Arts & Culture :: Books

Morris Kight's life & times: 'Humanist, Liberationist, Fantabulist' gives gay rights activist his due

Morris Kight's life & times: 'Humanist, Liberationist, Fantabulist' gives gay rights activist his due

  • by Jason Victor Serinus
  • Aug 18, 2020

Biographer Mary Ann Cherry shines the spotlight on Morris Kight (1919-2003), the L.A.-based gay rights leader who did everything possible to ensure that the spotlight shone as much on the movement as on himself.

Family affair: 'Determined To Be Dad's a dynamic debut

Family affair: 'Determined To Be Dad's a dynamic debut

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Aug 18, 2020

In this dynamic debut memoir, Steve Disselhorst passionately recounts his journey to co-parenthood and all the joys and pains involved in the process.

Begin Again:  James Baldwin's America and its Urgent Lessons for Our Own

Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and its Urgent Lessons for Our Own

  • by Tim Pfaff
  • Aug 13, 2020

Eddie S. Glaude Jr.'s new book about James Baldwin -and what it meant to be an African-American and gay writer- joins a shelf of books whose timings is perfect.

Armistead Maupin and Ian McKellen share an online conversation Aug. 12

Armistead Maupin and Ian McKellen share an online conversation Aug. 12

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Aug 8, 2020

Since moving to London with his husband Chris Turner, Bay Area fans of best-selling 'Tales of the City' author Armistead Maupin have missed his local appearances. On August 12, he'll discuss his life and writing with his friend, actor Sir Ian McKellen.

Sam Harris: singer discusses the 'Substance' of his new novel

Sam Harris: singer discusses the 'Substance' of his new novel

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Aug 5, 2020

Sam Harris certainly won't be singing in the Bay Area for the foreseeable future. But he's doubled-down as an author. His second book, 'The Substance of All Things,' was published July 1. It's a novel. And it's a knockout.

'Upon This Rock' - David Eugene Perry's gay noir novel

'Upon This Rock' - David Eugene Perry's gay noir novel

  • by Will Snyder
  • Aug 4, 2020

Church history, scandals and hypocrisy and international intrigue set in San Francisco and Italy make the author's debut novel an interesting read.

'Written in Invisible Ink:' Hervé Guibert's posthumous publication

'Written in Invisible Ink:' Hervé Guibert's posthumous publication

  • by Mark William Norby
  • Jul 27, 2020

The incurable hotness of French Author Hervé Guibert owes nothing to the timely and shattering content of his mind and the publication of a most original work, 'Written in Invisible Ink,' published decades after his death from AIDS in 1991.

Read me: 2020 Pride all-summer-long reading list

Read me: 2020 Pride all-summer-long reading list

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Jul 14, 2020

Whether you sat out the Pride season by keeping your observances at a social distance or you took to the streets in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march, having reading materials on hand to augment the celebration is always a good idea.

Homecoming queen: Carter Sickels' 'The Prettiest Star'

Homecoming queen: Carter Sickels' 'The Prettiest Star'

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Jul 7, 2020

The premise of Carter Sickels' novel 'The Prettiest Star' is one that is very much based on the kind of real circumstances many gay men grappled with in the AIDS years of the 1980s.

Eric Himan offers song tribute to the 'Local Gay Bookstore'

Eric Himan offers song tribute to the 'Local Gay Bookstore'

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Jun 30, 2020

In one of the more creative stay-at-home projects, gay singer-songwriter Eric Himan offers a sweet tribute to the collective history of our "Local Gay Bookstore."

'Swimming in the Dark'; a balanced, ideally paced novel

'Swimming in the Dark'; a balanced, ideally paced novel

  • by Tim Pfaff
  • Jun 30, 2020

Tomasz Jedrowski's debut novel 'Swimming in the Dark' tells a time-honored story, gay first love, in a setting that has become all but expected in gay literary fiction: Eastern Europe under the dark clouds of political oppression.

Meet the two Tims: SF Gay Men's Chorus director's memoir

Meet the two Tims: SF Gay Men's Chorus director's memoir

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Jun 30, 2020

In his memoir 'A Tale of Two Tims: Big Ol' Baptist, Big Ol' Gay, Tim Seelig shares the story of his incredible life, from his roots among devout Southern Baptists, to his work with what is perhaps the most famous gay chorus in the world.

Dash, gay noir graphic novel's fundraiser

Dash, gay noir graphic novel's fundraiser

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Jun 29, 2020

We love comics, specifically gay ones. So when Northwest Press announced its fundraiser for a new graphic novel, we had to spread the news.

Memory's River: vibrant pre-AIDS history revealed in Mark Abramson's 'River Days, River Nights'

Memory's River: vibrant pre-AIDS history revealed in Mark Abramson's 'River Days, River Nights'

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Jun 23, 2020

The town of Guerneville and the Russian River area are lovingly portrayed in Mark Abramson's latest, 'River Days, River Nights.' The memoir covers the period from 1976 through 1984, an era of considerable change for the region.