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The Routledge Handbook of Queer Rhetoric (Routledge Handbooks in Communication Studies)
by Jonathan Alexander Jacqueline RhodesThe Routledge Handbook of Queer Rhetoric maps the ongoing becoming of queer rhetoric in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, offering a dynamic overview of the history of and scholarly research in this field. The handbook features rhetorical scholarship that explicitly uses and extends insights from work in queer and trans theories to understand and critique intersections of rhetoric, gender, class, and sexuality. More important, chapters also attend to the intersections of constructs of queerness with race, class, ability, and neurodiversity. In so doing, the book acknowledges the many debts contemporary queer theory has to work by scholars of color, feminists, and activists, inside and outside the academy. The first book of its kind, the handbook traces and documents the emergence of this subfield within rhetorical studies while also pointing the way toward new lines of inquiry, new trajectories in scholarship, and new modalities and methods of analysis, critique, intervention, and speculation. This handbook is an invaluable resource for scholars, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students studying rhetoric, communication, cultural studies, and queer studies.
50 Reasons to Say Goodbye (50 Reasons Series)
by Nick AlexanderMark is looking for love in all the wrong places. He always ignores the warning signs, preferring to dream, time and again, that he has met the perfect lover until finally, one day...Through fifty vivid snapshots of life as a young gay man in Brighton, Mark takes us on a very funny tour of the modern dating minefield: from s&m nightclubs to chintzy b&bs, from disastrous blind dates to promising internet hookups... It's all here.Wry, touching, witty and honest, 50 Reasons to Say Goodbye is a poignant exploration of that long winding road: the universal search for love.
Better Than Easy (50 Reasons Series)
by Nick AlexanderIt's perhaps revealing that believe and naïve should rhyme so well...Mark is about to embark on the project of a lifetime, the purchase of a hilltop gite in a remote French village with partner Tom. But with shady dealings making the purchase unexpectedly complex, Mark finds himself with time on his hands - time to consider not only if this is the right project but whether Tom is the right man...A chance meeting with a seductive Latino promises nirvana yet threatens to destroy every other relationship Mark holds dear, and as he navigates a seemingly endless ocean of untruths, Mark is forced to question whether any worthwhile destination remains.Funny, perceptive and heartfelt, Better Than Easy is both a tense tale of betrayal, and an incisive dissection of the mix of courage and naivety required if we are to choose love and happiness - if we are to continue to believe against all odds that we will live happily ever after.
Good Thing Bad Thing (50 Reasons Series)
by Nick AlexanderFunny, sexy and clever, Good Thing Bad Thing follows everyman Mark as he decamps to Italy with his new boyfriend and discovers that life is not always as bad - or as good - as it seems...On holiday with new boyfriend Tom, Mark heads off to rural Italy for a spot of camping. When the ruggedly seductive Dante invites them onto his farmland the lovers think they have struck lucky, but there is more to Dante than meets the eye - much more. Thoroughly bewitched, Tom, all innocence, appears blind to Dante's dark side - but Mark is racked with suspicion. As their holiday starts to spin slowly but very surely out of control, it is Mark, alone, who can maybe save the day...
Sleight of Hand (50 Reasons Series)
by Nick AlexanderLiving with his soul mate Ricardo in an idyllic beach-house in Colombia, Mark looks like he has finally found true happiness. But all is not as it it seems.Despite the paradisiacal beaches and salsa music, Mark is torn between the quiet security of home and the excitement of his Colombian lifestyle. When an old friend's mother dies, Mark hopes that attending the funeral will enable him to decide where his future lies. But no sooner does Mark set foot in England than bonds of love and obligation from the past begin to envelop him with such force that he wonders not only if his relationship with Ricardo will survive, but if he will ever be able be break free again...Insightful, poignant, pierced by Nick Alexander's trademark wry humour and forensic eye for detail, Sleight of Hand weaves universal themes of honesty and happiness, desire and obligation, love and lust into a rich tapestry of modern life.
