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Emily Garside

@emigarside

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Queer book writing nerd. Represented by @frogliterary
Autistic/ADHD
Hockey nerd. Passionate about penguins (the animal not the hockey team)

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Having just convinced myself it was all ok and I could hang on to the end of this year...I just got told my last substantial piece of work this year is being cancelled...so while I sit here having a cry, I'm sharing my website again in the dim hope there's something out there...

So I don't know, can someone employ me?

I do teaching, EDI work, project management, arts/charity admin, I make a decent cuppa...

It really is awful out there at the moment, and a lot of us are at our breaking point. by @emigarside

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a year ago

It’s been a minute since I talked about books, so with some help from Timmy Turtle (who hates reading as you can tell…) here’s a quick rundown…

Angels at the National…a look at Tony Kushners epic play (and based on my PhD)
Seasons of Love…looking at the musical that “defined a generation” Rent (don’t @ me it’s their marketing line…)
Love that Journey for Me …a bite sized look at Schitts Creek.
You Are My Happy Ending …a deeper dive into Schitts Creek
Gay Aliens and Queer Folks…a romp through the work of Russell T Davies (so far)

All linked via my website/bio! by @emigarside

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a year ago

In very exciting work news, two weeks today I’ll be boarding @marellacruises “Musical Med-leys” cruise …as a guest speaker!

I’m going to be delivering talks to guests on all things musical theatre on this musicals themed cruise! An utter delight to nerd out about something I love with fellow musicals lovers.

Can’t wait to meet everyone on board! And see some of the brilliant musical performances they have lined up too!

Thanks to @pastpreservers for the opportunity! by @emigarside

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2 days ago

If I could go to Schitt’s Creek and tell the Roses about my podcast, I imagine it would go something like this… David would physically recoil. Alexis would mention that she once dated a famous podcaster who went to prison for tax evasion, but she’d also offer to be a guest (supportive queen). Johnny would ask what a podcast is and need it explained three times. And Moira would stop listening mid-sentence and sweep out of the room with a dramatic flourish.

Six years ago, I tried to start a blog, “Stories with Lyss,” and didn’t make it past the third post, which was “Lessons on love from Pride and Prejudice”. Two years ago, I had an idea for a podcast, but my inner voice insisted that I had nothing original to say. Then late last year, I kept finding myself in deep conversations about fictional characters, with friends, my boyfriend, a bookstore clerk, with my brother over text. I felt restless and decided that the worst case scenario was… nothing, really? A couple of fun conversations and spending a few hours on a new hobby? Why not?

This year I worked my ass off on this new hobby and it’s the most fun I’ve ever had. It’s become a part time job, that doesn’t pay me, but I’m cool with that.

Today, Episode 8 is out, and I’m proud of this one. I got to sit down with published author and true professional nerd, Emily Garside, to obsess over Schitt’s Creek. Emily was generous, thoughtful, and funny, and I walked away buzzing about our conversation. I had made new connections about a show I thought I knew inside and out, and a new friend in the process. That’s exactly why I started this.

This is the second-to-last episode of Season 1, and I can’t believe we’re nearly at the end of this first chapter. One mini Halloween episode will close out 2026, and then Season 2 arrives in 2027.

Until then, best wishes, warmest regards. 🖤🤍

Story Obsessed, Episode 8: Schitt’s Creek with Emily Garside is out now! Find it wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️
#podcast #storyobsessed #schittscreek #newepisode #alittlebitalexis taken in Schitt’s Creek by @emigarside

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4 days ago

Happy Thanksgiving (the Canadian one) from me and my messy burnt pumpkin pie (I’ve got a new oven, it’s an experiment still)

For anyone who doesn’t know my dad very inconveniently upped and died two days before Thanksgiving. Extra inconveniently Montreal is quite a way from Cardiff so it took a minute to get back. Anyone who knows me also knows I’m not remotely sentimental about him dying, it’s just context for why Thanksgiving remains my favourite holiday, given I was stuck there I went as planned to my flatmates family in Ontario where I experienced a weekend of chaotic siblings and extended family that this only child with an extended family we’d rather forget existed (with some notable exceptions) could never imagine.

Mostly I remember it for people I didn’t know taking me in and including me. And my flatmates looking out for me at a slightly chaotic time. And that’s pretty Thanksgiving-y if you ask me.

