LILAC  - Wellington's lesbian library

LILAC (Lesbian Information, Library and Archives Centre) is Wellington's lending library for women whose primary relationships are with women.

LILAC operates from a room at 187 Willis Street (2nd floor) - see the Location page for a map and bus routes to LILAC. There is flat access from the street and a lift to the 2nd floor.

Come in and look around the collection, join or renew your membership.

LILAC is a women-only space, although small children with their mums are okay.

New titles in LILAC

Check the new titles page for our latest additions - with links to reviews.

LILAC Annual General Meeting

The twenty-fifth Annual General Meeting of LILAC will be held in the LILAC Lounge on the second floor of 187 Willis Street at 6pm on Thursday 19 November 2019. See the AGM webpage for more information.

Hens' Teeth: The Older the Better @ Circa

Tuesday 8^th December 6pm

Join LILAC and friends for a special fundraiser at Circa - Hens' Teeth veterans prove there is lots of life after 90. More information on the event webpage.

Verb Writers Festival

The authors of two recent arrivals at LILAC are speaking at Verb.

Lil O'Brien - Not that I'd kiss a girl

Sunday 8 November 11am @ Meow, 9 Edwards St.

Lil O'Brien, author of Not that I'd kiss a girl, is appearing - so book your ticket now! The book is an account of her experience growing up lesbian in New Zealand.
If you cannot make it to the event, there is an interview with Lil - a long read but excellent - as is the book.

AJ Fitzwater - No Man's Land

Sunday 8 November 3pm @ Another Chapter, 6 Riddiford St, Newtown

An author talk with novelist AJ Fitzwater - in their novella No Man’s Land, Dorothea 'Tea' Gray joins the World War 2 New Zealand Land Service (land girls!) and is sent to work on a remote farm where she discovers so much more than hard war work. Part of the Newtown Sunday Stroll. Entry by donation.

Both books are available at LILAC library, Unity Books and all good public libraries.

Same Same Winter online talk series

The 2020 online winter talk series Two to the Power of 5 is now available online for those who missed the festival. Same Same but Different is an LGBTQI Literary Festival.

LILAC newsletters

The July 2020 letter to members is available online.
The newsletters for July 2020, April 2020, February 2020, December 2019 and November 2019 are also available.

Current book display in LILAC

The book display at the east end of the room (opposite the door) is classic lesbian fiction and poetry first published before 1950 - see the list on the pre 1950s catalogue page.

Exhibition: Out in the Women's Weeklies

Examples from Sue's clippings collection, spanning early 1983 to December 2013, are on display at LILAC. Come in and browse these samples of the ways in which Lesbians were portrayed in the "straight" print media, mainly in popular magazines. Some stories are outrageous, others more modest. You'll be sure to find a snippet or several that resonate with your own experiences.

LILAC @ the Coasters dinners

LILAC has a service at the monthly Kapiti Coasters pot-luck dinners - see the Membership page for more information.

Interviews with authors

The Interviews with authors section on our Web links page has links to interviews with authors, audio, video and text.

Sue's clippings files

LILAC volunteer Sue collects articles from (mainstream) magazines and newspapers about lesbians, fliers for events, and the like. She welcomes contributions from sources she may not usually see.

There is a pink folder at LILAC containing a sample of the clippings - the contents are changed monthly. Check it out when you visit the library ... you'll be amazed at what turns up in women's magazines these days!