March 28, 2022. Interview conducted by Arielle Longo.
Jade: It’s really wonderful, anyone is able to join Lavender Literature because of its hybrid format. We host virtual meetings on a discord platform with 1500 members and anyone from across the world is able to join. We discuss our monthly/weekly books but it is also the perfect place to get to know new friends and chat daily. For those who prefer in-person gatherings we have a Toronto based community and all the local sapphics are welcome to participate in our events. Most people find us through Tiktok or Instagram but all the event information is on my Instagram account @lavenderliterature.to
The reason I started Lavender Literature was simply because I wanted to join a book club and I was having trouble finding any. I was particularly hoping to find queer or sapphic books clubs because being able to relate to the members would have made it more a comfortable community experience. When I requested to join one, they unfortunately never got back to me so I decided to create my own. I wanted to
create a community that would be accessible to everyone.
Thank you so much! The event was so lovely! I was really impressed with the turnout because so many people showed up. The event was an opportunity for sapphics to get together for a social gathering to hang out, talk, decorate bookmarks and eat yummy food. We called it a “craft and chat”. The activities we planned were bookmark decorating as well as a book discussion. We were also selling pins with our logo and bookmarks I made to fundraise money for the club. I think one of the most interesting activities though was the book exchange. Everyone brought their favourite book with their contact information written inside and placed it on the exchange table and at the end of the event, everyone grabbed a book that caught their interest. The aesthetic was heavily based on the activities. We chose dark academia for the outfits and combined that aesthetic with the theme colours of Lavender Literature (purple, green and brown). We were lucky enough to have the upper floor at Second Cup on church street which was nice for all the coffee lovers.
I definitely love reading! You should see my Goodreads shelf haha… @jadefalsetti. One of my favourite books is “Fans Of The Impossible Life” by Rainbow Rowell, it’s similar to “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” which I also love. “Annie On My Mind” by Nancy Garden is a great sapphic coming of age story. It’s set in the 80s and it’s one of the first sapphic books and the first sapphic book with a beautiful love story that doesn’t end horribly. “Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel” by Sara Farizan is the cutest rom com and was one of the first sapphic books I’ve ever read. “Last Night At The Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo is also great for anyone who is a fan of historical fiction or high school love stories.
When I chose the name Lavender Literature it was right after I’d purchased a book of Sappho’s poems and I was in the midst of writing a dissertation on the impact of Sappho. There are many lesbian and sapphic organizations that have used lavender in their name or logo but I chose it mainly because it’s a beautiful flower and the fact that lavenders were used in the lesbian community recorded from 1927 even though the flower still links back to the Ancient Greek poet Sappho. There are two main movements associated with lavender in the queer world: The Lavender Scare and the Lavender Menace. These terms were originally recognized as dangerous but lesbians have reclaimed the term lavender menace and used it to protest for gay rights. Lavenders have always had a very important queer significance and lesbian bars and parties and clubs and groups have continued to honour that flower.
I have so many projects planned for Lavender Literature in the future. This month we’re already planning a sapphic movie screening, a bonfire, and an open mic night. Then, in the summer, we have some exciting collaborations coming up with Rebelle and Glitternights and we’re also excited to announce that we have a scavenger hunt in process. I also want to extend the activities to the international online book club and raise money for the activities by selling bookmarks and pins. We’re launching our website soon as well with more information about the club and a section to purchase our merch!
Instagram: @lavenderliterature.to
Tiktok: @lavenderliterature
Website: lavenderliteraturebookclub.wordpress.com
Pinterest: LavenderLiterature
Thank you so much to Jade Falsetti for participating in this lovely interview!