When I posted the next two items, about Marlon James' novel, The Disappearers, and Nicholas Bogg's biography, Baldwin: A Love Story, I didn't know that the two authors have been partners since at least 2022 and live together. It's a small world, after all! 😃
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Novel of the decade?
"With this novel about gay experience and murderous homophobia in Jamaica and elsewhere during the 1980s and ’90s, [Marlon] James has written a masterpiece, the novel of the decade and possibly of the century thus far."
That is how Dwight Garner opens his rave for Marlon James' latest novel, The Disappearers, in his New York Times review. Later, he says: "This is another way of saying The Disappearers was one of the signal reading experiences of my adult life. It sank knives deep into my heart. I’m still in recovery from it."
Although they generally haven't been quite that effusive, most other critics I've read concur with Garner's praise. One exception: Adam Mars-Jones, writing for the London Review of Books: "Somehow the book’s fierce purpose has been adulterated. Its portrait of a cruel society loses authority by including a made-up bogeyman, a hate figure exempted from any attempt at understanding. This does significant damage to a book whose harshness is only bearable if it is telling the truth."
Some of you may still recall our lively discussion back in 2020 of James' previous novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, which had similar heft and ambition. Some of us loved it, while others found it a joyless slog. I note that history because I will be nominating The Disappearers for next year's reading list, and anticipate it may elicit similarly passionate reactions. (Not that that's a bad thing! :-)
That is how Dwight Garner opens his rave for Marlon James' latest novel, The Disappearers, in his New York Times review. Later, he says: "This is another way of saying The Disappearers was one of the signal reading experiences of my adult life. It sank knives deep into my heart. I’m still in recovery from it."
Although they generally haven't been quite that effusive, most other critics I've read concur with Garner's praise. One exception: Adam Mars-Jones, writing for the London Review of Books: "Somehow the book’s fierce purpose has been adulterated. Its portrait of a cruel society loses authority by including a made-up bogeyman, a hate figure exempted from any attempt at understanding. This does significant damage to a book whose harshness is only bearable if it is telling the truth."
Some of you may still recall our lively discussion back in 2020 of James' previous novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, which had similar heft and ambition. Some of us loved it, while others found it a joyless slog. I note that history because I will be nominating The Disappearers for next year's reading list, and anticipate it may elicit similarly passionate reactions. (Not that that's a bad thing! :-)
Fortune and Men's Eyes
Last year, I nominated Nicholas Boggs' magisterial biography of James Baldwin, Baldwin: A Love Story, for our reading list. It didn't get quite enough votes to make the cut, but I may put it forward for consideration again this year.
I'm finishing it now, and wanted to highlight a serendipitous connection between the bio and Marlon James' latest novel, The Disappearers (see the post above this one for more details about that). In the novel, a group of gay eight young black and mixed-race men in Kingston gather in private, in 1988, to rehearse a dangerous play: John Herbert’s “Fortune and Men’s Eyes” (1967), about prison life and degradation and sex acts, both desired and not. (One character refers to it as “Lord of the Flies with big people.”) Most if not all the actors are closeted gay men.
Believe it or not, James Baldwin directed a Turkish-language production of the play in Istanbul that ran from 1969 to 1970. Boggs' coverage of the episode in the biography is a tour de force.
Inspired by that coincidence, I really wanted to nominate Herbert's play for our reading list, but it's not in print and used copies are priced at $60 and up. Let us hope the Marlon James connection will spur some enterprising publisher to reissue the play. 🤞
I'm finishing it now, and wanted to highlight a serendipitous connection between the bio and Marlon James' latest novel, The Disappearers (see the post above this one for more details about that). In the novel, a group of gay eight young black and mixed-race men in Kingston gather in private, in 1988, to rehearse a dangerous play: John Herbert’s “Fortune and Men’s Eyes” (1967), about prison life and degradation and sex acts, both desired and not. (One character refers to it as “Lord of the Flies with big people.”) Most if not all the actors are closeted gay men.
Believe it or not, James Baldwin directed a Turkish-language production of the play in Istanbul that ran from 1969 to 1970. Boggs' coverage of the episode in the biography is a tour de force.
Inspired by that coincidence, I really wanted to nominate Herbert's play for our reading list, but it's not in print and used copies are priced at $60 and up. Let us hope the Marlon James connection will spur some enterprising publisher to reissue the play. 🤞
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Good news, BookMen shoppers!
As those of you who read Paul Rudnick's I'll Take It (which we discussed on July 1) know, the novel ends with the protagonist's family sticking up the L.L. Bean flagship store.
In real life, that location later closed for two years to undergo a $50 million upgrade. But Ted Coltman was kind enough to share this announcement that it is once again open. Thanks, Ted!
Let us all hope that the two-year closure of the Kennedy Center that its board just voted to undertake will be equally successful.
In real life, that location later closed for two years to undergo a $50 million upgrade. But Ted Coltman was kind enough to share this announcement that it is once again open. Thanks, Ted!
Let us all hope that the two-year closure of the Kennedy Center that its board just voted to undertake will be equally successful.
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Rest in poetry, Edward Field
The Sept. 7 New York Times reports the passing of poet Edward Field at the age of 102.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I'd never heard of Mr. Field, something reading his obituary quickly made me regret. So I reached out to our friend Philip Clark to ask whether he knew him, and Philip has kindly authorized me to share his response to the news with you all here:
"Gosh, Steve, I'm so sorry to hear this, and thanks for letting me know. I knew Ed, superficially: I asked him to submit poetry and published a piece of his in The William and Mary Review when I was its poetry editor as an undergraduate. I also did a small feature on him in Velvet Mafia later on, and we exchanged a few e-mails over the years about this and that. He gave a wonderful reading years ago at Westbeth, the artists' building in NYC where he lived, at the time with his longtime partner and collaborator Neil Derrick. I mean, everyone knew how old he was, so this isn't unexpected, but at times, it seemed like Ed would outlive everyone.
"I lost track of him a couple of years ago, and he didn't reply to my last e-mail (inquiring about something related to either the writer Alfred Chester or poet Ralph Pomeroy, if I recall correctly), but he was vibrant and productive until then. His last book that I'm aware of--Voyage to Destruction: The Moroccan Letters of Alfred Chester--which he edited, and which is another fascinating contribution—was published in 2022, and when I contacted him about it, he was still feisty.
"His poetry is very accessible, so he'd be a good choice for infrequent poetry readers. Frequent pop culture references; he's credited as one of the first, if not the first, to do this. Take a look at his poem "Mae West," for example, which must be online somewhere and is my favorite of his. If his memoir, The Man Who Would Marry Susan Sontag (which isn't him—that's a reference to Chester), is in print, it would also be a great choice."
And here, in Mr. Field's honor, is that poem (first published in the July 15, 1974, issue of The New Yorker):
Mae West
She comes on drenched in a perfume called Self Satisfaction
from feather boa to silver pumps.
She does not need to be loved by you
though she’ll give you credit for good taste.
Just because you say you love her
she’s not throwing herself at your feet in gratitude.
Every other star reveals how worthless she feels
by crying when the hero says he loves her,
or how unhoped-for the approval is
when the audience applauds her big number —
but Mae West takes it as her due.
She knows she’s good.
She expects the best for herself
And knows she’s worth what she costs,
and she costs plenty.
She’s not giving anything away.
She enjoys her admirers, fat daddy or muscleman,
and doesn’t confuse vanity and sex,
though she never turns down pleasure,
lapping it up.
Above all she enjoys her Self,
swinging her body that says, Me me me me.
Why not have a good time?
As long as you amuse me, go on,
I like you slobbering over my hand, big boy.
I have a right to.
Most convincing, we know all this
not by her preaching it
but by her presence — it’s no act.
Every word and look and movement
spells independence:
She likes being herself.
And we who don’t
can only look on, astonished.
Octavio Roca, who also noted the news, drew my attention to this passage in the NYT obituary:
"Then, in the mid-1950s, Mr. Field met the poet Frank O’Hara. Their brief love affair altered the course of Mr. Field’s life and work. 'Frank O’Hara showed me the way,' Mr. Field wrote for outhistory.org. Mr. O’Hara’s ability to write easily and unselfconsciously as a gay man gave Mr. Field the courage to follow his instincts and loosen up with his own writing. The result was a breakthrough in his poetry."
Based on all that, I'm inclined to nominate something by Field for our 2027 reading list. Both Amazon and Alibris sell used copies of several of Field's books, so I've ordered a couple of them to check out his work for myself. Stay tuned!
I'm embarrassed to admit that I'd never heard of Mr. Field, something reading his obituary quickly made me regret. So I reached out to our friend Philip Clark to ask whether he knew him, and Philip has kindly authorized me to share his response to the news with you all here:
"Gosh, Steve, I'm so sorry to hear this, and thanks for letting me know. I knew Ed, superficially: I asked him to submit poetry and published a piece of his in The William and Mary Review when I was its poetry editor as an undergraduate. I also did a small feature on him in Velvet Mafia later on, and we exchanged a few e-mails over the years about this and that. He gave a wonderful reading years ago at Westbeth, the artists' building in NYC where he lived, at the time with his longtime partner and collaborator Neil Derrick. I mean, everyone knew how old he was, so this isn't unexpected, but at times, it seemed like Ed would outlive everyone.
"I lost track of him a couple of years ago, and he didn't reply to my last e-mail (inquiring about something related to either the writer Alfred Chester or poet Ralph Pomeroy, if I recall correctly), but he was vibrant and productive until then. His last book that I'm aware of--Voyage to Destruction: The Moroccan Letters of Alfred Chester--which he edited, and which is another fascinating contribution—was published in 2022, and when I contacted him about it, he was still feisty.
"His poetry is very accessible, so he'd be a good choice for infrequent poetry readers. Frequent pop culture references; he's credited as one of the first, if not the first, to do this. Take a look at his poem "Mae West," for example, which must be online somewhere and is my favorite of his. If his memoir, The Man Who Would Marry Susan Sontag (which isn't him—that's a reference to Chester), is in print, it would also be a great choice."
And here, in Mr. Field's honor, is that poem (first published in the July 15, 1974, issue of The New Yorker):
Mae West
She comes on drenched in a perfume called Self Satisfaction
from feather boa to silver pumps.