Sottopassaggio (50 Reasons Series #5)
by Nick AlexanderFollowing the loss of his partner in a car crash, Mark, the hero from the bestselling 50 Reasons to say "Goodbye", tries to pick up the pieces and build a new life for himself in gay-friendly Brighton. Haunted by the death of his lover and a fading sense of self, Mark struggles to put the past behind him, exploring Brighton's high and low life, falling in love with charming but unavailable Tom and hooking up with Jenny, a long lost girlfriend from a time when such a thing seemed possible. Moving, witty, truthful and wise, this is a story that digs deep into what it is like to lose someone you love and start again.
Red closet: The hidden history of gay oppression in the USSR
by Rustam AlexanderIn 1934, Joseph Stalin enacted sodomy laws, unleashing a wave of brutal detentions of homosexual men in large Soviet cities. Rustam Alexander recounts the compelling stories of people whose lives were directly affected by those laws, including a naïve Scottish journalist based in Moscow who dared to write to Stalin in an attempt to save his lover from prosecution, and a homosexual theatre student who came to Moscow in pursuit of a career amid Stalin’s harsh repressions and mass arrests. We also meet a fearless doctor in Siberia who provided medical treatment for gay men at his own peril, and a much-loved Soviet singer who hid his homosexuality from the secret police. Each vignette helps paint the hitherto unknown picture of how Soviet oppression of gay people originated and was perpetuated from Stalin’s rule until the demise of the USSR. This book comes at a time when homophobia is again rearing its ugly head under Putin’s rule.
Red closet: The hidden history of gay oppression in the USSR
by Rustam AlexanderIn 1934, Joseph Stalin enacted sodomy laws, unleashing a wave of brutal detentions of homosexual men in large Soviet cities. Rustam Alexander recounts the compelling stories of people whose lives were directly affected by those laws, including a naïve Scottish journalist based in Moscow who dared to write to Stalin in an attempt to save his lover from prosecution, and a homosexual theatre student who came to Moscow in pursuit of a career amid Stalin’s harsh repressions and mass arrests. We also meet a fearless doctor in Siberia who provided medical treatment for gay men at his own peril, and a much-loved Soviet singer who hid his homosexuality from the secret police. Each vignette helps paint the hitherto unknown picture of how Soviet oppression of gay people originated and was perpetuated from Stalin’s rule until the demise of the USSR. This book comes at a time when homophobia is again rearing its ugly head under Putin’s rule.
Regulating homosexuality in Soviet Russia, 1956–91: A different history
by Rustam AlexanderThis ground-breaking book challenges the widespread view that sex and homosexuality were unmentionable in the USSR. The Khrushchev and Brezhnev eras (1956–82) have remained obscure and unexplored from this perspective. Drawing on previously undiscovered sources, Alexander fills in this critical gap. The book reveals that from 1956 to 1991, doctors, educators, jurists and police officers discussed homosexuality. At the heart of discussions were questions which directly affected the lives of homosexual people in the USSR. Was homosexuality a crime, disease or a normal variant of human sexuality? Should lesbianism be criminalised? Could sex education prevent homosexuality? What role did the GULAG and prisons play in homosexuality across the USSR? These discussions often had practical implications – doctors designed and offered medical treatments for homosexuality in hospitals, and procedures and medications were also used in prisons.
Regulating homosexuality in Soviet Russia, 1956–91: A different history
by Rustam AlexanderThis ground-breaking book challenges the widespread view that sex and homosexuality were unmentionable in the USSR. The Khrushchev and Brezhnev eras (1956–82) have remained obscure and unexplored from this perspective. Drawing on previously undiscovered sources, Alexander fills in this critical gap. The book reveals that from 1956 to 1991, doctors, educators, jurists and police officers discussed homosexuality. At the heart of discussions were questions which directly affected the lives of homosexual people in the USSR. Was homosexuality a crime, disease or a normal variant of human sexuality? Should lesbianism be criminalised? Could sex education prevent homosexuality? What role did the GULAG and prisons play in homosexuality across the USSR? These discussions often had practical implications – doctors designed and offered medical treatments for homosexuality in hospitals, and procedures and medications were also used in prisons.
