Literary Chopsticks

I heard a piece on the radio on how the Chinese are encouraging people to bring their own chopsticks. The wooden chopsticks found in restaurants were leading to massive deforestation. I got to thinking and these sentences came out of me. Beginnig of a short story, no?

"Cesar Wong was a pretentious fuck. He carried his own chopsticks to use in whatever restaurant he ate in. The chopsticks were bone white. He said they belonged to Genghis Khan and were made from the femurs of an enemy killed in battle."

Literary Exhibit

I just went to a press preview of the MAKE ART/STOP AIDS exhibition. It is a stunning display of art. I firmly believe EVERYONE needs to see this exhibit with work from South Africa, India, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. I'd been doing AIDS work for 18 years and I was not prepared to see what I saw. It is startling, thought-provoking, even humorous.

Yes, there is writing involved, but that alone doesn't make the exhibit literary. It's the questions that are posed, the ideas that are raised. I wondered what am I doing as an artist to ends AIDS, to make the world more bearable for those with less previlege?

The exhibit opens this weekend and has portraits, interactive media, sculptures and more. If you can come to the opening night, it will be fabulous.

MAKE ART/STOP AIDS OPENING EVENTS
2.23.08 MAKE ART/STOP AIDS exhibition opening party, 8-11 pm, free
Fowler Museum at UCLA

DJ music by Jeremy Sole’s Musaics, Puppetry, Give-Aways, Dessert, and Cash Bar. No Cover.
RSVP: 310.206.7001 or e-mail: fowlermembership@arts.ucla.edu

2.24.08 MAKE ART/STOP AIDS opening day, 12-5 pm
Flesh & Blood, 1 pm, $6, Glorya Kaufman Dance Theater
Tickets: 310.825.2101, www.tickets.ucla.edu or pay at the door
Hourly guided exhibition tours starting at 2 pm, free

All events first-come, first-served. Reservations strongly recommended. Event parking is $8 per day. Park in Lot 4 at the Westwood Plaza and Sunset Entrance.
Presented by Art | Global Health Center at UCLA and the Fowler Museum at UCLA.
www.makeartstopaids.org

Literary Bauby

I just came from seeing The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. It is brilliant. Any writer worth a darn should see this movie about Jean-Dominique Bauby, a magazine editor, who experiences a stroke, suffers from "locked-in" syndrome, and can only communicate with the use of his one good eye. It is a masterpiece.

I came across this book back in the 1990's. I didn't have it in me to read this tragic story. I worried about whether I could see it on screen. I was afraid of experiencing this story because I knew it would change me. For better or worse, I didn't know. All I could say is that I am a better person after seeing it. When the very paralyzed Mr. Bauby affirms that his imagination and memory were undamamged, I wanted to throw myself into the aisle and weep.

I am a more determined writer after seeing him literally blink a whole book to life. I was reminded of the power of words, the overwhelming Voice, and the strength of the human spirit. Mr. Bauby touched me. I hope he touches you.

LIterary Anais

I went to a reading coordinated by a literary friend, Stephen Reigns. It was called Anais at 105, a celebration of the writer Anais Nin who would have been 105 this year. The reading was at the Hammer Museum in Westwood and friends of Ms. Nin talked about her life. Deena Metzger was one of the friends and reminded us of a time that we had forgotten. Anais Nin actually had a hard time getting published. She published her own work because no one else would publish a woman with a certain intellect.

Of course I knew of Anais Nin, but I wouldn't say I sought out her work. Now, I will. Did you know she had two husbands! One lived in Los Angeles and the other lived in New York. She flew back and forth without telling the other. An added bonus is discovering that Anais Nin lived in my Silverlake Neighborhood.

Literary Texas

I recently read a fantabulous book called Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy by Robert Leleux. My review is here.