She does not need to be loved by you
though she’ll give you credit for good taste.
Just because you say you love her
she’s not throwing herself at your feet in gratitude.
Every other star reveals how worthless she feels
by crying when the hero says he loves her,
or how unhoped-for the approval is
when the audience applauds her big number —
but Mae West takes it as her due.
She knows she’s good.
She expects the best for herself
And knows she’s worth what she costs,
and she costs plenty.
She’s not giving anything away.
She enjoys her admirers, fat daddy or muscleman,
and doesn’t confuse vanity and sex,
though she never turns down pleasure,
lapping it up.
Above all she enjoys her Self,
swinging her body that says, Me me me me.
Why not have a good time?
As long as you amuse me, go on,
I like you slobbering over my hand, big boy.
I have a right to.
Most convincing, we know all this
not by her preaching it
but by her presence — it’s no act.
Every word and look and movement
spells independence:
She likes being herself.
And we who don’t
can only look on, astonished.
Octavio Roca, who also noted the news, drew my attention to this passage in the NYT obituary:
"Then, in the mid-1950s, Mr. Field met the poet Frank O’Hara. Their brief love affair altered the course of Mr. Field’s life and work. 'Frank O’Hara showed me the way,' Mr. Field wrote for outhistory.org. Mr. O’Hara’s ability to write easily and unselfconsciously as a gay man gave Mr. Field the courage to follow his instincts and loosen up with his own writing. The result was a breakthrough in his poetry."
Based on all that, I'm inclined to nominate something by Field for our 2027 reading list. Both Amazon and Alibris sell used copies of several of Field's books, so I've ordered a couple of them to check out his work for myself. Stay tuned!
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Additional reading re: Albee & Chabon
All modesty aside (LOL), I believe we maintain a high standard for all our literary discussions. But last night's session, on Edward Albee's play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," felt particularly lively, and worthy of the source.
In that connection, Mike Mazza recommends Michael Y. Bennett's book about the play, which is part of Routledge Publishing's Fourth Wall series, which it bills as "short, accessible accounts of some of modern theater’s best loved works."
Then, looking ahead to our October and November discussions of Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Mike brought in an authorized comic based on the novel, Michael Chabon Presents. . .The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, Volume 1. As the blurb explains:
"Leaping onto center stage from the wings of comics history comes that dazzling Master of Elusion, foe of tyranny, and champion of liberation: the Escapist. Operating from a secret headquarters under the boards of the Empire Theater, the Escapist and his crack team of associates roam the globe performing amazing feats of magic and coming to the aid of all those who languish in the chains of oppression. The history of the Escapist's creators Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay was recently chronicled in Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Now the best of the Escapist's adventures are collected into one volume for all to enjoy."
In that connection, Mike Mazza recommends Michael Y. Bennett's book about the play, which is part of Routledge Publishing's Fourth Wall series, which it bills as "short, accessible accounts of some of modern theater’s best loved works."
Then, looking ahead to our October and November discussions of Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Mike brought in an authorized comic based on the novel, Michael Chabon Presents. . .The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, Volume 1. As the blurb explains:
"Leaping onto center stage from the wings of comics history comes that dazzling Master of Elusion, foe of tyranny, and champion of liberation: the Escapist. Operating from a secret headquarters under the boards of the Empire Theater, the Escapist and his crack team of associates roam the globe performing amazing feats of magic and coming to the aid of all those who languish in the chains of oppression. The history of the Escapist's creators Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay was recently chronicled in Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Now the best of the Escapist's adventures are collected into one volume for all to enjoy."
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
A double play
With rare exceptions (such as a new translation of a foreign-language work), the rule we've followed with BookMen selections throughout our history is that any edition of the book is fine. The main purpose of that policy is to spare members the trouble and expense of acquiring a second copy of a book, but it also has a secondary benefit. Sometimes a different edition contains an introduction or other scholarly apparatus that resolves a question about the book that isn't addressed in the edition most of us are using.
That said, the edition of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I selected from Amazon.com for tomorrow night's discussion is different from the original: Edward Albee's own 2006 revision of his 1962 play. (Take a moment, by the way, to consider how remarkable it is that the play has remained popular enough to be revived repeatedly, and that the playwright lived long enough to revisit an early work.) So I thought it would be useful to post some additional info about that, courtesy of Wikipedia.
"The play was revived on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre, opening on 12 March 2005, in previews and closing on 4 September 2005, after 8 previews and 177 performances. Directed by Anthony Page, it starred Kathleen Turner as Martha and Bill Irwin as George, with Mireille Enos as Honey and David Harbour as Nick. Irwin won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role. The production transferred to London's West End at the Apollo Theatre with the entire original cast, running from 31 January to 13 May 2006. In January 2007, the production played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for one month. On 6 February 2007, the production began a six-week run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
"Notably, it was this 2005 production that led to the publication of a revised script – one that has been used ever since – although many of its revisions were introduced in earlier productions. Among the revisions was the removal of early references to George and Martha's son, as well as the reference to the fact that George felt that he helped cause his parents' death, which was originally the subject of his failed novel. A roughly seven-page scene with George and Honey at the end of Act II has also been removed completely. These and other changes seem to be there to clarify plot points, but arguably rob the play of some of its ambiguity and tenuous relationship with realism."
And here's one more tidbit about the play from the same Wikipedia entry: "In 1970, Henry Fonda and Richard Burton attempted to recruit Warren Beatty and Jon Voight for an all-male production, but Albee refused permission." I would love to hear more about that!
That said, the edition of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I selected from Amazon.com for tomorrow night's discussion is different from the original: Edward Albee's own 2006 revision of his 1962 play. (Take a moment, by the way, to consider how remarkable it is that the play has remained popular enough to be revived repeatedly, and that the playwright lived long enough to revisit an early work.) So I thought it would be useful to post some additional info about that, courtesy of Wikipedia.
"The play was revived on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre, opening on 12 March 2005, in previews and closing on 4 September 2005, after 8 previews and 177 performances. Directed by Anthony Page, it starred Kathleen Turner as Martha and Bill Irwin as George, with Mireille Enos as Honey and David Harbour as Nick. Irwin won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role. The production transferred to London's West End at the Apollo Theatre with the entire original cast, running from 31 January to 13 May 2006. In January 2007, the production played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for one month. On 6 February 2007, the production began a six-week run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
"Notably, it was this 2005 production that led to the publication of a revised script – one that has been used ever since – although many of its revisions were introduced in earlier productions. Among the revisions was the removal of early references to George and Martha's son, as well as the reference to the fact that George felt that he helped cause his parents' death, which was originally the subject of his failed novel. A roughly seven-page scene with George and Honey at the end of Act II has also been removed completely. These and other changes seem to be there to clarify plot points, but arguably rob the play of some of its ambiguity and tenuous relationship with realism."
And here's one more tidbit about the play from the same Wikipedia entry: "In 1970, Henry Fonda and Richard Burton attempted to recruit Warren Beatty and Jon Voight for an all-male production, but Albee refused permission." I would love to hear more about that!
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Some Albee appetizers...
Next Wednesday, Sept. 2, we'll be discussing Edward Albee's play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. In preparation for that, Mike Mazza has compiled several short TV parodies of the play he found on YouTube:
Second City Television
Saturday Night Live
Benny Hill
Mike wonders where there are even more like these online, and says: "I suppose folks could view these either as appetizers (with possible spoiler warnings) before reading the play, or as palate cleansers post-reading!".
Second City Television
Saturday Night Live
Benny Hill
Mike wonders where there are even more like these online, and says: "I suppose folks could view these either as appetizers (with possible spoiler warnings) before reading the play, or as palate cleansers post-reading!".
A Queerty quiz
Queerty, an LGBTQ website that bills itself as "Free of an agenda (except that gay one)," recently published an article asking: "How many of these classic queer books have you actually read?"
Our group has discussed a very respectable six out of 10, and I've read two others. See how you score!
As a bonus, here's a link to another Queerty article on gay literature, "Gay guys share their favorite books by queer men." Many of these will be familiar, but there are some intriguing suggestions in the mix.
Our group has discussed a very respectable six out of 10, and I've read two others. See how you score!
As a bonus, here's a link to another Queerty article on gay literature, "Gay guys share their favorite books by queer men." Many of these will be familiar, but there are some intriguing suggestions in the mix.
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Classic LGBTQ literature
Our friend Bruce Dunne recently shared the following info with me:
"I just came across a list of 21 LGBTQ+ books in the section of the New York Review of Books website where one can look up books by theme. It surprises me how few I am familiar with (other than J.R. Ackerly and Jan Morris), and it occurred to me that some may be of interest to the group. Cheers, Bruce."
Our merry band has read both Ackerly titles in the compilation--We Think the World of You (in 2015) and My Father and Myself (in 2013)--as well as John Horne Burns' The Gallery (in 2015) and a different book by Jean Genet than the one recommended here. As the time for our annual process of nominating books for next year's reading list approaches (stay tuned for details!), I invite you to take a look at this list to see whether any of these titles intrigue you enough to propose them.
"I just came across a list of 21 LGBTQ+ books in the section of the New York Review of Books website where one can look up books by theme. It surprises me how few I am familiar with (other than J.R. Ackerly and Jan Morris), and it occurred to me that some may be of interest to the group. Cheers, Bruce."
Our merry band has read both Ackerly titles in the compilation--We Think the World of You (in 2015) and My Father and Myself (in 2013)--as well as John Horne Burns' The Gallery (in 2015) and a different book by Jean Genet than the one recommended here. As the time for our annual process of nominating books for next year's reading list approaches (stay tuned for details!), I invite you to take a look at this list to see whether any of these titles intrigue you enough to propose them.
Encouragement, not clutter
Writing for The Conversation, a site dedicated to "analysis from scientists and medical doctors," Michelle Spear, an anatomy professor at the University of Bristol, explains "Why you keep buying books you don't read--and why it feels so good."
"Some might call this clutter," she acknowledges. But "the Japanese have a far more elegant word for it: tsundoku. The term describes the habit of acquiring books and allowing them to accumulate unread. It combines the idea of stacking things up (tsunde), leaving something for later (oku) and reading (doku). The result is a concept that captures the quiet optimism of a pile of books."