Something More Splendid Than Two
by josé rivers alfaroBlending literary analysis and memoir, Something More Splendid Than Two is at once an excavation of intergenerational wounds, a dance number, a poem, and a fraught love letter from son to father that disrupts the dominant narratives surrounding the life and myth of Joaquín Murrieta. In the Mexican American imaginary, the legend of Joaquín Murrieta has been recast to explain the wounding of Mexican American men after the 1848 border formation. In these versions, Joaquín is a vigilante hero and the patriarchal father of the Chicanx movement. Revisiting the most circulated version of the Joaquín myth, The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta written by Cherokee writer John Rollin Ridge, the first published Native American author in the US, Something More Splendid Than Two offers an alternative to these versions. Stitching together multiple tangled histories of Indigenous and Mexican woundings living in the margins of Ridge’s 19th-century novel, alfaro opens a queer timeline where Chicanx and Indigenous solidarities can be imagined. By attuning to the choreographies of power and patriarchy that produced readers and writers like Ridge and the author of this book, josé rivers alfaro imagines that in that endless encounter between reader and writer, both time travel and collective healing are possible.
Love Marriage: 'Exquisitely written with big heartedness, intelligence and passion' Ruth Jones
by Monica AliTWO CULTURES. TWO FAMILIES. TWO PEOPLE.The new novel from the bestselling, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of BRICK LANE_____________________________________'Exquisitely written with big-heartedness, intelligence and passion' RUTH JONES'Funny, warm, powerful' DIANA EVANS'Big-hearted, pitch-perfectly written, and utterly unputdownable' NEEL MUKHERJEEYasmin Ghorami has a lot to be grateful for: a loving family, a fledgling career in medicine, and a charming, handsome fiancée, fellow doctor Joe Sangster.But as the wedding day draws closer and Yasmin's parents get to know Joe's firebrand feminist mother, both families must confront the unravelling of long-held secrets, lies and betrayals.As Yasmin dismantles her own assumptions about the people she holds most dear, she's also forced to ask herself what she really wants in a relationship and what a 'love marriage' actually means. Love Marriage is a story about who we are and how we love in today's Britain - with all the complications and contradictions of life, desire, marriage and family. What starts as a captivating social comedy develops into a heart-breaking and gripping story of two cultures, two families and two people trying to understand one another.'Ali's wit and insight illuminate the complications of modern love in Britain today. A joy' HARPER'S BAZAAR'Lit from end to end with storytelling brilliance' ANDREW O'HAGAN'No one captures the modern family like Monica Ali. Love Marriage is full of surprises and unexpected twists, with an ending that will take your breath away' TAHMIMA ANAM'A truly astonishing piece of writing - exquisite storytelling, featuring the most human portrayal of doctors I've ever read. I defy you to put this book down' ADAM KAY'Every bit as compelling, as charming as Brick Lane. A joyous novelist at the peak of her formidable powerswriting fresh lives into our literary tradition' DALJIT NAGRAA gloriously vibrant and tender novel packed with wit, intelligence and wisdom. Her two juniordoctor protagonists are superbly drawn - flawed, courageous, flailing, human. Just brilliant' RACHEL CLARKE
Reading from Behind: A Cultural Analysis of the Anus (Exquisite Corpse)
by Jonathan A. Allan'A serious work of theory.'The Guardian'Jonathan Allan has come up with a whole theory of the arsehole.'Dazed and ConfusedIn a resolute deviation from the governing totality of the phallus, Reading from Behind offers a radical reorientation of the anus and its role in the collective imaginary.It exposes what is deeply hidden in our cultural production, and challenges the authority of paranoid, critical thought.A beautiful work that invites us beyond the rejection of phallocentricism, to a new way of being and thinking about sex, culture and identity.
