Wednesday 30 July 6pm – 8pm at BnB-side. 77 Fortuneswell, DT5 1LY
It’s been exactly a year since our very own Omi Wilcox-Lee (she/they) performed for us at LGBT+side! 12 months later and Omi’s practice has gone from strength to strength – we are delighted to invite Omi to our next session to lead a poetry workshop for us all, focused on stories of Reveal and… coming out.
Coming out can mean and be different things for us all, it can be scary, joyful, exciting – perhaps we’re all always in a process of coming out and becoming?
Join us on Wednesday 30 July for a relaxed, caring, and informal poetry exploration which can – if you like – then lead to ‘revealing’ your writing at a Towns of Culture Poetry Showcase at b-side this September.
Omi will come armed with all the info and, of course, the incredible Cat will come with some yummy food for us all to share together too.
Well, hello! Bet you were all beginning to think that we’d left you! Well, we haven’t, it’s just been a challenging month or so.
Pride season is now upon us, and your lovely librarians have all been super busy up and down Dorset and Hampshire, marching for our rights and celebrating all that we have achieved as a community. One of our librarians has also had a lot of other commitments with work over the last month or so, and we can’t open the library without 2 people present.
All that being said. we are slowly getting back to normal and, once all the fun and games are finished, we’ll be back to our regular hours. Until then, please accept our apologies for sporadic closures!
Due to one thing and another, it’s been a while since we’ve engaged you on this wonderful platform, the web. You may have been asking yourself “What happened?!”. Well, not a lot really, illness and absence aside, we’ve still been here for you.
Having said that, we’ve had one notable change in that our opening hours on a Saturday have changed. We’re now open from 1300-1500. A little shorter, but it made sense. We are, as always, happy to open any time, just ask.
Also, we have an announcement to make. On Wednesday 16th July the Little Tiny Library will be hosting its first book club meeting! It will be held in the Outpost, 77 Fortuneswell, at 1800. There’s nothing to read in preparation for this, we’re just asking you to bring along your favourite queer lit and tell us why it’s awesome.
Tea, coffee, squash and a few nibbles will be available, and we will decide on the first book to enjoy together at that session. We will then meeting on the 3rd Wednesday every other month.
For more details, email us at [email protected], pop a message in the WhatsApp group or, even better, come and see us at the library and have a browse, or just a rest!
June is charging towards us like a happy puppy and, before you know it, we’ll be in the throes of Pride Month. And what a busy month it is here at the library, and LGBT+side. Especially in the final week! So why not celebrate the Sun, our existence, and protest the resistance with us this June!
Kicking off on June 25th, LGBT+side will be having a making session in the monthly meet up. We’ll be getting our gear ready for the Youth Pride Event and Parade on Saturday 28th, where we will be having a Puppetmaking Stall and joining in the march along the Esplanade.
Meanwhile, back on the rock, the 26th sees the opening of the Underground Gallery at the High Angle Battery (aka Ghost Tunnels). This will be running from the 26th through to the 29th.
These wonderful and exciting events wouldn’t be possible without you, and we’d like to reach out and ask for your help in making sure they go smoothly….
So, how could you help?
CHESIL YOUTH PRIDE We’re looking for a happy band of volunteers to wander the Esplanade with us, knocking on doors and asking B&B owners if they would be happy to hang a Pride Flag, or bunting, outside their premises on the 28th. This will have to happen early June.
We are also looking for a happy few to help marshal people from the Jubilee Clock, where adults will be able to join the rear of the Pride March. It’s Youth Pride, so we let the young lead their Pride.
UNDERGROUND GALLERY The Gallery will need some wiling Stewards to help guide visitors around the site and share knowledge on the works within. There is no expectation to cover all 4 days. Even one day is helpful.
If any of the above tickle your fancy, please let us know by dropping into b-side, dropping a note in the WhatsApp group or emailing: [email protected] or [email protected]
We are always here for you at the Tiny Little Library, whatever time you want to visit. However, our doors are only open for drop ins 3 times a week. We chose these times to try and fit with everyone’s life, 1500-1800 being a time when many of us have finished our day jobs.