Prof. Spear elaborates on the phenomenon in her essay, and after reading it, I feel a lot better as a proud practitioner of tsundoku than a mere hoarder. Hopefully, you will, too.
"Some might call this clutter," she acknowledges. But "the Japanese have a far more elegant word for it: tsundoku. The term describes the habit of acquiring books and allowing them to accumulate unread. It combines the idea of stacking things up (tsunde), leaving something for later (oku) and reading (doku). The result is a concept that captures the quiet optimism of a pile of books."
Prof. Spear elaborates on the phenomenon in her essay, and after reading it, I feel a lot better as a proud practitioner of tsundoku than a mere hoarder. Hopefully, you will, too.
Monday, August 10, 2026
Mike M.'s Kiss for the Spider Woman
The 11 of us who attended last week's discussion of Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman enjoyed a lively discussion of the novel. That prompted Mike Mazza to look up the review he posted on Amazon 25 years ago of Kiss of the Spider Woman and Two Other Plays.
Spoiler alert: Mike was (and is) a fan of Puig's work. Perhaps it might be worth our taking a look at the other two plays in that volume at some point?
Spoiler alert: Mike was (and is) a fan of Puig's work. Perhaps it might be worth our taking a look at the other two plays in that volume at some point?
TL;DR = DNF?
No, our blog hasn't suddenly become a conduit for mathematicians or cryptographers to pass secret messages! :-)
Many of you are probably already familiar with the term on the left side of the equation, which is shorthand for "too long; didn't read." It's most often applied to online articles and posts, and sometimes carries a whiff of disapproval about an overly indulgent author who expects readers to wade through dense writing that doesn't offer a payoff for the time spent.
Now "TL;DR" has spawned a new term for book lovers: DNF--"did not finish." This New York Times article explores the debate between completists--who insist that if you start a book, you should finish it--and readers who say life is too short to waste time on something you're not enjoying.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll note that I am a completist by nature. But as I grow older, and am increasingly aware of how many books I'll never get to, I'm becoming more and more sympathetic to the DNF perspective.
Many of you are probably already familiar with the term on the left side of the equation, which is shorthand for "too long; didn't read." It's most often applied to online articles and posts, and sometimes carries a whiff of disapproval about an overly indulgent author who expects readers to wade through dense writing that doesn't offer a payoff for the time spent.
Now "TL;DR" has spawned a new term for book lovers: DNF--"did not finish." This New York Times article explores the debate between completists--who insist that if you start a book, you should finish it--and readers who say life is too short to waste time on something you're not enjoying.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll note that I am a completist by nature. But as I grow older, and am increasingly aware of how many books I'll never get to, I'm becoming more and more sympathetic to the DNF perspective.
A Radiant Dawn at Little District Books
Little District Books, the LGBTQ bookstore now on Pennsylvania Ave. SE, is getting into the publishing game! For its first project, LDB is soliciting contributions to Radiant Dawn: A Queer Hopepunk Anthology, a short story collection it plans to publish in the spring.
Coined by author Alexandra Rowland, "Hopepunk" is defined by weaponizing kindness, community and optimism to overcome oppressive systems. It doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre, which offers authors a lot of options. Visit this site for more details on the project and submission guidelines.
Coined by author Alexandra Rowland, "Hopepunk" is defined by weaponizing kindness, community and optimism to overcome oppressive systems. It doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre, which offers authors a lot of options. Visit this site for more details on the project and submission guidelines.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
A year after Andrea Gibson's passing...
Last year, I posted a couple of items about the late, great Andrea Gibson, who served as Poet Laureate of Colorado from 2023 until their passing on July 14, 2015. In her honor, Poets. org (which puts out the Poem-a-Day newsletter I so often reference here) recently published several of Gibson's poems:
Wellness Check
Spider
Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Record in Goosebumps
Photoshopping My Sister’s Mugshot
Wellness Check
Spider
Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Record in Goosebumps
Photoshopping My Sister’s Mugshot
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Anniversaries that should be less Secret
Last night, we discussed the final tranche of short stories in Lev Raphael's Secret Anniversaries of the Heart, published 20 years ago. I think I speak for those of us who have been discussing these stories in third-Wednesday Zoom meetings over the past year when I say that it has been one of the most satisfying anthologies in our group's history. (Thanks, Mike Mazza, for nominating it!).
If you have any interest in short-form fiction, you owe it to yourself to check out this book.
If you have any interest in short-form fiction, you owe it to yourself to check out this book.
Monday, July 13, 2026
Happy 100th Birthday, Allen Ginsberg!
I'm a little late to the party, but did want to note that poet and activist Allen Ginsberg was born on June 3, 1926. Back in 2011, we read a graphic novel version of his most famous novel, Howl.
For a detailed list of centennial celebrations (a fair number of them happening in the Big Apple, appropriately), visit The Allen Ginsburg Project. And if you're interested in a less hagiographic take on the poet's legacy, I recommend this recent op-ed from The Guardian: "Beat legend, ‘boy lover’: How should we reckon with Allen Ginsberg’s complex legacy?"
For a detailed list of centennial celebrations (a fair number of them happening in the Big Apple, appropriately), visit The Allen Ginsburg Project. And if you're interested in a less hagiographic take on the poet's legacy, I recommend this recent op-ed from The Guardian: "Beat legend, ‘boy lover’: How should we reckon with Allen Ginsberg’s complex legacy?"
Friday, July 10, 2026
Lavender Con is in two weeks!
Little District Books, Washington, DC's all-queer independent bookstore, will be hosting Lavender Con 2026 on July 25-26. The festival celebrates LGBTQIA+ authors and stories; tickets are available for either day or both.
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
A new Golden Age of LGBTQ lit?
Writing in the June 28 New York Times, Aaron Hicklin, a bookstore owner and former editor-in-chief of Out magazine, lays out a provocative thesis:
"It is not a stretch to call the past few years the richest period for queer fiction since 1978, when Andrew Holleran published Dancer From the Dance, Larry Kramer published Faggots and Edmund White published Nocturnes for the King of Naples." He goes on to assert that "This is not simply a story of representation getting its due. The audience for literary fiction has long skewed toward women and gay men. What has changed is the industry’s willingness to acknowledge that and the many straight women who are willing to read about gay characters."
I think Mr. Hicklin lays out a persuasive case, and Lord knows I want him to be right! Yet this paragraph, in particular, gives me pause: "According to data compiled from BookScan, sales of LGBT. fiction (excluding digital sales) were roughly $8 million in 2015, the year Hanya Yanagihara published A Little Life, heralded by Garth Greenwell as a great gay novel. By 2025, annual sales of LGBTQ. fiction had reached more than $80 million, a tenfold increase over a decade in which fiction more broadly has struggled. Over the same period, sales of literary fiction fell to around 33 million books per year from around 36 million."
Here's my question: Is being a bigger fish in a shrinking pool a sign of vitality or less competition? Or both? I encourage you to read the op-ed and decide for yourself.
"It is not a stretch to call the past few years the richest period for queer fiction since 1978, when Andrew Holleran published Dancer From the Dance, Larry Kramer published Faggots and Edmund White published Nocturnes for the King of Naples." He goes on to assert that "This is not simply a story of representation getting its due. The audience for literary fiction has long skewed toward women and gay men. What has changed is the industry’s willingness to acknowledge that and the many straight women who are willing to read about gay characters."
I think Mr. Hicklin lays out a persuasive case, and Lord knows I want him to be right! Yet this paragraph, in particular, gives me pause: "According to data compiled from BookScan, sales of LGBT. fiction (excluding digital sales) were roughly $8 million in 2015, the year Hanya Yanagihara published A Little Life, heralded by Garth Greenwell as a great gay novel. By 2025, annual sales of LGBTQ. fiction had reached more than $80 million, a tenfold increase over a decade in which fiction more broadly has struggled. Over the same period, sales of literary fiction fell to around 33 million books per year from around 36 million."
Here's my question: Is being a bigger fish in a shrinking pool a sign of vitality or less competition? Or both? I encourage you to read the op-ed and decide for yourself.
The Guardian's readers weigh in
Back in May, I posted the results of a writers poll The Guardian conducted that compiled a list of "The 100 Best Novels of All Time."
Depending on how strictly one defines LGBTQ literature, between 10 and 15 of the novels would fit that rubric--including Virginia's Woolf's To the Lighthouse. wbich came in fourth. In fact, with five novels on the list, Woolf was the most-voted-for writer--beating Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, with four each.
Last month, the newspaper invited readers to nominate their favorite novels, and more than 3,000 of them did, producing this lineup. As one would expect, there is a lot of overlap between the two "top 100" lists, and the overall proportion of LGBTQ titles is also roughly the same. However, Woolf doesn't fare nearly as well here as she did in the previous poll, with only two titles represented (To the Lighthouse fell from #4 to #64). That may be a function of the fact that the readers' choices skew more late 20th- and 21st-century than the authors'.
On the positive side, this list includes three titles that were not in the first compilation: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (which we discussed back in 2015); Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar (discussed in 2017); and A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (discussed in 2021).
Finally, while the original poll put George Eliot's Middlemarch at the very top, the readers demoted it to #2 in favor of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Depending on how strictly one defines LGBTQ literature, between 10 and 15 of the novels would fit that rubric--including Virginia's Woolf's To the Lighthouse. wbich came in fourth. In fact, with five novels on the list, Woolf was the most-voted-for writer--beating Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, with four each.
Last month, the newspaper invited readers to nominate their favorite novels, and more than 3,000 of them did, producing this lineup. As one would expect, there is a lot of overlap between the two "top 100" lists, and the overall proportion of LGBTQ titles is also roughly the same. However, Woolf doesn't fare nearly as well here as she did in the previous poll, with only two titles represented (To the Lighthouse fell from #4 to #64). That may be a function of the fact that the readers' choices skew more late 20th- and 21st-century than the authors'.
On the positive side, this list includes three titles that were not in the first compilation: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (which we discussed back in 2015); Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar (discussed in 2017); and A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (discussed in 2021).
