Monday, March 31, 2014

Book Review: With, Edited by Jameson Currier





Reviewer: Alan Chin
Publisher: Chelsea Station Editions
Pages: 273


Writing short stories is difficult. It takes a gifted writer to condense a story down to its essence, and then tell it with only a few pages of prose. A short story well told is a joy, and the product of a true artist.

In With, several such artists have come together to display their skill. These wonderful stories are not gay erotica, dripping with sex every few pages. These are sixteen artists writing reflective stories that showcase relationships with men: gay men with their friends, lovers, partners, husbands, dates, tricks, BFs, hustlers, teachers, co-workers, family members, and strangers. For many, the plots are as complex as the characters.

There are several stories in this collection that are gems, some of the best fiction I’ve read in a while. Even the tales I didn’t completely connect with were skillfully written and engaging. A few of my favorites were: Andrew Barbee by Dan Lopez. Also, The Beautiful Boy by Shaun Levin, We Are The Revolution by Vincent Meis, and Follow Me Through by Tom Schabarum.

I loved the way William Sterling Walker pulled me right into the streets of New Orleans, something he does better than any writer I know.

Jeff Mann’s story, Eagle Rock is a thirty-page excerpt from his novel Purgatory. It seemed out of place only because I think one needs to read the backstory (I have read the novel) to completely comprehend the depth of feelings in this excerpt.

These are stories that deliver genuine human emotions and attitudes that reflect the many variations of male/male love, romance, and friendship. The list of contributors is a who’s who in gay fiction: David Bergman, Michael Carroll, Lewis DeSimone, Jack Fritscher, Ronald M. Gauthier, Michael Graves, Shaun Levin, Dan Lopez, Jeff Mann, Vince Meis, Matthew A. Merendo, Joel A. Nichols, David Pratt, Tom Schabarum, Stefen Styrsky, and William Sterling Walker.

I can highly recommend this anthology to anyone who enjoys finely crafted fiction.


Saturday, March 22, 2014

Cover Reveal – For My 1st Short-story Anthology Coming in Feb. 2015

This August my next novel, First Exposure, is being published by Bold Strokes Books. This publisher will also release my first short-story anthology in February 2015 called Buddha’s Bad Boys. These stories tell of six different “bad-boy” Americans, who for one reason or another find themselves living with monks in Thailand.

I’ve been working on these stories for the past several years, and I’m thrilled to share the covers that are being considered for this book.

The folks at Bold Strokes Books recently sent me two covers, asking which I preferred for my anthology. Can you guess which one I picked?







Friday, March 21, 2014

Book Review: An Unspoken Compromise by Rize Xavier Timane





Reviewer: Alan Chin
Publisher: HawkFish Publishing
Pages: 192



Rizi Xavier Timane was born in Nigeria to proud parents who loved her and who had high hopes for their daughter. The problem was, Rizi was transgendered, a boy trapped inside a girl’s body.  As he grew older, his family and school chums assumed he was a Tomboy, but as he matured into his teens, they began to think he was a lesbian. He was taunted at school and forced to undergo numerous exorcisms by the church to cast out the gay devil living inside him. He always knew, however, that he was not a lesbian, but rather, a male with the wrong body.

Rizi eventually fled Africa to escape his God-fearing parents and the religious wingnuts at the church, first to England for advanced schooling, and then to Los Angeles to live his life without persecution.  But even in L.A., he was shunned when he tried to join church groups. Then, after finding a life partner, Christina, he decided to finally fix his gender issue, and started conversion therapy.

This wonderful memoir chronicles Rize’s journey, first as a lesbian and then as a transgendered male.

I developed a love/hate relationship with this book. The lion’s share of these pages is Rizi’s story of self-discovery, persecution, and resolution. His story is both thought-provoking and heartfelt. He gives moving details of his feelings and his courage, and also gives accounts of how African culture violently crushes anything having to do with the LGBTQ community.

The part I had trouble with was a sizable section of the book that was basically a religious argument (Fundamentalist Christian) justifying why Christians should embrace the LGBTQ community. Frankly, as a non-Christian, I found this part of the book extremely off-putting. I’m sure only non-Christians will have issues with this.

