LOUIS Crompton’s Byron and Greek Love (University of California Press, 1985), also known as Byron and Greek Love: Homophobia in 19th Century England, offers an insightful reevaluation of the complex life, sexuality, and societal context of the renowned poet Lord Byron. I first came across this book during my time at the University of Guelph, […]
“And he’s gradually walking toward me. Each step makes my heart skip a beat, like an executioner sealing my fate. Still, my fear is now drowned out by my innate desire to see him up close.” – C.D. Rachels, Jade Lion and the Witch Boy C.D. Rachels’ Jade Lion and the Witch Boy, part of […]
LATELY, I’ve been thinking about the strange relationship readers can have with an author’s work, how some of our books are eagerly picked up while others get dismissed outright. What if a story truly is more than its designated genre? This topic is not new territory; authors have engaged with it since the dawn of […]
“Never sell yourself short,” Cesar smiled. “I’m certain there’s something here that I could utilize for a charm. Got any lizard bones?” – J.P. Jackson, Memories in Bone THERE’S something instantly captivating about reading a book shaped—at least in part—by the author’s lived experiences, especially when those experiences are gay/queer, culturally conscious, and deeply intertwined […]
“There’s nothing wrong with having fears. Some would say it’s crucial. The fear of never being loved? Never being desired? Feeling like your creativity and vision aren’t wanted, even in a city that seems open to everything? Rejection is a universal fear.” – Christian Baines, Andalusia Dogs SET in Madrid during the early 1980s, when Spain was […]
“We return what was taken, with love and humility. No harm was intended. We ask for peace and we ask for calm. So mote it be.” – Glenn Quigley, Heart of the Wren GLENN Quigley’s Heart of the Wren, part of the Own-Voices gay paranormal romance series Haunted Hearts: Season of the Witch, offers a significant contribution to […]
Simon Doyle: “As a gay man, I write both of my younger self and to my younger self. I didn’t have any queer literature growing up, so I eventually turned to writing the stories I longed for.” Simon Doyle is an Own-Voice, Irish author whose work explores the complex intersections of age, identity, love, and, […]
Christian Baines: “I like my characters to be complicated, nuanced, flawed, likeable, and most importantly, to go on a journey. They need to be changed between page one and ‘The End.’” Christian Baines is quite an intriguing figure. He’s a self-proclaimed “awkward nerd” who has developed into a less awkward, highly compelling author. Growing up, […]
“It is an adventure story of Shelley’s search to discover, in his words, ‘whence I came, and where I am, and why.’” – Ann Wroe, Being Shelley: The Poet’s Search for Himself BEING SHELLEY: The Poet’s Search for Himself (Pantheon Books, Jan 2008) by Ann Wroe provides an insightful and profound examination of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s […]
“It wasn’t like I didn’t know Cordelia Manor was haunted, or that the main spirit was a hateful son of a bitch…” – Adam J. Ridley, Cordelia Manor LIKE with most stories, whether generated through fiction or film, when someone inherits a grand manor house, it’s almost guaranteed that this place has some generational or […]