Finally, while the original poll put George Eliot's Middlemarch at the very top, the readers demoted it to #2 in favor of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Pride Month poetry, Part 1
As I noted in a previous post: In honor of Pride Month, the American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter has devoted its June lineup to LGBTQ+ poetry. I've split those offerings up into three posts because there are so many of them. Enjoy!
Bildungsroman by Sam Sax (Note: He's the guest editor who selected this month's poetry; I've added this first set of poems from his oeuvre to the ones he actually chose for the newsletter :-).
Post-Diagnosis by Sam Sax
Pedagogy by Sam Sax
Objectophile by Sam Sax
Statement of Purpose by Kyle Carrero Lopez
At the end of the world, you tell me about the bees by Muriel Leung
Alexa for Seniors in Easy Steps by Alexis N. Garcia
Fidelity by William Ward Butler
Do You Know What Today Is? by Danez Smith
Bildungssonnet by Billy-Ray Belcourt
Summer City by travis l. tate
Bildungsroman by Sam Sax (Note: He's the guest editor who selected this month's poetry; I've added this first set of poems from his oeuvre to the ones he actually chose for the newsletter :-).
Post-Diagnosis by Sam Sax
Pedagogy by Sam Sax
Objectophile by Sam Sax
Statement of Purpose by Kyle Carrero Lopez
At the end of the world, you tell me about the bees by Muriel Leung
Alexa for Seniors in Easy Steps by Alexis N. Garcia
Fidelity by William Ward Butler
Do You Know What Today Is? by Danez Smith
Bildungssonnet by Billy-Ray Belcourt
Summer City by travis l. tate
Pride Month poetry, Part 2
Here is the second set of LGBTQ+ poems disseminated this month via the American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter. Enjoy!
Position Paper #53: National Archivist by Andrea Lawlor
Lube, Ars Poetica by Lan Lesmeister
Afterwards by Eva Candelaria Sosa
Gertrude Stein by Mina Loy
In Memoriam [±That after all this I have still chosen life.] by Jimin Seo
An Erasure of Senate Bill 111 by Moncho Alvarado
My earth which is mine will always make more of itself by Kamelya Omayma Youssef
I Was Born Again the First Time I Lost Time Watching a Woman by Shira Erlichman
The Shoes My Mother Hated, in Fairness, Were Ugly by Ariana Brown
Six Love Songs by Edward Powys Mathers
[last summer I folded my dresses into storage] by Isa Borgeson
Position Paper #53: National Archivist by Andrea Lawlor
Lube, Ars Poetica by Lan Lesmeister
Afterwards by Eva Candelaria Sosa
Gertrude Stein by Mina Loy
In Memoriam [±That after all this I have still chosen life.] by Jimin Seo
An Erasure of Senate Bill 111 by Moncho Alvarado
My earth which is mine will always make more of itself by Kamelya Omayma Youssef
I Was Born Again the First Time I Lost Time Watching a Woman by Shira Erlichman
The Shoes My Mother Hated, in Fairness, Were Ugly by Ariana Brown
Six Love Songs by Edward Powys Mathers
[last summer I folded my dresses into storage] by Isa Borgeson
Pride Month poetry, Part 3
And here is the third and final set of LGBTQ+ poems disseminated this month via the American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter. Enjoy!
Deluxe Mourning Package by Rachel McKibbens
A Song [I was want] by Jos Charles
for goldfish that remember seaworld by D’mani Thomas
1915 by Robert Graves
I Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer by Angel Nafis
[i love them still] by Fatimah Asghar
Nocturne by Oliver Baez Bendorf
New Moon Newton by Oliver Baez Bendorf
Dysphoria by Oliver Baez Bendorf
Evergreen by Oliver Baez Bendorf
Consider the Rooster by Oliver Baez Bendorf
Deluxe Mourning Package by Rachel McKibbens
A Song [I was want] by Jos Charles
for goldfish that remember seaworld by D’mani Thomas
1915 by Robert Graves
I Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer by Angel Nafis
[i love them still] by Fatimah Asghar
Nocturne by Oliver Baez Bendorf
New Moon Newton by Oliver Baez Bendorf
Dysphoria by Oliver Baez Bendorf
Evergreen by Oliver Baez Bendorf
Consider the Rooster by Oliver Baez Bendorf
Sunday, June 14, 2026
It's a small world after all...
David Mendler attended the Queer Writer's Salon in Arlington this past Thursday and reports that Dominique Dickey, one of the contributors to Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity, was there. Dickey lives in D.C. and read a section of their story, "Forever Won't End Like This," which we'll be discussing on Wednesday.
As David comments, "It was cool to be able to see a local author read their work a week before we are about to discuss it!"
As David comments, "It was cool to be able to see a local author read their work a week before we are about to discuss it!"
Scientific American's alien book picks
In anticipation of this coming Wednesday's discussion of the first set of stories in Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity, I found this article from Scientic American quite timely.
In it, the magazine's staff recommend 24 books that "have kept us curious about alien life and encounters with it that could change us as humans." Although I've always loved the science fiction/fantasy genre, I've only read a few of these (though I have read other works by some of these authors).
Only a handful of them have an LGBTQ connection, such as Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, which we discussed in 2024, but one in particular intrigues me: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, which the staffer who nominated it describes as follows: "This is the multispecies future I want to live in. A lovable crew of diverse aliens and humans work together to understand each other and the universe."
I plan to order it, and if it lives up to that description, I'll nominate it for our next reading list.
In it, the magazine's staff recommend 24 books that "have kept us curious about alien life and encounters with it that could change us as humans." Although I've always loved the science fiction/fantasy genre, I've only read a few of these (though I have read other works by some of these authors).
Only a handful of them have an LGBTQ connection, such as Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, which we discussed in 2024, but one in particular intrigues me: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, which the staffer who nominated it describes as follows: "This is the multispecies future I want to live in. A lovable crew of diverse aliens and humans work together to understand each other and the universe."
I plan to order it, and if it lives up to that description, I'll nominate it for our next reading list.
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
The even lonelier city
Exactly six years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, we read Olivia Laing's essay collection The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone. If you weren't with us then, or want to refresh your memory about Laing's work, here is a link to the various posts on that subject on this blog.
I bring this up because Laing has just published a powerful op-ed in The Guardian that builds on the thesis of The Lonely City to argue that "Far-right groups prey on loneliness, using the feelings of being left behind, isolated, disregarded and ignored as a recruitment tool, and offering potent narratives that stoke grievances and displace vulnerability on to other bodies that can be hated and attacked." It's well worth your time.
I bring this up because Laing has just published a powerful op-ed in The Guardian that builds on the thesis of The Lonely City to argue that "Far-right groups prey on loneliness, using the feelings of being left behind, isolated, disregarded and ignored as a recruitment tool, and offering potent narratives that stoke grievances and displace vulnerability on to other bodies that can be hated and attacked." It's well worth your time.
A homegrown D.C. queer story
During our group's illustrious 27-year history (and counting), we've read just a handful of books set in Washington, D.C., or the region. (And most of those are political or policy volumes.) Happily, a new novel sounds like a contender for our next reading list, as a way to start rectifying that sin of omission.
Benny B. Peterson’s debut novel, The Maidenheads, tells the story of an experimental punk duo in the early 2010s. D.C. native Jamie, a singer who (in a somewhat fictionalized version of Jackson-Reed High School) meets an enchanting musical collaborator and first queer love in the bullheaded Mari. Together they create the Maidenheads, an experimental punk duo on the cusp of success when their precarious romance falls apart.
In a Washington Post article Peterson explains: “It’s important for people to know that there’s a real city here, with real people and real culture and real history and a really vibrant music scene and a really vibrant queer scene,” they said. “I wanted to show a world that a lot of people don’t realize exists.”
Benny B. Peterson’s debut novel, The Maidenheads, tells the story of an experimental punk duo in the early 2010s. D.C. native Jamie, a singer who (in a somewhat fictionalized version of Jackson-Reed High School) meets an enchanting musical collaborator and first queer love in the bullheaded Mari. Together they create the Maidenheads, an experimental punk duo on the cusp of success when their precarious romance falls apart.
In a Washington Post article Peterson explains: “It’s important for people to know that there’s a real city here, with real people and real culture and real history and a really vibrant music scene and a really vibrant queer scene,” they said. “I wanted to show a world that a lot of people don’t realize exists.”
"Here's My Story"
The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide has published Here's My Story, an anthology of articles from its popular online feature with that title. The compilation highlights personal stories centering queer people, in particular those about coming out and finding love and community.
Thanks to generous support from the Leonard-Litz Foundation, the G&LR is able to provide free copies of the ebook to LGBT groups and centers, including BookMen DC. Thanks, G&LR! I'll provide the link and further details in my weekly missive.
Thanks to generous support from the Leonard-Litz Foundation, the G&LR is able to provide free copies of the ebook to LGBT groups and centers, including BookMen DC. Thanks, G&LR! I'll provide the link and further details in my weekly missive.
Monday, June 1, 2026
LGBTQ Poetry (pre-Pride Month edition)
I've been meaning to post one of my periodic compilations of LGBTQ+ poetry featured in the American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter for months now, but never got around to it. But the AAP's announcement that it will spotlight that niche throughout June has given me the incentive to play catch-up by sharing LGBTQ+ poetry disseminated from February through May. Enjoy!
the art of losing by Rabha Ashry
[ ] by Ladan Osman
Window Art by Kwame Dawes
The Emperor Pats His Lips with a Napkin by Sanam Sheriff
Audience by Derrick Austin
Ladletime: Night Time by Hrayr Varaz
Our Book of Delights by Arielle Hebert
Love Poem to Taco Bell by Rebecca Bornstein
Aubade on Piazza del Popolo with Saxophonist and Chopin
by Ashna Ali
Assault by Diannely Antigua
Correct the Record, Can We? by Adam Falkner
the art of losing by Rabha Ashry
[ ] by Ladan Osman
Window Art by Kwame Dawes
The Emperor Pats His Lips with a Napkin by Sanam Sheriff
Audience by Derrick Austin
Ladletime: Night Time by Hrayr Varaz
Our Book of Delights by Arielle Hebert
Love Poem to Taco Bell by Rebecca Bornstein
Aubade on Piazza del Popolo with Saxophonist and Chopin
by Ashna Ali
Assault by Diannely Antigua
Correct the Record, Can We? by Adam Falkner
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
The Guardian's 100 best novels list
As it has done roughly once a decade, The Guardian recently polled a panel of 170 writers, each of whom selected 10 books, to compile a list of "The 100 Best Novels of All Time."
