More LGTBQ+ poetry to get to know

Here is another compilation of LGBTQ-themed poems (not all by LGBTQ poets, I should note) from the American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter. These poems were disseminated in February through April of this year. Enjoy!

The Lord Is American by W.J. Lofton

Solip Cystic by Raquel Gutiérrez

Dear Gabrielle by Andrea Abi-Karam

Leaving the Psychologist: An Abecedarian Ekphrastic by Grisel Y. Acosta

Dressing the Body by Brittany Rogers

fish bones by Jo Reyes-Boitel

Learn Your Song by Gabriel Ramirez

Orange by Noel Quiñones

25 years, 25 poetry collections

Last month The Atlantic compiled a list of "The Best American Poetry of the 21st Century (So Far)." Four of the 25 collections are by gay poets, and we've actually read two of them: Ocean Vuong's Night Sky with Exit Wounds (#3 on the list; we discussed it in Feb. 2022) and Danez Smith's Night Sky with Exit Wounds (#24; we discussed it in April 2019). The other two books are Richard Siken's Crush (#6) and Jerico Brown's The Tradition (#14).

These Arabs are queer...

The fourth essay in This Arab Is Queer: An Anthology by LGBTQ+ Arab Writers, which we'll begin discussing on April 16, "Catching the Light: Reclaiming Opera as a Trans Arab," is by Zeyn Joukhadar. A former opera singer, Joukhadar alludes to YouTube recordings of his performances, but alas, my search did not turn up any of them. (Those of you who have TikTok and Instagram may have better luck there; please let me know if you find any of his work there.) I did, however, find videos of various talks he has given about his writing.

I recognized the name of the first contributor to the anthology, Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy from her Washington Post op-eds, such as "#Mosque MeToo: What happened when I was sexually assaulted during the hajj" (published in 2018).

For those of you who would like to learn more about the other contributors in this first tranche, here are links: Dima Mikhayel Matta, Saleem Haddad, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Khalid Abdel-Hadi, Danny Ramadan and Ahmed Umar.

Remembering Mario Vargas Llosa

Back in 2014, we discussed The Dream of the Celt by Mario Vargas Llosa, who recently died at the age of 89. Taking its title from a poem written by its subject, the book is a novelization of the life of Roger Casement (1864–1916), the gay Anglo-Irish diplomat and Irish patriot.

Here are obituaries of Vargas Llosa from CNN, the Washington Post and New York Times, as well as a 2018 interview with The Economist and a New York Times appreciation.

Gatsby's secret(s)

Back in June 2021, we discussed F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (That was back when we were reading non-LGBTQ books once a quarter or so.)

As some of you are no doubt aware, the novel celebrates its centennial this year. With that in mind, I offer the following observation from our friend Ted Coltman: "I’ve long thought that Gatsby was Jewish, but it hadn’t occurred to me that another reading might see him as black passing as white, as the author does in this piece."

To celebrate the novel's centennial, here is a tour d'horizon courtesy of the New York Times: "It's Gatsby's World. We Just Live In It."

And for those of you interested in possible gay subtexts for the novel, here is my original 2021 post on the topic:

"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 [2021], 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.'"

A Lavender update

Back in January, I posted an announcement about Lavender.com, which will be held on June 14-15. Little District Books just announced that more than 50 LGBTQ+ authors will participate, with more expected. Tickets are on sale, so don't miss out!

A Larry Duplechan primer

I must confess that until Mike Mazza nominated it for our reading list, I'd never heard of Larry Duplechan or his 1986 novel Blackbird, which we'll be discussing tomorrow night.

In anticipation of our meeting, here are a few fun facts about Duplechan and Blackbird:

Duplechan (born 1956) has written five novels, most of which follow Johnny Ray Rousseau and other Blackbird characters. Eight Days a Week (1985), his first novel, follows Rousseau in his 20s, so Blackbird is technically a prequel.

Duplechan adapted his own novel for "Blackbird," a 2015 film directed by Patrik-Ian Polk and starring Mo'Nique and Isaiah Washington. Although the film had a successful run on the festival circuit, winning awards at several LGBT-oriented festivals including Outflix Memphis, Atlanta’s Out On Film Festival, and the Crossroads Film Festival, it did not get good reviews and tanked at the box office. (I'd still like to see it, myself, however!)

His most recent book, published in 2023, is Movies That Made Me Gay.