Bay Area Reporter :: Books News

Cynthia Carr's 'Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar'

April 16, 2024 | by Mark William Norby

Cynthia Carr's biography "Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar" astonishing at every turn, deeply excavates the Darling archive in order to bring a pioneering trans woman into the spotlight of 1970s New York.

National Poetry Month LGBTQ reading list

by Gregg Shapiro
Apr 16, 2024

To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, April (aka National Poetry Month), is the queerest month. There are so many books from which to choose before April's end, here are nine selections, including books by Richard Blanco, Kim Roberts and Emanuel Xavier.

'Ahead of the Curve' - inspiring tribute to Franco Stevens and Curve Magazine

by Laura Moreno
Apr 13, 2024

The documentary film "Ahead of the Curve," directed by Jen Rainin and Rivkah Beth Medow, tells the long-awaited real-life story of Franco Stevens and her groundbreaking career as founding publisher of Curve Magazine.

Garrard Conley's remarkable debut novel, 'All the World Beside'

by Tim Pfaff
Apr 9, 2024

Garrard Conley's debut novel, "All the World Beside," set in Puritan 18th-century America, involves a covert male love story as linear as human life, with its twists and turns, flash-forwards and flashbacks, that make it compelling.

Armen Davoudian's 'The Palace of Forty Pillars' — gay Iranian poet's collection emits new light

by Mark William Norby
Apr 9, 2024

With "Forty Pillars," Tin House introduces the arrival of a future star in modern poetry and a gay Iranian who emigrated from Iran to America in 2018 when he was 17.

Julie Delporte's storybook memoir 'Portrait of a Body'

by Laura Moreno
Apr 2, 2024

"Portrait of a Body" by Julie Delporte, translated from French by Helge Dascher and Karen Houle, tells the story of how one woman came to gain self-acceptance. The intimate storybook is masterfully illustrated by the author.

Funny stuff: author James Pauley Jr. on learning to laugh in life

by Michele Karlsberg
Mar 31, 2024

James Pauley Jr. is a humor writer with a knack for storytelling, focusing on personal experiences that are both entertaining and heartwarming. His two books contain a collection of laugh-out-loud anecdotes and messages of love and acceptance.

'Beyond Ridiculous' - Kenneth Elliott's theatrical tell-all

by Jim Provenzano
Mar 28, 2024

In "Beyond Ridiculous: Making Gay Theatre with Charles Busch in 1980s New York," Theatre-in-Limbo's actor, director and producer Kenneth Elliott recounts the history of a unique art movement, the drag camp plays written by Charles Busch.

Lambda Literary Awards 2024 finalists announced

by Jim Provenzano
Mar 27, 2024

The Lambda Literary Foundation announced the finalists for this year's annual awards in numerous LGBTQ categories. Finalists were selected by judges comprised of 70 avid readers, critics, and literary professionals.

Cianga's poetry chapbook 'Congo, seen from heaven'

by Laura Moreno
Mar 26, 2024

The new poetry collection by Cianga, "Congo, seen from the heavens," contains 18 intriguing poems, including highly innovative poetry forms.

'Cocktails with George and Martha'- Philip Gefter's book on Edward Albee's acrimonious play and film

by Brian Bromberger
Mar 25, 2024

Philip Gefter's new book, "Cocktails with George and Martha," an analysis of both the play and the 1966 Hollywood film, uses this now classic drama to explore how recent movies have depicted marriage.

Spring 2024 books roundup, part 4: war stories, horror and vampires

by Jim Piechota
Mar 18, 2024

Presenting the fourth and final piece in our big Spring books roundup. Titles in this enchantingly fiction-heavy installment include works of autofiction by French author Edouard Louis and a story collection from gay Vietnam Veteran.

'Radiant' - Brad Gooch's expansive biography of artist Keith Haring

by Brian Bromberger
Mar 17, 2024

Visionary pop artist Keith Haring's short, meteoric, glamorous life and career is the subject of a new biography, "Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring," by Brad Gooch.

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 3 Diverse memoirs, fiction and a Liz Taylor biography

by Jim Piechota
Mar 11, 2024

The third installment of our Spring 2024 books roundup includes novels about being queer and sex-positive within a Syrian culture, a few engrossing young adult novels, and an impressive nonfiction title about the life and film legacy of Elizabeth Taylor.

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 2

by Jim Piechota
Mar 5, 2024

In the second of our Spring books series, we present several fiction titles by a memoirist and a trans woman that are set to make a splash in the literary world, plus new memoirs, biographies and fiction.

Arts & Culture :: Books

Cynthia Carr's 'Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar'

National Poetry Month LGBTQ reading list

'Ahead of the Curve' - inspiring tribute to Franco Stevens and Curve Magazine

Garrard Conley's remarkable debut novel, 'All the World Beside'

Armen Davoudian's 'The Palace of Forty Pillars' — gay Iranian poet's collection emits new light

Julie Delporte's storybook memoir 'Portrait of a Body'

Funny stuff: author James Pauley Jr. on learning to laugh in life

'Beyond Ridiculous' - Kenneth Elliott's theatrical tell-all

Lambda Literary Awards 2024 finalists announced

Cianga's poetry chapbook 'Congo, seen from heaven'

'Cocktails with George and Martha'- Philip Gefter's book on Edward Albee's acrimonious play and film

Spring 2024 books roundup, part 4: war stories, horror and vampires

'Radiant' - Brad Gooch's expansive biography of artist Keith Haring

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 3 Diverse memoirs, fiction and a Liz Taylor biography

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 2

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'Ahead of the Curve' - inspiring tribute to Franco Stevens and Curve Magazine

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