“Bren’s arm wrapped around A.J.’s chest as the first verse started. It was only then, as music poured from the bud snuggled in his ear, that he realized it–even without his Discman, there was always music when he was with Bren.” – Robert J. Halliwell, And Then He Pressed Play: Track One CANADIAN AUTHOR Robert […]
“…we lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.” — Margaret Atwood BIRTHDAYS ALWAYS make me think about random, specific moments from my life. Good, bad, and odd. Like that one time my parents forgot my 18th birthday. Yes, I […]
Marc Ruvolo: “…never forget what pain and suffering the queer community went through in the 80s.” Last year during Pride Month, I had the pleasure of interviewing queer horror author Marc Ruvolo about his life, writing, and music career; we briefly conversed about the original edition of his horror novella Pieties. I also reviewed the […]
PERPETUALLY DRAWN to the shadows (I mean, I was a goth for a reason—there are pics!), I seek out stories that not only linger in the dark but actively pull you into it. Of course, some are more successful than others. I’m always looking for authors who aren’t afraid to explore the thrills, the horrors, […]
“Audiences have moved beyond tolerant of LGBT themes. I think the entertainment industry is tolerant. Audiences—a huge audience, the majority in the western world—is simply accepting of gay characters.” — Thom Fitzgerald WELCOME TO Part Three, the final act in my retrospective celebrating my all-time favourite gay films (excluding documentaries and horror). Here are the […]
“Queer cinema has always been about questioning the norms—of storytelling, of identity, of desire.” — Todd Haynes WELCOME TO part two of my nostalgia-driven journey through my Top 12 favourite gay films! I hope you enjoyed Part One! Now, dive into four more unforgettable movies about the many layers of gay/queer relationships and experiences. Get […]
“Art should give pleasure, and pleasure is often radical. For gay cinema, that pleasure can be a declaration of existence.” — Derek Jarman REWATCHING God’s Own Country the other night reminded me that certain gay/queer films just stay with me over the years. It’s one of those movies I can return to again and again—and […]
“I stared out the window, watching the shadowy patterns of the rain-soaked beams pass by. This bridge had always felt like a portal, a passage to somewhere else, a place where the world might change, where I might emerge as someone different.” – Nicholas Young, Under the Covered Bridge WRITTEN IN a beautifully stylized, almost […]
“…if you fish for the glory you catch the darkness too… when you hook twice the glory you hook twice the fear.” — Sheila Watson CANADA IS often portrayed as friendly, relaxed, and picturesque, but readers here have a long-standing love for fiction that dives into shadows, secrets, and emotional complexity. The stark bleakness of […]
“The good, the bad … the generous, the cruel … the hermit, the teetotaler … the black, the white, and the endless gray in between. You know, it’s been said that you should never meet your heroes, but I say better to know whom you place on that pedestal, don’t you agree?” – Jonathan Edward […]
