All posts by Editors
Call for Anthology Submissions
White Crane Books is reading submissions for an anthology to be edited by Bo Young and Steve Berman entitled:
IDOL THOUGHTS: GAY MEN AND THEIR HEROES.
IDOL THOUGHTS [a working title] will be a collection of personal essays and short fiction (as patterned after the Lambda Literary Award-finalist CHARMED LIVES published in 2006 by White Crane Books) that offer Gay authors the chance to express their admiration for historical and literary Gay figures that have inspired them, motivated them, served as role models and muses. Whether it be Michelangelo or Andy Warhol, Lord Byron or James Broughton, John Grimes or Harvey Milk, there are many figures that reaffirm our cultural and artistic sensibilities.
Essays submitted should be between 500-1,500 words in length. Fiction submitted should be between 1,000-3,500 words in length. Reprinted works are okay with editorial consent.
Submissions can be sent to submissions@gaywisdom.org or Lethepress@aol.com
White Crane Books is an imprint of Lethe Press and is funded by White Crane Institute, a 501(c)(3) foundation, that promotes the study of the role of Gay men in the evolution of society, psychology, sociology, and practice of spirituality, ritual, and religion. Since WCI is a non-profit, the editors are asking authors donate their short work to the anthology rather than offering payment for one-time anthology rights. All contributors will received two [2] copies of the book and will have a copy donated in their name to a local Gay organization of their choice.
All submissions must be received by February 1st. The book is scheduled to release in 2008.
Bo Young is a publisher, journalist, editor, poet, and publicist. In addition to publishing White Crane Journal and White Crane Books, his writings appear regularly in White Crane, and have been seen in Fine Cooking, RFD, POZ Magazine. He is the author of First Touch (White Crane Press, 1998). He lives in Brooklyn.
Steve Berman edited the Lammie Finalist anthology Charmed Lives, as well as So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction, and Magic in the Mirrorstone. His debut novel, Vintage, released to enthusiastic critical review, proved that readers enjoy good old fashioned boy-meets-ghost stories. A member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, he lives in southern New Jersey and has has sold over 80 articles and short stories of queer and weird fiction.
The Second Total Lunar Eclipse of 2007
Total Lunar Eclipse of August 28
The second lunar eclipse of the year is another total eclipse.
All of North America will witness some portion of the eclipse, but western
observers are favored. The early penumbral or umbral phases will be in progress
at moonset for observers in Maritime Canada. From the eastern USA, the Great
Lakes region and Ontario, the Moon sets in total eclipse. Only observers to the
west of the Rockies (including Alaska) will be treated to the entire event. All
phases of the eclipse are also visible from islands of the Pacific Ocean, New
Zealand and eastern Australia. Various stages of the eclipse are in progress at
moonrise for eastern Asia. No eclipse is visible from Europe, Africa and western
Asia.
Penumbral Eclipse Begins: 07:53:39 UT
Partial Eclipse Begins: 08:51:16 UT
Total Eclipse Begins: 09:52:22 UT
Greatest Eclipse: 10:37:22 UT
Total Eclipse Ends: 11:22:24 UT
Partial Eclipse Ends: 12:23:30 UT
Penumbral Eclipse Ends: 13:21:01 UT
Rare footage of Early Cockettes
Our friend Lee Mentley sent us this marvelous footage of John Rothermel and Rose Hips performing.
Long Live the Cockettes!:
Will someone please give these guys a blow job so we can impeach them?
Jon Stewart did a segment on this same thing last night. This is Scott Bateman’s take on it…with his usual brilliance…
ZEITGEIST, The Movie – Official Release – Full Film
| ZEITGEIST, The Movie – Official Release – Full Production
Visit www.zeitgeistmovie.com for information and the full source list for this work. |
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Big Love…Big Eden…
I got home late last night…missed the season finale to John From Cincinnati and the finale of Big Love (which I love…written by Gay couple Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer) and I was flipping around the dial and dropped by Logo while I was waiting for it to get late enough so I could see the Perseids, on the roof.
Imagine my surprise to be completely drawn into Big Eden, the first feature film made in 2000 by director, Thomas Bezucha, who went on to make The Family Stone…
Well…"real" if you happen to be having your first Whitney show as an artist and you come from a perfect little Northern Exposure-type town in Montana and… but you know….Hollywood at its best.
The cast includes Arye Gross, who I recognize, and remember from For 
the Boys and so many other character roles…he’s one of those great character actors you know but can’t quite place…as the lead for once.
And Eric Schweig, a handsome, native American actor who gets to play just a handsome man who happens to be Native American instead of having to be a Noble Indian.
And the redoubtable Louise Fletcher, no less, along with a host of, as mentioned, the late, lamented Northern Exposure-worthy characters.
A romance. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. Lovely. Big Eden…good actors…good story…good movie.
