this is fyf

PBS' "In the Life" features author Justin Spring and his subject Samuel Steward.

Remember "Secret Historian" the award-winning biography of Sam Steward by Justing Spring?  It's featured this month on PBS' "In the Life".  Check it out: 

Valley of the Dolls was a hit when I was born.

Here's a handy application to find out what books were in the Top 10 when you were born.  The Awl calls it your personal literary zodiac.

But that makes me "Valley of the Dolls" with an "Everything But Money" nonfiction rising!  Sadly, that's pretty damned accurate!

Here's hoping your results are better.

Matthew Gallaway takes us deeper into 'The Metropolis Case'

What I like the most about Matthew Gallaway's writing is that it demonstrates that long-form blogging is still a necessary tool in telling stories through the internet. And although he bears no grudges against Tumblr or Twitter (he's prolific on both media, here and here), his prose shines the most in longer narratives--like his In The Weeds column at The Awl. The man can tell a story. Which is why The Metropolis Case is a treat. Mr. Gallaway makes his ambitions clear at the outset: He introduces a cast of characters all unified by their love of opera and bravely us through their glories and heartbreaks. And it's exquisite. Not too long ago, I besieged him with a few questions--both as a writer and as a fan of his work--and he was happy to oblige. Read on!

Hello Matthew! How are you?
Great, thanks! And thanks for having me on board.

Would you prefer people call you Matthew? Matt? MG?
I'm really not picky about the name thing, so any of the above is fine.

And a follow-up: If you had to choose a pen name, what would it be?
My middle name is 'Lee,' and I once considered using that as a pen name. Like Matthew Lee. Or maybe Lee Matthew--which might be kind of too porny? But at this point, I'm pretty content with Matthew Gallaway.

All I want for Giftmas is my foreskin...

 

Seems us gays are a talented, children's (?) book writing lot! FYF Friend Carl Schutt surprised me the other day by announcing he'd written, illustrated and self-published a book, "I Want My Foreskin for Giftmas" and pointed me to his website where I could watch the musical read-a-long video embedded here and "preview" his book. The video's amazing, as is the full-length poem about Mr. Schutt's "skinflute" and its missing "hood", the hand-cut (no pun!) illustrations and the myriad euphemisms for penis, throughout.

Visit the website to purchase your copy today! It's sure to be a conversation starter for years to come.

FYF Contributor Rohin Guha's book comes out today!

I'm sure there're those who consider the Bible unsanitary, too.

Certainly, visitors carrying the Holy Book into foreign countries in the past can be accused of wreaking havoc on a scale in keeping with any catastrophe the FDA might be hoping to avoid in restricting the above?

Just a thought presented to hopefully raise a question in the reader's mind along these lines: What makes Biblical beliefs more or less valid than the beliefs held by the person carrying the above "religious paraphernalia"? Also, what does it say about our culture that one belief system is seen as more "logical" and less superstitious than the other?

Photo of contents of man's baggage confiscated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials upon his arrival in the U.S. at Washington-Dulles Airport.

Civilization Progress Report: Men and women with pens will save the entire damn world

Heavens to Zeus! This week has been a delightful blur, hasn't it! Well, it has for me, because--and I feel that after so many weeks of heavy-lifting (what with all the rebuilding of civlization one brick at a time!), I've earned a couple shameless plugs!--I had a lovely little short story about volcanoes and love and death and bodily waste chucked online somewhere! And so in honor of this little feat--and the slightly larger feat of having a collection of my stories out next month--I'd like to dedicate today's report to the incredible men and women who are keeping culture from coming apart at the seams, by writing stories and sharing their art with the world. Because without words, we'd be nothing more than cave dwellers. We'd be nothing more than a pack of wildebeests closely resembling Ke$ha. And wouldn't that be a fright!

• Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is getting the graphic novel treatment thanks to Derek Ruiz and Daniel Sempere. [GalleyCat]

• HOLY MACKEREL! Neil Gaiman doesn't know who sent him the Home Sushi Kit. [Neil Gaiman]

• In case it wasn't apparent enough by the sprawling, poorly-edited text of the last book, J.K. Rowling will not be writing another Harry Potter book. [The Guardian]

• READY FOR THE WEEKEND!There are a lot of literary events throughout New York City. Very few of them are worth going to. EARSHOT, a Brooklyn-based series curated by Nicole Steinberg, features Eric Nelson, Chris Tarry, and several others tonight. It is absolutely worth going to. [Facebook]

George W. Bush doesn't care about about memoirs, people.