I'd highly recommend this book, which takes place in Texas. It's funny, funny, funny. Robert was in town doing a reading at A Different Light Bookstore. That's Robert and his mother, a major character in the story. I went and listened to Robert talk about Texas. This guy made Texas a place ripe with stories.

I love going to literary events, but I fall over when it's more literary than I expected. In the front row was author Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey. She wrote an amazing epistolary novel called A Woman of Independant Means. I read it as a source of inspiration to write Letters to Montgomery Clift. Here she is...

Literary February 13th

The First Promising Reading of the Year Will Take Place
On February 13 at A Different Light Bookstore

(Los Angeles) The Promising Series is the only reading series in Los Angeles that exclusively features Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender writers. A goal for the series is to celebrate established writers and introduce the next generation of writers that will explore the GLBT experience. The next reading will be held on Wednesday, February 13th 2008 at 7:30pm.

“I’m glad that we’re kicking off another year of Promising,” said series coordinator Noël Alumit. “It’s another year of featuring fierce and exciting work.”

The February 13th reading will feature:

Frederick Smith is originally from Detroit, Michigan. He is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism and Loyola University Chicago. A finalist for the 2004 PEN Center Emerging Voices Fellowship, and a member of the 2004 VONA (Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation at the University of San Francisco) novel seminar, Fred is an advocate for social justice and equality issues. He lives in Los Angeles. His first novel, Down for Whatever, was published in 2005. His second novel Right Side of the Wrong Bed was recently published. Readers can contact him at http://www.fredericksmith.net/

Hilary Goldberg began her professional filmmaking career in 1997 while attending film school. Working until its release in 2002, she co-directed and co-edited the feature documentary Render: Spanning time with Ani DiFranco alongside the folksinger. Hilary toured the country as a Spoken Word Artist performing at venues ranging from small coffeehouses to large festivals like Seattle’s Bumpershoot. She released a collection of poetry Giraffe Medicine in 2003. Her latest film, “in the Spotlight” features writers Michelle Tea, Clint Catalyst, and Guinevere Turner in a film noir tale about a literary hoax.


Peter Varvel leads a contented life, despite his former involvement in ex-gay ministry. He postponed Real Life for two decades by dancing for Disneyland and cruise lines before eventually earning his Bachelor's at USC, in Gender Studies. He hopes to emulate the empathetic style of Young Adult novels.



Margaux Permutt is a songwriter, poet, and activist. Her poetry connects the personal to the political to the metaphysical. She draws inspiration from nature, relationships, and current issues. She hopes that through her words she may help others navigate parts of themselves and their world they may not be familiar or comfortable with.

The Promising Series will take place on Wednesday, February 13th at 7:30pm. A Different Light Bookstore, 8853 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069, (310) 854-6601.

Literary Vote

Who you gonna vote for? Who you gonna vote for? That's all people keep asking me. I told them, I don't know yet! When I get into the polling booth, I will be inspired to choose. Hil or Bar?

People are concerned with the candidates perspectives--which they should! I'm happy to say these Clinton and Obama are writers, having published books. George W. was the only president in our history to have never written a book--no wonder free speech was hindered in his presidency.

Regardless of who I vote for, I've decided to keep my decision a secret. It is my inalieable right not to tell anyone who I voted for. I'm choosing to exercise this right.

What thrills me is this: I am a part of making history. I don't think anyone should take that lightly.

Literary Ends

Today was my last day at the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team, an organization that I'd been with for 15 years. A part of me doesn't believe that I'm going. It was a major part of who I am and provided me so much support in my creative endevours.

Earlier this week, my colleagues through me a going away dinner. I wore a tux because I wanted to look my very best for the men and women who meant so much to me.

What's interesting is now that APAIT will become part of my past, it'll provide necessary distance for me to write about that time in my life.

