Queer Yarns - Before Homosexuality : Tales From The Beat

Following the success of the first Queer Storytelling Festival at Oxford House in 2003, Queer Storytelling Festival begins a season at the Drill Hall.
Devised and curated by Tim Redfern with the aim of providing a platform for queers to share their stories, QSF brings together a host of never before heard, new and existing queer storytellers from all backgrounds to share their experiences and stories with an audience of queer listeners.

Tuesday 24 February: Queer Stories I: Men and Women

Francis from the glittering scene of Kettering. He is an emerging writer and inspiration to his work colleagues.

Michael Brown Gay rights campaigner for the last 50 years and still going.

Charlotte Cooper wrote a dirty novel called 'Cherry' that was seized by Canadian Customs for being obscene.

Simon Marks Simon works in TV production, but this is his frist time back on stage since playing a German housewife in a 1990 school play.

Matthew Todd Writer, performer and playwright; founder of False Titters and contributor at Comedy Camp. He is Deputy Editor for Attitude.

Philippe Karlacronenbourg Teenage transvestite cottage queen.

Richard Gough joined the Royal Navy in 1975 at the age of 16. In a career spanning 17 years Ricahrd travelled the world serving on a total of six warships. Since leaving the navy Richard has established a successful career in computing management and consultancy.

Valentin Hoffman left Russia 13 years ago at 16 without even knowing he was gay. He moved to Germany for 10 years before coming to London.

Tuesday 23 March: Queer Stories II: Women and Men

This event may or may not feature the following charming contributors:

Arkem: performing, making mocking and faking. Communing, buffooning, schooling and fooling. Building, trashing, collaborating and clashing. For QSF Arkem is looking into his past and future and is just damn glad to be here!

Sue Frumin is a writer, performer, actor, teacher barparson and landscape gardener. She has written for Sheffield Crucible, Theatre Centre, Live Theatre (Newcastle), Gay Sweatshop and her own company Shameful Practice. She has produced three one-woman shows and has just returned from Vietnam and Thailand.

Shaun Levin has a particular interest in devised theatre. His book, Seven Sweet Things was published in 2003. He is editor of Chroma, a queer literary journal, and, with Cherry Smyth, organises performance evenings at the Florence Trust's Summer Show where he also performs his work.

David Mills has performed in London at Duckie, as part of Special Relationship with DJ Dennis da Silva and at venues all over the US.

Hugh Mulhall is a writer.

Michael Roulston is a writer/performer who has had his work produced and performed widely throughout the United States, He is now intent on breaking Europe.

Ernesto Sarezale is a performance poet, member of Gay London Writers and founder of Homophone, a series of queer poetry readings that happened in 2002.

Cherry Smith is an Irish poet and writer. Her debut collection When The Lights Go Up is published by Lagan Press and she won the Raymond Williams Publishing Prize in 2003 for A Strong Voice In A Small Space the book of women's prison writing that she edited.

Steven Whinnery has performed in venues as far apart culturally and geographically as Communist Russia and Sotheby's Auction House in London.

Josephine Allison Wilson Academic, dancer, drummer, PA and prospective storyteller

Tuesday 13 April: Queer Stories III: Queers of Colour

Encouraging stories from queers whose ethnic histories are under-represented.
Featuring among others :

Godfrey Sealey

Marie Mojo

Farzana Fiaz Music producer who DJs and a Music Technology tutor for Asian Dub Foundation Education. She also has a successful career in print journalism and television broadcasting.

Dilshad Khot Asian babe, writer and performer.

Jocelyn Watson

Matt Foster

Philippe Karlacronenbourg Teenage transvestite cottage queen.

Vinay Kapoor

Tuesday 25 May: Herm Love

Stories about gender representation, expectation and transformation.
Featuring among others:

Del La Grace Volcano A photographer, author and filmmaker who has been documenting and photographing sexula subcultures from the inside for more than twenty years.

Truly Kaput

Indra Windh Sir, Madame and wotever - gender bending made easy.

Ingo

Niamh Miller

Tim Redfern

Josephine Allison Wilson Academic, dancer, drummer, PA and prospective storyteller

Tuesday 22 June: Queer Here Now - Young Queers' Stories

Including contributions from PACE Youthwork groups and featuring:
Francis Abrahams a self confessed repressed poet and artist forced to live and work in the real world up north in a small town in Leicestershire. He has contributed to anthologies, literary festivals and continues to self publish his own work - the latest being The Art of Love

Jasmine Cooray "I'm 18, a student hoping to study Drama in Brighton. As my piece suggests, I'm a Londoner at heart, Out and Proud as they say and have overcome a variety of family and personal conflicts in order to be so. I'm working with the theatre company Short and Girle Productions on a production to be shown in July.

Kelly Somers "I've been writing and performing poetry since my university days in Australia. These days I'm interested in collaborating with people who work in other mediums, such as sound design, dance or video, but there is always a stong text at the core of whatever I'm involved in."

Emil Rowe is currently a student studying for his degree in Socail Work. He is/was a member of the Gay London Writers Group and has performed at such events as the Mardi Gras Arts Festival and Homophone. In 2001 and 2002 he was nominated for the International Poetry Award and has published articles on Human Ethics in the Socialist Worker and E-Business

Tuesday 6 July: Queer Yarns -
Before Homosexuality : Tales from the beat

Recounting tales from before the legalisation of homosexuality.