The bible-thumping aside, this is a wonder memoir everyone can enjoy and learn from. It’s a book that can help confused, LGBTQ youth to better understand themselves, and a book that can help parents better understand the challenges their LGBTQ sons and daughters are facing. This book ends on a high note, and is an inspiration.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

The Plain Of Bitter Honey is a 2014 ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Award Finalists!


I am proud to announce that my novel, The Plain of Bitter Honey, is a finalist in the 2014 ForeWord Review Book of the Year Award in the Science Fiction category. 

The finalists are selected by librarians and booksellers. The winners will be announced at the American Library Association annual conference on June 27 in Las Vegas.

Foreword Reviews' Book of the Year Awards were established to bring increased attention to librarians and booksellers of the literary and graphic achievements of independent publishers and their authors. Foreword is the only review trade journal devoted exclusively to books from independent houses.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Book Review: The House of Green Waters – Southern Swallow Book IV by Edward C. Patterson





Reviewer: Alan Chin
Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages:  508


A Brilliant Work that will Linger in your Heart and Soul


This delightful adventure tale is book IV of Edward Patterson’s Southern Swallow series. The House of Green Waters, like its predecessors (The Academician, The Nan Tu, and Swan Cloud) is told by K'u Ko-ling, the amusing servant to the Grand Tutor, Li K'ai-men, who has been living in exile for thirteen years on the harsh, tropical island of Hai-nan.

Set on the broad canvas of Sung Dynasty China (12th Century), The House of Green Waters is a collage of historical adventure, intrigue, and love. While Li K’ai-men and his entourage suffer in a fly-infested wetland, slogging through jungle streams and unfurled on deserted beaches, China’s political world explodes as a mad prince invades the Sung Empire. It’s a time for heroes and riveting warfare, including the first recorded battle in history to deploy poisonous gas as a weapon.

This story is a passing of the torch, where sons take power from fathers, and a new generation of heroes rise up to sacrifice themselves in the fight against injustice. It is also a deeply touching love story, as Li K’ai-men and his devoted lover, Fu Lin-t’o, come to their last days together, and also reach the pinnacle of their love for each other. The adoration shown on these pages rivals anything I’ve read for its beauty and raw emotion.

I have adored all four books of the Southern Swallow series for a number of reasons. First, I particularly enjoyed the characterizations in this character driven novel. Patterson has created a number of interesting and likeable characters. They are flawed, and struggle to overcome those defects. Even the "bad-guys" developed into memorable foes.

Second, the author skillfully weaves an intriguing plot that holds the reader to the page, blending history, adventure, love, and magic to form an unforgettable tapestry.

The author has created a delightful voice. The tale is told both in third person, and also K'u Ko-ling’s first person narratives. Both voices are distinct and captivating. It is a pleasure reading such well-crafted prose.

Edward C. Patterson is a scholar in East Asian culture. So not only is the storyline based on true historical events, but the descriptions of the cultural settings and rituals ring true.  Patterson has done his homework, and it shows from first page to last.

For anyone interested in reading this novel, I would highly recommend reading books I, II, & III first (The Academician, The Nan Tu, and Swan Cloud).  There is simply too much plot and relationship building that occurs in these earlier novels that is needed to fully understand the situations presented in The House of Green Waters.

Readers who love historical fiction will no doubt treasure this series. But these books can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates fully developed characters and finely crafted stories. This book, this series, is a gem that can be appreciated by everyone.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Thai Time


The concept of time is a slippery one, perhaps one of the hardest ideas most of us will ever have to wrap our minds around. Philosophers, scientists, and religious people can’t agree on what “time” is, let alone how it works. Seconds, minutes, hours, and days, none the less, are pretty useful—especially if you’re baking bread or trying to meet a publisher’s deadline.

For the purpose of this blog post, time will be that thing that comes from the past, travels through the present, and disappears into the future—all concepts that Einstein and Lord Buddha irritatingly described as an illusion.

Anyone from the West spending time in Thailand, like me, quickly realizes that holding onto to a western concept of time in this part of the world is essentially futile. Seconds do tick by in the same way they do at home, but the passing of time is palpably different.

Thailand is not a country to live in if you’re someone who insists that things take place on time. “On time” here is refreshingly flexible, and once—if—you get used to it, strangely liberating. Understanding that the tuk tuk you booked for 8:30 a.m. will probably, with luck, show up at noon, or your Thai friend on the phone that says he’s only five minutes away from picking you up actually means he’s still at home across town just stepping out of the shower, is normal. This, of course, would be unacceptable in the West. Here, it’s just how things work.