Today, I took one last look at my surroundings, walked through the old rooms, the familiar hallway. I said my good-byes. There was a 21 year old Latino guy who cleans our offices. He speaks some English, but mostly Spanish. I had said hi and bye to him many times. As I left, I couldn't remember the Spanish word for good-bye. A co-worker had to remind me: adios. Ah yes, adios. Then I tried to remember how to say good bye in other languages. I know rudimentary French and Tagalog. My mind went blank. Good-bye can be a difficult word to remember. Hello is so much nicer.

I start a new job on Friday at MAKE ART/STOP AIDS at UCLA. Ola! Bonjour! Mabuhay!

Literary Tet-a-tet

I was interviewed for the upcoming Writers Studio at UCLA. Check it out here.

Literary Rap

You know there was a time when rap music didn't use words like "ho's" in their lyrics. Take this video from old school rappers Run DMC. They were on Reading Rainbow promoting--reading! Not drugs, not gang life. Check out LeVar Burton, post Roots & pre Star Trek, in those fancy 80's duds.

Literary Change

The above picture is of me as Condom Man, circa 1996. My power was to save the world through HIV prevention. I've been with the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) for fifteen years now. It is Southern California's largest provider of HIV/AIDS services to the Asian Pacific communities. I am heartbroken to say that I'll be leaving this fine organization at the end of January.

I started this job when I was twenty-five. I wasn't even writing then. APAIT was made up of writers and other artists when I began. It fostered my creative endeavors. It was at APAIT when my co-worker writer Joel Tan handed me a flyer for a free writing workshop. That flyer began my writing life.

AIDS and art is something I care deeply about. When a position at UCLA's World Arts and Culture Department opened up, working for the Make Art/Stop AIDS (MA/SA) project, it felt right to apply.

MAKE ART/STOP AIDS is an international network of scholars, artists, and activists committed to ending the global AIDS epidemic. With more than 40 million people infected with HIV around the world, and with only approximately 1 million receiving state-of-the-art care, the need for such a network is urgent. MAKE ART/STOP AIDS is founded on the principle that artists are an essential part of anti-AIDS efforts. Artists are master communicators. The arts themselves carry enormous potential as tools of education and information-sharing. Thus, MAKE ART/STOP AIDS seeks to establish artists as key partners in AIDS interventions around the world. You can read more about them here.

I'll be their new Community Organizer. To blend my love for art and all things creative with a cause that is near and dear to me seemed too good to be true. Here's to change!

Literary Louise, Spencer, and Katherine

Most people don't know who this woman is....

But you may know who this couple is...

The first woman is Louise Treadwell. She was the wife of Spencer Tracy, the man embracing Katherin Hepburn in the photo. It is widely known that Spencer and Katherine had an intimate relationship off screen. How intimate is anyone's guess.

For some reason, I began thinking about Louise Treadwell Tracy. I don't know why. I just wondered about the woman who had to put up with the rumors and gossip that her husband was in a very "close" relationship with one of the most striking and talented women of the 20th century.

Louise was no slouch herself. She did incredible work on behalf of the deaf because her first son was born without hearing. Apparently Spencer Tracy loved his wife dearly. He apparently also loved Katherin. He was Catholic and wouldn't divorce. Upon his death, Katherine Hepburn didn't go to the his funeral out of respect for the family. Is there drama here or what? I'm thinking a play.

Literary Losers, Abusers, and Wimps

Ever since watching The Color Purple, some old thoughts came up. I was at the LA Times Book Fair years back when Purple author Alice Walker was signing. I waited in line quietly to have her sign my books. Ms. Walker was conversing across the way with a black man behind me. All was going well, then the black man asked Ms. Walker, "When are you going to write something good about the brothers?" Tension wafted in the air. I'd heard about how African American men took issue with the book and the movie, particularly at how they were being negatively portrayed. Alice Walker responded by saying, "That was an ignorant statement." She referred to stories that she'd written extoling black men that he had obviously never read. She made comments about how their community shouldn't bring each other down. "It might be too late," she said. Regardless, there was an uneasy feeling left behind. In the new version of Purple, the men are better drawn, fully conceived--ur, with Quincy Jones as a producer this better be so.