(Also this was 22 years ago before anyone wants to send condolences he’s super dead)

That and I just really love pie. Even if it’s perhaps a bit symbolically messy around the edges. by @emigarside

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6 days ago

Amazing weekend celebrating @cardiffdevilsofficial 40th anniversary, this club have always been around my life (being about as old as the club) but really came into it five years ago. What I’ve loved is hearing the stories from everyone who has been around for those 40, 30, 20, 10 years, as everyone shares their stories. We all know the hockey team means the world to us, but hearing the way it’s been part of everyone’s lives has been a real joy.

I got to share the 40th with Mama G (but forgot to take a picture) and love that the Devils are part of our stories now too.
Here’s to celebrating 50 with the team too…. by @emigarside

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7 days ago

Happy Bookshops Day!

It’s literally a childhood dream to walk into bookshops and see my book on the shelves. Even more a joy to talk to the owners and booksellers who make bookshops so special. It was always the biggest joy as a child to go to the bookshop, to get to do it now to talk about my own books is magical.

Having local bookshops, and Queer bookshops in your corner supporting you also makes all the difference. I’m so grateful to know these teams (and consider some of them friends now)
@gayonwye
@gayberystwyth_books
@bookspacecardiff
@gaysthewordbookshop
@griffinbooksuk
@calonbooks
@manchester_university_press by @emigarside

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8 days ago

Some “skate with the team” photos…I wasn’t going to post because a) I’m aware I don’t look “good” or at least “instagram good” in them…and honestly Instagram is a hard place to post pictures as a normal looking person sometimes (but that’s another story) b) aware some people might think doing something like this “weird” or “cringey” but honestly…a fun skate about and a little chat with the team was a lovely way to end a weekend of hockey, and we’re lucky to have a team and players who do this sort of thing, so why not embrace it and have some fun? by @emigarside

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13 days ago

“I’m doing better I made it to September”

A mix of books, seeing friends talk about books, talking about books with friends. And hockey. by @emigarside

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18 days ago

I'm really excited to be back at @bishopsgateinstitute Institute in person for two events in November.

8th November: Rent, Angels and Miners- HIV/AIDS on stage in London and beyond
where I'll be nerding out about both the subject of my PhD and one of my favourite films turned into a musical.

22nd November- Uncovering LGBTQ+ Literature: History, Context and forgotten gems.
Where I'll be nerding out about queer books- and not just the dusty all-white men ones either (spoiler)

As we're in person, we'll also get to see some of the brilliant archive collections as well! by @emigarside

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18 days ago

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22 days ago

6-9pm, 22nd October at @urbanhqswansea!

QueerTawe and Nofela invite you to join authors Mikey and Emily to discuss writing Queer Welsh books - from grappling with labels, trying (and not fitting) into boxes, and the question 'What is Queer Welsh writing?

Drawing on their experiences of non-fiction and theatre (Emily) and food writing and memoir (Mikey), the discussion will lead to a Q&A around their work and the bigger questions around writing queerly.

There will be time for socialising, drinks and food either side of the event and book signings after.

Dr Emily Garside is a writer and professional nerd based in Cardiff. She has a PhD in theatrical responses to the AIDS crisis and is a leading expert on LGBTQ+ theatre. Since leaving academia, she has taught at Bishopsgate Institute and works as a freelance speaker/educator. A regular contributor to The Queer Review, as well as her own newsletter The Nerdy Notebook, she has written for DIVA, The Stage, BBC Wales, American Theatre, Nation Cymru and Matinee Radio. She has published six non-fiction books, including Seasons of Love; Why Rent Matters (Applause); Gay Aliens and Queer Folks; How Russell T Davies Changed TV; and Rainbow Wales: Queer Icons Past and Present (Calon). As a passionate queer nerd, her non-fiction captures ‘hidden histories’ and queer cultural stories that we might have missed.

Mikey Bell is a writer and former food columnist for Voice and Buzz magazines. His writing and recipes featured widely in the Western Mail, Vegan Food & Living, Halen Môn, and as Nigella Lawson’s Post of the Week. His debut book, How an Egg Changed My Life, featured on 2026 must-read lists and reached no.1 on Amazon's new releases in British food books. A fluent Welsh speaker, Mikey lives in Cardiff with his partner and their two French Bulldogs, Waffle and Rico. How an Egg Changed My Life blends memoir, recipes, and gentle humour as Mikey reflects on growing up gay, chasing success and searching for happiness that lasts. From the Welsh valleys to Italy's kitchens, this uplifting read celebrates food, identity and discovering that a fulfilling life often begins by rewriting your own definition of enough.

🔗 in bio taken in Urban HQ by @emigarside

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23 days ago