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Hachette Pride launches month-long virtual Pride in Writing Festival

Hachette Pride, the LGBTQIA+ employee network at Hachette UK, is partnering with imprints across the publishing house to host a month-long digital celebration of gay, bisexual and trans authors and their stories from around the world. The virtual festival, which kicks off next week, aims to make publishing more accessible and celebrates authors who have launched books during lockdown.

 

Pride in Writing will take place from 10th June – 3rd July. It is open to the public and comprises five virtual panels with 10 Hachette UK authors, on themes including queer spaces, queer activism and queer history*. The themes have been chosen to reflect the issues that the LGBTQIA+ community are facing and provides authors with the opportunity to talk about the kind of future they want to see.

 

Sophia Blackwell and Ellie Bowker, co-chairs of Hachette Pride, commented: “We’re so excited to bring back Pride in Writing this year in a virtual format, enabling people from around the world to tune into the fantastic line-up of events, while reflecting on the contemporary themes of re-opening, re-imagining and change.

“Queer authors are no strangers to uncertainty and fear, and they will have had to sit with a lot of difficult emotions over the past year, as have we all. This summer will give us an opportunity to come together and reflect on the art, resilience and creativity of these inspiring authors.”

 

Hilary Murray Hill, executive sponsor of Hachette Pride, commented: “We are delighted to support another wide-ranging and energising Pride in Writing event, organised by the Hachette Pride network.  And it’s particularly encouraging that this celebration of the mighty talents and voices of our gay, bisexual and trans authors will now reach an even wider audience. The energy of the Pride employee network is absolutely central to the work of improving representation and ‘Changing the Story’ at Hachette UK.”

Hachette UK will also be making a charitable donation in celebration of Pride Month and in support of the work of its employee network.

 

For more information on how to sign up to the events, please see below or follow @HachettePride on Twitter.