When I first moved to London at the start of 2007 I was lucky enough that I *had* heard of polyamory. I even defined myself as polyamorous, thanks to a chance encounter with a copy of The Ethical Slut in an Ottawa bookshop. What I had no idea about was where to find other people like myself. It seems like poly people were a rare life form who only existed on the internet or in the USA.

I heard about Polyday thanks to another chance meeting – in CCK. There for the first time, I met one of the previous Polyday organisers and got chatting over coffee and cake. I can honestly say it was the beginning of a new chapter of my life. I discovered that not only were there other poly people in the UK, but there was a thriving community (and, as it turns out, a lot of crossover between the poly and kink communities). Even better, there were events I could go to, to meet people like myself. I felt like I had finally come home.

I volunteered to help out because I think community is important. After years of feeling like a fish out of water, the poly community in London and around the UK provided a much-needed safe space where I could finally be myself amongst a bunch of awesome people, and since I've been organising the event I've had similar feedback from a lot of other folks. Not to mention some beautiful emails to say thanks for introducing people to new loved ones. Polyday is notoriously a high point in the year for new relationships in the poly community as well – though we emphasise that it is *not* a dating event, being surrounded by so many lovely non-monogamous folks a few are bound to hit it off!

There's always something for everyone, from complete beginners to seasoned 'polyamorists' and activists, from vanilla to kinky, and whether you're into men, women or everything in between. Plus there will be a some fun sessions and evening entertainment thrown in for good measure. If you've heard of polyamory but are unsure how to put it into practice or where to find out more, polyday is a great place to start.

If you've been poly for years and think you have it down, consider coming to our more advanced sessions and sharing your experience with other 'experts', joining in the 'poly crafting' workshop, helping out with the running of the day, or perhaps even volunteering to run a workshop – there are still a couple of slots free as I write this.

Whether you're new to poly or not, this is *your* community event. Even if you feel like you've nothing to learn there is space to chat, share stories and connect with people you may not have met before, or haven't seen since the last Polyday. Come on home.

This year's Polyday will be on the 27th of August, in central London at Dragon Hall (near Holborn). Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and workshops start from noon, with nice long breaks between sessions for coffee, cake and chat, and a dinner break to take advantage of the huge number of excellent local eateries before evening entertainments until 11pm. Online booking is already open, and there are more details on the website (which will continue to be updated as the event gets closer) at www.polyday.org.uk