They Came…They Saw…They Pandered…
OK. I like Melissa Etheridge as well as the next rocker.
But c’mon…is she really the person you want interviewing the next President? What? Were none of the Queer Eye guys available? Once again, ala The Advocate, the Gay community leadership, in their slavish currying of favor with the hetero-market, confuse "fame" with "important." Are they really prepared to say that young Gay America can’t be interested unless there’s PeepHole Magazine — sorry, I mean People Magazine content? Why was Keith Boykin just sitting in the audience? Oh…right…they already had their African American. I find it very hard to believe…and understand…that they couldn’t find a Lesbian journalist or activist.
Melissa comported herself just fine. Forgive me for thinking we might have been able to come up with someone a tad more, I don’t know…appropriate?
I was torn as I watched the Presidential "debate" last night. Granted, as we are being constantly being reminded, this forum would never have happened a few years ago. Again, we are being told to be grateful for the crumbs we get from the Democratic Party table. And if you wanted to feel good…because "feel good" is what it’s all about anymore, right?…then Dennis Kucinish had to make you feel warm and puppyish all over. Kudos to HRC, who I have little if any respect for, for accomplishing…I don’t know…what? Citizen participation in the electoral process? Logo, too. Thought the audience reminded me of the early photos of second generation Mattachines who made all the women wear dresses and all the men wear suits so we didn’t scare the straight people. 
Bill Richardson, on the other hand, is obviously a clueless homophobe trying to convince everyone how well-meaning he is. The "squirm moment of the evening" tiara goes to him, hands down. It was gratifying that someone bothered to confront his "maricon moment" for which he gave a most unbelievable and insincere apology.
And yet, after all was said and done, and everyone made their "ick-factor" excuses for not providing equal rights as provided under the Constitution, nobody…that would be not one of the candidates, not one of the questioners and not even the moderator…bothered to make the distinction between civil marriage and ecclesiastic matrimony.
One is a civil right; the other is a religious ritual.
In theory, there’s supposed to be some sort of separation there.
Obviously, no one gets it.
Faerie Erections
Faerie Camp Destiny is a wonderful sanctuary in Vermont. And the faeries there have been busy…
This is the start of the new kitchen they’re putting up. For more information about Faerie Camp Destiny…and how you can provide financial support or helping hands…go here.
The Advocate Gets Something Right…sort of.
For The Advocate’s 40th anniversary issue they’re honoring 40 Gay heroes…and they’re asking for help. God knows they need it.
The list features 100 notable Gay people from the last four decades — politicians, artists, activists, and more. As usual, The Advocate confuses "famous" with "influential" or "hero."
They’re asking readers to help rank the people listed by voting for the people you feel have made the most significant impact. You can select up to 40 names.
We’re excited, thrilled, gratified and otherwise proud to see that our friends Malcolm Boyd and Mark Thompson have been included (along with the late Bob Hattoy and Harry Hay and several others.)
But then they also include Elton John…who’s quite wonderful, to be sure; but a hero? Someone who took how many years to finally come out (and was probably the last person to figure it out!) I don’t think so. His money enables him to make some kind of impact with HIV/AIDS, but in my book that’s the least you can do when you have that much money.I mean, thanks for the tunes, Elton, you’re a rock star. Not a hero.
And Rosie…again…luv ya Rosie, but hero? Heroes do the difficult thing when it’s hard to do it. You had to be practically dragged out of your closet. And you’ve certainly proved your mettle since coming out. But again…heroic? I don’t think so.
John Waters? Hell…I’d like to have dinner with John. But hero? I’m afraid being famous just isn’t enough. Feels too much like "crumbs from the table" to me.
They promise that they will determine rankings based on your votes plus editors’ input, and the top 40 heroes will be featured on the cover of the anniversary issue. Here’s what they say:
"What do we mean when we say "greatest Gay hero" of the past 40 years? First, the person must be entirely out. Second, it’s not enough to be supremely talented or superbly competent — that person must have done something significant to improve our LGBT lives."
But then they proceed to mix up people who are simply famous with people who have actually done something, offered something, created something for LGBT people. For my money, "heroic" is standing up and being counted when you’ve got something to lose (Take Off the Masks). A hero writes a book that bears his soul (Gay Body, Gay Soul; Gay Spirit: Myth & Meaning). It’s like their covers….here’s a question: How many actual Gay people have they had on their covers in the last two years?
Here’s who I voted for: Tammy Baldwin, John Boswell, Malcolm Boyd, Martin Duberman, Bob Hattoy, Harry Hay, Frank Kameny (who, let’s not forget, The Advocate recently declared dead…of AIDS. He’s not), Jim Kepner, Tony Kushner, Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon, Armistead Maupin, Paul Monette, Joan Nestle, Bayard Rustin, Vito Russo, Mark Thompson and Urvashi Vaid. There are a few others I voted for, too.
They left out Eric Rofes. I added him.