LGBT

Unplug – LGBT Author Belo Cipriani

February 22, 2013 By Brandon Leave a Comment

Welcome Lambda Literary Fellow Belo Cipriani to the blog. He stopped by to let us know that it is okay to unplug once in awhile. And for those of you who have not read his heart-wrenching memoir yet, I highly recommend it. ~B.

Sometimes, I forget that I cannot see. The mere thought of dismissing such a grand part of my physicality cracks up people. “How is that possible?” they ask. Initially, my replies dealt with aspects of my rehabilitation. I reasoned then that learning to do everything the blind way had me back to coasting independently in society, thus allowing my vision loss to feel less prominent. Although I do not rule out this notion completely, I now believe that unplugging during times of frustration has proven to be key. [Read more…] about Unplug – LGBT Author Belo Cipriani

Interview with New LGBT Author Edward Jakab

February 12, 2013 By Brandon Leave a Comment

Welcome first time author, Edward Jakab to the blog. Since it is so close to Valentine’s Day I thought we would talk about young love, and Mr. Jakab’s first book, Fearless, is about just that.

B: Tell us about how you got started and where Fearless came from?

E: I first started writing screenplays; they were always about this guy named Jacob Moore who is based on me. I wrote the book mainly because the story needed to be told. I just kept going back to those couple of moments in my life when everything was great with my first boyfriend, but then that took me to the time I told him about the other guy and how guilty I felt. But the other guy, he was the one. I know people say that all the time about everyone, but I truly feel he was the one, and he still is in some ways. [Read more…] about Interview with New LGBT Author Edward Jakab

Interview with LGBT Author Gregory G. Allen

February 8, 2013 By Brandon Leave a Comment

Some of you may recognize Mr. Allen from a previous post. He’s an outstanding author, a good friend, and he has a new bestselling book out about fatherhood which we’re talking about here today.

B: Welcome, Greg. It’s a pleasure to have you back on the blog.

Greg: Thanks, I’m really excited to be talking to you about my latest book COOL SIDE OF THE PILLOW. You’ve always been so supportive of my work and I really appreciate that.

B: Cool Side appears to signal a change for you. Can you tell me about that?

Special Guest Post from Author Charlie Cochran

February 5, 2013 By Brandon 9 Comments

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Albert Kennedy Trust, although my association with them started off for the daftest of reasons. I mean, as a huge fan of Archie Kennedy (from the Hornblower TV series) that name was always going to catch my eye. When I read about Albert, a runaway from a children’s home who fell to his death from the top of a car park in Manchester, having suffered rejection and abuse from society, I decided I had to support the cause of getting GLBT youngsters off the streets and into supportive families.

You can imagine my delight when I was putting together my Christmas present wish list (which is always book heavy) and found Canal Street Gothic, by David Thame, in support of AKT. It was described as a collection of ten stories set in and around Manchester’s gay village revealing the gothic truths beneath the shiny surfaces of the twenty-first century city. I had high hopes, but I’ve had them dashed before, on the harsh reality of blurbs overselling their books. So I was delighted to find this book lived up to expectations. [Read more…] about Special Guest Post from Author Charlie Cochran

My Favorite Book – LGBT Author Anne Barwell

February 1, 2013 By Brandon 2 Comments

Every author has one book of their own work which is their favorite. This week I’ve offered the blog to Anne Barwell to talk a little about her favorite book. ~B

Berlin, 1943. An encounter with an old friend leaves German physicist Dr. Kristopher Lehrer with doubts about his work. But when he confronts his superior, everything goes horribly wrong. Suddenly Kristopher and Michel, a member of the Resistance, are on the run, hunted for treason and a murder they did not commit. If they’re caught, Kristopher’s knowledge could be used to build a terrible weapon that could win the war. [Read more…] about My Favorite Book – LGBT Author Anne Barwell

Dare Not – Special Guest Post by Author Joseph Dispenza

January 25, 2013 By Brandon Leave a Comment

Joseph Dispenza and Mike Herbert - sepia by Barry Shapiro When I read recently about Jamie Kuntz, the 18-year old who was kicked off his football team for being in relationship with a 65-year old man, I thought of a phrase that was first used more than a hundred years ago: “The love that dare not speak its name.”

What is the love that dare not speak its name? Most of us, on hearing the phrase, would reply quickly, “Homosexuality, of course…gay love.”

That would be right—up to a point. The “love” in question actually has a specific meaning, born of an interesting historical event: one of the four trials of poet, playwright, and wit Oscar Wilde in the spring of 1895 in London.

Four years earlier, in 1891, Wilde had fallen in love and begun a relationship with the 22-year-old Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed “Bosie”. Wilde was 38. The two of them were discrete, mostly—remember that in England at the time homosexuality was a criminal offense—but Wilde was a flamboyant celebrity whose private life was under constant scrutiny. [Read more…] about Dare Not – Special Guest Post by Author Joseph Dispenza