On Saturday 5th March we invited the brilliant Nightbus to join us for Drag Queen Storytime at our Saturday drama groups and at Paignton Library later that afternoon!
The Nightbus shared enchanting stories by queer authors and writers of colour, in a safe and loving environment.
Paignton Library expressed that:
“As a library we thought the session was a great success, teaching all ages about acceptance and diversity. The event also brought in new people that had not attended the library before. We will be excited to host similar events in the future.”
The Nightbus later shared their reflections on the event with us:
“I was really pleased with the attendance for both events, showing there’s a real appetite for children’s activities which promote diversity and inclusion as well as work which engages youth groups across the communities. I was struck by how far some people had come to attend, with one person travelling in from Plymouth for the event. It is worth noting they were also not white, and when chatting to them it was evident that having intersectional artists working in the area attracts more attention, overcoming some of the hurdles faced when engaging hard to reach communities. I personally felt really grateful and fulfilled to attend and share the stories I did. Paignton library did a fab job of creating a display for us, lining up so many other books related to the LGBTQ+ experience behind me.
This work has always felt important to me but moreover now as conversations around gender, identity and unconscious bias pervade communities lacking diversity. I do this work because you can’t be what you can’t see. I didn’t see brown people being creative artists when I was growing up but I had the yearning so followed that when the time came. I hope with the story times we did, we not only created a magical space together but provided an example to the children to follow your bliss and be who you want to be.”
The storytime was followed by a crafts session, where we decorated fabulous paper wigs and had the chance to #bringittotherunway , whilst snapping some photos with The Nightbus.
The Nightbus is a Queer, Muslim, Neurodiverse and Genderfluid Drag Queen. They have worked with Z-Arts Theatre Manchester, Half Moon Theatre, Liverpool Empire, Leas Cliff Hall Theatre Folkestone, Homotopia Festival, The Shipwright Festival London, Arts Council England, Manchester City Council and the BBC. Thank you so much for joining us!
