February 14, 2024
Selfsame but Different opens book on gay life
Queer culture on the page is being celebrated this week as part of the Auckland Pride festival.
Selfsame but Different was started in 2016 by the late Peter Wells as a space to uphold queer literature and authors.
Literary festival chair Simie Simpson says it includes book launches, open mic poetry, readings and panels.
One highlight is Saturday’s We’ve Always Been Here panel featuring Māori academic Leonie Pihama and intersex activist Mani Mitchell.
“Looking at how not only how we as queer people have always been here, but how Māori have always been here, how trans people have always been here. , we’re putting our stake in the ground,” she says.
The panels are at the Ellen Melville Centre in the Auckland CBD.