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
Arts & Culture
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
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
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
Wembley Arena! Carnegie Hall! NOLA at the Orpheum!
One night Bianca Del Rio was performing in storied Carnegie Hall. The next night she was in Pittsburgh at a venue with folding chairs. But rather than complaining, Roy Haylock, Bianca’s alter ego, said in a recent interview, “It keeps me real.” Recalling her sold-out evening on NYC’s 57th Street and 7th Avenue, Haylock stated “It’s insane on so many levels. Being a little … [Read more...] about Wembley Arena! Carnegie Hall! NOLA at the Orpheum!
Trodding the Boards October 22, 2019
The Sound of Music at Jefferson Performing Arts Center through Oct. 27 The Sound of Music??? “Been there, done that, seen the movie version,” you might respond. In these topsy-turvy times, however, a trip out to Metairie for JPAS’ highly satisfying revival of this enduring classic might be a welcome respite from the daily headlines. In case you’ve been in the desert … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards October 22, 2019
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art. It has been recognized for its original exhibitions, public events and educational programs which examine the development of visual art alongside Southern traditions of music, literature and culinary … [Read more...] about Ogden Museum of Southern Art