The interior of Lighthouse Books is intimate, and it is filled with a range of books that I taking in from my seat. I have arrived early for the Volatile poetry event, so I drink in my surroundings. Self-described as a “[…] unapologetically activist, intersectional, feminist, antiracist, lgbtq+ community space” (Lighthouse, About), the shelves are stocked with a wide range of books covering history, fiction and gender-theory. The shop feels open-minded, and open to all. When making my booking, there had been the option for free tickets for those tight on money, although there were options for £4 tickets that would deduct from a copy of author Tom Branfoot’s Volatile.
Tom, accompanied by artist and author-scholar Nat Raha and Trinidadian-Scottish writer Anthony V Capildeo, are set to open as final adjustments are made. Capildeo opens with an emotional reading about travel, grief and nature. Raha follows with poetry from her collection, Apparitions: (Nines), that addresses “[…] the violence of capitalism and state and imperial power” (Lighthouse, Apparitions). Themes of resistance to extreme politics is closed by applause as Tom pics up the microphone.
In a time where poetry is, more than ever, a vehicle for personal and political expression, Volatile, the headliner of the event, speaks about how “[…] habitat loss appears synonymous with eviction” and birds as “[…] fellow travellers in our precarious present” (Lighthouse, on Volatile). The discussion was passionate, nuanced, and politically relevant as Tom’s poetry formed tributary rivers to varied walks of life: alcoholism and parents, “personhood”, displacement, and the face of war.
With the last line fading, I look around at my companions for the evening. There is a range of faces and ages, spectrums of colour amongst ripples of wrinkles and smooth skin. I feel comfortable and contemplative, but thoughts nag as the event wraps up.
Independent bookshops and publishers are fast becoming bastions for free speech and expression, be it personal or political. But, broadly speaking, how accessible do these discussions feel for the average person? Do they all feel like this Volatile night?
One event cannot speak for all, but as an MSc Publishing student, I feel compelled to consider the way the industry is addressing an increasingly political angle to events, in venues big or small. Writing about difficult topics is necessary, but the result is often only as good as their ability to be seen as approachable from a public who is increasingly drowning in their own problems, be it mental, physical, or financial. If independent bookshops and publishers are picking up a slack on important topics from that of their larger, more established counterparts, that can only be a good thing, IF they are able pick them up, and provide them in an approachable fashion, as Lighthouse Books did.
Walking out of Lighthouse, after a brief meeting with the lovely Tom, I recall a 2021 interview with the current owner, Mairi Oliver. Mairi stated that Lighthouse’s name is meant to evoke a “[…] beacon in the dark” (Repeater Books, Lighthouse).
If change is to be achieved, the industry must become a “beacon” – warm, approachable, and revealing of truths in a changing world. I hope my next event is as varied and enjoyable as my Volatile night at Lighthouse was.
(WC: 550)
Sources:
“About.” Lighthouse Bookshop, https://lighthousebookshop.com/about. Accessed 16th October, 2026.
“Poetry: Tom Branfoot launches Volatile with Nat Raha & Anthony Vahni Capildeo.” Lighthouse Bookshop, https://lighthousebookshop.com/events/poetry-tom-branfoot-launches-volatile-with-nat-raha-and-anthony-vahni-capildeo. Accessed 16th October, 2026.
“Lighthouse – Illuminating Indies.” Repeater Books, 25th November 2021, https://repeaterbooks.com/lighthouse-illuminating-indies/. Accessed 16th October, 2026. “Apparitions: (Nines), by Raha, Nat.” Lighthouse Books, https://lighthousebookshop.com/book/9781643622392. Accessed 16th October, 2026.
“Apparitions: (Nines), by Raha, Nat.” Lighthouse Books, https://lighthousebookshop.com/book/9781643622392. Accessed 16th October, 2026.
