Today is the birthday of Henry David Thoreau. So let us take a few moments to celebrate this great American. He was, of course the author of the classic: Walden; or Life in the Woods. What makes Walden a
Happy Birthday Henry David Thoreau. Read More »
Having read William Mann’s classic queer Hollywood history, Behind the Screen, Queer Reader expected his new Katharine Hepburn biography to be very good. It isn’t very good. It’s great. Mr. Mann’s Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn may just
Read William Mann’s Kate. Read More »
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt met with reformers in the Oval Office, he responded to their requests with three cryptic sentences: “I agree with you. I want to do it. Now make me do it.” This possibly apocryphal quotation has become
We all know what went right on Election Day: Barack Obama was elected president. That was the good news. I was literally partying in the streets of my neighborhood (Chelsea) as the bad news came trickling in. California’s anti-gay marriage
Marriage Proposals is Now in Paperback. Read More »
I’ll admit I was a little nervous about this one. One of America’s great writers, Edmund White, has written a biography of one of France’s great poets–arguably the father of modern poetry–Arthur Rimbaud. Sounds intelligent. Sounds profound. Sounds…well, maybe just
Edmund White’s Rimbaud is Superb. Read More »
We think we know them. We’ve seen Picasso’s strangely flattering portrait of Gertrude Stein (painted from memory.) And the famous Man Ray photograph of Gertrude and Alice B. Toklas–looking like the old married couple that they were. Then there is
Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice is Now in Paperback. Read More »
Did you know that Thomas Mann’s daughter was married to W.H. Auden? When asked why he agreed to the marriage, Auden replied: “What else are buggers for?” In fact, Auden met Ericka Mann the day he married her. He did
Thomas Mann’s Queer Kids Read More »
The quest for quality queer literature is a challenging one. These are tough times. Fewer and fewer queer titles are being published. We’ve seen some of our most-beloved queer bookstores close–victims of increasing urban real estate prices and competition from