Say the Magic Word

If you've attended a Perfectly Queer book reading in this our first year, you're aware that we award door prizes.  Why?, you say.  Isn't that a little cheesy?  No!, we say.  Well, maybe but we have an ulterior motive: to reward promptness.  We "do door prizes" at the beginning of the event so, if you're late, no soup for you.  Or door prizes.

We were using little red double coupons, which take time and kill trees, time we'd much rather spend talking with you and making sure that everything is set up with the reading.  Therefore, this month we're going green.

Well, okay, not physically but door prize wise (thank you, President Eisenhower).  No more little red coupons.  We're trying magic words instead and compelling you to read our blog or Twitter feed in order to discover what this month's word is.  BTW, it's debut.   

Here's how it works, you read the feed or the blog, make a mental or written note of the magic word--debut, debut--and, when we ask for it at the reading, raise your hands.  No yelling out because, you know, it would increase the chances of you not winning a door prize if you let everybody else in the room know what the magic word is.  This month, the first four hands--and mouths--with the correct magic word--debut, debut--win a prize.

And here are this month's prizes!

The Dark Between the Stars by Hilary A. Zaid

from the first page...

“'Do you think it’s possible for an accountant to be romantic?' My little sister MinJae was sitting on the floor of my bedroom, sparkly and pink in one of the Sex-In-the-City tutus she’d recently started wearing. She was flipping through Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, trying on careers the way she used to try on Mom’s costume jewels. MinJae was 22, just out of college, and whatever career MinJae chose for the rest of her life wouldn’t last too long, because MinJae had taken the DNA test for Huntington’s, and, like Mom, she had it. C-A-G, C-A-G, C-A-G – like a vinyl record with a scratch in it, MinJae’s fourth chromosome kept playing the same bad tune, 43 flat notes in a row.

Could accountants be romantic? From the time MinJae was born, she needed me to have the answers. Why is Mommy dancing naked in the back yard? Why did Mommy throw her soup bowl at the wall? I was eight years older than my little sister, and the one who had cared for her as our mother slipped into the solitary confinement of her own head. She didn’t even have gray hair. MinJae, Minjou, Minjae, MinJou! Mom would rock and cry against the kitchen sink, her pants soiled, repeating, over and over again, the only two words she could say when she couldn’t say the thing she meant: the names of her two daughters. For what it was worth, I had told MinJae not to take the test. 

'Cathy’s an accountant,' I reminded my sister. Cathy was my first and only girlfriend. On those days when we’d come home from school to find all of our clothing tossed out the bedroom windows, Cathy would grab a Hefty and help me drag everything back into the house."

Hear the rest Monday, October 10, 7 p.m. at Dog Eared Books Castro, 489 Castro St., in San Francisco.  www.facebook.com/events/1765349943718579/  AND, the magic word to win door prizes is debut.

Murder Under the Bridge: A Palestine Mystery by Kate Jessica Raphael

From the first page of the novel:

"Rania placed the little brass coffee pot on the flame, resting one hand on the long handle so she could snatch it up before it boiled over.  Her mouth tingled in anticipation as she inhaled the cardamon-laced steam.

'The boss wants you,' said Abdelhakim at her elbow.  The man must wear sheepskin soles, he crept up on her so silently.  His cherubic good looks were spoiled by a permanent smirk.

Rania reached for the knob to quench the flame, but he held out a hand to stop her.  He grasped the pot's handle as she let it go, taking care that their hands did not touch.  She tried not to let the thought of him drinking her coffee gnaw at her, as she went into the captain's office.

'There is a situation in Azzawiya,' Captain Mustafa said.  His roly-poly frame spilled out of his overstuffed leather chair.

'What kind of situation?' asked Rania.

'One requiring great tact.'

Rania knew the captain well enough to take this as a warning, not a compliment.  She was not known for her tact."

Hear more from Murder Under the Bridge at Perfectly Queer's "Fall Fiction" book reading Monday, October 10, 7 p.m. at Dog Eared Books Castro at 489 Castro St. in San Francisco.  Free admission, free refreshments and door prizes!  www.facebook.com/events/1765349943718579/  And remember: the magic word for door prizes is debut.  When we ask for it at the reading, you might win!

The Hedge Tree by Laura J. Merrell

From first page of the novel...

"My younger brother Trilby weighed ten pounds when he was born in 1971.  I was only three then and he seemed relatively close to my size, or at least closer than anyone else I knew.  I could tell from all the fuss being made over Trilby that he was different from me in some fundamental way and people often found me staring at him through the bars of his crib, my face puckered into a worried frown that amused my parents and gave the impression that mischief was the last thing on my mind; an anxious child was supposed to be a trustworthy child.  Sometimes I proved otherwise, which made me look dishonest for failing to meet expectations.

'Now your mommy and daddy have a boy,' our neighbor Ethel Gabbard said to me during a new-baby visit to our house, where she'd arrived with a box of Pampers and a Raggedy Andy doll pillow, a gift I was allowed to unwrap for my brother.  Ethel said 'boy' like it was a synonym for happiness.  It probably is in some languages."

