Tales of the Suburbs: John Grindrod in conversation with Luke Turner

Throughout LGBTQ+ history, suburbia has been seen as somewhere to escape from: a place where heterosexuality rules; where difference will not be tolerated; where you’ll never find a soulmate. But for many, those streets of twitching curtains and pebble-dashed semis were – or still are – a place to call home.

John Grindrod is a social historian of modern places. He's the author of Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain (2022), Outskirts: Living Life on the Edge of the Green Belt (shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize, 2017), Concretopia: A Journey Around the Rebuilding of Postwar Britain (2013). Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Lives Behind Net Curtains publishes in March 2026. John hosts the podcast Monstrosities Mon Amour, about loving the places other people hate.

Luke Turner is a writer and editor based in London. His most recent book Men At War – Loving Lusting Fighting Remembering 1939-1945 is a critically-acclaimed account of masculinity and sexuality during the Second World War and how the conflict impacts our culture today. His first book Out Of The Woods, was a Guardian Book of the Day. It was shortlisted for the 2019 Wainwright Prize for nature writing, and longlisted for the Polari Prize for first book by an LGBT+ writer. He is co-founder and editor of online culture magazine The Quietus and has contributed to most major British news publications.

The discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. Your ticket includes a complimentary glass of wine.

Tickets: £10 General Admission, £8 Foyalty Member / £24 Book and Ticket, inc. a copy of Tales of the Suburbs (RRP £18.99)
Venue: The Auditorium (Level 6) at Foyles, 107 Charing Cross Road*

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Host or Publisher Foyles Bookshop, 107 Charing Cross Road