Writing workshops present a mixed bag. Out of many submissions, a few might be worthwhile. It must be similar to what creative writing professors experience in every seminar or class. The good ones will shine and collecting stories for an anthology gives the editor the leeway to make the cuts. Since this collection comes from … Continue reading
The West Side piers on the Hudson River achieved a level of infamy in the 1970s and early 1980s as a gathering place for gay men in pursuit of public, yet anonymous, sex. Its reputation included the danger inherent in public exposure, libidinous activity and the dilapidated state of the structures. The area is now … Continue reading
Every year when our little hamlet of Provincetown empties out, I am reminded of the wonderful song from the musical Grey Gardens, “Another Winter in a Summer Town.” This year those melancholy feelings seem quaint. When the town is so quiet, empty and cold, I find comfort in cracking open another book, never knowing precisely … Continue reading
The Pharmacist appeared in a different form in Justin David’s collection He’s Done Ever so Well for Himself. That book was reviewed previously in QueerGuru and met with admiration for his finely-drawn, wacky characters. This version appears in the form of a smart, tight novella. Since it is a slim book, I will refrain from … Continue reading
After his extraordinary debut novel, What Belongs to You, was published, I eagerly anticipated Garth Greenwell’s second novel. What Belongs to You was set in Sofia, Bulgaria and the main character taught literature at the American school The same setting frames the second novel. In neither is the narrator named and the characters are identified … Continue reading