FOYLES PRIDE FEST: Queer Joy

Kate will joined by speakers A.J. West, Jack Parlett, Gayathiri Kamalakanthan and Josh Silver.

Kate Young (she/her) is a writer and cook. Her award-winning Little Library Cookbooks (The Little Library Cookbook, The Little Library Year, The Little Library Christmas, and The Little Library Parties) feature food inspired by beloved works of literature. Her debut novel Experienced, a queer romcom set in Bristol, sold in a seven-way auction and will be published by 4th Estate in 2024. She has written for various publications, including the Guardian, and The Times; is a contributor to food magazines such as Waitrose Magazine, Delicious, and Sainsbury’s Magazine; and has advised on features for the Financial Times, and the Telegraph.

A.J. West (he/him) was born in Buckinghamshire. Growing up, his teacher parents read him stories by Bylton, Milne, Dahl, Lewis, Lawrence and Graham and he found a passion for old-fashioned tales that mixed fear and fun. He went on to study English Literature at university in Preston, Lancashire before graduating to become a radio and television producer, news presenter and journalist at the BBC in London and Northern Ireland, where his fascination with William Jackson Crawford’s story began. After a characteristically strange twist in events he became a television personality before embarking on a new career as a PR and communications director. During this time, he has written for national newspapers and appeared on network current affairs programmes on radio and television.

Jack Parlett (he/him) is a writer, poet and academic. He is the author of Fire Island: A Queer History, published by Granta. Fire Island was named an Editor’s Pick by the New York Times and one of the Best Books of 2022 by the New Yorker and BBC Culture. He is also the author of The Poetics of Cruising: Queer Visual Culture From Whitman to Grindr, an academic monograph, and Same Blue, Different You, a poetry pamphlet. His writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Boston Review, Granta, Literary Hub, BBC Culture, Poetry London and elsewhere. Jack's new book Flamboyance will be published by Granta in 2026.

Gayathiri Kamalakanthan (they/them) is a Tamil poet and performer. They're currently exploring the way language shapes adolescence and how we might use it to queer the future. They won the Disabled Poets Prize 2024, the Faber & Andlyn Publisher’s Prize 2022 and the Primadonna Fiction Prize 2021. Gayathiri runs Word-Benders, a poetry workshop centering trans and queer poets of colour. Their debut novel-in-verse, Bad Queer was published by Faber in March.

Josh Silver (he/him) is a bestselling author. He was born on a farm in the Lake District and lives in Manchester. In his twenties, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), performing in the West End, including alongside Nicole Kidman, before changing career to become a mental health nurse working with teenagers. His writing has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal and the YA Book Prize and Traumaland was named a 2025 The Observer Book of the Year. Josh's debut adult novel Fruit Fly was published by OneWorld in April.

The discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.

Tickets: £8 General Admission / £5 Student or Low Income

Venue: The Auditorium (Level 6) at Foyles, 107 Charing Cross Road*

*Please note that the Auditorium at Foyles is fully accessible from the Ground floor lifts.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Foyles Bookshop, 107 Charing Cross Road