What happens when you use the past as a springboard to create new work? Hosted by Andrew McMillan, writers Louis Glazzard, Ella Otomewo, and Okechukwu Nzelu give their personal takes in responding to stories from the new Queer Up North digital archive.

Queer Up North was one of the most pioneering and influential LGBTQ+ arts festivals in Europe. Founded in 1992, it quickly became a beacon for queer culture, drawing artists and audiences from across the globe, and played a pivotal role in shaping Manchester’s identity as an inclusive and vibrant LGBTQ+ city.

Louis Glazzard is a working-class writer from Yorkshire. His poems and non-fiction have been published widely, and he is currently working on his debut novel.

Ella Otomewo is a poet, performer, and creative facilitator based in Manchester. She has an MFA in Poetry from Manchester Writing School and is the New Writing Producer at Cultureword.

Okechukwu Nzelu’s two novels, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney and Here Again Now have won a range of prizes. In 2024 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and he is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University.

Andrew McMillan’s debut collection physical was the only poetry collection ever to win The Guardian First Book Award. He was The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year 2016 and his debut novel Pity was published in 2024.

Presented by Queer Up North, Manchester Histories, Manchester Literature Festival and Contact.

Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Granada Foundation.