Such efforts are inherently subjective, of course, but The Guardian cast a wide net: Any book published in English, but originally written in any language, was eligible. Depending on how strictly one defines LGBTQ literature (Does an author have to be "out" to count? What about straight authors who present gay love stories?), between 10 and 15 of the novels would fit that rubric--including Virginia's Woolf To the Lighthouse. That one came in #4, just after her arch‑rival James Joyce and his modernist epic Ulysses. In fact, with five novels on the list, Woolf is the most voted for writer–beating Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, with four each.
We haven't read that one (yet), but did discuss Orlando (#54) back in 2010. Other novels from the list we've discussed include: The Left Hand of Darkness (#89) by Ursula K. LeGuin, Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty (#87), Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley (#84), James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room (#44)--but not Go Tell It on the Mountain (#79)--Alice Walker's The Color Purple (#65), and E.M. Forster's Howards End (#60). Curiously, we've never discussed any Henry James novels, three of which made the list: The Turn of the Screw (#86), The Golden Bowl (#52) and The Portrait of a Lady (#21)--though we have read his short story, "The Beast in the Jungle" (still one of the most chilling works in that genre, in my own not-so-humble opinion).
Oh, and the top choice? George Eliot's Middlemarch.
Such efforts are inherently subjective, of course, but The Guardian cast a wide net: Any book published in English, but originally written in any language, was eligible. Depending on how strictly one defines LGBTQ literature (Does an author have to be "out" to count? What about straight authors who present gay love stories?), between 10 and 15 of the novels would fit that rubric--including Virginia's Woolf To the Lighthouse. That one came in #4, just after her arch‑rival James Joyce and his modernist epic Ulysses. In fact, with five novels on the list, Woolf is the most voted for writer–beating Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, with four each.
We haven't read that one (yet), but did discuss Orlando (#54) back in 2010. Other novels from the list we've discussed include: The Left Hand of Darkness (#89) by Ursula K. LeGuin, Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty (#87), Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley (#84), James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room (#44)--but not Go Tell It on the Mountain (#79)--Alice Walker's The Color Purple (#65), and E.M. Forster's Howards End (#60). Curiously, we've never discussed any Henry James novels, three of which made the list: The Turn of the Screw (#86), The Golden Bowl (#52) and The Portrait of a Lady (#21)--though we have read his short story, "The Beast in the Jungle" (still one of the most chilling works in that genre, in my own not-so-humble opinion).
Oh, and the top choice? George Eliot's Middlemarch.
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
The Rolling Stone explained
To save other readers the frustration I felt at trying to decode the title of the Chris Urch play we'll be discussing tonight, "The Rolling Stone," here is the answer: "It was inspired by the name of a Ugandan tabloid newspaper that in 2010 published the names, addresses and photographs of 100 supposedly gay Ugandan men, accompanied by the banner headline “Hang Them.” The paper, which bore no relation to the American music-themed magazine, was in existence for only four months before it was shut down by the Ugandan High Court. But not before a gay rights activist identified in the article was brutally murdered in his home as a result of the exposure."
That information comes from a review in the Hollywood Reporter of a 2019 production of the play. Spoiler alert: The critic was not at all impressed. However, this compilation of reviews of other presentations of "The Rolling Stone" includes some very positive ones.
That information comes from a review in the Hollywood Reporter of a 2019 production of the play. Spoiler alert: The critic was not at all impressed. However, this compilation of reviews of other presentations of "The Rolling Stone" includes some very positive ones.
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Meet Chris Urch
Let me confess to a lazy assumption about Chris Urch, whose play, The Rolling Stone, we will be discussing tomorrow night. Because the story takes place in Uganda, and the characters are all black, I assumed Urch is, too. Well, we all know what happens when we assume! :-).
In fact, Urch is a very Caucasian Englishman, judging by his photo. He was moved to write the play after reading coverage of the debate in the Ugandan Parliament of the bill popularly known as "Kill the Gays" (though life in prison replaced execution as the penalty in the final version). As he commented in a 2019 interview, “My play was inspired by real events, but the characters are fictional. I wanted to highlight a political issue through a love story between two men and through the conflicting loyalties in a family when one of the members is gay.”
After the Ugandan High [= Supreme] Court struck down the law as unconstitutional in 2014, Parliament considered various revisions over the following decade. It ultimately passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, which President Yoweri Museveni signed into law in March 2023. Warning: The act's provisions make for harrowing reading.
Nor is Uganda an outlier, sadly. “Initially,” Urch said, “I worried that the story the play tells wouldn’t stay relevant. But it has. It was done in Australia during the debate there over same-sex marriage, and in Brazil, which has the highest murder rate in the world of LGBT people. On our planet right now, there’s still tremendous violence against gay people, and there’s a more general upsurge of people’s rights being taken away. This play sadly couldn’t be more relevant right now.”
In fact, Urch is a very Caucasian Englishman, judging by his photo. He was moved to write the play after reading coverage of the debate in the Ugandan Parliament of the bill popularly known as "Kill the Gays" (though life in prison replaced execution as the penalty in the final version). As he commented in a 2019 interview, “My play was inspired by real events, but the characters are fictional. I wanted to highlight a political issue through a love story between two men and through the conflicting loyalties in a family when one of the members is gay.”
After the Ugandan High [= Supreme] Court struck down the law as unconstitutional in 2014, Parliament considered various revisions over the following decade. It ultimately passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, which President Yoweri Museveni signed into law in March 2023. Warning: The act's provisions make for harrowing reading.
Nor is Uganda an outlier, sadly. “Initially,” Urch said, “I worried that the story the play tells wouldn’t stay relevant. But it has. It was done in Australia during the debate there over same-sex marriage, and in Brazil, which has the highest murder rate in the world of LGBT people. On our planet right now, there’s still tremendous violence against gay people, and there’s a more general upsurge of people’s rights being taken away. This play sadly couldn’t be more relevant right now.”
Friday, May 8, 2026
Happy 27th Birthday to Us!
(I"m posting this early since I'll be traveling on Monday, our actual anniversary.)
Twenty-seven years ago, on May 11, 1999, what was originally known as the Potomac Gay Men's Book Group convened for its first meeting. And we're still going strong more than a quarter-century later! For more details on our origin story, see this May 2024 Washington Blade article.
Twenty-seven years ago, on May 11, 1999, what was originally known as the Potomac Gay Men's Book Group convened for its first meeting. And we're still going strong more than a quarter-century later! For more details on our origin story, see this May 2024 Washington Blade article.
Queer Author Salon at MoCA
Our friend Bob Pare has passed along info on an upcoming literary event at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Arlington. Thanks, Bob!
Sunu Chandy, who did a poetry reading at the museum last year, will be returning, along with five other writers, on Thursday, June 11, from 6:30-8 p.m., for MoCA's first-ever Queer Author Salon. The authors, whose output spans a wide variety of genres, including poetry, graphic novels, memoirs and fiction, will share selections from their work, followed by time for conversation and connection. Snacks and beverages will also be available.
This event is free to attend, though tickets are required. Use this link to get information about the authors and the evening’s program and register.
Sunu Chandy, who did a poetry reading at the museum last year, will be returning, along with five other writers, on Thursday, June 11, from 6:30-8 p.m., for MoCA's first-ever Queer Author Salon. The authors, whose output spans a wide variety of genres, including poetry, graphic novels, memoirs and fiction, will share selections from their work, followed by time for conversation and connection. Snacks and beverages will also be available.
This event is free to attend, though tickets are required. Use this link to get information about the authors and the evening’s program and register.
Douglas Stuart is back
A tip of the hat to David Schwarz, who alerted me to the fact that The New Yorker recently interviewed novelist Douglas Stuart, who won the Booker Prize for his first novel, Shuggie Bain (which we read in 2022, on David's recommendation). He has just published a new novel, John of John, which is already getting a lot of buzz; it's the latest Oprah's Book Club pick, and sounds like a good candidate for our next reading list. The New York Times just published this rave review. Here is praise from Ron Charles, a recent "Fresh Air" interview with the author, and a review in The Guardian.
The magazine asked Stuart to recommend some favorite gay novels. We read his first choice, Maria McCann's As Meat Loves Salt, back in 2006; while I'm not familiar with his other two recommendations, Clear by Carys Davies and Colm Toibin's The Story of the Night, he makes a persuasive case for both.
The magazine asked Stuart to recommend some favorite gay novels. We read his first choice, Maria McCann's As Meat Loves Salt, back in 2006; while I'm not familiar with his other two recommendations, Clear by Carys Davies and Colm Toibin's The Story of the Night, he makes a persuasive case for both.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Koestenbaum's latest
Back in 2014, our group read The Queen's Throat, Wayne Koestenbaum's tribute to opera and its devotees (the more obsessive, the better). His latest book--My Lover, the Rabbi--manages to be even wilder than that!
As Neal Bartlett (a noted novelist in his own write, I mean right) says in his review in The Guardian:
"The fierceness begins immediately. All of the book’s 188 chapters are short, but the first one comes in at only four lines. Putting both punctuation and vocabulary to tactically unexpected use, it plunges the reader straight into a world of carnality, confusion and bizarrely specific detail. Like all but a handful of the chapters, it also includes the title of the book itself. And as the book proceeds, this reiteration of the title begins to toll like a bell through the architecture of its prose, becoming almost a mantra. Far from being style-for-style’s sake, this insistent and anxious formality is at the heart of the book’s uncanny life; a quite brilliant matching of style to subject."
I've ordered the novel and, if it lives up to its billing, expect to nominate it for next year's reading list.
