Join us for a special Black History Month event!
We’re celebrating the launch of Dean Atta’s first novel, Big Man.
Big Man follows the life of Big, a middle-aged Black British gay man who lives a gentle life with his boyfriend, Little, in their home in East London. Big and Little enjoy evenings out and group holidays with friends, as much as practising yoga together at home and running side by side along the Hackney canals.
Big came of age in the club scene under the watchful eye of Mother, an African American trans woman who made a home and name for herself in London, her house a refuge for wayward queer youths like Big. When he finds out Mother is releasing a memoir, the two reconnect after decades of distance, and Big finds himself having to confront a long-repressed assault that opens old – and new – wounds.
A tender, daring novel full of gentle humour, Big Man explores themes of identity, aging, sex, family and trauma, turning a lens on what it means to age as a queer person, while being a double-edged love letter to the people and places that make us.
After the launch, stick around for a fun Q&A session hosted by the amazing Zoe Cornibert from the Black Circle Podcast. It’s a great chance to hear more about the book and chat with Dean Atta himself.