Where the Boys Are edited by Richard Labonte; Cleis Press, $14.95

Where the Boys Are is the latest collection of urban gay erotica from Cleis Press. Editor Richard Labonte combines short stories and memoirs from 14 different writers (two of them women) who focus on urban gay erotica.

As a group, the stories trend toward the more intellectual, literary consideration of sexual congress between men. But there are always exceptions, like Zeke Mangold's Las Vegas sploogefest, "God Hates Techno." International entries include a British city boy/country boy dilemma nicely framed by Alpha Martial in "The Birds and the Bees," and Erastes' "Drug Colors," which explores the gay London punk scene of the late 1970s.

Manhattan makes an appearance several times as writers like Rachael Kramer Bussel ("Live from New York"), Sam J. Miller ("My Evil Twin"), and Jameson Currier ("One of the Guys") document the eternal draw of the Big City for migrating young men who seek to assume their rightful place in the urban gay pantheon.

San Francisco readers will be particularly drawn to stories of Baghdad by the Bay that resurrect memories of the antediluvian past as well as recent ribaldry. Simon Shepard's "Wild Night" revives memories of the early 1970s and clubs like the 1808, the Cauldron, the Catacombs, and the Slot. A more contemporary San Francisco (as well as Walnut Creek) is on display in Dale Chase's "Half Life," where a 48-year-old, married East Bay insurance executive emerges from a heart attack to reach for the brass cock-ring of a hunky younger colleague. After one sextacular night together, the executive realizes their intense attraction is mutual; his wife simply must be discarded.

It is interesting to note that only one or two of the stories contained in Where the Boys Are reference safe sex practices. Some of the settings pre-date the AIDS era, but most do not. The omission of safe sex practices may be an accurate reflection of the collective consciousness now in place regarding sex between men, or maybe it's just wish fulfillment. In any case, Where the Boys Are delivers enjoyable prose that can be appreciated with two hands just as easily as with one.