The Log Books: In Conversation with Tash Walker & Adam Zmith

As part of Queer History Club we are super excited to bring you a conversation and book signing with queer writers Tash Walker and Adam Zmith.

The Log Books is an intimate history of LGBTQ+ life over four decades, discovered in a stash of forgotten, handwritten notes.

In a crawlspace at the offices of Switchboard, a queer helpline in operation since 1974, lies dozens of log books kept by volunteers describing the phone calls they had taken: a teenager whose parents had kicked them out of their home for dressing as the wrong gender; a lesbian terrified of having her baby taken away from her; a man arrested for chatting up another man in a public toilet; a young person wanting to know how to come out.

These logs were traces of tens of thousands of queer lives, a bridge to a past hidden from people like Tash Walker and Adam Zmith in their youth, captured by people who lent an ear to those in need. Walker and Zmith came of age in the time of Section 28, a law which banned councils and schools ‘promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’. In recovering these logs, they encountered people grappling with feelings, questions and problems both familiar and different. They set out to learn from – and sometimes speak to – people on both sides of the calls. 

Charged with joy, gossip, sensuality, heartbreak and sometimes fear, and with a potent relevancy to the world today, Walker and Zmith have collected these stories in The Log Books. They capture  queer lives in stunning detail, embarking on a journey of both collective history and self - discovery, propelling it into the foreground of our national history.

Tash & Adam will be in conversation with historian Kit Heyam and will be signing copies of their book, The Log Book, which will be available to purchase at the event.

Tash Walker is a writer, podcast producer and community organiser who has worked with institutions such as the Barbican, BBC, and Queer Britain; they were a member of Switchboard's board for eight years.

Adam Zmith is a writer and multi - format producer; his book Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures won the Polari First Book Prize. He writes theatre shows, talks and podcasts, including Press Play Turn On which won Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards 2024.

Kit Heyam is a Leeds-based heritage practitioner, trans awareness trainer, academic and author of Before We Were Trans.

Date: Tuesday 10th February 2026
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Bookish Type, 77a Great George Street, LS1 3BR

Tickets are on a sliding scale (£8 /£5 / £3 / £0)

Please be honest about your financial situation when selecting what to pay for your ticket. If you purchase a ticket at the lowest end of the scale when you could afford the higher ticket prices, it makes it harder for us to provide financial flexibility to those who most need it.

• £8 "I have more than enough to comfortably meet my basic financial needs and can afford to contribute a little extra to support access for others."
• £5 "I am comfortably able to meet all of my basic financial needs."
• £3 "I may stress about meeting my basic financial needs but still regularly achieve them."
  
• £0 "I have no disposable income to afford the event"

Tickets are only refundable up to 7 days before the event starts. Please email to cancel.

----------------------

Access Info

The shop has an 8cm step but we have a ramp we can put in place if required.
There is a downstairs bathroom with toilet and hand basin.
There is a range of seating including chairs that are armless with padded seats and backs, armless sofa, bench with cushions.
Face masks are encouraged but not required; an H13 HEPA  air purifier will be in use. 
On street parking available (charges may apply).
Please email in advance if you have any specific access needs: thebookishtypeleeds@gmail.com