A Place of Our Own

'Immensely readable. A celebration of what was - and can be - built, with all the hurdles and ecstasies' Rosie Garland, author of The Night Brother and The Palace of Curiosities

A highly readable cultural history of queer women's lives in the second half of the twentieth century, told through six iconic spaces

For as long as queer women have existed, they've created gathering grounds where they can be themselves. From the intimate darkness of the lesbian bar to the sweaty camaraderie of the sports pitch, these spaces aren't a luxury - they're a necessity for queer women defining their identities.

Blending memoir, archival research and interviews, journalist June Thomas invites readers into six iconic lesbian spaces over the course of the last sixty years, including the rural commune, the sex toy boutique, the holiday destination and the feminist bookstore. She also illuminates what is gained and lost in the shift from the exclusive, tight-knit women's spaces of the '70s toward today's more inclusive yet more diffuse LGBTQ+ communities.

At once a love letter, a time capsule and a bridge between generations of queer women, A Place of Our Own brings the history - and timeless present - of the lesbian community to vivid life.

'Riveting; indispensable; and suffused with a humane warmth' Alison Bechdel


'A must-have for any queer bookshelf' Tegan Quin