Hear more Monday, October 10, 7 p.m. at Dog Eared Books Castro, 489 Castro St., San Francisco.  www.facebook.com/events/1765349943718579/  And remember: the magic word to win a door prize is debut.

Debut Books at Fall Fiction October 10

Three new books, debut fiction by Laura J. Merrell, Kate Jessica Raphael, and Hilary A. Zaid, will be featured at Perfectly Queer's Fall Fiction night, Monday, October 10, 7pm at Dog Eared Books Castro. Need more info? Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1765349943718579/

And don't forget: you have to know the magic word to win a door prize.  It's debut.  Yep, debut.  

Fall Fiction: Queer Authors With First Books

 Laura J. Merrell, author of The Hedge Tree

Kate Raphael, author of Murder Under the Bridge

 Hilary Zaid, author of The Dark Between the Stars

Novelists Laura J. Merrell, Kate Jessica Raphael, and Hilary A. Zaid read from their new books at Perfectly Queer "Fall First Fiction" Monday, October 10, 7pm at Dog Eared Books Castro, 489 Castro St. in San Francisco. Panel discussion on publishing debut books follows the readings. Free admission, free refreshments, and the possibility of a door prize.  Say the magic word--debut--and you may win one of these fine prizes: Hilary Clinton paper dolls, a cranberry-glass perfume bottle, nifty Ozone socks, or a chic Lesbian Farmer t-shirt.  www.facebook.com/events/1765349943718579/

Perfectly Queer will be at LitCrawl!

For the very first time, Perfectly Queer will be part of LitCrawl, San Francisco's premiere literary event. The of our authors will read: Lori Ostlund, Natasha Dennerstein, and Wilfredo Pascual. We'll be at the Marsh Café, 1062 Valencia Street, 7:15-8:15 pm, Saturday, October 15.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1790126324537730/

Two (2) Generations videos

Videos from our most recent event, Two (2) Generations, is now available on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/perfectlyqueerreadings/

Perfectly Queer: "Two (2) Generations"

Our author representing another generation is Daniel Curzon.
If you attended SF City College between 1980 and 2003, he might have been your English professor. His distinguished writing career took off with his 1971 expose, "Something You Do in the Dark."
Over the years he has written both books and plays, winning the 1999 National New Play Contest Award for "Godot Arrives by the Southwest."
His latest creation, "How to Cyberbully your Teacher," seems fairly self-explanatory, but you can hear him describe his torment in person next week at Dog Eared Books Castro​.

https://www.facebook.com/events/923574211078104

"Two (2) Generations": September 12

One of our authors for the September Perfectly Queer "Two (2) Generations" is Edmund Zagorin. He writes under the name Elizeya Quate.

Elizeya Quate is an invitation to dance and/or denounce the equals sign as a self-negating sham. His first novelish-in-stories, "The Face of Our Town," presents Elwood Munn, a morbid barista in the small Midwestern town of Velton. Elwood obsesses over bar trivia, mocks infant worship and reflects on the paradox of pervasive loneliness in our hyper-connected world. The book delivers a delightful awkwardness that may ring only too familiar to anyone who has attempted to twentysomething during the era of the Internets.

https://www.facebook.com/events/923574211078104/

Our First Event at Dog Eared Books was a huge success!

For our "Award-Winning Authors" panel, Willy Wilkinson and Vincent Meis drew a crowd of almost 50 people! For the first time, we had more attendees than chairs. It was so exciting. You can watch videos of the readings on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/perfectlyqueerreadings/

It was so fulfilling to see that we can bring a crowd of folks into a bookstore in the Castro to hear queer authors read. We are looking forward to working with Dog Eared Books to bring authors into the neighborhood to share their works with us.

Read Queer Authors!

Award-Winning Author Vincent Meis

Award-Winning Author Vincent Meis will present his latest work, "Deluge," at our August 8 event. (https://www.facebook.com/events/1741912596068410/) 

He grew up in Decatur Illinois and attended Tulane University in New Orleans. Vincent has lived most of the last forty years in the San Francisco Bay Area. He worked as an English as a Second Language teacher and did a few stints in other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Spain. In the 1980s and 90s, he published a number of pieces in The Advocate, LA Weekly, In Style, and Our World. His four novels have been inspired by travels, all set at least partially in foreign countries: Eddie’s Desert Rose (2011), Tio Jorge (2012), and Down in Cuba (2013) and Deluge (2016). Tio Jorge received a Rainbow Award in the category of Bisexual Fiction in 2012. Down in Cuba received two Rainbow Awards in 2013.

Award-Winning Author Willy Wilkinson

One of our Award-Winning Authors for August is Willy Wilkinson​.

He is an award-winning writer, public health consultant, cultural competency trainer, public speaker, and spoken word performer. Willy is the author of the Lambda Literary Award-winning book "Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency," which illuminates trans experience from a Chinese American and mixed perspective, and transforms the memoir genre into a cultural competency tool. He is the recipient of a National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association award, and the Transgender Law Center Vanguard Award, and is recognized on the Trans 100.

