University of Oxford LGBT+ History Month Lecture 2025
Catch up on this year’s LGBT+ History Month Lecture, given by Dr Mary Jean Chan
Splendid lecture. Insightful, moving, stimulating, comforting.
Audience member
On 27 February, the LGBT+ Staff Advisory Group, supported by the Equality and Diversity Unit, hosted a thought provoking, moving lecture to mark LGBT+ History Month 2025 entitled: Losing and Finding Oneself Through Queer Poetry. The lecture was given by Costa Poetry Prize winner, Dr Mary Jean Chan, who explored the role of queer poetry in their own journey of becoming a poet, editor and lecturer of creative writing.
Through a blend of memories, literary and poetic theory and readings from a range of poetry and prose by renowned queer poets within the Anglo-American canon, Chan traced their personal history of reading and writing queerly. They also read extracts from their own work, Flèche, published by Faber & Faber (2019) and Bright Fear (2023). If you missed the lecture or would like to watch is again, you can access the recording here.
The Co-Chair of the LGBT+ Staff Advisory Group, Sarah Laseke, shared her reflections after the event,
“I have been organising the LGBT+ History Month lectures for the past 3 years and Mary Jean Chan’s lecture was a highlight for me. Their talk was beautiful and inspiring. It was wonderful to see so many members of staff, students and the public come together to celebrate queer poetry."
The lecture was warmly received by an audience of staff, students and members of the Oxford community.
"I really enjoyed the event. I found Dr Chan's talk moving and inspiring, having previously read their debut collection and not knowing they worked at the university."
Staff audience member
"I thought Mary Jean Chan was a wonderful speaker and I found their speech and presentation interesting."
Student audience member
"It was a wonderful, heartfelt and moving lecture. The speaker was both confident and approachable. I learnt a lot."
Member of the community
Fellow in Queer Studies; Lecturer and Tutor in English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Dr. Eleri Watson provided some interesting context for the lecture by sharing a brief history of LGBT+ History Month. You can find out more on the LGBT+ History Month webpages.