This brings me to the point of this post: The men of color versus the women of color who write about them. I was heavily involved with the Asian Acting community when news about the movie making of Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" was happening. Cool, work for Asian actors! I read the book and loved it! There was, of course, grumblings from Asian men on how we were portrayed in the novel and eventually the movie. We're losers, abusers, and wimps. I am sure that this was not just because of the Joy Luck Club, but from years of dealing with these stereotypes. It hurt more when Asian guys were often passed up for white guys in these stories.

There was one respected actor (don't even dare ask me who he is, I ain't telling) who cursed writers like Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston for writing what they were writing. He pointed out that both women married white men. I could swear he spit when he made that last point.

What I said then is what I say now: we can't tell writers (or artists of any kind) what to write and what to say. If it's offensive, let's use it as a point of discussion and cause for change. In both my novels, Asian men like Bong Bong Luwad, Logan Ito, Jory Lalaban, Emerson Lalaban, and Michael Zhang have problems (as complex characters should), but I tried to make them compelling, interesting, and physically attractive characters. And don't go telling me that my Asian characters aren't real men becuase most of them are gay. Go there and I'll kick your ass.


If people are upset at how Asian men are seen in novels, you are not reading Chang Rae Lee, Ha Jin, Mas Masumoto, Brian Ascolon Roley, to name a few. If you don't like the way Asian men are protrayed in movies, start seeing movies from Asia. I found Wong Kar-Wai films especially moving (In the Mood for Love is a personal fave).

As for Asians dating whites...I don't care. I have more important things to think about like finding ways of illuminating the human condition. There are over six billion people on earth. Well over three billion are Asians. Why are we making such a ruckus over a few million (if that!) who may be marrying non-Asians?

One thing I love about turning 40 is I feel more empowered to say what's on my mind. (For those of you who thought I already had a mouth, you ain't seen nothing yet.)

Literary four-oh (my!)

I spent the last night of 2007 and the last night of my thirties by going to see the musical "The Color Purple."

This is my brother John and my sister Joy.

This is me excited to see a musical based on the epistolary novel that helped me put together my semi-epistolary first novel "Letters to Montgomery Clift." Um, I don't know if you can see but that's a black faux fur collar on my coat. I sewed it on myself.

After the musical we went to a New Years Eve party. That's my friend Ericson. He took my author photos, like the one you see on the upper left side of this blog. My coat with the faux fur was a big hit. I got lots of compliments. When people asked me what kind of fur it was. I said, it was cat. That was my joke all evening: It was cat. If you're an animal rights activist and you're reading this, ask a French person what "faux" means.


This is me first thing in the morning, waking up being 40. I'll prolly throw a big forty birthday bash later in the year, when people are recovered from the holidays. That's the problem when you're born on January 1st. Every one is exhausted and broke. I'll wait until Spring when everyone is fresh and saved up some money. I can get really good presents then.



I reflected on being 40. I went on a hike by myself in Elysian park. I first discovered this path when I 14. As I walked, It dawned on me: I'm really doing this creative life stuff for good. I was happy and proud of myself. This same old path looks different every time.



I was also feeling kinda old. Then I went to play with my god son, Cameron. He made me feel young again.

Literary Plea

The last post of this year will be a letter that I received from the novelist John Morgan Wilson (pictured).

Dear fellow writers and readers:

Peace and joy to all in these troubled times.

ARE YOU BUYING USED BOOKS ON THE INTERNET?