If you’re uptight about punctuality, then Thailand will probably give you seizures. However, if you can get used to it, it all makes perfect sense.

And right now, people in the States are turning their clocks forward an hour. The Thai people don’t bother, and would probably laugh if anyone even suggested it. “Change the clocks,” they would chorus, “what clocks?”

Thursday, March 6, 2014

26th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists


Los Angeles, CA - The 26th Annual Lambda Literary Awards - or the "Lammys," as they are affectionately known - mark another record-breaking year and usher in the debut of the new category of Graphic Novel. Finalists for the Lammys were announced today by the Lambda Literary Foundation (LLF) in Los Angeles after reviewing a record 746 submissions (up from 687 last year) from 352 publishers (up from 332 last year). Submissions came from major mainstream publishers and from academic presses, from both long-established and new LGBT publishers, as well as from emerging publish-on-demand technologies.

Now in their twenty-sixth year, the Lambda Literary Awards celebrate achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) writing for books published in 2013. Winners will be announced during a ceremony on Monday evening, June 2, 2014, at The Great Hall at Cooper Union (7 East 7th Street, New York City 10003). Details on the annual after-party location are forthcoming. For more information and to buy tickets, please visit: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/ 

TRANSGENDER FICTION
   Nevada, a novel, Imogen Binnie, Topside Press
   Tiresias, Devon Llywelyn Jones, Devon Llywelyn Jones
   Wanting in Arabic, Trish Salah, TSAR Publications

BISEXUAL FICTION
   Corona, Bushra Rehman, Sibling Rivalry Press
   Hild: A Novel, Nicola Griffith, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
   In His Secret Life, Mel Bossa, Bold Strokes Books
   My Education, Susan Choi, Penguin Group/Viking
   The Two Hotel Francforts: A Novel, David Leavitt, Bloomsbury

GAY GENERAL FICTION
   A Visit to Priapus and Other Stories, by Glenway Wescott, EdJerry Rosco, University of Wisconsin Press
   An Honest Ghost, Rick Whitaker, Jaded Ibis Press
   The City of Devi, Manil Suri, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
   Damn Love, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Ig Publishing
   The Desperates, Greg Kearney, Cormorant Books
   Fire Year, Jason K Friedman, Sarabande Books
   Local Souls, Allan Gurganus, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
   Mundo Cruel: Stories, Luis Negron; translated by Suzanne Jill Levine, Seven Stories Press
   Necessary Errors, Caleb Crain, Penguin Books
   The Red Shoes, John Stewart Wynne, Riverdale Ave Books/Magnus

LESBIAN GENERAL FICTION
   The Albino Album, Chavisa Woods, Seven Stories Press
   Bodies of Water, T. Greenwood, Kensington
   Cha-Ching!, Ali Liebegott, City Lights
   Cream, Christiana Harrell, Createspace
   The Daylight Gate, Jeanette Winterson, Grove/Atlantic Inc./Grove Press
   Fat Angie, e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Candlewick Press
   Happiness, Like Water, Chinelo Okparanta, Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
   She Rises: A Novel, Kate Worsley, Bloomsbury
   Survival Skills, Jean Ryan, Ashland Creek Press
   We Are Water, Wally Lamb, HarperCollins/Harper

LGBT DEBUT FICTION
   The Affairs of Others: A Novel, Amy Grace Loyd, Picador
   Descendants of Hagar, Nik Nicholson, AuthorHouse
   Golden Boy, Abigail Tarttelin, Simon & Schuster/Atria Books
   How to Shake the Other Man, Derek Palacio, Nouvella
   In Between, Jane Hoppen, Bold Strokes Books
   Inside, Charles L. Ross, Ink Inc.
   Jane and the Whales, Andrea Routley, Caitlin Press
   My Brother's Name: A Novel, Laura Krughoff, Scarletta / Scarletta Press
   Prick Queasy, Ronald Palmer, Publication Studio
   The Rest of Us: Stories, Guy Mark Foster, Tincture/Lethe Press

TRANSGENDER NONFICTION
   Blood, Marriage, Wine & Glitter, S. Bear Bergman, Arsenal Pulp Press
   The End of San Francisco, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, City Lights Publishers
   Testo Junkie, Beatriz Preciado, Feminist Press

