Back in October 2020, we discussed Chasten Buttigieg's memoir, I Have Something to Tell You. He has now adapted the book for young readers and will be discussing it on June 1 at the MLK Public Library to kick off Pride Month. Little District Books will be there to sell copies.
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The good news is that the latest issue of City Paper features a roundup of "D.C. Book Clubs: Spaces for More than Reading." The bad news is that it inexplicably does not mention us at all, though it does include several other LGBTQ-affiliated groups (?!). I've written to remonstrate about the diss; stay tuned...
Though he's probably best known today for co-founding Christopher Street magazine, Michael Denneny--who died on April 12 at the age of 80--had a profound impact on LGBTQ literature during a highly productive career as an editor. In addition to editing dozens of iconic gay books, in 1987 he started Stonewall Inn Editions, an LGBT trade paperback imprint at St. Martin's Press that--in a first for a major publishing house--republished many of the books he had previously released in hardcover.
Last month University of Chicago Press published his memoir, On Christopher Street: Life, Sex and Death after Stonewall, composed of essays, profiles and eulogies he had written, and interviews he had given. In his foreword, Denneny says: "And when the great disaster of AIDS overwhelmed us, I thought I saw a heroic era in gay and lesbian history and an absolutely shining moment in gay writing, something truly remembering."
Here are obituaries from the New York Times, Washington Post and Gay City News, as well as a tribute that aired on NPR's "Fresh Air."
A friend shared the following invitation to a free online discussion from OutProfessionals (which bills itself as "the nation's leading LGBTQ nonprofit networking organization") with me, so I'm passing it along to y'all:
"The iconic statue of David is probably the most famous male nude image in the world--which is probably why it worries simplistic, repressive culture warriors. ... This talk--'Michelangelo's David: The Enduring Battle of Nudity vs. Prudity'--will delve into the tradition of male nudes from which it derives, as well as the LGBTQ+ culture of the Renaissance, especially in Florence." It takes place via Zoom this Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m.
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Mike Mazza, who has already read our June 7 selection, A Scarlet Pansy (showoff! :-), strongly suggests reading the introduction after finishing the novel to avoid spoilers. A word to the wise!
In the introduction to Far Out: Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy, which we'll begin discussing tonight, editor Paula Guran generously cites several anthologies that helped pave the way for hers. Alas, most of them are out of print (but available from used book dealers), but I couldn't resist sharing the, um, striking cover of the first book on her list: Kindred Spirits: An Anthology of Gay and Lesbian Science Fiction Stories, edited by Jeffrey M. Elliot (Alyson Publications, 1984).
While looking online for information on something else I've now forgotten, I discovered a fascinating essay in the Feb. 28 Yale Review: "Three Queer Writers on Craft and Cruising." The writers in question are Garth Greenwell (whose novel, What Belongs to You, we discussed in February 2017), Richie Hofmann and Carl Phillips (whose poetry collection, Silverchest, we discussed in February 2016). They convened over Zoom last November to discuss "queer subjecthood and literary craft--specifically, whether the two subjects were interrelated or disparate. Is sexuality merely a theme, or might it also comprise a stylistic mode? Can a 'queer aesthetic' be said to exist?" Their discussion also touches on many other topics, including sonnets, morality and why syntax might be the sexiest thing of all.
Back in November, I announced that Rebel Santori Press was about to release Invisible History: The Collected Poems of Walta Borawski --edited by our very own Philip Clark and Michael Bronski, the poet's partner. As the press release noted, the collection "marks the return of a singular poet, Walta Borawski (1947-1994) for new generations to enjoy." Philip will be giving the first D.C. reading from the book at Little District Books on Sunday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m.; see this EventBrite page for details. You don't have to RSVP, but it helps the bookstore to know how many attendees to plan for. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
If you'd like to know more about Walta and his poetry in advance, here is a Facebook page devoted to it. You can also check out this review on the Out in Print blog, which has called Invisible History one of the 10 best books of 2022. It is also one of four finalists for the Publishing Triangle's Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry.
