Queer Intergenerational Conversations at The Coast is Queer 2024

Introduction and what is the purpose of the study/project?

Hello! We are Vedrana Velickovic and Charlotte Wilcox from the School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Brighton. We would like to invite you to take part in our community partnership project at the Coast is Queer Festival. The Coast is Queer was established in 2019 to honour and celebrate queer literature as well as to interrogate the ecosystems that make queer literature possible by inviting authors into conversation with audiences and with each other. This festival is a rare occasion, a mingling of queer people of all ages.  Over the years we have observed and participated in queer intergenerational conversations and moments of connection between festival attendees, including writers, from different age groups. 

This project will build on the existing partnership with the festival and New Writing South to capture and evaluate the intergenerational conversations at the Coast is Queer 2024. As one of UK’s cities with the most diverse queer community, Brighton is perfectly placed to examine the many seen and unseen, formal and informal intergenerational conversations that have been taking place in the city. Literature shapes our understanding about what it means to be a part of the queer community in the past, present, and future, bringing generations together in ways that enable mutual learning and knowledge exchange so our project will add to the growing area of intergenerational queer research. Using creative methods, this will be done through 3 activities: a polaroid exhibition and short interviews with the participants and the writers, a roundtable participatory activity on Sunday led by Lois Weaver, and a production of creative work commissioned by AFLO the Poet, Coast is Queer’s Poet in Residence, in response to these activities and conversations. You can read find out more about the festival here: https://coastisqueer.com/

Why have I been invited to participate?

You are attending the Coast is Queer festival from 10-13th October 2024. 

Do I have to take part?

Participation is voluntary, and there is no obligation to take part. 

What will happen to me if I take part?

You can choose to participate in the polaroid exhibition, Sunday roundtable and/or short-recorded ‘vox pop’ conversation covering the following questions:

• Do you know lots of old/young queer people? 
• Do you interact with them? Where do you see them socially? Have you learned anything from these points of contact?
• What experiences of intergenerational dialogue and connection have you encountered at the festival this year?
• Are queer intergenerational conversations/interactions something you’re interested in?

These activities will be managed by the Project Leads, Velickovic& Wilcox and supported by UoB student curators and UoB student researchers, Alexa Rusakoff and Sandy Swain, who will be working with us on the project.

Will I be paid for taking part?

No.

What are the potential disadvantages or risks of taking part?

There are no significant disadvantages or risks. 

  What are the potential benefits of taking part?

The benefits of taking part are you will be contributing to an emerging area of research aimed at fostering positive change in our diverse LGBTQIA+ communities. 

Will my taking part in the study/project be kept confidential?

We will not be collecting any personal data from you, however, whatever information we gather about your participation in this project will be kept confidential. You are free to request that your data be deleted and withdraw from participating in the project. For further information on University’s Research Privacy Notice see here. 

What will happen if I don’t want to carry on with the study?

If you are participating in the roundtable event with Lois Weaver, given the discussion-based nature of this research event, it will not be possible to withdraw your data after data collection has occurred. 

If you are participating in our pop-up polaroid photographic exhibition and you decide you wish to withdraw your data, you are free to do so at any time. You can contact either of the study leads (see email addresses below). 

What will happen to the results of the project?

The results of this exploratory research event will feed into a forthcoming research bid with the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council). We will also publicise results via blog posts and articles, in collaboration with The Coast is Queer literary festival. 

You will be asked if you would like to be notified about further project work. 

Who is organising and funding the research? (not required for student research where no funding involved)

This research is funded by the AHRC Ignite 3.3 which aims to connect the university with external partners. This project “is understood as the change, effect or benefit across all sectors and communities, deriving from research and knowledge exchange activities”.

What if I have a question or concern?

For any question or concerns you might have now or later, you can contact us at v.velickovic@brighton.ac.uk or c.wilcox@brighton.ac.uk. You can also contact the Chair of the Ethics Committee Dr Angela Glynn: a.glynn@brighton.ac.uk. 

Who has reviewed the study?

This project is reviewed by the University Committee on Research Ethics & Integrity