BISEXUAL NONFICTION
   The B Word: Bisexuality in Contemporary Film and Television, Maria San Filippo, Indiana University Press
   Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution, Shiri Eisner, Seal Press
   The Soundtrack of My Life, Clive Davis, Simon & Schuster

LGBT NONFICTION
   Among the Bloodpeople, Thomas Glave, Akashic Books
   Does Jesus Really Love Me?, Jeff Chu, Harper Collins
   The End of the Homosexual?, Dennis Altman, University of Queensland Press
   Living Out Islam: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims, Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle, NYU Press
   Meet Grindr: How One App Changed The Way We Connect, Jamie Woo, Self-Published
   Plane Queer: Labor, Sexuality, and AIDS in the History of Male Flight Attendants, Phil Tiemeyer, University of California Press
   The Queer Limit of Black Memory Black Lesbian Literature and Irresolution, Matt Richardson, The Ohio State University Press
   Radical Relations: Lesbian Mothers, Gay Fathers, and Their Children in the United States since World War II, Daniel Winunwe Rivers, University of North Carolina Press
   Tom Bianchi: Fire Island Pines. Polaroids 1975-1983, Ben Smales, Tom Bianchi, Edmund White, Damiani
   White Girls, Hilton Als, McSweeney's Publishing
   You Can Tell Just By Looking: And 20 Other Myths about LGBT Life and People, Michael Bronski, Ann Pellegrini and Michael Amico, Beacon Press

GAY POETRY
   Alternative Medicine, Rafael Campo, Duke University Press
   The Apartment of Tragic Appliances, Michael D. Snediker, Peanut Books (an imprint of punctum books)
   Clay, David Groff, Trio House Press
   Companion Grasses, Brian Teare, Omnidawn Publishing
   Metaphysical Dog, Frank Bidart, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
   Obscenely Yours, Angelo Nikolopoulos, Alice James Books
   Silverchest, Carl Phillips, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
   Straight Razor, Randall Mann, Persea Books
   The Talking Day, Michael Klein, Sibling Rivalry Press
   Unpeopled Eden, Rigoberto Gonzalez, Four Way Books

LESBIAN POETRY
   A Wild Surmise: New & Selected Poems & Recordings, Eloise Klein Healy, Red Hen Press
   Chopper! Chopper! Poetry From Bordered Lives, Veronica Reyes, Red Hen Press/Arktoi Books
   Chord Box, Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers, The University of Arkansas Press
   The Collected Poems of Ai, Ai, W.W. Norton & Company
   The Exchange, Sophie Cabot Black, Graywolf Press
   Proxy, R. Erica Doyle, Belladonna Collaborative
   Rise in the Fall, Ana Bozicevic, Birds, LLC
   She Has a Name, Kamilah Aisha Moon, Four Way Books
   Viral, Suzanne Parker, Alice James Books
   We Come Elemental, Tamiko Beyer, Alice James Books

GAY MYSTERY
   Baton Rouge Bingo, Greg Herren, Bold Strokes Books
   Boystown 5: Murder Book, Marshall Thornton, MLR Press
   Fierce, David Lennon, Blue Spike Publishing
   Foxed, Garry Ryan, NeWest Press
   The General and the Elephant Clock of Al-Jazari, Sarah Black, Dreamspinner Press
   How to Greet Strangers: A Mystery, Joyce Thompson, Lethe Press
   In Real Life, The 3rd Gemini & Flowers Mystery, Jonathan Gregory, Amazon Digital Services Inc
   Pawn of Satan, Mark Zubro, MLR Press
   Pretty Boy Dead, Jon Michaelsen, Wilde City Press
   The Prisoner of the Riviera: A Francis Bacon Mystery, Janice Law, MysteriousPress.com/Open Road Media

LESBIAN MYSTERY
   Cross and Burn, Val McDermid, Grove/Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press
   Death of the Demon, Annel Holt, Scribner
   High Desert, Katherine V. Forrest, Spinsters Ink
   The Killer Wore Leather: A Mystery, Laura Antoniou, Cleis Press
   Point of Betrayal, Ann Roberts, Bella Books
   The Rainey Season, R.E. Bradshaw, R.E. Bradshaw Books
   She Overheard Murder, Jean Sheldon, Wellworth Publishing/Bast Press
   Taken by the Wind, Ellen Hart, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books
   Turning on the Tide, Jenna Rae, Bella Books
   Web of Obsessions, Diane Wood, Bella Books
   The Wild Beasts of Wuhan: An Ava Lee Novel, Ian Hamilton, Picador

