Barr moves to Canongate in a two-book deal
Barr moves to Canongate in a two-book deal

I better crack on with the writing then!

Thrilled to be joining Canongate and honoured to be edited by Ellah Wakatama. The whole team there is amazing and Anna Frame is already winning at All Things Publicity!

At my Edinburgh International Book Festival event today I said ‘I’m writing a big gay Scottish love story.’ And I am!

Thank you to my agent and friend Clare Conville for making it all happen. As always. And to all at Conville & Walsh.

You can read the full announcement at The Bookseller.

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Guest UserDamian Barr, Canongate, Ellah Wakatama, Clare Conville, Conville & Walsh
In the Studio on the BBC World Service
In the Studio on the BBC World Service

Fashion designers and brother and sister duo, Christopher and Tammy Kane have been trendsetters in the fashion world since 2006. They’ve dressed celebrities and world leaders, blending a playful, sexy aesthetic with working-class realism. Now they're launching a brand-new club night in London, the More Joy Disco. But how does their upbringing in a small Scottish village inform the glitz and glamour of their event? And why is joy such a motivating factor for the pair?

This documentary is presented by Damian and will be broadcast on Sunday 20th August at 7.32pm, you can also listen on BBC Sounds.

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Guest UserChristopher Kane, Tammy Kane, Damian Barr, More Joy, BBC World Service, BBC Sounds
Damian Barr & Catherine Taylor: Strange Country of the North - SOLD OUT!
Damian Barr & Catherine Taylor: Strange Country of the North - SOLD OUT!

My event with Catherine Taylor on 18th August in Edinburgh is sold out! We look forward to seeing you there, but for anyone who was unable to get a ticket, you can contact the festival box office for any returns.

Here’s the full festival programme.

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Guest UserEdinburgh International Book FestivalDamian Barr, Damian Barr & Catherine Taylor: Strange Country of the North, Catherine Taylor, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh
'You Will Be Safe Here' on BBC Sounds
'You Will Be Safe Here' on BBC Sounds

So, my novel is getting another airing on radio. It’s narrated beautifully by Tracy-Ann Oberman.

‘You Will Be Safe Here’ is set in South Africa in 1901 and more-or-less-now. It’s a story of hidden histories, the horrors of Empire and the redemptive power of love. And there’s a gay love story in there. It’s partly inspired by a real-life story and by all the history I wasn’t taught.

Published by @bloomsburypublishing in US and UK; @jonathanballpublishers in SA; @houseofanansi in Canada; @uitgeverijmozaiek in Netherlands and @cherchemidiediteur in France.

PS the weird Howard’s Way -esque flag in the ident (program guide) are nothing to do with the novel.

Listen here.

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Guest UserTracy-Ann Oberman, You Will Be Safe Here, Bloomsbury Publishing, Jonathan Ball Publishers, House of Anansi, Damian Barr
Damian at Edinburgh International Book Festival 2023
Damian at Edinburgh International Book Festival 2023

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!

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Guest UserEdinburgh International Book FestivalMonica Heisey, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Damian Barr & Catherine Taylor: Strange Country of the North, Damian Barr, Damian Barr's Literary Salon
Audible x Out on the Page – a Celebration of Queer Storytelling at the Barbican, 27th June 2023
Audible x Out on the Page – a Celebration of Queer Storytelling at the Barbican, 27th June 2023

To 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.

GET TICKETS

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Guest UserBarbicanAudible, Out on the Page, Celebration of Queer Storytelling, Barbican, LGBTQIA+, LGBTQIA+ writing community, Okechukwu Nzelu, Travis Alabanza
Audible X Out on the Page PRIDE project
Audible X Out on the Page PRIDE project

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.

Click here for the full list.

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Guest UserDamian Barr, Dean Atta, Andrew McMillan, Audible, Out on the Page, LGBTQIA+ writers, Pride List of Queer Storytelling
Episode one of Whose Truth Is It Anyway?
Episode one of Whose Truth Is It Anyway?

In 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?.

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Guest Userbbc radio 4Whose Truth Is It Anyway?, Memoir and Me, Damian Barr, BBC Radio 4, Sathnam Sanghera, Olivia Laing, Ellah Wakatama, Taymour Soomro, Alexandra Heminsley, Brett Anderson, Autofiction
Salon Insta Live Special with Zachary Zane launching ‘Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto’.
Salon Insta Live Special with Zachary Zane launching ‘Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto’.

Salon 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!

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Guest Userlitsalon, boy slut, Uli Lenart, Boy Slut, Gay's The Word
Damian Barr talks She Ra on BBC Radio 4!
Damian Barr talks She Ra on BBC Radio 4!

Host 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.

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Guest UserPrincess, BBC Radio 4, Damian Barr, She Ra, Meff, Rufaro Faith Mazarura, Ailsa Rochester, Craig Edmondson
Insta takeover for RSL
Insta takeover for RSL

On 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.

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Guest UserDamian Barr, RSL, Royal Society of Literature, INSTAGRAM, INSTA TAKEOVER, Royal Vauxhall Tavern
Salon at The London Library: Monica Heisey and a world premiere from Jenni Fagan. Hosted by Damian Barr.
Salon at The London Library: Monica Heisey and a world premiere from Jenni Fagan. Hosted by Damian Barr.

Damian 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.

GET TICKETS

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Guest UserThe London LibraryMonica Heisey, Jenni Fagan, Damian Barr, Damian Barr's Literary Salon, The London Library, Ootlin, Really Good
Jojo Moyes in conversation with Alex Clark on the Salon's Insta Live
Jojo Moyes in conversation with Alex Clark on the Salon's Insta Live

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.

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Rosie ChippingDamian Barr, Jojo Moyes, Someone's Else's Shoes, Penguin Random House
RSL x RVT: An Evening with Damian Barr
RSL x RVT: An Evening with Damian Barr

RSL 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.

GET TICKETS

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Guest UserThe Royal Vauchall TavernRoyal Vauxhall Tavern, maggie & me, Damian Barr, Royal Society of Literature