Sexual and Gender Minority Health (Advances in Medical Sociology #21)
by Allen J. Leblanc and Brea L. PerryResearch concerning sexual and gender minority (SGM) health has flourished in recent years in conjunction with a period of intense social, political, and legal discourse about SGM persons. While this attention has increased understanding and recognition of SGM experiences, recent advances have often been met with resistance and backlash rooted in social stigma and long histories of discrimination. This volume of Advances in Medical Sociology showcases rich theoretical and empirical contributions on SGM health and wellbeing. The chapters address a variety of topics, drawing from classic and contemporary sociological frameworks and constructs, and reflecting intersecting interdisciplinary approaches to SGM health. Research presented in this volume provides an in-depth focus on sexual and/or gender minority populations, as well as the diverse sub-populations within them; theoretical and empirical explanations for SGM health disparities and resilience; aging and life course perspectives on the health experiences of SGM persons; health in the context of critical relationships in the lives of SGM persons; and the experiences of seeking general and specialized health care among SGM. The time is ripe for deeper examinations of the social determinants of SGM health, and this volume seeks to begin filling existing gaps in the literature.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Retardatio: Stories of the Rainbow Support Group
by John D AllenExperience the birth of the first support group for sexual minorities with developmental disabilities! Reflecting an unprecedented development in the disabled and sexual minority communities, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Retardation: Stories of the Rainbow Support Group describes the founding, achievements, and history of a unique group providing support for people with developmental disabilities or mental retardation (DD/MR) who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. In this pathbreaking book, group founder John D. Allen describes the Rainbow Support Group's beginnings in 1998 at the New Haven Gay & Lesbian Community Center in Connecticut and the ways in which it has been shattering myths and stereotypes surrounding people with mental retardation ever since. From the author: "Not only are people with DD/MR full human beings with the same needs and desires for intimacy and healthy sexual expression as people without intellectual disabilities, but the group is evidence that some people with DD/MR have an understanding of sexual orientation as well. Acknowledging that people with mental retardation are sexual is a new development in the human service field, but one that is still in the pre-Stonewall days regarding those who are gay. Although people with mental retardation are given unprecedented freedom to make personal vocational decisions, there is an unfounded expectation that they do not have a sexuality-let alone a homosexuality. Members of the Rainbow Support Group discuss the same concerns as other gay people, but in a support system that recognizes their unique perspective." This insightful book shows how membership in the Rainbow Support Group addresses the very real fears and concerns of its members, including: being forced into heterosexual social situations, since that is the only available option for socialization dealing with being "outed" to peers and staff-since many DD/MR people are not their own legal guardians, this can lead to removal of privileges, various kinds of abuse, and other negative consequences in their day-to-day lives being ridiculed by unsupportive staff being excluded from family functions because of their sexual orientation It also illustrates the purely positive aspects of membership in the group, which provides: a place to learn appropriate ways to meet others, hear messages about safe sex, and feel empowered to advocate for their own intimacy needs an increased chance of finding a like-minded partner (although the group is certainly not a "dating service") an avenue for members to connect with others like them and with the larger gay community in the area events to participate in, such as holiday parties, field trips, movie nights, and gay pride celebrations The author continues: "What is exciting are the positive outcomes displayed once an individual enters the group. Members quickly develop a sense of ownership and wear rainbow-emblazoned clothing to meetings. Everyone has joined the host community center to begin receiving regular mailings and event discounts. Supervising staff report that members perform better at work, have fewer behavioral issues, and experience a greater feeling of contentment. For people with mental retardation, just to be able to say the words 'gay,' 'lesbian,' 'bisexual,' and 'transgender' in an affirming environment is a cutting-edge breakthrough. What the group has accomplished and will hopefully continue to illuminate is the understanding that people with DD/MR are entitled to a whole life experience, including discovering and enjoying their sexuality."
