Tag Archives: Our Past Matters

Parkside Love

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Kevin Allen | Leave a comment

Join us at Shelf Life Books on Thursday, February 14th, from 7-9 PM for an exciting event with Kevin Allen as he reads from his new book, Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary.

Kevin Allen’s Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary walks the reader through the back alleys and underground gathering spaces of the city’s early gay community. Meet the characters, martyrs, and heroes who helped forge the LGBTQ2 human rights we have today. This entertaining and authoritative account of a Calgary few know is a major addition to the many-hued and complex tales of the city. He reveals: “We were here, and we always have been.”

Shelf Life Books resides at the same address as former gay bar Parkside Continental, which operated from 1973-1986. At the reading, former patrons and staff of the Parkside will be invited to share their memories of this much-loved gathering place.

If you are unable to attend but would like to share a memory to be read: email Kevin at calgarygayhistory@gmail.com.

Share the love of history!

{KA}

Wishing you a restful holiday!

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

2018 has been quite the year for the Calgary Gay History Project. A film. A book. A residency at the new Central Library. Thanks to Calgary readers, Our Past Matters hit the number two spot in the Calgary Herald’s best-sellers list this week.

Calgary Herald Non-Fiction Bestsellers: Dec. 22, 2018

I am truly grateful for all of the support of the History Project and the warm reception the book received. I am wishing everyone a joy-filled (and restful) holiday season and a very Happy New Year.

Merry Xmas

As a final website post for 2018, I thought I would share some images of Calgary gay history in Christmases past. It evokes for me, a line I used in the book: “We were here, and we always have been.”

: Myrt’s was a gay bar located at 808 9 Ave. SW

: Modern Pink was a publication that grew out of Lesbian and Gay Youth Calgary (LGYC)

: Clue! Magazine was published in Calgary from 1992-1995.

{KA}

1 Comment

Posted in Gay history

Tagged bisexual, Calgary Herald, Christmas, CLUE Magazine, gay, lesbian, Modern Pink, Myrts, New Central Library, Our Past Matters, queer, transgender

Tea & Conversation & Our Past Matters

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Kevin Allen | 1 comment

As part of the Library History Residency, we are having tea and conversation every Thursday from 5-6 PM in room 414A at the new Central Library. Tomorrow’s topic is Calgary’s asexual and aromantic community. Members of local social group YYCaroaces will be present to chat, and we are providing the tea!

The book, Our Past Matters, is picking up momentum. Yesterday we were the cover story in Calgary StarMetro, and last week Kevin got up early to do a spot on Breakfast Television (fortunately they had endless tea in the studio).

Our Past Matters author Kevin Allen stands in front of Shelf Life Books on 4th St. S.W. — once the location of Calgary’s most successful gay commercial bar. (CHRISTINA RYAN / CALGARY STARMETRO)

In addition to Shelf Life Books, you can find Our Past Matters at Pages on Kensington too – more bookstores to come.

Happy sipping, chatting and reading this December!

{KA}