Ticketed

Essential Information

Type Talks and tours
Location
Queen's House
Date and Times Wednesday 14 August 2024 | 7pm-9.30pm
Prices Adult: £6

Members: £4. Not a member? Join now

Sold out
Sold out

Please note that this event has now sold out.

Join us for an evening of maritime mythologies and more at the Queen's House in celebration of the launch of Queer as Folklorethe new book from writer, historian and community organiser Sacha Coward.

Traces of many of the creatures, historical figures and magical beings treated in Coward's book can be found in Royal Museums Greenwich’s own collections; namely pirates and mermaids. A notable example is Evelyn De Morgan’s The Sea Maidens, an aestheticist painting by the 19th-century spiritualist painter, which hangs in the Queen's House. Coward will discuss these and queer histories of folklore more broadly with Katherine McAlpine, Director of the Brunel Museum.

Storyteller Aaron Oliver will explore and subvert the narrative tropes familiar from childhood, with an original story of his own composition.

Researcher Ema Sala will also present a talk on "female sailors", a term used through the nineteenth century to refer to people raised as women who went on to sail as men. These real-life sailors became the protagonists of a tradition of ballads, often represented as resourceful, seductive tricksters. Investigating this repertoire of songs as a repertoire of bodies, Sala will employ these depictions to challenge contemporary assumptions on the presence of trans people in historical documents.

This event will be BSL interpreted.

Drinks will be available to purchase throughout the evening through Benugo.

If cost represents a barrier to access, please contact bookings@rmg.co.uk 

Programme:
6.40pm - Doors and Bar Open
7.10pm - "Female Sailors" with Ema Sala
7.30pm - Interval
7.50pm - Storytelling from Aaron Oliver
8.10pm - Interval 
8.25pm - Sacha Coward in Conversation with Katherine McAlpine

Image

About Sacha Coward

Sacha Coward is a researcher, historian and public speaker. He has worked in museums and heritage for fifteen years running tours focused on LGBTQ+ history for museums, cemeteries, archives and cities all around the world.

Sacha has featured on a variety of television, radio and podcast shows and written articles on topics as varied as Turing's Law, the rainbow flag, Caravaggio's paintings and Viking burials. Queer as Folklore is Sacha's first book. He lives in Stroud.

Image

Ema Sala

Ema Sala is part of the Queer History Club at the National Maritime Museum. They research transmasc history, in particular Female sailors, people raised as women who went to sea as men in the 19th century. Their research interests include ballads, clothing, and nosing through ship lists.

What’s On

Shipkeeping in action
Talks and tours

Shipkeeping in action

This is your chance to meet the team who care for and conserve Cutty Sark
Every Wednesday | 11am-3pm | Drop-in
Free for Cutty Sark ticket holders
Cutty Sark
Behind the scenes tours at The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Talks and tours

Behind the scenes tours at The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre

Explore the inner workings of Royal Museums Greenwich and see conservation in action on one of our guided tours
Second and fourth Thursday of every month (see page for details) | 1.30pm
Adults: £16 | Members: £12
Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Saturday Super Store Tours
Talks and tours

Saturday Super Store Tours

Come behind the scenes and explore the stores at the Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Saturdays at 1.30pm
£12
Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre
Character Encounters at the National Maritime Museum
Talks and tours

Character Encounters at the National Maritime Museum

Visit the National Maritime Museum every Saturday to discover a different character from history with their own fascinating story to tell
Every Saturday
Free
National Maritime Museum
New Members' Tour
Talks and tours | Member events

New Members' Tour

Embark on a voyage of discovery around the Museum in the company of one of our volunteer guides
Various dates | 11am - 12pm
Free for Members | Booking essential
In Greenwich
Think Space Lectures
Talks and tours | Observatory lectures

Think Space Lectures

Listen to astrophysicists from across the UK talk about cutting-edge research in space science with our free online lectures.
See page for details | Next lecture 12 December 2024
Free
Online
The Cattewater Tudor wreck in Plymouth: excavation and reinterpretation of the first protected wreck in the UK
Talks and tours | Maritime History and Culture Seminars

The Cattewater Tudor wreck in Plymouth: excavation and reinterpretation of the first protected wreck in the UK

Join us online for a free talk hosted by the National Maritime Museum, part of the Maritime History and Culture series
Tuesday 17 December 2024 | 5.15pm
Free
Online
James Webb Space Telescope: three years on
Talks and tours | Member events

James Webb Space Telescope: three years on

Join us for an online Members lecture to learn more about the James Webb Space Telescope three years after its launch with a Royal Observatory astronomer
Thursday 30 January 2025 l 6.30pm-7.30pm
Free for Members
Online
Ends of the Earth
Talks and tours | Member events

Ends of the Earth

Hear from author Neil Shubin about the polar regions and how they may shape life on Earth far more than we realise.
Thursday 13 February 2025 l 6.30pm-7.30pm
Free for Members
Online
BSL Tour: Amazing Animals in Maritime History
Talks and tours | BSL tours

BSL Tour: Amazing Animals in Maritime History

Join historian and guide John Wilson at the National Maritime Museum, for a British Sign Language (BSL) tour about remarkable animals
Saturday 15 February 2025 | 1.15pm-2.15pm
Free
National Maritime Museum
Star Makers: Visions of the Cosmos in Art
Talks and tours | Museum Lates

Star Makers: Visions of the Cosmos in Art

Join us as we explore representations of the Universe through art.
Friday 21 February 2025 | 6.30-7.30pm
Adults: £10 | Students & Under-25s: £9
Royal Observatory