The Polari Prize Podcast is back for 2025, with a brand-new series featuring interviews with celebrated LGBTQ+ authors.
These include Nicola Dinan, Paul McVeigh, Kate Davies and Diriye Osman. The podcast is supported by headline sponsor easyJet holidays, whose three-year partnership continues to help amplify queer voices through literature and storytelling.
Following its relaunch in 2024, the Polari Prize Podcast once again features Polari Prize founder Paul Burston in conversation with poet and presenter Sophia Blackwell, as they catch up with past prize winners to explore their work, their writing journeys, and the impact of the prize.
The first episode launches today, Wednesday 21 May on most podcast platforms, with an interview featuring Nicola Dinan, whose debut novel Bellies won the Polari First Book Prize in 2024.
The podcast’s return coincides with the judging process for the 2025 Polari Prizes, which have received a record number of submissions this year.
Winners will be announced later this year, with both recipients receiving a package holiday of their choice from easyJet holidays as part of the prize.
Series schedule:
- 21 May – Nicola Dinan (Polari First Book Prize 2024 winner)
- 4 June – Paul McVeigh (Polari First Book Prize 2016 winner)
- 18 June – Kate Davies (Polari Prize 2020 winner)
- 2 July – Diriye Osman (Polari First Book Prize 2014 winner)
Speaking about the new series, Paul Burston said: “It was a real pleasure to catch up with some of our prize winners and to hear what the prize means to them as they continue on their writing journeys.
“At a time when some people are campaigning to ban books about our lives, the need to celebrate these stories and these writers has never felt more urgent.”
The podcast is one of several initiatives made possible through easyJet holidays’ sponsorship, which also includes increased funding for the annual prize ceremony, audience outreach, and prize giveaways.
The Polari Prizes are the UK’s only book awards dedicated to LGBTQ+ literature and have become an important platform for emerging and established queer voices since launching in 2011.
