"As From a Quiver of Arrows"

I'm chagrinned to admit that I'd never heard of the poet Carl Phillips until The Atlantic's daily newsletter included his 1995 poem, "As From a Quiver of Arrows" (first published in that magazine) in today's edition. My gaydar was activated well before I got to the line that removed all my doubt, and further confirmation came when I discovered that his "Pastoral" won the 2001 Lambda Literary Award for Best Poetry. (I won't give that line away here; read the poem for yourself.) On the strength of what I've found online, I think Mr. Phillips is a prime candidate for a future BookMen reading list.

Gotham Gorey Squared

Those of you whose appetite for Edward Gorey's art was whetted by our April discussion of Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey will want to check out this auction. But hurry! Bidding closes this Wednesday, June 30. (A hat tip to our friend Lee Levine for sharing the link.) 

Last Exit to Brooklyn

On the first page of Hubert Selby Jr.'s opening story, "Another Day Another Dollar," the word "Scatah" appears. I'm pretty sure this means "shit" in Greek. σκατά (skatá).

E-Gatsby!

Last week, 14 of us gathered online for a lively discussion of The Great Gatsby. By coincidence (?), just two days later Ron Charles used his weekly Washington Post Book Club newsletter to highlight several new books that riff on Fitzgerald's classic, now that it has entered the public domain. 

First up, published back in January, is Michael Farris Smith's Nick, a prequel that imagines Carraway's ordeal in World War I and then follows him to New Orleans. Hot off the press is The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo, in which Jordan Baker, a queer Vietnamese orphan in this version, narrates what is now a gothic fantasy. As Ron Charles says in his review: "The partygoers drink demon blood, sorcery twists the beams of reality, and Jay Gatsby is a bisexual vampire. Finally, the story makes sense!"

If that isn't wild enough for you, then how about this final tidbit from Charles? "Nineteen students at the University of Iowa have reportedly sold their adaptation of the novel to Independent Pictures and Fugitive Films. Gilded in Ash, the product of a creative English course last fall, reimagines Gatsby as an African American woman who works as an art forger. No word yet on whether the studio will actually make the movie, but as Nick says, 'Reserving judgment is a matter of infinite hope.'"

The Art of Losing

The June 18 New York Times Books section includes a moving essay about one of Elizabeth Bishop's best-known poems, "One Art," written toward the end of her life in the midst of a prolonged separation from her partner, Alice Methfessel. (Her grief over losing both her parents while quite young, and the suicide of her first lover, Lota de Macedo Soares, presumably fueled the poem's air of quiet desolation, as well.) 

In "19 Lines that Turn Anguish into Art," critics Dwight Garner and Parul Sehgal analyze the poem's imagery and structure, which is almost, but not quite, a villanelle--the only time she ever employed that form. They also note that Bishop, who was not by nature a confessional writer, reworked the poem quite substantially over several years. Even if you already know "One Art," I daresay you will find Garner and Sehgal's reflections on it here well worth your time.

Documenting LGBTQ History

As a history major with a lifelong interest in documenting the past--especially, but not only, the experiences of LGBTQ folks--I found this Atlas Obscura piece fascinating: "The Precious, Precarious Work of Queer Archiving in the Pacific Northwest." Here in the DMV, the Rainbow History Project pursues the same noble mission. If you aren't familiar with their work, I invite you to check out the link and consider supporting them.

Three out of 10 ain't bad!

On the first Wednesday of each month, the Washington Post Style section presents a roundup of new books. It just so happens that of the 10 titles encompassed in the June edition, three are LGBTQ-oriented: Kristen Arnett's With Teeth: A Novel; The Engagement: America's Quarter-Century Struggle over Same-Sex Marriage, by Sasha Issenberg; and Brandon Taylor's Filthy Animals: Stories. Possible fodder for our next reading list?

"A Skillful First Novel"

In preparing for last night's discussion of David Leavitt's first novel, The Lost Language of Cranes, I was curious about what book reviewers said about it 35 years ago. Christopher Lehmann-Haupt's review in the Sept. 11, 1986, New York Times is insightful in some ways and maddeningly obtuse in others. Here's his final paragraph: "The cumulative effect of [its] flaws finally keeps this novel from taking flight. But it's not its subject that limits it, as far as I can see. And this in itself is a small revelation, and suggests that Mr. Leavitt's future may be one worth watching." That, at least, Mr. Lehmann-Haupt got right. 

Seven Books for Pride Month

The Lily, a Washington Post offshoot geared to women, has put together "Seven Books by Trans and Nonbinary Authors to Read This Pride Month." I must confess that I've never heard of any of these authors, but a couple of the selections intrigue me: Meet Cute Diary, a Young Adult novel by Noah Ramirez, and The Subtweet, a novel by Vivek Shraya.