As Neal Bartlett (a noted novelist in his own write, I mean right) says in his review in The Guardian:
"The fierceness begins immediately. All of the book’s 188 chapters are short, but the first one comes in at only four lines. Putting both punctuation and vocabulary to tactically unexpected use, it plunges the reader straight into a world of carnality, confusion and bizarrely specific detail. Like all but a handful of the chapters, it also includes the title of the book itself. And as the book proceeds, this reiteration of the title begins to toll like a bell through the architecture of its prose, becoming almost a mantra. Far from being style-for-style’s sake, this insistent and anxious formality is at the heart of the book’s uncanny life; a quite brilliant matching of style to subject."
I've ordered the novel and, if it lives up to its billing, expect to nominate it for next year's reading list.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
A straight version of our group?
Today's Washington Post has a story about a group of eight male neighbors in Silver Spring who have been meeting monthly to discuss books since 1996.
There are a number of similarities in the way both book groups operate, but a big difference is that they are so informal that they don't even have a name. (Sniff! :-).
There are a number of similarities in the way both book groups operate, but a big difference is that they are so informal that they don't even have a name. (Sniff! :-).
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Poem in Your Pocket Day: April 30
The Academy of American Poets has designated April 30 as Poem in Your Pocket Day—a celebration of poetry in motion, shared from one person to another as part of National Poetry Month.
Participating is simple: select a poem, carry it with you, and share it throughout the day—at school, at work, at home, or online.
Here are a few easy ways to celebrate the day:
Download and print our Poem in Your Pocket booklet to carry and share throughout the day.
Create and fold your own one-page poetry zine, developed by 826 National—ideal for younger readers and classroom use.
Go to Poets.org and find a short or resonant poem. Share it however you would like.
Post a poem or record a video of yourself reading one using #PocketPoem.
Email or text a poem to friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues.
Read a poem aloud.
Poetry is meant to travel. However you share it, the goal is simple: put a poem into someone else’s day.
You can also explore our FAQs and learn more about the history of Poem in Your Pocket Day on Poets.org.
Participating is simple: select a poem, carry it with you, and share it throughout the day—at school, at work, at home, or online.
Here are a few easy ways to celebrate the day:
Download and print our Poem in Your Pocket booklet to carry and share throughout the day.
Create and fold your own one-page poetry zine, developed by 826 National—ideal for younger readers and classroom use.
Go to Poets.org and find a short or resonant poem. Share it however you would like.
Post a poem or record a video of yourself reading one using #PocketPoem.
Email or text a poem to friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues.
Read a poem aloud.
Poetry is meant to travel. However you share it, the goal is simple: put a poem into someone else’s day.
You can also explore our FAQs and learn more about the history of Poem in Your Pocket Day on Poets.org.
Friday, April 24, 2026
April 25 is Indie Bookstore Day!
I'm not sure why Little District Books waited until almost literally the last minute to announce this, but tomorrow is Indie Bookstore Day!
Little District is partnering with other local bookstores for their annual D.C. bookstore crawl--visit six or more stores to win a special prize (prize varies by store).
Spend $25 or more at Little District Books and get a spin of our prize wheel!
Find the golden ticket we have hidden in the store and win a year of free audiobooks from libro.fm!
Little District is partnering with other local bookstores for their annual D.C. bookstore crawl--visit six or more stores to win a special prize (prize varies by store).
Spend $25 or more at Little District Books and get a spin of our prize wheel!
Find the golden ticket we have hidden in the store and win a year of free audiobooks from libro.fm!
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Some bad news for book lovers...
The Associated Press reports that book bans and attempted bans remain at record highs, and efforts to have titles removed have never been more coordinated or politicized.
On April 20, the American Library Association issued its annual list of the books most challenged at the country’s libraries, part of the association’s State of America’s Libraries Report. Patricia McCormick’s Sold, a 2006 novel about sex trafficking in India, topped the list for 2025. Other targeted books include Maia Kobabe’s graphic memoir Gender Queer, Stephen Chbosky’s high school novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Sarah J. Maas’ romantasy favorite Empire of Storms.
Objections include LGBTQ+ themes (Gender Queer, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), sexual violence (Sold and A Clockwork Orange) and use of alcohol and cigarettes (Looking for Alaska). Overall, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom recorded challenges to 4,235 different works, topped only by 4,240 in 2023 since the association began keeping track more than 30 years ago.
On April 20, the American Library Association issued its annual list of the books most challenged at the country’s libraries, part of the association’s State of America’s Libraries Report. Patricia McCormick’s Sold, a 2006 novel about sex trafficking in India, topped the list for 2025. Other targeted books include Maia Kobabe’s graphic memoir Gender Queer, Stephen Chbosky’s high school novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Sarah J. Maas’ romantasy favorite Empire of Storms.
Objections include LGBTQ+ themes (Gender Queer, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), sexual violence (Sold and A Clockwork Orange) and use of alcohol and cigarettes (Looking for Alaska). Overall, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom recorded challenges to 4,235 different works, topped only by 4,240 in 2023 since the association began keeping track more than 30 years ago.
...and some good news
The Guardian reports that 422 new indie bookshops opened in 2025, according to the American Booksellers Association, a 31% rise from 2024. Countless independent restaurants, coffee shops, fitness centers, movie theaters, clothing stores and other small businesses also continue to thrive even in this era of ever-bigger retailers, fast-casual restaurants and massive e-commerce platforms.
Reporter Gene Marks observes: "The Barnes & Noble outlet near me has to meet their numbers each month and is focused entirely on moving product to make the most of every square inch of space. It’s not as profitable as a location to inventory slower-selling titles, even if there’s an audience for them. Small businesses fill in that space. They sell more obscure books that only a small percentage of people will buy. Big companies optimize for scale. Small businesses win by ignoring it."
Reporter Gene Marks observes: "The Barnes & Noble outlet near me has to meet their numbers each month and is focused entirely on moving product to make the most of every square inch of space. It’s not as profitable as a location to inventory slower-selling titles, even if there’s an audience for them. Small businesses fill in that space. They sell more obscure books that only a small percentage of people will buy. Big companies optimize for scale. Small businesses win by ignoring it."
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
When Peter met Paul
Peter Hujar is much better known today than his fellow artist and former lover Paul Thek, thanks in no small part to the acclaimed 2025 film, "Peter Hujar's Day."
But a new joint biography by Andrew Durbin, The Wonderful World that Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek, sets out to do equal justice to both men. Here are an excerpt from Vulture and a book review in The New Republic.
By the way, if Hujar's name sounds vaguely familiar but you can't quite place him: One of his most famous photographs, "Orgasmic Man," graces the cover of Hanya Yanagihara's novel, A Little Life, which we read back in 2018.
But a new joint biography by Andrew Durbin, The Wonderful World that Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek, sets out to do equal justice to both men. Here are an excerpt from Vulture and a book review in The New Republic.
By the way, if Hujar's name sounds vaguely familiar but you can't quite place him: One of his most famous photographs, "Orgasmic Man," graces the cover of Hanya Yanagihara's novel, A Little Life, which we read back in 2018.
Colm Toibin's latest
Over the years, we've discussed four books by Irish writer Colm Toibin: The Master (discussed in 2005), Love in a Dark Time (2006), The Empty Family (2012) and, most recently, The Magician (2023).
So far as I can tell from this laudatory review in The Guardian, Toibin's latest short story collection, The News from Dublin, only contains one LGBTQ character. But as with Lev Raphael, whose Secret Anniversaries of the Heart we'll be returning to next week, his writing is still powerful no matter what the subject matter is.
Speaking of which, here are two bonus tracks: an essay in The Guardian titled "I've Learned First-Hand How Evil Is Tolerated,"and a book review Toibin recently published in The New York Review of Books.
So far as I can tell from this laudatory review in The Guardian, Toibin's latest short story collection, The News from Dublin, only contains one LGBTQ character. But as with Lev Raphael, whose Secret Anniversaries of the Heart we'll be returning to next week, his writing is still powerful no matter what the subject matter is.
Speaking of which, here are two bonus tracks: an essay in The Guardian titled "I've Learned First-Hand How Evil Is Tolerated,"and a book review Toibin recently published in The New York Review of Books.
The Further Adventures of Gertrude Stein
Later this year, we'll discuss Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife by Francesca Wade, a literary biography of the enigmatic writer and larger-than-life personality.
In the meantime, I thought I'd share a review in The Guardian of a new book that takes a somewhat different approach to distilling Stein's legacy: My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein, by Deborah Levy.
To quote the opening of the review: "The book doesn’t exactly have a plot, but there is a situation. Three female friends are in Paris. The narrator (English, single) is writing, or failing to write, an essay about Gertrude Stein. Eva (Spanish-Danish, married to a man in Seattle whom she sees once a week, if that, on FaceTime) is a graphic novelist. Fanny (French, polyamorous with three female lovers) is a financier." Color me intrigued!
In the meantime, I thought I'd share a review in The Guardian of a new book that takes a somewhat different approach to distilling Stein's legacy: My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein, by Deborah Levy.
To quote the opening of the review: "The book doesn’t exactly have a plot, but there is a situation. Three female friends are in Paris. The narrator (English, single) is writing, or failing to write, an essay about Gertrude Stein. Eva (Spanish-Danish, married to a man in Seattle whom she sees once a week, if that, on FaceTime) is a graphic novelist. Fanny (French, polyamorous with three female lovers) is a financier." Color me intrigued!
Friday, March 27, 2026
Happy 100th Birthday, Frank O'Hara!
I am indebted to Ron Charles for the reminder in his Substack that Frank O’Hara was born on March 27, 1926. Charles notes that The Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara, edited by Donald Allen, won a National Book Award in 1972, six years after the poet was struck by a car and died at 40.
Back in 2014, we read perhaps his best-known collection, Lunch Poems. A decade before that, we read Joe LeSueur's Digressions on Some Poems by Frank O'Hara. And just five years ago, we read Brad Gooch's biography of the poet, City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara (highly recommended).
I've also posted several items here about O'Hara over the years, which you can (re)read by clicking on this link.
Following in LeSueur's footsteps, here is a poetic tribute to O'Hara by a Somali-American poet, Laden Osman.
Back in 2014, we read perhaps his best-known collection, Lunch Poems. A decade before that, we read Joe LeSueur's Digressions on Some Poems by Frank O'Hara. And just five years ago, we read Brad Gooch's biography of the poet, City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara (highly recommended).