While this is true of weekdays, we have made the decision to change our hours on a Saturday, as potential patrons will be less likely to be at work, and we all like to have a chilled evening at weekends. (Shout out to retail and service workers who work every day! You are seen, and you are welcome too!)
From this Saturday we will be opening from 1300-1500. This smaller, more central time spot seems more natural for a weekend. We are happy to extend the hours, based on demand, or open outside these hours on request.
We also, potentially, have some news coming about regular book club evenings… but that’s all I’m saying right now!
Today, around 60 trans and Non-Binary people, and their allies, gathered at the Jubilee Clock, on Weymouth’s Esplanade. Voices were raised, speaking against the recent Supreme Court judgement, and the othering of trans, Non-Binary and intersex folks… all identities that join us under the gender umbrella.
The speakers recalled actions of transphobia that they had witnessed, and experienced first hand. They spoke to the ignorance and hate that gave us the ruling around gender identity and same sex spaces. Sponsored by transphobes, under the guise of feminism and protecting women, the ruling has left thousands of people uncertain of their future, and at risk of violence and discrimination.
Thank you to everyone who took the megaphone and spoke today. It was both upsetting and uplifting to hear your words. This fight isn’t just beginning, we’ve been battling for years, and your allyship is more important now than ever.
Inspired by the amazing Red Dress project (which travelled the world gathering stitched stories from 51 countries!), we’re creating our very own version right here on the island — the Portland Dress! 🌍🧵
This is your chance to add your voice, your story, your creativity to something truly special. We’re inviting you (yes, you!) to create a small textile or embroidered piece that will become part of the Portland Dress — a beautiful, wearable patchwork of our island’s spirit.
Don’t worry if you’ve never embroidered before — local artist Antje Rooke will bring all the bits and bobs you need and guide you every step of the way. Honestly, she’s yet to meet anyone who couldn’t make something both gorgeous and meaningful. 🧶✨
Once it’s all stitched together, the Portland Dress will be proudly on display at the BIG b-side weekend, 11–14 September 2025. So come along, get crafty, and help make Portland history — one stitch at a time! 🪡❤️
Come and join us: LGBT+side, 77a Fortuneswell, DT5 1LY Weds 28th of May, 1800-2030
Today our lovely librarians will be attending the Trans Solidarity meet up at the Jubilee Clock (come join us, 11-12!) We will be heading straight back to the library after, and will be opening the doors from around 1300-1500.
If you are attending the event, and want some peace and quiet after, come over and see us. If you want to come for coffee and a chat, we’re their for that too.
To all our trans, non-binary and intersex family… you are valid, you are seen and you are loved. Stand tall and strong, and we’ll make it through together.
This Saturday, 10th May, from 11am to 12pm, our wonderful friends at LGBT-side (also known as Queer Club) are hosting a gathering of trans solidarity by the Jubilee Clock on Weymouth Seafront – and we’d love for you to be there with us.
This is a time for community. A time for compassion. A time to show up for our trans, non-binary and intersex family – to remind each other that we are never alone, even when the world feels loud or uncertain. There will be poems, speeches, and heartfelt moments shared in support and celebration of identity, diversity, and strength.
After the event, we’ll be heading back to the Little Tiny Library – a chance to decompress, reflect, and connect over a cuppa if you’d like to join us.
This is a peaceful and apolitical gathering. Placards and signs are absolutely welcome – the more colour and creativity, the better! – but please keep them free of any party-political or organisational affiliations. This is about people, not politics. About kindness, not division.
Come as you are. Bring a friend. Bring your voice. Let’s stand together – visibly, joyfully, and in solidarity. 💛
Today our beautiful friends at b-side are launching a 2 day event at the High Angle Battery on Portland (known locally as the Ghost Tunnels). We highly recommend that you go along and take a look at the instalation, State Of Alarm today (26th April) or tomorrow. It’s open from 1400-1900 on both days.
Unfortunately, our lovely librarians will be supporting the event, so we will be unable to open the library today. We will be around this evening, if you would like a late visit. Just email us at [email protected]
