Reaching sexual maturity is an overwhelming enough experience at the best of times: worrying that everything is functioning properly and there was nothing untoward about what one did or how one did it; but for an entire generation, like myself, reaching puberty in the 1980s, that stage of our lives was made scarier yet by … Continue reading
Whilst not massively enamored of poppers myself – they smell of old socks and give me a headache – my housemate’s a big fan, they’re delivered in bulk. So, during the first lockdown, when we were all trying to find ways to keep entertained at home, we booked tickets for Adam Zmith’s online lecture on … Continue reading
I WISHED is one of the most anticipated books of 2021. It is Dennis Cooper’s first novel in a decade and is described as ‘his most open and personal work to date’ by Soho Press, and ‘his most surreal, disturbing, vulnerable work yet’ by Vogue. According to Kirkus Reviews, I WISHED ‘…expands the possibilities of … Continue reading
I’ve been a huge fan of Mars-Jones’s work since I read his first book, The Lantern Lectures, back in the mid-eighties, followed by the shared collection of HIV/AIDS stories with Edmund White, A Darker Proof; and the first novel, The Waters of Thirst. In 1983 he edited a wonderful anthology of queer fiction entitled, Mae … Continue reading
IN THE NIGHTMARE HOUSE IN THE DREAM HOUSE is a mind-blowingly original book; not just because of its dreamy prose that weaves gothic aesthetics with hyperrealism, but also the incredibly sensitive subject matter – domestic abuse within a lesbian relationship. Sensitive for all the nuanced and well-argued reasons mentioned in the book, including the fear … Continue reading