I've also posted several items here about O'Hara over the years, which you can (re)read by clicking on this link.
Following in LeSueur's footsteps, here is a poetic tribute to O'Hara by a Somali-American poet, Laden Osman.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Some thoughts on "Hawk Mountain"
Because he lives in Russia, our friend Jacob Green is unable to attend BookMen meetings in person, but he has attended one Zoom session (so far) even though it happened in the wee hours for him. But as soon as I announced we'd be reading Connor Habib's Hawk Mountain, which we'll discuss on April 8, he ordered the book and posted a review on his own blog.
I'm only going to quote one paragraph here because the review contains a major spoiler. But once you've finished the novel, I encourage you to check out the rest of Jacob's thoughts.
"I have every reason to believe that Hawk Mountain is deeply personal for Conner Habib, its author. For example, there is a passage where Jack shares his sense of a family in the army. It has a very special meaning to me because my father is a military officer. 'To my father, who left me at the age of 3'—these exact words I used on the dedication page of my coming-out novel, Truth with Ornaments."
Thanks, Jacob!
I'm only going to quote one paragraph here because the review contains a major spoiler. But once you've finished the novel, I encourage you to check out the rest of Jacob's thoughts.
"I have every reason to believe that Hawk Mountain is deeply personal for Conner Habib, its author. For example, there is a passage where Jack shares his sense of a family in the army. It has a very special meaning to me because my father is a military officer. 'To my father, who left me at the age of 3'—these exact words I used on the dedication page of my coming-out novel, Truth with Ornaments."
Thanks, Jacob!
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Life after Book World
Over the years, I've quoted Ron Charles, the distinguished former Washington Post "Book World" reviewer, many times in posts on this blog.
The bad news, as I presume most of you already know, is that last month, the Post discontinued "Book World" (along with the entire sports section and other parts of the newspaper). That's actually the second time the paper has done that in this century; talk about cancel culture! (I fear there will be no third resurrection, however.)
Here is the New York Times' account of a Feb. 22 gathering at Politics & Prose held to celebrate Book World's legacy and mourn its discontinuation.
The good news is that Ron Charles is now on Substack. Like most other writers on that site, he offers a good deal of content for free, but I signed up as a paid subscriber to get the full experience, and highly recommend his work.
More good news: As a paid subscriber, I can issue free one-month subscriptions to five recipients. Because I want to give dibs to current BookMen, I'll put the relevant sign-up info into my next weekly missive.
Here's a sample Substack column, "Do I Still Matter?," that I hope will pique your interest.
The bad news, as I presume most of you already know, is that last month, the Post discontinued "Book World" (along with the entire sports section and other parts of the newspaper). That's actually the second time the paper has done that in this century; talk about cancel culture! (I fear there will be no third resurrection, however.)
Here is the New York Times' account of a Feb. 22 gathering at Politics & Prose held to celebrate Book World's legacy and mourn its discontinuation.
The good news is that Ron Charles is now on Substack. Like most other writers on that site, he offers a good deal of content for free, but I signed up as a paid subscriber to get the full experience, and highly recommend his work.
More good news: As a paid subscriber, I can issue free one-month subscriptions to five recipients. Because I want to give dibs to current BookMen, I'll put the relevant sign-up info into my next weekly missive.
Here's a sample Substack column, "Do I Still Matter?," that I hope will pique your interest.
ReQueered reading
When you finish the final short story in Felice Picano's Slashed to Ribbons in Defense of Love and Other Stories, which we'll be discussing on March 18, I encourage you not to close the book. The "About ReQueered Tales" postscript is worth reading in its own right, and it leads into a list of 15 other titles the publishing house has issued. The first several novels are also by the prolific Picano, but Robert Ferro, Michael Grumley, Stan Leventhal, Brian Bouldrey, Nikki Baker, Matt Lubbers-Moore, Ian Young and Lev Raphael (the author of another short story collection we're currently enjoying) are also represented.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Maupin inspires across the pond
The Guardian recently reviewed what sounds like a marvelous new book: Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Lives Behind Net Curtains by an author with one of the best aptonyms I've seen in a long time: John Grindrod, an English social historian. (Insert your own joke here.)
As reviewer Rebecca Nicholson observes, Grindrod's approach pays subtle tribute to Armistead Maupin's beloved "Tales from the City" series. She also notes something I'm embarrassed to admit came as news to me: The most recent installment, Mona of the Manor, saw one of its key characters move to the Cotswolds to navigate a very different kind of village.
Grindrod grew up in Croydon and now lives with his partner in Milton Keynes; he opens the book with an anecdote about the thrill of finding out he has next-door “gaybours”. Nicholson says "his fascination with and connection to the subject have allowed him to weave an intelligent and sensitive collection of stories, interspersing research from libraries, archives, books, newsletters and reports with original interviews. As much as it is a social history, it is a political, an architectural (he links the popularity of bay windows to the rebellious Arts and Crafts movement, for example) and a cultural one." I plan to order a copy and nominate it for our next reading list if it lives up to expectations.
As reviewer Rebecca Nicholson observes, Grindrod's approach pays subtle tribute to Armistead Maupin's beloved "Tales from the City" series. She also notes something I'm embarrassed to admit came as news to me: The most recent installment, Mona of the Manor, saw one of its key characters move to the Cotswolds to navigate a very different kind of village.
Grindrod grew up in Croydon and now lives with his partner in Milton Keynes; he opens the book with an anecdote about the thrill of finding out he has next-door “gaybours”. Nicholson says "his fascination with and connection to the subject have allowed him to weave an intelligent and sensitive collection of stories, interspersing research from libraries, archives, books, newsletters and reports with original interviews. As much as it is a social history, it is a political, an architectural (he links the popularity of bay windows to the rebellious Arts and Crafts movement, for example) and a cultural one." I plan to order a copy and nominate it for our next reading list if it lives up to expectations.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Some thoughts on "The Bee Sting"
David Stewart, who nominated the novel we'll be discussing tomorrow night --Paul Murray's The Bee Sting--unfortunately cannot join us. However, he offers the following comments and possible discussion questions for our consideration:
"I recommended The Bee Sting because I thought it was a compelling story that offered a fascinating psychological study of the main characters–Dickie and his wife, Imelda, and, to some extent, Dickie’s younger brother, Frank–that centered on Dickie’s deeply closeted homosexuality. I thought that the characters were all very well drawn and that the plot–while it took a while to get going–was dynamite. So here are some possible discussion questions, in no particular order:
· Does Dickie rise to the level of a tragic hero? Why or why not?
· Is The Bee Sting a morality tale? If so, what is the moral?
· As a young man, Dickie was at least halfway out of the closet. How do you explain his retreat?
· Why was it apparently impossible for Dickie to come out to his family when he was being blackmailed by Ryszard?
· Why did Imelda marry Dickie? Was it simply coercion?
· To what extent was Imelda complicit in the sexual fraud at the heart of their marriage? Was there an element of awareness/denial?
· “The Bee Sting” refers to a specific episode in the novel. Does it also have a broader, metaphorical reference?
· Do you have any thoughts about what motivated the actions of Dickie’s brother Frank? Any thoughts about the feelings of the two brothers toward each other?
· What did you think of the novel’s alternating first person narratives? Did it work well--or not?
· What is the role of Dickie’s children, Cass and PJ, in the novel? Are they simply a Greek Chorus?
· What do you make of PJ’s susceptibility to sexual predators?
· Did you find the sex scenes between Dickie and Ryszard hot?
· What did you think of the novel’s ending?"
Thanks, David!
"I recommended The Bee Sting because I thought it was a compelling story that offered a fascinating psychological study of the main characters–Dickie and his wife, Imelda, and, to some extent, Dickie’s younger brother, Frank–that centered on Dickie’s deeply closeted homosexuality. I thought that the characters were all very well drawn and that the plot–while it took a while to get going–was dynamite. So here are some possible discussion questions, in no particular order:
· Does Dickie rise to the level of a tragic hero? Why or why not?
· Is The Bee Sting a morality tale? If so, what is the moral?
· As a young man, Dickie was at least halfway out of the closet. How do you explain his retreat?
· Why was it apparently impossible for Dickie to come out to his family when he was being blackmailed by Ryszard?
· Why did Imelda marry Dickie? Was it simply coercion?
· To what extent was Imelda complicit in the sexual fraud at the heart of their marriage? Was there an element of awareness/denial?
· “The Bee Sting” refers to a specific episode in the novel. Does it also have a broader, metaphorical reference?
· Do you have any thoughts about what motivated the actions of Dickie’s brother Frank? Any thoughts about the feelings of the two brothers toward each other?
· What did you think of the novel’s alternating first person narratives? Did it work well--or not?
· What is the role of Dickie’s children, Cass and PJ, in the novel? Are they simply a Greek Chorus?
· What do you make of PJ’s susceptibility to sexual predators?
· Did you find the sex scenes between Dickie and Ryszard hot?
· What did you think of the novel’s ending?"
Thanks, David!
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
A Whale of a tale
In his introduction to The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies, which we discussed earlier this month, Vito Russo name-checks several LGBTQ directors from Hollywood's early days: Jean Vigo, Dorothy Arzner, F.W. Murnau, James Whale, Edmund Goulding, Mitchell Leisen, Sergei Eisenstein and Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Back in 2013, we discussed Gods and Monsters, Christopher Bram's novel about Whale that was later filmed (I highly recommend both versions of the story). And in a November 2025 post here, I noted the 50th anniversary of Pasolini's murder by referencing an essay about the director's legacy by Olivia Laing, whose essay collection, The Lonely City, we read in 2020.
Back in 2013, we discussed Gods and Monsters, Christopher Bram's novel about Whale that was later filmed (I highly recommend both versions of the story). And in a November 2025 post here, I noted the 50th anniversary of Pasolini's murder by referencing an essay about the director's legacy by Olivia Laing, whose essay collection, The Lonely City, we read in 2020.
Wilde and free!
The National Theatre production of "The Importance of Being Earnest," directed by Max Webster, will be available to stream for free worldwide on YouTube next month as part of "Take Your Seats," the weeklong streaming initiative from National Theatre at Home that allows anyone, anywhere, to access theater for free.
