Because I have a free rein to write what I want I generally try to honor this by offering thoughts and reflections on our community. This article will expand our community to include our pets. During our last pet blessing a couple of weeks ago we so enjoyed this community of furry barks, howls, and hounds. In each case as the “owner” approached with their friend one could … [Read more...] about Gretchen’s Essay
Articles
Bartender of the Month: Joseph Visconti at Good Friends
There are several key skills it takes to be a bartender, but there is one skill I believe is a differentiating factor between a good bartender and a great one, and that is creativity. My bartender for the month of October exudes this in many ways. I am speaking about none other than Joseph Visconti at Good Friends. Joseph makes six years at this popular … [Read more...] about Bartender of the Month: Joseph Visconti at Good Friends
The Gentlemanly Last Years of George Dureau
I recently had an especially memorable and quite perfect lunch with Katie Nachod. Although Katie is a long-time reference librarian with a career’s worth of experience at Tulane University and the Louisiana Supreme Court Law Library, and although I serve as President of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, and although we both have degrees in English, and although we … [Read more...] about The Gentlemanly Last Years of George Dureau
Oranges
Oranges. Gary Eldon Peter. New Rivers Press, 2018. 157 pgs. $18.00. Oranges is Gary Eldon Peter’s debut collection of short stories and traverses, in linked tales, the life of Michael, a gay man from the Midwest who must find his own confusing path to adulthood after personal loss. Michael is confronted with a number of challenges, including coming to terms … [Read more...] about Oranges
The Fourth Courier
Current affairs aside, I love a good political thriller. And my book of the month for October delivers some perfect escapism from our present reality. The Fourth Courier written by Timothy Jay Smith is a fabulous read. The action takes place in post-Cold War Warsaw circa 1992 after the Communist era has ended. Smith does a wonderful job in setting the … [Read more...] about The Fourth Courier
Your Guide to Fantasy Fest 2019: The Second Half
Key West’s wildly popular festival celebrates its 40th year of creative masterpieces and whimsical debauchery. This year’s theme, “In Tune But Off Key,” ushers in a season full of musical jaunts and genre-bending displays. Here is your guide to the second half of this costumed extravaganza. Masquerade March Oldtown Oct 25th | 5.30PM It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No. … [Read more...] about Your Guide to Fantasy Fest 2019: The Second Half
American Things
Before Trump was even elected there was talk that something funny was going on with Russia. Bob Woodward writes about it in his book, Fear: Trump in the White House. It’s first mentioned almost in passing as some far-off threat that might not be anything serious. But as soon as James Comey began his investigation, people on the left started making allusions to the … [Read more...] about American Things
The Cat Cracks
A crack formed in the porcelain of the Cat Lady’s mind as she drank in Johnny White’s. Or maybe it had been there for years, laying dormant—waiting for the right word from the right lips to birth the tectonic tremor that broke the dish. (But let’s also be real, the Lady’s blood type was and is psilocybin; the Pangaea of her consciousness had long split into drifting … [Read more...] about The Cat Cracks
Hard Rock Hotel was Controversial from Start
The dramatic collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans re-opens a can of worms. The proposed development was controversial from its inception. 1031 Canal Street for decades was the site of Woolworths, a five’n’dime department store whose lunch counter was ground zero for civil rights protesters in 1960. When it was proposed the Woolworths building be … [Read more...] about Hard Rock Hotel was Controversial from Start
Halloween Reading: LGBT-Related Horror Fiction
It’s that time of year again: the temperatures have plunged into the bone-chilling 70s, pumpkin spice has been suffused through all known matter, and Halloween decorations have haunted shelves since August. All you need now is a good, scary book. Come along with me, and I’ll take you on a dark descent through the history of LGBT themes in horror fiction. Late Nineteenth … [Read more...] about Halloween Reading: LGBT-Related Horror Fiction
