With the sad news that the Bearded Tit will be closing for good in November, I am excited and grateful that we get to have Reading Group there one last time. For this final meeting at the Tit (but hopefully not our final group ever) we're reading two iconic chapters from Samuel R Delany's memoir 'The Motion of Light in Water', about the writer's experiences of queer sexual subcultures in New York in the early 1960s. It feels appropriate as we say goodbye to the Tit to read about the political potential of queer spaces.
Chapter 19 (pages 138–148) describes Delany's sexual encounters at the beats at Christopher Street Pier, while in Chapter 34 (pages 184–187), a widely read and discussed section of the book, Delany's political horizons are expanded through his first visit to St Mark's Baths, a gay sauna.
Along with these excerpts from Delany, I couldn't resist adding in something we've read before: 'Where Your Cabaret Comes From', the brilliant ode to radical queer Sydney by Fiona McGregor. The essay is a reminder that even as venues come and go, the queer life of the city persists because of the people who work to make it a reality.
- 'The Motion of Light in Water' by Samuel R Delany:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DpUBobFlgL2diYwAH2ABTgnUuGxBiO2O/view?usp=sharing
- 'Where Your Cabaret Comes From', by Fiona McGregor:
https://meanjin.com.au/latest/where-your-cabaret-comes-from/
The link to 'The Motion of Light in Water' includes the whole book so feel free to read more, but we'll just be focusing on chapters 19 and 34.
As usual (although it's been a little while) we'll be out the back in the salon, so head through and join us for a few drinks and a delicious hot dog (or vegan hot dog). Also note that we're starting at 6.30, a little earlier than we have in the past. Can't wait to see you all.
Also check out other Meetups in Redfern, Arts events in Redfern, Literary Art events in Redfern.
