Arts & Culture :: Books
David Hockney at 87 in new book; swimming pools, beautiful boys, and cigarettes
"The World According to David Hockney," by Martin Gayford, Thames & Hudson publishers, seems designed as a holiday stocking stuffer: colorful images by Hockney, including several greatest hits, and Hockney quotes, or "epigrams" as Gayford describes them.
'Karma' - Boy George tells all
One of the primary prerequisites of being a true star is that the general public never grows tired of seeing or hearing you. Boy George's "Karma: My Autobiography" (Blink Publishing) proves his merit as a gender-blurring pioneer as well as a musician.
'Seeing through' - Composer Ricky Ian Gordon's sex, drugs, and opera memoir
"Seeing Through: a Chronicle of Sex, Drugs, and Opera" is a long-winded but often touching first-person memoir by the prodigious American composer, Ricky Ian Gordon. If gossip is the fruit of love, Gordon is usually tender in his mentions of others.
Donna Minkowitz: acclaimed journalist & author takes us to 'Donnaville'
Donna Minkowitz has been a dynamic force in the literary world for decades. Her journalism and memoir have won acclaim. Now she's taking us on a multiple (and single?) character novel set in her self-named town.
Brontez Purnell: Author, choreographer and musician to perform his great-uncle's blues music at Berkeley Art Museum
Award-winning queer author, dancer, choreographer and musician Brontez Purnell will break out a new style when he performs classic blues songs written and performed by his great uncle J.J. Malone at the Berkeley Art Museum on August 16.
Daniel Lefferts' 'Ways and Means' - a powerful debut novel of money, love and corruption
Set in 2016 in New York City, "Ways and Means" is about money and becoming aware of the personal dramas caused by it. Author Daniel Lefferts, 35, paints a compelling picture of the strange things cold-hearted capitalism spawns.
Kathya Alexander's 'Keep A'Livin' - a civil rights-era novel in verse
"Keep A'Livin'" is the story of 12-year-old Mandy Anderson and her mother Belle in the rural South during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. Kathya Alexander's insightful new novel was recently released by the SF feminist press Aunt Lute Books.
'Queering Rehoboth Beach' - James T. Sears on the beach town's evolution
The dramatic and inspiring story of how Rehoboth Beach came to be what it is today can be found in gay historian James T. Sears's revealing new book "Queering Rehoboth Beach: Beyond the Boardwalk."
Gil Cuadros' 'My Body Is Paper' - Unflinching honesty in stories and poems
Gil Cuadros' long-awaited posthumous new book of short stories and poems, "My Body Is Paper," was recently released. Although Mr. Cuadros died in 1996 of AIDS, the book's editors worked to bring this new book to fruition.
MariNaomi - Queer graphic novelist confronts censorship
Confronted with censorship, queer graphic novelist advocates for freedom of expression, visibility for comics and artistic rights. Their efforts have made them a significant figure in the fight against book banning, inspiring others as well.
Ann Powers' 'Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell'
If you've been waiting for the great summer read of 2024, your patience has been rewarded with the publication of "Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell" (Dey Street, 2024) by acclaimed music journalist Ann Powers.
Khashayar J. Khabushani's 'I Will Greet the Sun Again' - an engaging debut novel
A gut-wrenching novel of survival you won't soon forget animates the searing debut of local Iranian-American author Khashayar J. Khabushani's "I Will Greet the Sun Again," just released in paperback.
Richard Hunt, the gay Muppeteer: 'Funny Boy,' Jessica Max Stein's biography, reveals his vibrant brief life
In "Funny Boy: The Richard Hunt Biography," Jessica Max Stein intimately covers the professional career and private life of the affable, talented, and friendly man who was quick to make friends in his Muppets career.
Pedro Lemebel's 'A Last Supper of Queer Apostles' - Chilean writer's book translated
For the first time in English, "A Last Supper of Queer Apostles" has been recently released. It is a collection of Chilean writer, activist and performer Pedro Lemebel's innovative essays known as "crónicas."