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Chances are that if you’re a woman who identifies as LBT, you’re probably beginning to taste the limits of York’s ‘scene’ (that is if you ever located it in the first place – if you haven’t it’s usually down the back of the sofa, with the TV remote). Toffs on a Sunday can only sustain one so long, and although the university’s triad of LGBT groups do a wonderful job of actually getting us all in the same room and enjoying myriad fun activities, it’s hardly within their scope to plan massive cultural events.
YLAF to the rescue! “Why should we be excited?” I ask Kate North, press officer for YLAF ’07. If anyone should know, she should. In fact, anyone taking a peek at the festival schedule on the official website should know, but just for the sake of an official summary, I ask anyway.
on the Sunday – this is my favourite, I absolutely love it – we have a street concert.”
“The whole caboodle,” comes the serene reply. “For the book festival we’ve got a huge list of authors participating, we’ll have readings, we’ll have panels with question and answer sessions,there are organised discussions and debates, open mic sessions. Then a huge club night sponsored by DIVA, and on the Sunday – this is my favourite, I absolutely love it – we have a street concert.”
Two things to be mentioned before everyone gets excited: firstly, YLAF enjoys a reputation as one of the foremost events for lesbian, bisexual and transsexual (LBT) women, and one of its most successful moves is making its book festival and club night safe spaces for these women. Men wishing to attend must send an email of introduction to the organisers. Women of any sexuality are welcome to attend. Secondly, YLAF is organised by volunteers, with only one paid member of staff, and kept alive with funding from sponsors and patrons. The tickets reflect this fact, making the main events quite pricey for students.
Things kick off with a fringe event on Friday night (tonight!) at Fibbers – Jess Gardham offers a warming acoustic folk-R&B crossover, and she’s supported by the dulcet tones of York Uni’s very own Izzy Isgate, and York-based Andy Curry (less dulcet, more gin). This affiliated event is open to everyone 18 or over with ID, even if you still think LGBT is a kind of sandwich, and promises to fill you up with weekend-starts-here glow.
Saturday is dominated by the Book Festival, taking place at the Racecourse, starts at 9.45am and whisks through till 6pm, with a number of enticing distractions: with debates such as “What does lesbian look like?” with filmmaker Inge Blackman and Libertas! founder Jenny Roberts, Rhona Cameron in conversation and all sorts of performances, you’ll be running around like a (happy) headless chicken trying to catch it all. Crin Claxton, director of YLAF, writes in DIVA, "The atmosphere at the book fest has to be experienced at least once in your life", and you can easily believe it.
For anyone with a t-shirt reading “Drop Beats Not Books”, DIVA are sponsoring Saturday’s club night (also at the Racecourse) with DJs from Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds playing to two floors of dance-loving women. For anyone who fancies a change (or a run-up) to Gay Toffs on Sunday, Club Diva brings the best of LBT clubbing to York with a friendly all-female atmosphere and great music.
The Sunday street concert is the most accessible YLAF event since it takes place on Parliament Street under the auspices of the City of York Council and allows those who might otherwise find it hard to attend the Festival to get a taste of Lesbian Arts. How? “Basically a load of dykes turn up and go mental on the drums.” Who could ask for more?
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