"When I decided to sit down and write my memoirs, I decided to take an unconventional approach." No, you decided that writing memoirs is hard and grueling if you really do it right. Confronting the decisions you've made in life is difficult. I've written about hurting friends and lovers. About being up for three days and crying to bad Janet Jackson tunes with dear friends. About waking up in the back of a Mexican drug dealers bullet-proofed SUV, in Mexico. You, sir, simply weren't up to the task.

Comic book boys gather in Brooklyn tonight and all weekend long.

There's something hot about the comic book boys, isn't there?*  It's in that mix of art appreciation and hope for a better tomorrow and just the general concept of running around in one's underpants to save the planet.  This weekend starts early for King Con, a Brooklyn "alternative" comics convention that will bring together these sexy miscreants as they start aspects of their event at the Brooklyn Lyceum.  Might be worth taking a look!

*Disclaimer:  There are Wonder Woman and Lois Lane comics hanging on my walls at home.

Justin Bieber: Distilled

Does 16 seem an early age to write an autobiography? Not in the age of Twitter! Justin Bieber's autobiography is out! Thankfully, someone at Buzzfeed kindly distilled the gigantic tome down to a few succinct quotes/lolcatz-esque pics so we can breeze through this literary masterpiece without having to make tough decisions like whether or not to read the book or watch "The A-List". What does any of this have to do with FYF or its reader? Nothing. 

Enjoy!

National Book Awards finalists include stories of notorious gays.

The chronicled lives of Robert Mapplethorpe (by Patti Smith!) and Samuel Steward are included in the nonfiction finalists for the National Book Awards, announced yesterday.  Smith's work covers her experiences with the photographer.  Stewards biography by Justin King covers the live of a sexual impressario whose sex life (including the bagging of Rudolph Valentino and Rock Hudson) was explored by Alfred Kinsey.  (I'm buying the Steward book today!)  

Via The Advocate.

These are great.

Really get in to the concept and execution.

Via

Civilization Progress Report: Breaking! Gay people have to be gay in order to work (gaily) in the gay media!

There is this whole thing up at Queerty asking us, "Do you have to be gay to work in the gay media?" and it's like, why bother reading the 492 or how many ever words that ensue because ultimately yes, you have to be gay to work in the gay media. But by quickly skimming Out's homepage, you'll find one Joshua David Stein, a straight guy - married even! And then you'll reason that such questions don't really matter, because magazines are doomed and most people in that trade will become pretty outmoded after the digital transition finishes making mincemeat out of print, and (more terrifyingly, journalism). Which is to say, Queerty's "investigation" was total comment-hungry non-news. But you know what's non-non-news? The news briefs that make up the flimsy architecture of this week's Civilization Progress Report!

• TWIST! The true surprise ending of Christopher Nolan's Inception that it was able to catapult one of its thesps to just-above-C-list status after he came out. [Us Magazine]

• Scientific evidence shows that bans preventing gay couples from adopting kids is bogus. [NYT]

• Anne Rice took to Facebook to denounce her Christianity. Related: I recently took to Facebook to denounce my sanity. [BuzzFeed]

 

Civilization Progress Report: Can an adorable octopus save Detroit from its apparent morale problem?

 

There are some weeks that seem to burn both fast and slow simultaneously--and leave you winded regardless. These are weeks when you find yourself clocking five, maybe six hours sleep a night and you end up snapping at hapless landlords and brokers while looking for your ideal new apartment because they want you to pay too much for a place with a bathroom that doesn't even have a sink. And then you're all like, "Dude. I want a place where my mother can come and visit me," and then he's like, "But all the other apartments in this area are like this," and you tell yourself, "I bet Geri Halliwell doesn't have to deal with problems like this!" Which, then, is the best way to segue into the week's just-add-water buffet of banality...

