Category Archives: Press Release

Our Past Matters at Calgary Pride

In celebration of Calgary Pride 2024, we’re giving away a copy of Our Past Matters. Find it, in one of the inner city Little Free Libraries. {Maybe leave a book for someone else, while you are there!}

Look for Our Past Matters this weekend!

Kevin will be doing a book signing from 2-3 PM at the Pride Festival in Prince’s Island Park on Sunday, September 1st, hosted by Calgary Pride at their marketplace booth. Come by and chat about queer history. Book sales support the festival and Calgary Pride.

Finally, Celebrate Pride 2024 at Shelf Life Books on September 4th with a fun-filled extravaganza of local talent including drag performances by Dogiichow & Osmo Cis, literary readings by Skylar Kay and Bret Crowle, hosted by Kevin Allen.

{KA}

Late in ’88

Do you want to explore Calgary’s Queer History from an autobiographical grade school perspective? (I think you do…)

Late in ‘88 is a limited-series podcast created by Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda. The grade school classmates share their experiences of growing up queer and gender non-conforming in Calgary in 1988, at a time when there wasn’t language to describe identities that were fringe and undefinable. Shining a light on their middle childhood, Bronwin and Elinor explore the impact of historical context and the gift of contemporary language that allows more freedom of self-expression. The Calgary Winter Olympics acts as a backdrop to these conversations.

Elinor Svoboda and Bronwin Parks: creators of Late in ’88

Late in ’88 welcomes special guests and experts. The Calgary Gay History Project’s Kevin Allen makes an appearance in episode two, recounting his own queer history from 1988 as well as the story of Mark Perry Schaub, a Winter Olympics volunteer dying of AIDS.

Calgary is a different city than it was in the 80s. Late in ’88 explores how life has changed for queer people (and how it hasn’t) and the gravity of human connection which can make us whole. Recommended listening!

{KA}

Aveline-Vázquez LGBTQ+ Collection Launch

The Mount Royal University Archives and Special Collections is proud to announce the launch of its newest acquisition, the Aveline-Vázquez LGBTQ+ Collection.

This collection was donated by MRU professor Dr. David Aveline. At the launch, David will speak about his reasons for/experience of building the collection over the past 50+ years, and will discuss how it documents the history of queer communities, activism, and issues throughout Canada and the United States. Archivist Peter Houston will explain how the collection will be made accessible to the MRU community and the wider public, and archives intern Sydney Morrissette will speak to the value of this collection from a student perspective. Refreshments will be served. A Credit/Debit bar will be available.

Please RVSP here.

When: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Where: Ideas Lounge (EL1270) at the MRU Library

{The Calgary Gay History Project got a sneak peek of the Aveline-Vázquez LGBTQ+ Collection as it was being catalogued—it is amazing and huge! We’re very excited to explore it further. KA}