Arts & Culture :: Books

B.A.R.'s Bestie balloting begins

B.A.R.'s Bestie balloting begins

  • by Cynthia Laird
  • Sep 25, 2023

It's time for Bay Area Reporter readers to cast their ballots for the LGBTQ newspaper's annual Best of the Bay contest.

'Samuel Barber: His Life & Legacy' - Howard Pollack's biography of the gay composer

'Samuel Barber: His Life & Legacy' - Howard Pollack's biography of the gay composer

  • by Laura Moreno
  • Sep 25, 2023

Howard Pollack has written a comprehensive biography rich with information about composer Samuel Barber's private and professional life, his music, and his place in the canon.

NCTC's 'Before the Sword' - imagining the life of T.H. White

NCTC's 'Before the Sword' - imagining the life of T.H. White

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Sep 19, 2023

If you've seen Disney's cheerful animated feature "The Sword in the Stone," the world premiere production of "Before the Sword" at the New Conservatory Theatre Center will deepen your appreciation of the film's source material.

Steven Rowley's 'The Celebrants'

Steven Rowley's 'The Celebrants'

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Sep 19, 2023

Billed as a "Big Chill" for our times, the lackluster "The Celebrants" is the latest fiction from the gay bestselling author Steven Rowley following his "The Editor" and "Guncle" feelgood books.

Edward Cahill's 'Disorderly Men'

Edward Cahill's 'Disorderly Men'

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Sep 17, 2023

Edward Cahill's moving, memorable debut novel does indeed deliver the "disorderly men" promised in the title. The novel is set in the 1960s and mostly takes place at a pre-Stonewall-era Greenwich Village gay bar.

Guest Opinion: Let's create more indie bookstores

Guest Opinion: Let's create more indie bookstores

  • by Ken White
  • Sep 13, 2023

When I worked at A Different Light Bookstore on Castro Street in the 1990s, it was the cultural hub of the LGBTQ neighborhood.

'P.S. Burn This Letter Please' — fascinating '50s New York drag scene told in new book

'P.S. Burn This Letter Please' — fascinating '50s New York drag scene told in new book

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Sep 12, 2023

The discovery of a series of letters addressed to someone named Reno Martin from a writer using the name Daphne talking about drag in New York in the 1950s has led to a fascinating documentary and now a book by Craig Olsen.

Autumn reads, part 3

Autumn reads, part 3

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Sep 12, 2023

With the third and final installment of our fall 2023 books roundup, while we couldn't capture all the amazing queer books publishing this season, here are even more of the novels, memoirs, and picture book titles you will certainly want to seek out.

Myriam Gurba's 'Creep: Accusations and Confessions'

Myriam Gurba's 'Creep: Accusations and Confessions'

  • by Laura Moreno
  • Sep 6, 2023

"Creep: Accusations and Confessions" is a truly worthy new collection of essays about the evil that exists all around us. It is written by the very talented Mexican-American writer Myriam Gurba.

Autumn reads, part 2

Autumn reads, part 2

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Sep 5, 2023

Here comes the second part of our fall books roundup, which will give you an idea of what is coming to bookstores over the next several months.

Mark S. King's 'My Fabulous Disease'

Mark S. King's 'My Fabulous Disease'

  • by Hank Trout
  • Sep 5, 2023

"My Fabulous Disease: Chronicles of a Gay Survivor," an anthology of some of Mark S. King's favorite blog entries and other pieces he wrote for various gay newspapers, chronicles his perspectives about being HIV-positive.

Autumn reads, part 1

Autumn reads, part 1

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Aug 29, 2023

Here we are once again with another fall round-up of books coming to shelves near you. The range is diverse and effortlessly intriguing.

Leon Acord's 'Expletives Not Deleted'

Leon Acord's 'Expletives Not Deleted'

  • by Laura Moreno
  • Aug 22, 2023

The creator and star of the hit series "Old Dogs & New Tricks," and author of the very entertaining book "Sub-lebrity: The Queer Life of a Show-Biz Footnote," Leon Acord is now wowing fans with his new book, "Expletives Not Deleted."

Jamie Stewart's 'Anything That Moves'

Jamie Stewart's 'Anything That Moves'

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Aug 15, 2023

Jamie Stewart's "Anything That Moves," an erotic catalog of collected memories of the non-binary performer's sexual experiences shifts from the awkward to the depraved to the hilarious.