• It's a dark day when MTV is applauded for its portrayal of gay and lesbian characters on television. [Mercury News]

• TOUGH QUESTIONS Which one is Adam Lambert and which one is the cross-dresser in this photograph? [Queerty]

• Also, Queerty: No one will be made more aware of discrimination by going to see Lady Gaga warble, "PA-PA-PA-PA-KUH-FEIS," while wearing odd-looking shoes. An attempt to drive her away from Arizona as part of a larger plan to cut off money to the state until they overturn their prejudicial laws by contrast? Uh, misguided...but more logical than the idea that "Poker Face" could overhaul hateful politics. [Queerty]

Excerptionalism - Put on Your Crown, Queen Latifah 2010

 

"I'm going to stay on this path of self-discovery, even when it's a steep uphill climb, just like that mountain that seemed so high, I never thought I'd make it to the top. But I did it, and I did it the way I do everything else -- step by step, moment by moment. That's all you can do. Face each challenge as it comes. Don't look up and let yourself be defeated before you even start. Just focus on the journey, and before you know it, you'll get there. And when you finally do make it to the top, you'll feel so proud and so energized, you'll be ready to conquer that next mountain. You'll know that it was worth every stumble and scrape along the way. You'll also discover that, yes, you are stronger, swifter, and smarter than you think."

 - From Queen Latifah's Put on Your Crown:  Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom, which is advertised in every subway car, ever, or maybe that's just my commute.  Is it a good summer beach read?  I do not know.  But that cover in front of your face while lounging pool-side would certainly be a conversation-starter.  Personally I'm torn between the hardcover and the audiobook.

(PS - Speaking of summer beach reads, the new Bret Easton Ellis comes out tomorrow!)

Civilization Progress Report: Courtney Love and Amanda Lepore protest the oil spill by putting together something even more offensive.

Well wasn't this week slightly horrible and painful for all involved? We learned this week that we've got to love our President even if it means that the only thing he can do to British Petroleum is put his finger in their wine and glower at them before turning his attention elsewhere. And if he's going to be this dignified about taking to task an oil giant whose negligence stands a good shot at going transatlantic and contaminating some major European waterways, then perhaps we ought to seek more effective leadership. Like a deranged woman who seems to have forgotten about her daughter and is now posting unsavory photo-ops of herself on Facebook. Empty out your lunches, strap your brown paper bags to your face, and dry heave! It's time for some CPR.

Silence of the Lambs and other R-rated movies, now in storybook form.

 
 Josh Cooley is an artist for Pixar with a penchant for the Little Golden Books and the R-rated movies.  Over the years, he's mashed these together, sharing them on his blog.  Now he's compiled those posts, added new ones and published a book of them.  

Via Flavorwire

Excerptionalism: Imperial Bedrooms, Bret Easton Ellis, 2010

 
"In the book everything about me had happened. The book was something I simply couldn't disavow. The book was blunt and had an honesty about it, whereas the movie was just a beautiful lie. (It was also a bummer: very colorful and busy but also grim and expensive, and it didn't recoup its cost when released that November.) In the movie I was played by an actor who actually looked more like me than the character the author portrayed in the book: I wasn't blond, I wasn't tan, and neither was the actor. I also suddenly became the movie's moral compass, spouting AA jargon, castigating everyone's drug use and trying to save Julian. ("I'll sell my car," I warn the actor playing Julian's dealer. "Whatever it takes.") This was slightly less true of the adaptation of Blair's character, played by a girl who actually seemed like she belonged in our group — jittery, sexually available, easily wounded. Julian became the sentimentalized version of himself, acted by a talented, sad-faced clown, who has an affair with Blair and then realizes he has to let her go because I was his best bud. "Be good to her," Julian tells Clay. "She really deserves it." The sheer hypocrisy of this scene must have made the author blanch. Smiling secretly to myself with perverse satisfaction when the actor delivered that line, I then glanced at Blair in the darkness of the screening room."

 - from Imperial Bedrooms, Bret Easton Ellis' sequel to Less Than Zero coming out June 15.  Esquire has a longer excerpt (from which the above is pulled).  In the meantime, my dog-eared copy of Blair, Clay, Julian and Trent's fun-filled romp in the California sunshine will get a re-visit.  Don't be a bum and just NetFlix it, as the movie simply isn't the book.  

Via kottke

Report from the front line, Murray Hill, 12:54pm

Goddaughters are FEROCE!

This Weekend: Read (to) Children

  

Mr. Sandro Isaack has written, illustrated and published a children's book (first in a series titled Dad Dad Mom Mom) titled Stork M.I.A. and no, it's not about Stork's favorite beach scene. Instead, it's an effort to include children of gay parents in the library of children's books by telling their story.

This weekend, Mr. Isaack and I will be manning a table at the Rainbow Book Fair, the world's largest LGBT book event, to promote the book. The Fair takes place at the old B. Altman building on 34th and 5th on Saturday from 11 - 5:30pm. Come by and say hello if you're out and about that day!