woolf – this episode has something for every kind of anti-capitalist dyke.  References:Alison Bechel’s The Secret to Superhuman StrengthAlison Bechel’s Fun HomeAlison Bechel’s Dykes to Watch Out ForCarmen Maria MachadoKarl Marx’s Das KapitalThe Guilty Feminist podcastQueer EyeTidying Up with Marie KondoVirginia Woolf’s To the LighthouseNicole CoenenGrant Wood’s American GothicEdward Gorey’s The Unstrung HarpThe Gashlycrumb Tinies This Queer Book Saved My LifeJonathan CapeFoyleshttps://www.foyles.co.uk/events/cape-graphic-novels-mini-conAnna Trench’s FlorrieLouise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy  Questions you should be able to respond to:     What are some of Alison Bechdel’s most well-known texts?     How does Alison reflect on intergenerational queer community?     In a lesbian version of Queer Eye, what would the five lesbians’ areas of expertise be?     If you could fictionalise a detail of your life, what would you invent for yourself?

The beauty of trans life is that it flourishes in unexpected spaces. This fortnight’s guest Perry Zurn has written a beautiful book about how trans life creates spaces for itself in the cracks, at the edges and in other liminal spaces. We speak about trans life at the university, trans poetics, and the problematisation of trans inclusion. Perry tells me about how he was able to rethink methodologies and the role of the researcher by working with story-led theory. Tune in now to attune yourself to trans thinking, histories and ourchives.  References:Perry Zurn’s How We Make Each Other: Trans Life at the Edge of the University (Duke University Press, 2025)Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett’s Curious Minds: The Power of Connection (MIT Press, 2022)Ren-yo HwangEnoch PageJack GiesekingAndrea LawlorJen ManionCavar’s “In Praise of -Less”https://azejournal.com/article/2022/8/4/in-praise-of-less-transmad-shouts-from-absent-placesAmherst Collee, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and University of Massachusetts Amherst  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What might trans poetics be? How does Perry define this term?     Why does Perry like thinking through problems? What are two problems we speak about on the podcast?     Perry describes what story-led theory is and how this method is, in a way, the opposite of how philosophy traditionally uses stories. Can you explain what story-led theory is and how it is different from other theory?     How does Perry use the term ‘attunement’?     Perry explains finding thematic clusters such as pebble, dust and glue. What is an object or entity you associate with trans life?

Please listen to this super special episode to meet Mark King from Queer Britain and also to hear all about the upcoming sold-out launch of ListenQueer, the accessible LGBTQIA+ history app!listenqueer.co.ukqueerbritain.org.ukhttps://www.outsavvy.com/event/26049/listenqueer-walking-tour-and-app-launch

Meet Talia Bettcher, the amazing philosopher who gave us canonical essays like “Trapped in the Wrong Theory” and “Evil Deceivers and Make-Believers,” and has now published a paradigm-shifting book about trans philosophy. Talia tells me about why personhood may be overrated, why the existential WTF lead her to this realisation, and how it’s really all about relationships. We also discuss three of Talia’s highly influential concepts: reality enforcement, the wrong body account, and the beyond the binary model.CW: transphobia, violence, abuse, sexual abuse, sexual abuse while unconscious (from 28 mins)References:Beyond Personhood: An Essay in Trans Philosophy (University of Minnesota Press, 2025)Bettcher, Talia Mae. “Trapped in the Wrong Theory: Rethinking Trans Oppression and Resistance” (Signs 39.2, 2014)Merryleggs, the Magical PonyBettcher, Talie Mae. “Evil Deceivers and Make-Believers: On Transphobic Violence and the Politics of Illusion” (Hypatia 22.3, 2007)Gwen AraujoThe existential WTFReality enforcementInterpersonal spatialityMaría LugonesMarilyn FryeJohn LockePeter SingerPhoriaGloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La FronteraJay Prosser’s Second Skins  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What is reality enforcement and how does it express transphobia?     What is personhood? Why is it generally perceived as a positive concept?     Why does Talia put a focus on relationships instead?     Talia speaks about two ways of viewing transness: the “beyond the binary” model and the “wrong body” account. What are these and why is Talia critical of both of them?     How can you show up to support trans rights?

Welcome to a brand-new queer space special! Come along to visit All She Wrote Books, a fabulous queer feminist bookshop, located in Somerville, MA, an area that is historically significant for feminist literary activism. Owner Christina Pascucci-Ciampa tells me about what it was like turning All She Wrote Books from the queer literary pop-up that unicorn dreams are made of into a (yellow) brick (road) and mortar shop and community space. We also learn about Ruby, the bookshop’s Chief Barking Officer, and about what made Christina believe in the magical powers of storytelling.References:https://www.allshewrotebooks.com/@allshewrotebooksNew WordsKristen Hogan’s The Feminist Bookstore Movement (Duke UP, 2016)American Booksellers AssociationEmma StraubBooks Are MagicPatricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt (Carol)Audre LordeAdrienne Richbell hooksJulie EnszerSinister WisdomFeminist Bookstore Newshttps://sinisterwisdom.org/FBNMalinda LoRuby, Chief Barking Officerhttps://www.allshewrotebooks.com/friendsofrubyCrafty Queer Studio https://www.craftyqueerstudio.com/The Wizard of OzAudre Lorde’s Sister OutsiderCarmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House/Her Body and Other PartiesThis Queer Book Saved My Life podcastLindy WestSarah Schulman  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:      Christina speaks about why pop-up bookshops were an important part of All She Wrote’s journey. What are some benefits of a pop-up bookshop?     If you could host a book pop-up at any location, where would it be?     Why are libraries great? What are some of their limits?     Why do we need specialist bookshops? Why are they spaces of activism?