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The Book Nook
Its anthologies of short fiction cover specific areas of interest ranging from southern gay men to upcoming works devoted to bisexual, transsexual and other erotic original fiction. Southern Tier Editions is also committed to returning out of print gay classics to a contemporary audience." The Executive Editor of Southern Tier Editions is Jay Quinn, himself the author of The Mentor and Metes and Bounds and the editor of the Rebel Yell series of short stories by gay Southern writers. 2003 is becoming a very productive year for Southern Tier; with eight new titles in addition to new editions of classic works by Felice Picano and Richard Stevenson (Death Trick). The best of the new books, Edge ($16.95), is not fiction at all but a collection of essays by Jeff Mann, an award-winning poet and teacher. In prose as clear as any poem, Mann writes about the things that matter most: his boyhood years in Appalachia and his career in Virginia Tech; his travels and his fascination with the gothic television series Dark Shadows. This leather bear pulls no punches in his frank depiction of his sexual and romantic experiences; the erotic tension that exists between a teacher and his student; and the similarities between homosexuals and vampires. In "Ludwig" Mann visits Bavaria and the homes of the "mad king"; and relates how a common sexual orientation (and artistic temperament) links a 21st century Southern boy with a 19th century German monarch. In other essays, Mann tells us about his trips to Scotland ("Kilts"), "Ireland". "Provincetown" and "Key West" - where the author went in search of his ancestral past and erotic present. There's hardly a dull page in Edge; and the only disappointing thing about this book is that it is only 184 pages long.
The Concrete Sky ($17.95), Marshall Moore's first novel, is no literary masterpiece. At best, It is no more than an entertaining read; which for most of us is probably good enough. It tells the serio-comic story of Chad Sobran, a gay misfortune collector who's drowning in debt, dealing with a terminally ill mother and stalked by his homophobic brother, Martin.
When drunken Chad falls off a balcony, Martin has him committed to a psychiatric hospital, where Chad meets cute fellow patient Jonathan Fairbanks and romance ensues. The Concrete Sky has enough twists and turns to keep the reader glued to the book; though I found the ending to be somewhat rushed. Even worse are Moore's characters who, except Chad, are somewhat lacking in depth. I hope I'm not spoiling anything when I say that I wish Moore had kept Chad in the looney bin a bit longer. The chapters about the psychiatric hospital, its patients, and its staff are the best part of The Concrete Sky. Though Southern Tier doubtlessly keeps the folks at Harrington Park Press busy, this company also puts out quality lesbian fiction (the Alice Street Editions) and GLBT non-fiction. I wish I could praise Lost Gay Novels: A Reference Guide to Fifty Works from the First Half of the Twentieth Century ($16.95) but, after enjoying Michael Bronski's masterful Pulp Friction, Anthony Slide's study of pre-Stonewall gay fiction is rather disappointing. Students will no doubt use Lost Gay Novels as a reference in the field of gay literature; but at least one person who knows what he's talking about found too many errors to make this a reliable source. If nothing else, though, Lost Gay Novels will send the reader to the nearest rare book store or to the Internet to find some of these classic tomes.
In prose, poetry and photographs, the contributors to The Drag King Anthology introduce us to a brave new world of butches, trannyboys, femmes and gender variants. Unfortunately, the editors' (or publishers') attempt to make the book "scholarly" by overloading it with academic aides will only turn off those readers who just want to read lively stories (or look at interesting photos) about drag kings and their lifestyles. Just skip the academic stuff and enjoy the rest of the book. Jesse Monteagudo is a gay reader and writer who lives in South Florida with his life partner and many books. You can reach him at jessemonteagudo@aol.com . |
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Southern Tier Editions is Harrington Park Press's line of gay men's fiction. As it describes itself, "Southern Tier Editions . . . is dedicated to publishing the very best in gay men's fiction. Southern Tier Editions' offerings include literary fiction in addition to a growing list of sci-fi, gothic, fantasy, erotica and young adult titles.
To be honest, I don't know the first thing about "drag kings", which is why I enjoyed The Drag King Anthology ($24.95), edited by Donna Troka, Kathleen LeBesco and Jean Noble. This first-of-its-kind anthology examines the "other side" of drag culture: women who are male impersonators. Though drag kings know how to put on a good show, they also make a statement about gender roles and sexual identity in a society that still tries to put males and females in neatly separate categories.