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Retardatio: Stories of the Rainbow Support Group
by John D AllenExperience the birth of the first support group for sexual minorities with developmental disabilities! Reflecting an unprecedented development in the disabled and sexual minority communities, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Retardation: Stories of the Rainbow Support Group describes the founding, achievements, and history of a unique group providing support for people with developmental disabilities or mental retardation (DD/MR) who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. In this pathbreaking book, group founder John D. Allen describes the Rainbow Support Group's beginnings in 1998 at the New Haven Gay & Lesbian Community Center in Connecticut and the ways in which it has been shattering myths and stereotypes surrounding people with mental retardation ever since. From the author: "Not only are people with DD/MR full human beings with the same needs and desires for intimacy and healthy sexual expression as people without intellectual disabilities, but the group is evidence that some people with DD/MR have an understanding of sexual orientation as well. Acknowledging that people with mental retardation are sexual is a new development in the human service field, but one that is still in the pre-Stonewall days regarding those who are gay. Although people with mental retardation are given unprecedented freedom to make personal vocational decisions, there is an unfounded expectation that they do not have a sexuality-let alone a homosexuality. Members of the Rainbow Support Group discuss the same concerns as other gay people, but in a support system that recognizes their unique perspective." This insightful book shows how membership in the Rainbow Support Group addresses the very real fears and concerns of its members, including: being forced into heterosexual social situations, since that is the only available option for socialization dealing with being "outed" to peers and staff-since many DD/MR people are not their own legal guardians, this can lead to removal of privileges, various kinds of abuse, and other negative consequences in their day-to-day lives being ridiculed by unsupportive staff being excluded from family functions because of their sexual orientation It also illustrates the purely positive aspects of membership in the group, which provides: a place to learn appropriate ways to meet others, hear messages about safe sex, and feel empowered to advocate for their own intimacy needs an increased chance of finding a like-minded partner (although the group is certainly not a "dating service") an avenue for members to connect with others like them and with the larger gay community in the area events to participate in, such as holiday parties, field trips, movie nights, and gay pride celebrations The author continues: "What is exciting are the positive outcomes displayed once an individual enters the group. Members quickly develop a sense of ownership and wear rainbow-emblazoned clothing to meetings. Everyone has joined the host community center to begin receiving regular mailings and event discounts. Supervising staff report that members perform better at work, have fewer behavioral issues, and experience a greater feeling of contentment. For people with mental retardation, just to be able to say the words 'gay,' 'lesbian,' 'bisexual,' and 'transgender' in an affirming environment is a cutting-edge breakthrough. What the group has accomplished and will hopefully continue to illuminate is the understanding that people with DD/MR are entitled to a whole life experience, including discovering and enjoying their sexuality."
Patricia Wants to Cuddle: A Novel
by Samantha AllenThis week on The CatchThe Final Four are headed to a remote, luxurious island, hoping to score some one-on-one time with America's most eligible bachelor.Tensions are high and emotions are running hot as the contestants compete for the attention of the Catch, and of the cameras. What they don't realise is that they've already been noticed by someone else.Get ready for the biggest - and bloodiest - Elimination Event of the season.What readers are saying'THIS WAS INSANE IN THE BEST WAY I AM OBSESSED''A gloriously bonkers book''This book sucked me in and I couldn't put it down!''One of my favorite books this year!!''It's a wild ride.''Funny and smart, it's also surprisingly tender.''It was a genuine page turner.'
Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States
by Samantha AllenLAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALISTA transgender reporter's "powerful, profoundly moving" narrative tour through the surprisingly vibrant queer communities sprouting up in red states (New York Times Book Review), offering a vision of a stronger, more humane America. Ten years ago, Samantha Allen was a suit-and-tie-wearing Mormon missionary. Now she's a GLAAD Award-winning journalist happily married to another woman. A lot in her life has changed, but what hasn't changed is her deep love of Red State America, and of queer people who stay in so-called "flyover country" rather than moving to the liberal coasts. In Real Queer America, Allen takes us on a cross-country road-trip stretching all the way from Provo, Utah to the Rio Grande Valley to the Bible Belt to the Deep South. Her motto for the trip: "Something gay every day." Making pit stops at drag shows, political rallies, and hubs of queer life across the heartland, she introduces us to scores of extraordinary LGBT people working for change, from the first openly transgender mayor in Texas history to the manager of the only queer night club in Bloomington, Indiana, and many more.Capturing profound cultural shifts underway in unexpected places and revealing a national network of chosen family fighting for a better world, Real Queer America is a treasure trove of uplifting stories and a much-needed source of hope and inspiration in these divided times.
