Nonfiction:

Bears on Bears: Interviews and Discussions edited by Ron Jackson Suresha
Bears, for the uninitiated, are gay men who defiantly challenge society's ideal of physical appearance, who celebrate the fact that they are often large, hairy, and don't give a hoot about what fashions are parading down the runway. Ron Suresha's thought-provoking, humorous long-form interviews with men examines questions of gay male stereotyping, commodification of the human body, the oppressiveness of the "physical ideal," and how body image affects personal growth.

Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas
"I scream, therefore I exist," states Reinaldo Arenas in his ground- breaking autobiography — Reinaldo documents the atrocities of Castro as the backdrop of his turbulent life.

Reinaldo begins his odyssey at his grandparents farm, far removed from the influences of the modern world. Here is is at his most creative, acting out stories, songs and characters based on his grandmother's superstitions. As a young man, in a bleak and crowded city of Holguín, he is indoctrinated into the sexually charged revolution — reved-up by the enthusiasm of thousands of teenage boys like himself, and the sexual "adventures" he and his friends partake in.

As Castro's power grows, Reinaldo faces the stringent realities of communism, and the tortures imposed upon writers and intellectuals forced into slave labor camps for their "rehabilitation". Though he is able to smuggle his novels out with sympathetic tourists, the international acclaim his work receives makes him into target for the Cuban government; he is jailed for a crime he did not commit. In exile, he faces a much worse censorship by the leftist parties that heralded him while in Cuba, and his scream becomes louder and stronger in his isolation.

Before Night Falls is a worthy read for any gay reader, and an inspiration for any writer. - SM

Between the Palms: A Collection of Gay Travel Erotica edited by Michael T. Luongo
Between the Palms: A Collection of Gay Travel Erotica takes us across deserts and through jungles where sexy encounters can be found by men willing to roam. Each of the six inhabited continents has its own share of rare delights, from the nightclubs of Buenos Aires to the Pyramids of Giza. Compiled by writer, editor, and traveler, Michael Luongo, these are true-life adventures told by world wanderers who found romance and hot sex in the most exotic of locales. Between the Palms is more than just an anthology of erotica; it is an exploration of people and societies everywhere on earth, focusing on men and being gay. Acclaimed authors take you to the ends of the earth, transcending language, culture, and even time with stories of gay erotic encounters, including a Caribbean vacation where the service is larger-than-life, a river bath with many naked men and one bar of soap, and moment of passion in a German bar just before the Berlin Wall was built.

The Burning Pen: Sex Writers on Sex Writing edited by M. Christian
In this groundbreaking work, contemporary writers of erotica reflect on how their work originates, how their sexuality shapes their words, and, more important, how their words have affected their sexuality. Patrick Califia-Rice, Jack Fritscher, Cecilia Tan, Thomas Roche, Carol Queen, Felice Picano, Shar Rednour, Laura Antoniou, and Simon Sheppard are just a scattering of the names brought together by noted erotica writer M. Christian to deliver an eye-opening, thought-provoking examination of the craft of writing about sex.

Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love by Will Roscoe
Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love is a passionate exploration of the history of Western religion as seen through the queer eye of one of the most widely acclaimed authors in gay spirituality. Drawing on recently discovered ancient sources, Will Roscoe offers a striking new view of Jesus as a charismatic mystic, whose teachings on love and the kingdom of heaven were complemented by a secret rite that served to impart the experience of entering heaven. After meticulously reconstructing this rite, Roscoe seeks its ultimate origins--an odyssey that eventually leads him to the margins of the inhabited world, where the ancient practices of shamanism survive to today.

Whether discussing early Christianity, Plato's Symposium, the rites of shamans, or the myths of ancient Mesopotamia, Roscoe uncovers fresh insights at every turn. He builds a persuasive argument that mysticism and gay love are powerfully connected, and that this connection forms a hidden tradition in the history of Western religion.

Kinkorama: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Perversion by Simon Sheppard
If Cabaret's twisted emcee had earned a degree in sociology, he might very well have turned out a book like Simon Sheppard's brilliantly conceived and executed Kinkorama. A noted erotic writer, Sheppard reveals the sometimes shocking, often hilarious, relentlessly arousing scenarios of extreme sex. Would you like to meet a foot fetishist? How about a guy in diapers? A leather master and his slave? Sheppard's journey embraces them all. The people he meets splash across the pages in Technicolor prose that places readers in the center of the action before safely leading them home again.

The Lazy Crossdresser by Charles Anders
Studies show that as many as 5% of American men crossdress regularly—but not all of them want to crossdress fully or publicly. Charles Anders, a writer and crossdresser of many years' experience, gives you the skills and confidence you need to crossdress as much—or as little—as you want: embarrassment-free clothes shopping, doing your makeup, making decisions about your head and body hair, and much more. Unlike crossdressing manuals that insist on nothing less than perfect passable femininity, The Lazy Crossdresser gives you permission to experiment: "The moment you put on a dab of lipstick or a pair of panties, you've stepped outside the magic circle. There are no rules." Hints, ideas, stories, emotional support, and illustrations to help you become the creature you've dreamed of being!

