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.
More than a year ago, I posted an item here about Sarah Snook's marvelous one-woman portrayal of every character in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The theater gods granted my wish that the play would transfer from London to this side of the pond, for it is now in New York through June, still with Ms. Snook in charge. Here are reviews from the Washington Post and New York Times, as well as TheaterMania's less enthusiastic take.
And here is my February 2024 plug:
"As we prepare for next week's discussion of Matthew Sturgis' monumental biography of Oscar Wilde, I found this TheaterMania review of Sarah Snook's performance in a solo show based on The Picture of Dorian Gray timely indeed. With a flock of video screens floating above her, Snook (whom many of us know as Shiv Roy from "Succession") plays every single character in Wilde's text--from Dorian, to his hedonistic mentor Lord Henry Wotton, and tortured artist Basil Hallward. It sounds amazing; here's hoping it transfers from London to this side of the pond! (This just in: The Economist's reviewer is also wildly enthusiastic about the play.)"
The latest edition of News Is Out has a clever article, "Queer Lit Matchmaker: What to read after your favorite LGBTQ+ novel," that pairs some well-known books--e.g., Call Me By Your Name (which we discussed back in 2008), The Price of Salt (which we discussed in 2005) and Red, White & Royal Blue--with newer titles. Potential 2026 BookMen selections? :-)
This comes from a New York Times "The Ethicist" column that I can't seem to track down. The final line is the reason I'm sharing it:
A Bonus Question: "A few years ago, my friend of many years self-published a work of fiction and asked me to buy a copy and review it on Amazon. Reading this book was absolute torture, but I could not bring myself to tell her. Because of our friendship, and the fact that I’m an emotional coward, I wrote a positive review of this horrible book, at some cost to my self-respect. Now she wants me to read and review her second attempt at literature. What to do? — Name Withheld"
From the Ethicist:
This is someone whose friendship you value and whose literary efforts you do not. Being mindful of her feelings isn’t just cowardice; it’s also caring. So find a way to combine a measure of candor with a measure of kindness. That might be some version of: “Personally, I struggled to connect with this story, so I’m not the right person to post a review — but I’m so impressed with your creativity and dedication.” Otherwise you could take inspiration from Muriel Spark’s novel “A Far Cry From Kensington.” It features a book editor who, asked to assess an awful manuscript that her boss has already committed to publish, responds simply, “I consider that it cannot be improved upon.”
On March 11, gay author and member of the Violet Quill collective Felice Picano passed away at the age of 81. Our group discussed his 1979 novel, The Lure, back in 2020.
In anticipation of our May 7 discussion of John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, I wanted to share this item from a July 2024 edition of Washington Post book critic Ron Charles' weekly Book Club newsletter (free to join even if you're not a Post subscriber, and highly recommended).
“Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” a musical adaptation of John Berendt’s true-crime book, is playing at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago through Aug. 11 (tickets). Back in 1994, before 18 gazillion people had read this story of Savannah murder, the Washington Post’s Jonathan Yardley called it “a surprising, wonderful book” (rave). And during the covid-19 pandemic, the Post’s Michael Dirda included “Midnight” on his short list of books for when “you decide to chuck the modern world and retreat to a cabin in the woods” (full list).
Those of you who are New York Times subscribers may wish to look into the following invitation.
In January, the club discussed Alan Hollinghurst's Our Evenings, which we'll be discussing later this year. Here is a link to that podcast.
which I believe anyone can access (if I did this right).
"Each month, the Book Review Book Club chooses something to discuss with our readers. (This month, it’s “We Do Not Part,” by Han Kang.)
Sometimes it’s a new book that intrigues us; other times it’s an older work that has a new resonance or relevance. We announce our pick at the beginning of every month and invite readers to pose questions and share thoughts in the comments section. And at the end of the month, we devote a podcast episode to the book.
Sounds pretty dreamy, no?
We’ve heard from many of you who’d like to know more about the Book Club. Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions.
How do I participate?
Secure a copy of the book in the format of your choice. Immerse yourself and ignore all earthly concerns until you reach the end. Pop over to the comments section of the article announcing the pick to chat with other readers and Book Review editors about what you’ve read.
Is there an official reading schedule?
There is not! You’re free to read the book at your own pace over the course of the month.
How can I make sure I know the latest?
Read the newsletter! We’ll be sure to share each month’s pick here and send around a link to the podcast discussion when it’s available."
BookMen DC is an informal group of men who are interested in gay literature (both fiction and non-fiction). Most of us live in or near Washington, D.C., but a few members bring a breath of fresh air to our meetings from outside the Beltway, and visitors to DC are always welcome to drop in and join the discussion.
The group gets together on the first and third Wednesdays of each month for meetings lasting about an hour. On first Wednesdays, we meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Park Library at 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW, two blocks from the Cleveland Park Metro station on the Red Line. On third Wednesdays, we meet at 7 p.m. via Zoom.
To be invited, contact "Steve" below.
In keeping with our open and public policy, you don't have to become a member or commit to reading every book and attending every meeting. Simply show up whenever your interests and schedule allow.
For further information or to be placed on our mailing list or to post on our blog, contact Steve.