Too Much
by Tom Allen'An extraordinary portrait of a son navigating his way through grief and loss in real time. Funny, candid, and measured' GRAHAM NORTONHappily settled in a new relationship and with a dream house of his own, comedian Tom Allen had finally moved on from the arrested development of millennial life and could at last call himself an adult.But when his father died suddenly in late 2021, Tom's newfound independence was rocked by a fresh set of challenges, and he began to find solace in the past (and his new vegetable patch). Told through snapshots from Tom's busy life - whether reflecting on the campness of funeral customs, muddy lockdown walks in unsuitable footwear or just reminiscing on his childhood obsession with Patricia Routledge - Too Much is a hilarious joyride of stories as well as an emotional ode to Tom's beloved dad, and a touching manifesto on how to navigate the complexities of grief. With moving honesty and wit, Tom writes beautifully about those days, weeks and months following his family's loss, and about how bewildering the practicalities of life can be in the wake of an upheaval - those moments, really, when everything can start to feel a bit too much...'Hilarious and poignant' JO BRAND
Transformations of Gender and Race: Family and Developmental Perspectives
by Rhea AlmeidaTransformations of Gender and Race will help you become a better therapist by arming you with new theories and practices that concern inclusiveness of identity, psyche, and culture in the therapy room. This book radically shifts current thinking in systemic theory and practice with individuals, children, couples, and families, giving you a fresh perspective on working with your clients of all cultural backgrounds and both genders.In Transformations of Gender and Race: Family and Developmental Perspectives, you’ll discover superb contemporary thinking in cultural studies, post-colonial theory, gender theory, queer theory, and clinical and research work with numerous populations who have been overlooked and undertheorized. You’ll gain a wealth of knowledge and expertise from its contributors who have been immersed in the issues they address.The chapters in Transformations of Gender and Race provide a superb, state-of-the-art bibliography of contemporary thinking in cultural studies, post-colonial theory, and clinical and research work with numerous populations who have been “overlooked and undertheorized.” The new paradigms dicussed and practiced in Transformations in Gender and Race encourage cultural multiplicity, inclusiveness, and understanding. A pallete of contemporary thinking, this insightful book will guide you in: how to bring diversity into the lived experience of young children numerous theoretical paradigms couples therapy men&’s work and children addressing the intersections of gender, race, class, and culture in the therapy room transformations regarding race and gender the inclusiveness of feminismA wealth of expertise and sharp observation that reaches out to enrich and humanize therapy practices, Transformations of Gender and Race addresses the interactions between gender, class, race, sexual orientation, and age. Creative and in-depth, this volume articulates a perspective that connects all of these contexts of potential oppression and privilege. You will gain a deeper understanding of numerous theoretical paradigms for working with couples, individuals, and children that will improve your practice.
Transformations of Gender and Race: Family and Developmental Perspectives
by Rhea AlmeidaTransformations of Gender and Race will help you become a better therapist by arming you with new theories and practices that concern inclusiveness of identity, psyche, and culture in the therapy room. This book radically shifts current thinking in systemic theory and practice with individuals, children, couples, and families, giving you a fresh perspective on working with your clients of all cultural backgrounds and both genders.In Transformations of Gender and Race: Family and Developmental Perspectives, you’ll discover superb contemporary thinking in cultural studies, post-colonial theory, gender theory, queer theory, and clinical and research work with numerous populations who have been overlooked and undertheorized. You’ll gain a wealth of knowledge and expertise from its contributors who have been immersed in the issues they address.The chapters in Transformations of Gender and Race provide a superb, state-of-the-art bibliography of contemporary thinking in cultural studies, post-colonial theory, and clinical and research work with numerous populations who have been “overlooked and undertheorized.” The new paradigms dicussed and practiced in Transformations in Gender and Race encourage cultural multiplicity, inclusiveness, and understanding. A pallete of contemporary thinking, this insightful book will guide you in: how to bring diversity into the lived experience of young children numerous theoretical paradigms couples therapy men&’s work and children addressing the intersections of gender, race, class, and culture in the therapy room transformations regarding race and gender the inclusiveness of feminismA wealth of expertise and sharp observation that reaches out to enrich and humanize therapy practices, Transformations of Gender and Race addresses the interactions between gender, class, race, sexual orientation, and age. Creative and in-depth, this volume articulates a perspective that connects all of these contexts of potential oppression and privilege. You will gain a deeper understanding of numerous theoretical paradigms for working with couples, individuals, and children that will improve your practice.