GAY MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
   A Heaven of Words: Last Journals, by Glenway Wescott, Ed. Jerry Rosco, University of Wisconsin Press
   The AIDS Generation: Stories of Survival and Resilience, Perry N. Halkitis, Oxford University Press
   American Hipster: A Life of Herbert Huncke, The Times Square Hustler Who Inspired the Beat Movement, Hillary Holladay, Riverdale Ave Books/Magnus
   Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography, Richard Rodriguez, Penguin Group/Viking
   Dreadful: The Short Life and Gay Times of John Horne Burns, David Margolick, Other Press
   Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father, Alysia Abbott, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
   Farther and Wilder: The Lost Weekends and Literary Dreams of Charles Jackson, Blake Bailey, Alfred A. Knopf
   Henry Darger, Throwaway Boy: The Tragic Life of an Outsider Artist, Jim Elledge, Overlook Duckworth
   In Bed With Gore Vidal, Tim Teeman, Riverdale Ave Books/Magnus
   Returning to Reims, Didier Eribon, Semiotext(e)

LESBIAN MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
   Body Geographic, Barrie Jean Borich, University of Nebraska Press
   Growing up Golem, Donna Minkowitz, Riverdale Ave Books/Magnus
   How Poetry Saved My Life, Amber Dawn, Arsenal Pulp Press
   L Is for Lion: An Italian Bronx Butch Freedom Memoir, Annie Rachel Lanzillotto, SUNY Press, Excelsior Editions
   Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology, Caroline Paul and Wendy MacNaughton, Bloomsbury

GAY ROMANCE
   Covet Thy Neighbor, L. A. Witt, Riptide Publishing
   Glitterland, Alexis Hall, Riptide Publishing
   Into This River I Drown, TJ Klune, Dreamspinner Press
   King Mai, Edmond Manning, Pickwick Ink Publishing
   My Dear Watson, L.A. Fields, Lethe Press
   Pickup Men, L.C. Chase, Riptide Publishing
   Play Me, I'm Yours, Madison Parker, Harmony Ink Press
   Rocky's Road, Lynley Wayne, MLR Press
   Unbroken, Larry Benjamin, Beaten Track Publishing
   Where You Are, J.H. Trumble, Kensington

LESBIAN ROMANCE
   All That Lies Within, Lynn Ames, Phoenix Rising Press
   At Seventeen, Gerri Hill, Bella Books
   Broken Trails, D Jordan Redhawk, Bella Books
   Clean Slate, Andrea Bramhall, Bold Strokes Books
   Date with Destiny, Mason Dixon, Bold Strokes Books
   Hold Me Forever, D. Jackson Leigh, Bold Strokes Books
   Hoosier Daddy, Ann McMan, Salem West, Bedazzled Ink Publishing Company/Nuance
   Last Salute, Tracey Richardson, Bella Books
   Love by the Numbers, Karin Kallmaker, Bella Books
   The Princess Affair, Nell Stark, Bold Strokes Books

GAY EROTICA
   Capture & Surrender, Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt, Riptide Publishing
   The Padisah's Son and the Fox: an erotic novella, Alex Jeffers, Lethe Press
   Sensual Travels: Gay Erotic Stories, Michael Luongo (Ed.), Bruno Gmuender
   Show-Offs: Gay Erotic Stories, Ed. Richard Labonte, Cleis Press
   Team Players: Gay Erotic Stories, Winston Gieseke (Ed.), Bruno Gmuender

LESBIAN EROTICA
   At Her Feet, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Bold Strokes Books
   Best Lesbian Erotica 2014, Kathleen Warnock, Ed., Cleis Press
   Wild Girls Wild Nights: True Lesbian Sex Stories, Ed. Sacchi Green, Cleis Press

