‘Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line’ with Elizabeth Lovatt

In her book "Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line," Elizabeth Lovatt celebrates the ordinary lives of queer women who both called and volunteered for the Lesbian Line in the 1990s, whilst also tracing her own journey from accidentally coming out to disastrous dates to finding her chosen family. In conversation with Manganaro, they'll unpick the impact of history to understanding oneself and the vitality of ephemera and their role in queer history.

Thank You For Calling the Lesbian Line was published by Dialogue Books earlier this year and was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize 2025. The book, which is part social history, part memoir, has been described as “a timely and vital exploration of how lesbian identity continues to remake and redefine itself in the 21st century” and “a heartfelt history of the gay community”. 

Join us for an insightful and moving conversation that celebrates queer history, community, and the power of storytelling.

About the author
Elizabeth Lovatt is a writer of fiction and creative non-fiction, originally from Leicester and now living in London. In 2019 she was a writer-in-residence for Islington Pride and the ruckus! archive. In November 2020 she was accepted onto Penguin Books’ #WriteNow mentorship scheme and has an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from Birkbeck. Her dissertation was awarded the Lynne Segal BiGS Prize in Gender and Sexuality.