White Girls
by Hilton Als'I defy you to read this book and come away with a mind unchanged' John Jeremiah Sullivan'Als has a serious claim to be regarded as the next James Baldwin' Observer'I see how we are all the same, that none of us are white women or black men; rather, we're a series of mouths, and that every mouth needs filling: with something wet or dry, like love, or unfamiliar and savory, like love'White Girls is about, among other things, blackness, queerness, movies, Brooklyn, love (and the loss of love), AIDS, fashion, Basquiat, Capote, philosophy, porn, Louise Brooks and Michael Jackson. Freewheeling and dazzling, tender and true, it is one of the most highly acclaimed essay collections in years. 'A voice that's new, that comes as if from a different room. I defy you to read this book and come away with a mind unchanged' John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead 'Effortless, honest and fearless' Rich Benjamin, The New York Times'Als is one of the most consistently unpredictable and surprising essayists out there, an author who confounds our expectations virtually every time he writes' David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times 'A comprehensive and utterly lovely collection of one of the best writers around' Eugenia Williamson, Boston Globe
Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture
by Erick AlvarezWhat was once a lifestyle for a small number of gay men in big cities has become a way of life for many, and the gay gym is now a culture on its own. Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture explores the evolution and current structure of this gay subculture that surfaced in San Francisco, West Hollywood, and New York during the 1970s. Covering ancient Greek gymnasium culture, modern bodybuilding practices, and homoerotic muscle-bound media, Muscles Boys examines the origins of the male athletic ideal. A sociological investigation on masculinity, fitness, HIV, steroids, and sex in the locker room, Muscle Boys dissects the gay gym experience, and celebrates gay body culture and its role in modern gay life. Author Erick Alvarez offers a candid study of the gay gym from his perspective as a physical trainer in the San Francisco Bay area, and from his interviews and online surveys of nearly 6,000 gay men. Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture is an enlightening read for anyone interested in gay body culture, and a valuable resource for academics working in GLBT studies, human sexuality, psychology, or athletics.
Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture
by Erick AlvarezWhat was once a lifestyle for a small number of gay men in big cities has become a way of life for many, and the gay gym is now a culture on its own. Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture explores the evolution and current structure of this gay subculture that surfaced in San Francisco, West Hollywood, and New York during the 1970s. Covering ancient Greek gymnasium culture, modern bodybuilding practices, and homoerotic muscle-bound media, Muscles Boys examines the origins of the male athletic ideal. A sociological investigation on masculinity, fitness, HIV, steroids, and sex in the locker room, Muscle Boys dissects the gay gym experience, and celebrates gay body culture and its role in modern gay life. Author Erick Alvarez offers a candid study of the gay gym from his perspective as a physical trainer in the San Francisco Bay area, and from his interviews and online surveys of nearly 6,000 gay men. Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture is an enlightening read for anyone interested in gay body culture, and a valuable resource for academics working in GLBT studies, human sexuality, psychology, or athletics.
Queer Women in Modern Spanish Literature: Activism, Sexuality, and the Otherness of the 'Chicas Raras' (Literary Criticism and Cultural Theory)
by Ana I. Simón-Alegre and Lou Charnon-DeutschThis original collection of essays explores the work and life choices of Spanish women who, through their writings and social activism, addressed social justice, religious dogmatism, the educational system, gender inequality, and tensions in female subjectivity. It brings together writers who are not commonly associated with each other, but whose voices overlap, allowing us to foreground their unconventionality, their relationships to each other, and their relation to modernity. The objective of this volume is to explore how the idea of "queerness" played an important role in the personal lives and social activism of these writers, as well as in the unconventional and nonconformist characters they created in their work. Together, the essays demonstrate that the concept of "queer women" is useful for investigating the evolution of women’s writing and sexual identity during the period of Spain’s fitful transition to modernity in the nineteenth century. The concept of queerness in its many meanings points to the idea of non-normativity and gender dissidence that encompasses how women intellectuals experienced friendship, religion, sex, sexuality, and gender. The works examined include autobiography, poetry, memoir, salon chronicles, short and long fiction, pedagogical essays, newspaper articles, theater, and letters. In addition to exploring the significant presence of queer women in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Spanish literature and culture, the essays examine the reasons why the voices of Spanish women authors have been culturally silenced. One thrust in this collection explores generational transitions of Spanish writers from the romantics and their "hermandad lírica" ("lyrical sisterhood") through to "las Sinsombrero" ("Women Without Hats"), and finally, current Spanish writers linked to the LGBTQ+ community.