Performances will be available for free viewing on YouTube from March 12-18, before moving to the theater's subscription service on March 19. There will be a digital watch-along YouTube premiere on March 12 at 7 p.m. GMT, which will include chats and polls during the show. Captioned, audio-described and BSL options will also be available.
"The Importance of Being Earnest" stars three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D. Clarke, "Doctor Who"‘s Ncuti Gatwa, Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́, "Little Women‘s" Eliza Scanlen and "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again"‘s Hugh Skinner.
Click here for more information or to subscribe to National Theatre at Home.
Performances will be available for free viewing on YouTube from March 12-18, before moving to the theater's subscription service on March 19. There will be a digital watch-along YouTube premiere on March 12 at 7 p.m. GMT, which will include chats and polls during the show. Captioned, audio-described and BSL options will also be available.
"The Importance of Being Earnest" stars three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D. Clarke, "Doctor Who"‘s Ncuti Gatwa, Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́, "Little Women‘s" Eliza Scanlen and "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again"‘s Hugh Skinner.
Click here for more information or to subscribe to National Theatre at Home.
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Some LGBTQ+ Poetry to Enjoy, Part 1
Some LGBTQ+ poetry to enjoy, Part 1
The American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter has featured even more LGBTQ+ poetry than usual (not all by LGBTQ+ poets, I should note) so far this winter, so I'm playing catchup here. These poems were disseminated in November and December; the post immediately below this one will bring us up to date. Enjoy!
Madagascar [Opus 104] by Witter Bynner
To My Daughter's Dead Name by Lance Larson
Egg Tooth by Benjamin Garcia
Jessica McClure, After the Well by Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers
Dock Rats by Marianne Moore
Gender Euphoria and the Superbloom by Jennifer Huang
The Sign as You Leave the Artists' Colony Says "The New World" by Aliki Barnstone
Le Jardin des Tuileries by Oscar Wilde
Megaloceros by J. Bailey Hutchison
Madagascar [Opus 104] by Witter Bynner
To My Daughter's Dead Name by Lance Larson
Egg Tooth by Benjamin Garcia
Jessica McClure, After the Well by Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers
Dock Rats by Marianne Moore
Gender Euphoria and the Superbloom by Jennifer Huang
The Sign as You Leave the Artists' Colony Says "The New World" by Aliki Barnstone
Le Jardin des Tuileries by Oscar Wilde
Megaloceros by J. Bailey Hutchison
Some LBGTQ+ poetry to enjoy, Part 2
As promised, here is LGBTQ+ poetry featured in the American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter in January and February. Enjoy!
II [Doom is dark and deeper than any sea-dingle.] by W.H. Auden
Queer Trivia Night by Jenny Johnson
The Teeth on My Wrist by Elizabeth Bradfield
Alternate Endings to Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much” Music Video by Canese Jarboe
Memory Poem by Marlanda Dekine
Sun Song by Langston Hughes
[I seek and desire] by Sappho
Bright Bindings by Countee Cullen
Lessons at the Legendary Institute for Yarn Spinning by igoberto González
II [Doom is dark and deeper than any sea-dingle.] by W.H. Auden
Queer Trivia Night by Jenny Johnson
The Teeth on My Wrist by Elizabeth Bradfield
Alternate Endings to Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much” Music Video by Canese Jarboe
Memory Poem by Marlanda Dekine
Sun Song by Langston Hughes
[I seek and desire] by Sappho
Bright Bindings by Countee Cullen
Lessons at the Legendary Institute for Yarn Spinning by igoberto González
Sunday, February 8, 2026
More by/about Vito Russo
Here are the books by and about Vito Russo that Philip Clark mentioned during Wednesday night's meeting.
Michael Schiavi's biography of Russo: Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo
Vito Russo's writings beyond The Celluloid Closet:
Out Spoken, Reel One:
Out Spoken, Reel Two:
Philip notes: "Sorry for the awful links from the awful Amazon, but they're the easiest ways to send info about these books. The two Out Spoken books are companions to an HBO documentary called "Vito."
Many thanks, Philip!
Michael Schiavi's biography of Russo: Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo
Vito Russo's writings beyond The Celluloid Closet:
Out Spoken, Reel One:
Out Spoken, Reel Two:
Philip notes: "Sorry for the awful links from the awful Amazon, but they're the easiest ways to send info about these books. The two Out Spoken books are companions to an HBO documentary called "Vito."
Many thanks, Philip!
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Some "Picnic" tidbits
A tip of the hat to Lee Levine, who advises that Turner Movie Classics will screen the movie version of William Inge's Picnic (the play we'll discuss via Zoom on Feb. 25) this Thursday, Feb. 5, at 8:30 p.m.
Lee, our movie maven, notes: "'Picnic' was nominated for six Oscars and won two. (Not for William Holden's chest, heh heh.) Having seen both the movie and play, I can attest that it depends upon the staging as to which medium stresses more the homoerotic elements of the material."
Lee also pointed me to the following 1992 commentary by actress Kim Stanley about the playwright: "Let me tell you something about Bill Inge. This is what I tell my students, most of whom arrive having decided that he's old and tired and out of style and dishonest. Inge is one of the most honest of playwrights--straight and simple in his style. This may make him seem less literary, less daunting, than some of his peers, but you cannot say that his plays are not honest. Are they fully honest in the presentation of his own autobiography? No. Bill could never be fully honest about his own sexuality, so I think a lot of people fault him for not writing an inverted character in his plays who could represent him, but I always point out that he DID write such characters in his plays, and the fringe witness that was Bill Inge is in those plays.
"You can knock Bill for his style, and you can knock him because the place from which he hailed wasn't a place that inspires your dreams, but the primary reason that people can't embrace Bill Inge or the primary reason that they chuckle and dismiss him is because he forces you to remember what physical attraction and physical love can and should do to you, and what the lack of this same chemical magic can and will do to you. We cannot go through this world alone, and the dreams and the fantasies will grow old and, like our prescriptions for drugs and alcohol, will have to be continually and dangerously raised in order for them to have any effect. We need other people--one wonderful other person--to make ourselves whole. That was his belief. That was his dream. That was what he never achieved.
"I cannot believe that this theme does not resonate within everyone, so I am always angry and amazed when Bill's plays are produced and there is this chorus of disbelief about the subject matter. Admit it: You lack the love or you lost the love or you destroyed the love. That's hard to do, but that's what you are confessing when you submit to the plays of Bill Inge."--Kim Stanley/Interview with James Grissom/1992
Lee, our movie maven, notes: "'Picnic' was nominated for six Oscars and won two. (Not for William Holden's chest, heh heh.) Having seen both the movie and play, I can attest that it depends upon the staging as to which medium stresses more the homoerotic elements of the material."
Lee also pointed me to the following 1992 commentary by actress Kim Stanley about the playwright: "Let me tell you something about Bill Inge. This is what I tell my students, most of whom arrive having decided that he's old and tired and out of style and dishonest. Inge is one of the most honest of playwrights--straight and simple in his style. This may make him seem less literary, less daunting, than some of his peers, but you cannot say that his plays are not honest. Are they fully honest in the presentation of his own autobiography? No. Bill could never be fully honest about his own sexuality, so I think a lot of people fault him for not writing an inverted character in his plays who could represent him, but I always point out that he DID write such characters in his plays, and the fringe witness that was Bill Inge is in those plays.
"You can knock Bill for his style, and you can knock him because the place from which he hailed wasn't a place that inspires your dreams, but the primary reason that people can't embrace Bill Inge or the primary reason that they chuckle and dismiss him is because he forces you to remember what physical attraction and physical love can and should do to you, and what the lack of this same chemical magic can and will do to you. We cannot go through this world alone, and the dreams and the fantasies will grow old and, like our prescriptions for drugs and alcohol, will have to be continually and dangerously raised in order for them to have any effect. We need other people--one wonderful other person--to make ourselves whole. That was his belief. That was his dream. That was what he never achieved.
"I cannot believe that this theme does not resonate within everyone, so I am always angry and amazed when Bill's plays are produced and there is this chorus of disbelief about the subject matter. Admit it: You lack the love or you lost the love or you destroyed the love. That's hard to do, but that's what you are confessing when you submit to the plays of Bill Inge."--Kim Stanley/Interview with James Grissom/1992
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
The Celluloid Closet online
Good news, friends: Robert Muir found a PDF copy of our next selection online: The-Celluloid-Closet.pdf. (Coincidentally, it’s the same edition I own.) Bless you, Robert!
Monday, January 26, 2026
LGBTQ+ Lit at home...
Several BookMen (Grant Thompson, Brian Doyle, Stuart Sotsky, Ted Coltman and moi) had the pleasure of attending Thomas Mallon's appearance at the Cosmos Club last Tuesday to promote his new memoir, The Very Heart of It: New York Diaries, 1983-1994.
You may recall that last fall, I nominated the book for our current reading list. It got some votes, but didn't quite make the cut.
I nominated it largely on the strength of his most famous novel, Fellow Travelers, which we discussed back in 2008. (It was later adapted into an opera and a Paramount limited TV series, both quite enjoyable in different ways.) Now that I actually have the book in hand (which the author kindly autographed for me after the luncheon), and have read the opening section (1983), however, I think we dodged a bullet.
That's not because the book is dull or flawed in any way; Mallon is a fine writer, and I have every intention of finishing it. Rather, I think it would have been difficult to conduct a satisfying discussion of a succession of diary entries--something I probably should have anticipated when deciding whether to nominate it. Mea culpa.
You may recall that last fall, I nominated the book for our current reading list. It got some votes, but didn't quite make the cut.
I nominated it largely on the strength of his most famous novel, Fellow Travelers, which we discussed back in 2008. (It was later adapted into an opera and a Paramount limited TV series, both quite enjoyable in different ways.) Now that I actually have the book in hand (which the author kindly autographed for me after the luncheon), and have read the opening section (1983), however, I think we dodged a bullet.
That's not because the book is dull or flawed in any way; Mallon is a fine writer, and I have every intention of finishing it. Rather, I think it would have been difficult to conduct a satisfying discussion of a succession of diary entries--something I probably should have anticipated when deciding whether to nominate it. Mea culpa.
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