Dancing in Heaven: The Women of The HIV/AIDS epidemic with Suzanne Elvidge

In 1981, the medical journal The Lancet reported the first case of AIDS in the UK. By the end of the decade, hundreds were dead: mostly young, mostly gay, mostly men. 

Across the country, women were there. Mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, lovers, professionals. They cared, cleaned, cooked, coped, cried and campaigned. They lost people they loved. And they went to endless funerals. Dancing in Heaven celebrates the voices of these women – the loud ones and the unheard ones. Together, they represent strength, grief, anger, and an awful lot of love.

In an Artist Talk with writer Suzanne Elvidge, she will tell the story behind the stories, explain how the book began (and how Derby played a role), describe where the stories come from, and remind us why this part of history is still so vitally important.

Suzanne Elvidge’s work covers fact, fiction and the blurry spaces in between. She writes monologues about lost and forgotten voices based on interviews, news stories, historical events and the overheard. She has had poetry, monologues and short stories published in anthologies, runs writing workshops and a queer writing group, and performs live. Dancing in Heaven, her first solo collection of monologues is published by Reconnecting Rainbows and was inspired by the voices of women from all walks of life who played often unrecognised roles in the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

She lives on the North Yorkshire coast with her illustrator wife and sundry dogs and cats and seems to think swimming in the North Sea in winter is A Good Thing. Her wife, dogs and cats disagree.

Suitable for Adults (18+). Booking essential. Limited places.

Image courtesy of Paul Armstrong, The Artistic Lens.