Arts & Culture :: Books
‘Theater Kid’ – Jeffrey Seller’s gay Broadway success story
From producing hits like 'Rent' and 'Hamilton,' to coming out and finding love, Jeffrey Seller's candid, fast-moving, and engaging autobiography is filled with stories about his life and career ups and downs.
Bruce Vilanch: The comedy writer on good times and bad ideas
In his second book, “It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time,” comedy writer Bruce Vilanch shines a klieg light on some of his more infamous efforts, including TV fare such as “The Star Wars Holiday Special” and “The Paul Lynde Halloween Special.”
Words: poet Liza Flum on hovering between worlds
In “Hover,” Liza Flum delivers a debut that bends light around grief, memory, and the quiet rupture of living. Her poems do not settle; they circle, lift, and linger in the liminal spaces between certainty and loss.
‘The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture from the Margins to the Mainstream’
Were Little Richard and Johnny Ray our founding fathers? These are the sorts of questions that Jon Savage’s fascinating book, “The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture from the Margins to the Mainstream,” stimulate.
‘Queer Lens: A History of Photography’ – Exhibit’s companion book is a remarkable collection
The first wide-ranging exhibition and catalogue to center the contributions of queer artists within the history of photography, “Queer Lens: A History of Photography” takes a sweeping and synthetic approach to illuminate a vital story of a culture.
Pride books round-up 2025, part 4: rainbows everywhere!
Happy Pride! Here are a few rainbow-hued selections for your reading pleasure. Enjoy all the beauty, color, and individuality of contemporary queer life with these fantastic new books from well-known celebrities to to lesser known but talented artists.
‘Twirl’ – Jase Peeples spins a tale of gay teen love in high school color guard
Award-winning journalist and former color guard world champion Jase Peeples has debuted his first young adult novel, “Twirl.” A high-energy story of gay romance, rivalry, and self-discovery, in the world of competitive color guard.
‘The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869-1939’ expansive companion book for new exhibit
Jonathan Katz has done it again. “The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869-1939” is a major contribution to queer art history. Co-curated with Canadian nonbinary art historian Johnny Willis, the exhibit also has a companion catalog book.
Pride books round-up 2025, part 3: poetry, history & cooking
Here’s the third installment in our Pride 2025 books round-up, with a fascinating collective of books on queer history and queer leadership, the fabulous Ballroom culture, as well as recipe books from queer chefs.
Edmund White, 1940-2025: Honoring the trailblazing gay literary lion
While Edmund White, America’s greatest gay writer, wasn’t the founder of contemporary gay literature, he both popularized and legitimized it. White died on June 3 at age 85 in his Chelsea Manhattan home.
Pride books round-up 2025, part 2: memoir and biography
In the second part of our expansive book review series, we present a wondrously queer selection of biography and memoir titles illuminating how members of our community have stood up and struggled throughout their lives.
Pride books round-up 2025, part 1: fiction
Happy Pride Month! Once again, we present a unique array of newly published and upcoming queer fiction and in the coming weeks. Memoirs, nonfiction, and all the family-friendly queer books under the rainbow.
Words: Saint and Sinners – New Orleans literary festival first impressions
The 2025 Saints and Sinners Literary Festival has come and gone, leaving behind a vibrant trail of inspiration, connection, and community. First-time attendee Kara Zajac stepped into this world of literary kinship with curiosity, and enthusiasm.
Yukio Mishima’s ‘Voices of the Fallen Heroes’ – Stories from the depths of human experience
The remarkable new short story collection by Yukio Mishima, “Voices of the Fallen Heroes and Other Stories,” is newly translated and published 55 years after his very public death in 1970.