Author and historian, Kevin Allen, didn;t intend on writing a history of gays in Calgary, but once he started a line of enquiry, it led him to discovering a largely unknown social scene. His book, "Our Past Matters: Stories of Gay Calgary" has been out for a year, and Russell Bowers caught up with Allen just prior to his appearance at the "Get Lit" literary festival on November 16 in Fort Macleod at the Empress Theatre.