Summer is here, and so is the season filled with colourful, vibrant, and PROUD celebrations of LGBTQ+ Literature. If you’re looking to connect with fellow book-lovers and dive into a world of queer voices and stories, these LGBTQ+ lit-fests, events, and bookish-initiatives make for a perfect destination.
These book-centred conventions promise a space where LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies can deeply engage with queer literature, all providing beautiful and unique opportunities to discuss and build community with like-minded readers.
Pride LitCon
Pride Litcon is hosting a fabulous LGBTQ+ author event on June 14th, 2025, in the Acca Shriner Center, Richmond, Virginia. Featuring more than 50 incredible queer writers, tickets are on sale for just $25!
Tickets include access to the 6-hour event, which offers the opportunity to celebrate Pride month alongside a book-oriented LGBTQ+ community, uplift and support local small businesses, and show some love for some amazing indie authors.
Visit them on their socials for further details or purchase your tickets here now!
Litquake
To mark the beginning of Summer and to celebrate Pride month, Litquake and Lit Camp are holding a live, special edition of their “How They Did It” series to hold a conversation with several amazing LGBTQ+ writers about their most recent book releases.
The books in discussion are from a variety of genres — from coming-of-age tales to heart-racing thrillers, magical fantasy to romantic comedies — all feature queer characters at the forefront, giving them their well-deserved happily-ever-afters. In addition to the panel discussion, there is an opportunity for casual networking and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) at the end of the evening.
The event will be held on June 22nd in San Francisco, and tickets cost just $29 (proceeds are donated to support both Litcamp and Litquake). In partnership with Fabulosa Books, they will also be selling copies of the showcased authors’ books, perfect for infusing your summer reading lists with a much-needed dose of queer joy. To purchase your ticket and see the full author line-up, click here.
Lavender Literary Society
Under the umbrella of the Lavender Literary Society, the American LGBTQ+ Museum at the New York Historical Society hosts a variety of can’t-miss bookish events, both online and in person!
Members can join up for free (yes, FREE!) at any time to access a wide range of brilliant literary readings, writing workshops, and author interviews, to celebrate, share, research, and preserve all things LGBTQ+. The museum offers an inclusive and diverse space to explore the history of Pride, to learn and find out more about the queer community, and to embrace the significance and legacy of LGBTQ+ history and culture.
Visit their website here to find out how you can get involved!
Rainbow Book Fair
The New York Rainbow Book Fair is the largest LGBTQ+ book event in the US. Held across three entire floors of the LGBT Community Centre in Greenwich Village, enthusiastic visitors are invited to meet with more than a hundred inspiring authors, publishers, and artists to share in and spread their passion for queer literature.
From the scholarly and serious to the zany and camp, from books for young readers just starting out to deliciously impressive adult fiction, the Rainbow Book Fair promises to deliver anything your heart could desire. This year’s event has unfortunately already taken place, but with free entry and a truly inclusive atmosphere, it is certainly a lit-fest to mark in your calendars for Pride Summer 2026! It is nothing short of a real, bookish haven!
Head to their socials or click here to get all the details you need to know.
Saints and Sinners Literary Festival
Another must-attend LGBTQ+ book convention to add to next year’s diary is the Saints and Sinners Annual Literary Festival, held at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans.
The festival is committed to bringing together the most pivotal writers of the queer literary world for a weekend-long celebration,; filled with countless opportunities for entertainment and extravaganza in equal amounts. Featuring drag brunches, LGBTQ+ tours, specialized lectures, craft sessions, and even panels for top LGBTQ+ thinkers to speak about political and cultural issues being faced today, this is an event that promises to nurture and inspire authentically queer creativity.
The Saints and Sinners Festival is an inclusive and open space for anyone interested in LGBTQ+ writing and is the perfect convention for all aspiring, emerging, or established literary talents. Click here to book your stay for March 2026!
Rainbow Book Month
Coordinated and organised by the American Library Association in conjunction with the Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services and the Rainbow Round Table, Rainbow Book Month is a nationwide celebration created to highlight the importance of LGBTQ+ literature and support libraries and communities facing struggle.
This is a large-scale celebration of authors and books that reflect the lived experiences of the LGBTQ+ community and is an opportunity for libraries and book lovers alike to express their love and appreciation for queer literature. It is an initiative that has come at a vital time – a time when books by and about LGBTQ+ people are facing the threat of censorship across America, and where libraries have come under direct siege and faced harassment for standing by and serving these communities.
Check out the American Library Association’s website here to find out how you can show Pride and support (entirely free of charge!) for your local library this Summer.
Pride Month Events
Whilst Pride book conventions may be less common than more general book and literary festivals or LGBTQ+ events, many book festivals in the US celebrate Pride and use it as the perfect opportunity to spotlight amazing LGBTQ+ authors and their writings.
For more bookish Pride events, check at your local LGBTQ+ centres, bookstores, and libraries – many of which will be holding author readings, signings, book clubs, and discussion panels around LGBTQ+ literature over the coming months, specifically tailored to the queer community.
You can also use online search engines or social media to find an even greater selection of wonderful bookish events that are local to you, and to access interesting and engaging conventions, both in-person or virtually.
So, there we have it. From thought-provoking discussions and networking opportunities to joyful, and dynamic jubilations of queer stories and voices, these incredible events, initiatives, and festivals promise to provide you with a rich and radiant exploration of LGBTQ+ literature.
This summer, let the connective power of stories excite, inspire, and embrace you, and let these incredible, community-building lit-fests remind you that love, in all its forms, is always something worth celebrating.
Wanting to discover more about the history of LGBTQ+ writing? Read our article: LGBTQ+ Literature: The Evolution from Classics to Now.
Why not check out our LGBTQ+ Literary Recommendations shelf over on Bookshop.
