John Grindrod: Tales of the Suburbs

‘A fantastically entertaining alternative history of queer life in Britain’  The Guardian

Social historian John Grindrod joins us to discuss Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Lives Behind Net Curtains, his fascinating new history of queer life beyond the city centre.

‘Grindrod is one of the best chroniclers of British Life’ – Jude Rogers

For too long, suburbia has been cast as somewhere LGBTQ+ people escape from: a world of twitching curtains, and pebble-dashed semis. A place of quiet conformity where difference will not be tolerated.

But Grindrod’s new book tells a richer, stranger and more moving story. Drawing on archive material and original interviews, he uncovers the hidden twentieth-century histories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer lives in small towns, suburbs and edge-lands across Britain – stories of secrecy and solidarity, desire and danger, chosen family, resistance, humour and home.

Expect an illuminating, warm and sharply observed evening about the queer lives lived behind net curtains, and a new way of seeing the suburbs.

This event is welcome to everyone interested in our shared social history. The event forms part of Pride week. Join us in the bar downstairs after the event for a social drinks gathering to continue the conversation.

About the Author

John Grindrod is a social historian of modern places, exploring the stories of Britain’s towns, suburbs, outskirts and built landscapes. He is the author of Concretopia: A Journey Around the Rebuilding of Postwar Britain, Outskirts: Living Life on the Edge of the Green Belt, shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize, and Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain. His latest book, Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Lives Behind Net Curtains, uncovers hidden queer lives in twentieth-century suburbia. He also hosts the podcast Monstrosities Mon Amour, about loving places others dismiss.

The event takes place upstairs at Design West, Bristol, BS1 4QA