I. I've noted that my next novel will have Blood and Disease as themes. Earlier this month, I got into a heated e-mail exchange about how gay men can't give blood becuase of the fear of tainting the blood supply with AIDS. However, heterosexuals who make up most of the HIV infections in the world aren't held to the same standards. Also, it turns out drug users and prostitutes can eventually give blood after a certain time, but gay men can't. Ever! Some of you who read my second novel Talking to the Moon may have remembered a scene where a son couldn't give his dying father blood because he was gay. Well, that came from my real life experience.
Writer (and former student) Serena Lin wrote (with minor assistance from me) this piece for Asian Week. It says in a nutshell that this practice is wrong and should be changed.
II. I escaped the heat of Los Angeles by doing a reading in San Francisco with Michelle Tea (below) on Tuesday. It was most fun. For the first time, I read a section from my novel-in-progress, Boy With Bleeding Hands (see section I about what it's about). It was a wonderful exercise in putting my next novel out into the world.
III. It's going to get hot this weekend as I do a reading for Conrad Romo's Tongue and the Groove. I'll probably be reading from the new novel as well.
Details:
"Tongue & Groove"A monthly offering of short fiction, personal essays, poetry, spoken word + music produced by Conrad Romo. This month featuring the following: Noel Alumit, Kerrie Kvashay-Boyle, Kate Crash, Katherine Griffith, Faye Lane and music by Jake La Botz.
Sunday the 29th of June
6:00-7:30 pm
The Hotel Cafe1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd.Hollywood, Ca 90028
$6.00
6 comments:
what was the name of the story you read before the section from the new novel [at the sflibrary queerarts reading]? really enjoyed it, want to recommend it
Why, thank you. I read from my second novel, "Talking to the Moon."
Ugh... was going to chastise you for not promoting it, but just re-read your last entry and buried at the bottom there *WAS* a reference to you coming to SF, so... my bad. Oh well, next time... :-(
Ooh, I'm jealous that the SF crowd got to hear stuff from your new novel!
Yeah, I'm always astounded that those blood-donation questionnaires basically say: "Hetero sluts who were too drunk to remember if they used a condom with their past 175 partners? Step right up! Guys who've been in monogamous relationships for 20 years and still use condoms every time? Sorry, you're just a liiittle too risky."
I got rejected last time because of a low iron count, but I helped myself to free juice and cookies anyway as a way of sticking it to the Red Cross Man.
Hello! The SF Library event was fun - good seeing you again. I was the one with the ARC of "Talking to the Moon."
Thanks for speaking about race and gender identity related to your works.
Best of luck with writing and performing, however they fit into your life (and career, I suppose).
Joey
You have a fan here waiting for your next work. ;-)
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