Here is the link to our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1741912596068410/

New Digs (Again)

Like many in San Francisco these days, Perfectly Queer has found itself a little peripatetic of late, which means, yes, we have a new (new) home--Dog Eared Books Castro--and here we hope to stay for many a moon. We certainly feel welcome!: dogearedbooks.com/castro

So, starting with the August Perfectly Queer book reading--Award-Winning Authors for August facebook.com/events/1741912596068410/--we'll be setting up wine and desserts, handing out door prizes, and providing a bookstore venue for lots more terrific Queer authors reading books you need to buy.  But, more about August in later blogs.  [Watch this space.]

DEB Castro brings a bookstore back to the Castro, for which many citizens are very thankful to owner Kate Rosenberger, manager Alvin Orloff, and staff.  And, just to prove that life is spiral--if not cyclical, DEB Castro is located in the same spot as another, iconic Castro bookstore, A Different Light, at 489 Castro, conveniently located next door to Cliff's Hardware, across from Strut, and just down the street from the Castro Theater.  What a gayborhood!

DEB Castro is hosting other readings too, such as Trebor Healey in late September and Martin Hyatt and Anne Raeff in early November so make their website one of your favorites and stay tuned.

See you in August!

 

Videos from "The Long and the Short of It"

Our July event, "The Long and the Short of It," at Books Inc. Opera Plaza drew over 25 people and turned out to be a real crowd pleaser (just as we expected it would be). If you were unable to be there, you can still view the videos of our three readers (Michael Alenyikov, Jim Provenzano, and Na'amen Gobert Tilahun) on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/perfectlyqueerreadings/

For our August event, Perfectly Queer will return to the Castro at the recently-opened Dog Eared Books (489 Castro Street, site of the former Different Light Books). Here is the link to our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1741912596068410/

Award-winning authors Willy Wilkinson and Vincent Meis will read from the most recent works. See you Monday, August 8, 7:00 pm at Dog Eared Books!

Ivan & Misha, 40 Wild Crushes, and The Root: Books at July 2016 Perfectly Queer

  

In Ivan and Misha, a novel in linked stories by Michael Alenyikov, events swirl around fraternal twins and their father, Louie, as they make their way from Soviet-era Kiev to New York City in the late nineties and early aughts. Socially adrift, father and sons search for meaning in their divergent romantic relationships. Louie embarks on a traditional heterosexual dating relationship late in life, Ivan is sexually opportunistic and omnivorous, and Misha is torn between his family and the prospect of a committed gay relationship. The brothers’ search for connection leads them through a multitude of subcultures, all depicted in vivid detail.

40 Wild Crushes: Stories by Lambda Literary Award Winner Jim Provenzano is comprised of new and previously stories, as well as excerpts from Provenzano’s forthcoming novels. He presents teenage lust in summer theatre, cheating boyfriends on “The Tonight Show,” a transgender performer on the rise, and an escapee from a pumpkin farm—among other vivid characters and stories. Varying from terse accounts of an anti-gay assault to a post-9/11 moment of resolution, Provenzano shares a diverse array of contemporary experiences in rural Ohio and New York City, at funerals and wrestling matches, inside Manhattan cathedrals and Paris museums.  

The Root by Na’amen Gobert Tilahun is a dark, gritty urban fantasy debut set in modern-day San Francisco, filled with gods, sinister government agencies, and worlds of dark magic hidden just below the surface. When a secret government agency trying to enslave you isn’t the biggest problem you’re facing, you’re in trouble. A darkness is coming, something no one has faced in living memory. It eats. It hunts. In The Root, a dark and surging urban fantasy, two worlds must come together if even a remnant of one is to survive.

Diversity in Writing Reflects the Real World

Na'amen Gobert Tilahun is reading at Perfectly Queer July 11, 7 p.m., at Books Inc. Opera Plaza in San Francisco.  (facebook.com/events/619573908219248/)  He was recently named one of 13 Bay Area Authors to Watch and Read in 2016 by 7X7 magazine. His writing has been published by io9, Queers Dig Time Lords, Stone Telling, The Big Click, and more. His debut novel The Root was published by Night Shade Books this June.  It is the first in the Wrath & Athenaeum trilogy. The second volume, The Tree, will be out next June.

He advocates diversity in writing as a reflection of the real world.  He “believes all writing to be a political act that includes decisions on who to feature in your work and who to ignore and how to portray those you decide to feature.”

Na'amen said in his interview in The Qwillery blog June 9, 2016 that he was inspired to write The Root because he "wanted an Urban Fantasy that reflected my own lived experience.  Also, I wanted to explore/mess with the stereotype of the overly aggressive/violent black man and expand that simplistic idea into a three-dimensional character and one of the heroes of the text."

Na’amen is from Los Angeles and the Bay Area and now lives in Oakland.  He has a bachelors degree in English, with a focus on creative writing.  He is the co-creator and cohost of the geek podcast The Adventures of Yellow Peril + Magical Negro and has lived many a writer’s dream, having worked in a bookstore, in his case Borderlands.  Find out more about him and his writing at naamen.org.