 LGBT ANTHOLOGY
   An Archive of Hope: Harvey Milk's Speeches and Writings, Harvey Milk, Jason Edward Black, Charles E. Morris, University of California Press
   The Feminist Porn Book, Tristan Taormino, Constance Penley, Celine Parrenas Shimizu & Mireille Miller-Young, Feminist Press
   Flicker and Spark: A Contemporary Queer Anthology of Spoken Word and Poetry, Editors: Brittany Fonte and Regie Cabico, Lowbrow Press
   Ghosts in Gaslight. Monsters in Steam. Gay City: Volume 5, Evan J Peterson & Vincent Kovar, Gay City Anthologies
   Queer Africa: New and Collected Fiction, Karen Martin and Makhosazana Xaba, MaThoko's Books
   Queer in Aztlan: Chicano Male Recollentions of Consciousness and Coming Out, Ed. Adelaida R. Del Castillo and Gibran Guido, Cognella Academic Publishing
   This Assignment Is So Gay: LGBTIQ Poets on the Art of Teaching, Megan Volpert, Sibling Rivalry Press
   Troubling the Line: Trans and Genderqueer Poetry and Poetics, T.C. Tolbert and Tim Trace Peterson, Nightboat Books
   What I LOVE about being QUEER, Vivek Shraya, George Brown College
   Who's Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners, Eds. Jim Elledge and David Groff, The University of Wisconsin Press

LGBT CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT
   Better Nate Than Ever, Tim Federle, Simon & Schuster, Inc./ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
   Boy In Box, Christopher R. Michael, Hubbub Publishing
   Girls I've Run Away With, Rhiannon Argo, Moonshine Press
   If You Could Be Mine, Sara Farizan, Algonquin Books
   Openly Straight, Bill Konigsberg, Arthur A. Levine Books
   Rapture Practice, Aaron Hartzler, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
   Secret City, Julia Watts, Bella Books
   The Secret Ingredient, Stewart Lewis- Author, Rebecca Short-Editor, Delacorte Press (Penguin/Random House)
   The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Arthur A. Levine Books
   Two Boys Kissing, David Levithan, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
   What Makes a Baby, Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth, Seven Stories Press/Triangle Square

LGBT DRAMA
   Las Hociconas: Three Locas with Big Mouths and Even Bigger Brains, Adelina Anthony, Korima Press
   sash & trim and other plays, Djola Branner, RedBone Press
   Tom at the Farm, Michel Marc Bouchard, Talonbooks

LGBT GRAPHIC NOVEL
   Artifice, Alex Woolfson (author), Winona Nelson (Illustrator), AMW Comics
   Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir, Nicole J. Georges, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
   Duck! Second Chances, Tana Ford, Bang A Left
   The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, Kyle Baker, Steve Dutro, M Press

LGBT SF/F/HORROR
   Collaborators, Deborah Wheeler, Dragon Moon Press
   Death by Silver, Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold, Lethe Press
   Deprivation; or, Benedetto furioso: an oneiromancy, Alex Jeffers, Lethe Press
   Dragon Slayer, Isabella Carter, Less Than Three Press
   Dust Devil on a Quiet Street, Richard Bowes, Lethe Press
   Hell's Belle, Marie Castle, Bella Books
   Invisible Soft Return :\, Roberta Degnore, Digital Fabulists
   Light, Nathan Burgoryne, Bold Strokes Books
   Like Light for Flies, Lee Thomas, Lethe Press
   The Stars Change, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Circlet Press, Inc.

LGBT STUDIES
   Butch Queens Up in Pumps Gender, Performance, and Ballroom Culture in Detroit, Marlon M. Bailey, University of Michigan Press
   Feeling Women's Liberation, Victoria Hesford, Duke University Press
   Just Queer Folks: Gender and Sexuality in Rural America, Colin R. Johnson, Temple University Press
   Love and Money: Queers, Class, and Cultural Production, Lisa Henderson, NYU Press
   Oye Loca: From the Mariel Boatlift to Gay Cuban Miami, Susana Pena, University of Minnesota Press
   Professing Selves: Transsexuality and Same-Sex Desire in Contemporary Iran, Afsaneh Najmabadi, Duke University Press
   Safe Space: Gay Neighborhood History and the Politics of Violence, Christina B. Hanhardt, Duke University Press
   Shanghai Lalas, Lucetta Yip Lo Kam, Hong Kong University Press
   Tomorrow's Parties: Sex and the Untimely, Peter M. Coviello, NYU Press
   Transforming Citizenships: Transgender Articulations of the Law, Isaac West, NYU Press