While looking through and cataloguing Glasgow Women’s Library’s (GWL) collection of photographic material I noticed photographs from book signings and events that authors had attended. Most noticeably there are photographs in Box 5 of the collection, of Jackie Kay, and Iona McGregor. The collection features photographs of the Jackie Kay at an event, giving a talk and signing books in the Trongate space in the early 2000s. There are also photographs of Iona McGregor in the Trongate space.
Making space for women at the intersections of other marginalised identities has been consistently at the heart of Glasgow Women’s Library. In GWL’s 30th anniversary project it identified both anti-racist and LGBTQ+ work as themes that represented work conducted by the library in the three decades since it’s opening. Jackie Kay’s words adorn two walls within GWL, coincidentally these are on the mezzanine where I have most often completed my work on the catalogue. The first is an excerpt from Affinity II and reads:
And here in the morning light, shy dawn.
I am siren and I am silence.
I am suffragette and legend;
I am kith and kin – and your trusty friend.
The second is an excerpt from Affinity III and reads as follows:
You turned to life and to hope –
After the long haul.
For me, these quotes perfectly reflect what I have found in the collection and in the library as a whole; a commitment to hope and community. In another blog post I reflect on material included within the collection that highlights GWL as a vitally important feminist space, and for me Jackie Kay’s words enhance that idea. Jackie Kay has a long-standing relationship with GWL.
Kay launched both The Lamplighter (2008), and Red Dust Road (2010) at GWL showing her long-time support of the space. Laura, GWL staff member, refers to these events in a reflection as some of her favourite events held at GWL. Jackie Kay launched another book at GWL in April of this year, which shows the continued relevance of her inclusion in the collection. Through poems, and art more generally, women can create connections and foster community. This radical potential and fostering of community are evident throughout the collection in photographs of protests, workshops, and events. Jackie Kay’s work speaks to the radical power of poetry. For GWL’s 30th anniversary, Art UK commissioned a poem from Jackie Kay titled A Life In Protest. This poem was in response to an Ingrid Pollard exhibition ‘No Cover Up‘ held at GWL, reinforcing the connections between the library, LGBTQ+ authors, and protest. The collection features another prominent LGBTQ+ Scottish writer who had connections to the library, Iona McGregor.
Iona McGregor’s work included Death Wore a Diadem a mystery featuring a lesbian romance. Box 5 of the photographic material collection contains images of Iona McGregor with a certificate delineating her as GWL’s 1000th member.
The inclusion of these women within the collection highlights GWL’s commitment to platforming voices from those who were often disregarded by the mainstream. As GWL is the “only Accredited Museum in the UK dedicated to women’s lives, histories, and achievements”, it comes as no surprise that they have regularly platformed and made space for women authors. GWL understands the crucial importance of literature both fiction and non-fiction to learning, community building, and access, all of which appear frequently within the collection.
The inclusion of these photographs within the collection shows GWL’s commitment to platforming LGBTQ+ authors and shows the library’s dedication to making the library a fair, accessible space for all.