Loving Mountains, Loving Men by Jeff Mann
Loving Mountains, Loving Men is the first book-length treatment of a topic rarely discussed or examined before: gay life in Appalachia. Appalachians are known for their love of place, yet many gays and lesbians from the mountains flee to urban areas. Jeff Mann tells the story of one who left and then returned, who insists on claiming and celebrating both regional and erotic identities. In memoir and poetry, Mann describes his life as an openly gay man who has remained true to his mountain roots. Mann first describes his upbringing in Hinton, a small town in southern West Virginia, as well as his realization of his homosexuality, his early experiences of homophobia, his coterie of supportive lesbian friends, and his initial attempts to escape his native region in hopes of finding a freer life in urban gay communities. Mann depicts his difficult search for a romantic relationship, the family members who have given him the strength to defy convention, his anger against religious intolerance and the violence of homophobia, and his love for the rich folk culture of the Highland South. His character and values shaped by the mountains, Mann has reconciled his homosexuality with both traditional definitions of Appalachian manhood and his own attachment to home and kin. Loving Mountains, Loving Men is the compelling, universal story of making peace with oneself and the wider world.

Men Seeking Men: Adventures in Gay Personals edited by Michael Lassell
From local queer newspapers and big city dailies, to telephone and on-line match-making services, personals ads are the newest inning in the gay mating game. But is that irresistible hunk, in the back-of-the-book fine print, all he's cracked up to be? Men Seeking Men collects the real-life adventures of gay guys who met their dream man (or nightmare date) by placing or answering a personals ad. When those who place the ads meet those who answer them, anything can happen.

Out in the Castro: Desire, Promise, Activism edited by Winston Leyland
The history, culture, politics, sexuality of San Francisco's Castro, America's most famous gay neighborhood, are brought to life in this groundbreaking book, including over 35 LGBTQ writers and over 150 photographs. "Out in the Castro" is not a history of LGBTQ San Francisco as a whole, but rather a focus on historical (and present day) events, activism and personalities directly associated with The Castro --- with some overspill into the rest of the city.

PoMoSexuals: Challenging Assumptions about Gender and Sexuality edited by Lawrence Schimel and Carol Queen
We live in a complicated world, and according to PoMoSexuals, it is a lot more complicated than we thought. Now that society has become accustomed to the idea that gay men and lesbians exist, Lawrence Schimel and Carol Queen have brought together 15 essays dedicated to demolishing those categories. They are not, of course, arguing that homosexuals don't exist, but simply that these categories and words cannot do justice to the wondrous complexity of human sexuality. In PoMoSexuals you can read about heterosexual women who identify as gay men, the politics of placing a transgendered personal ad, and how trendy gay male ghetto culture is less about sexual liberation than brand-name accumulation. No matter what your sexual identity is, PoMoSexuals will startle and enlighten, provoke and entertain.

Queer Dharma: Voices of Gay Buddhists edited by Winston Leyland
Over thirty-five writers and fifty separate works are featured in this illustrated, ground-breaking book of 416 pages with articles from various Buddhist traditions (Vipassana, Zen, Tibetan). An Introduction by the editor is followed by Kobai Scott Whitney's "Vast Sky and White Clouds: Is There a Gay Buddhism?"

Sex Parties 101 by Simon Sheppard
Whether you've ever been to a sex party or hosted a barbecue-cum-orgy in your backyard, this nuts-and-bolts guide to the ins, outs, ups, downs, tops, bottoms and everything (and everyone) in between is a must-have! Face it, folks: It's a new world out there, and you've got to keep up. In this exhaustive guide you will find (among many other things): Tips on lighting and music, The Ten Commandments of orgies, How to be an inclusive host (or an attitude-free guest), Do-it-yourself dungeons, What to wear, Gang bangs made simple, Menu suggestions, Ten theme parties you can try. Just think-no more boring Saturday nights!

The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name: Essays on Queer Sexuality and Desire edited by Greg Wharton
A collection of essays focusing on gay male sexuality, this anthology includes bisexual, gay, and transgender essayists writing about life, love, desire, and sex, exploring how they perceive themselves sexually, how their sexual preference defines them, and what turns them on. Bringing together 14 insightful and thought-provoking essays from a diverse international group of queer authors, these essays are snapshots into each man's life-brave, personal, and honest. Varied in theme, the essays' topics range from past lovers and preferred lovers, promiscuity and monogamy, to gender, class, racial, and interracial issues, and how they relate to, and sometimes define, each man's sexuality.
Nominted: 2004 Lambda Literary Award for Nonfiction Anthology

Tricks and Treats: Sex Workers Write About Their Clients edited by Matt Sycamore
Explore the insightful-and oftentimes intense-accounts of sex workers who look squarely into the eyes of their clients, the sex industry, and society as a whole. Tricks and Treats delivers private stories about homo- and heterosexual encounters that sex workers usually confide only in each other. Not another "why I became a prostitute" book, it provocatively turns the tables on the buyers of sex, giving you a window into sex workers' lives. Tricks and Treats gives you straightforward accounts by sex workers to help you understand the pleasures, attractions, and truths of this profession.

Walking Higher: Gay Men Write About the Deaths of Their Monthers edited by Alexander Renault
A collection of 30 voices dedicated to exploring their relationships with the women who gave them life, and managing the aftermath of their mothers' passing. Ten to twenty years ago, gay sons were predeceasing their mothers in alarming numbers as out-of-sequence deaths from AIDS ravaged an entire generation. Now that AIDS is a treatable disease in the developed world, more gay men are surviving their parents. Hence, it seems timely to offer a series of reflections on the special and unique relationship of mothers and their gay sons from the perspective of the surviving sons.

 

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