Queer Publishing Day: Radical Queer (re)Publishing

What does it mean to publish queer work on your own terms — and why does republishing and rediscovering queer books from the archive matter now more than ever? 

From reviving lost voices to resisting mainstream gatekeeping, this panel explores how independent presses are reshaping the literary landscape and building new futures from overlooked pasts. Expect sharp insights, creative strategies, and a celebration of DIY spirit.

Whether you’re a writer, reader or would-be publisher, this is an invitation to think differently about who gets published, how, and why — and to discover the transformative potential of queer stories told outside the mainstream.

Join Jack Thompson from Cipher, D-M Withers from Lurid Editions and Kaiya Waerea from Sticky Fingers Publishing for a bold conversation on radical queer publishing and the power of reclaiming texts. Chaired by publisher at Dialogue Books, Hannah Chukwu.

3-Day Festival and Friday Pass holders: This event is free to attend with your pass, but advance registration is required as places are limited. Please book a Pass Holder Free Registration ticket to reserve your place. Without a reservation, we cannot guarantee entry.

Jack Thomson is an editor and co-publisher at Cipher Press, an independent publishing house amplifying queer and trans writing. 

D-M Withers is Lecturer in Publishing at the University of Exeter, and Director of Lurid Editions, a publisher committed to the rediscovery of overlooked books by queer authors from the twentieth century archive.

Sticky Fingers Publishing is an intra-dependant feminist press based in South East London, run by Kaiya Waerea and Sophie Paul. They produce experimental non-fiction at the intersection of academia, visual culture, art, design and performance.

Hannah Chukwu (chair) is a multi-award-winning Publishing Director at Dialogue Books, where she leads the literary team publishing across fiction and non-fiction, with a focus on publishing underrepresented voices. Authors she publishes include bell hooks, Bora Chung and Yoko Tawada. Prior to joining Dialogue, she commissioned at Hamish Hamilton, PRH, where she also edited Five Dials magazine, founded the Black Britain: Writing Back series with Bernardine Evaristo, and was the Policy and Campaign Consultant for the curriculum change project Lit in Colour, in collaboration with the Runnymede Trust. She is a Trustee for the education charity The Brilliant Club.