Massive Internet used book sales are literally killing the careers of countless writers. We get no royalties or credit for these used books sales, and our publishers make no money from them. As soon as our hardcovers or paperbacks hit the market, the Internet booksellers start buying them up used and selling them very cheaply, and resell them over and over. Why should someone buy a new book when they can purchase a used hardcover for a fraction of the price? Used book sales, which reportedly now account for about 12 percent of the entire market, have eaten so deeply into our paperback sales that many of us no longer have our books published in paperback, myself included. Consider this: Recently, my first mystery, Simple Justice, turned up at Number 51 on the Amazon.com bestseller list for current gay men's mysteries. That's great, except that Simple Justice has been out of print for more than seven years, meaning these are all used book sales. After writing ten mysteries, I have more readers than ever but am only credited with my initial hardcover sales. Over ten years, as my readership has grown, my income from my books had declined by half, and my publishing contract is in jeopardy. And now these Internet used book sales are starting to eat into my hardcover sales, further threatening my ability to make a living as a writer. The Internet booksellers like to say that used books are a good way for readers to discover new authors. But most of those readers will simply continue to buy used books, so the offset is negligible. The Internet booksellers are killing the golden goose but don't care. Immediate profit is all that matters to them. The bottom line is, if you are buying used books on the Internet, you are seriously hurting the authors.

That's my message. May the new year be a good one for you and yours.

Cheers, John

John Morgan Wilsonhttp://www.johnmorganwilson.com/Rhapsody in Blood, the seventh in the Edgar Award-winning Benjamin Justice mystery series, is now out in hardcover. The eighth Justice novel, Spider Season, will be published next year.

Literary Christmas

Is that a book contract I hear? Happy Holidays to all.

Literary Incarnations

I saw Wicked. Brilliant. The musical (loosely) based on Gregory Macquire's novel "Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," inspired from L. Frank Baum's "Oz" stories. I read Maguire's book and thought it, for lack of a better word, enchanting. It took some obscure mind to imagine the life of the Wicked Witch of the West. I found myself watching the musical thinking, that's not how it happened in the novel. However, I did find Maguire's endorsement of the musical comforting. The first act closed with a true showstopper. This video from the Tony awards doesn't capture the breadth of seeing it live.



I gotta say that Wicked is now up there with another favorite musical "Into the Woods." What both of these stories offer is the retelling of children's classics. There's something appealing to me about the darker sides of stories, a truly post-modern undertaking. In this video, you'll recognize some familiar characters.



What I loved about these stories was the beautiful handling of intense themes like oppression. Afterall, the Wicked Witch dealt with prejudice due to the color of her skin. This inspires her to become an animal rights advocate, freeing caged flying monkeys and a scared lion cub (who eventually becomes the Cowardly Lion). The song "Children Will Listen" from "Into the Woods" discusses the spreading of ideas and how they're passed onto generations.

I'm still not too sure if I'm going to see Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp. There are some versions of stories that I'm satisfied with. (I saw the movie Hairspray, then the musical Hairspary. I don't have the time or money to see the movie of the musical Hairspray.) I was satisfied with the version of Sweeney Todd that I'd seen on PBS and on stage. In my mind, Sweeney Todd is a middle aged guy, kinda hefty. Not Johnny Depp in a fright wig.



I'm looking forward to seeing the musical version of The Color Purple. I'm curious. I saw the movie, loved the book, and wonder how the musical will do. I'm telling you right now: If there is a movie made of this musical, I'm not going to go see it. I'm not going to see the movie musical when I'd read the book, saw the movie and the live stage musical. That's too many incarnations for one lifetime.

Literary Dispute

I thought this was funny. I love the simulated kung-fu moves.

Literary Racism

This article appeared in the Washington Post. It was results of a new poll among African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. It also added thoughts on how people of color see each other. I found it interesting because it reinforces themes that I try to develop in my work. People have actually said that stories around race is a "Post" issue. We are post-racism, post-multiculturalism. I would love for this to be the case. However, I work in AIDS, a disease that strikes some of the most vulnerable populations in our country and the world. Let's face it: I don't think we'd be here--millions of people dead of AIDS--if we listened and respected one minority--gays.

Something that the article did mention is that these groups believed that we should be willing to put aside our prejudices and work together.

Read it here.

Literary Stereotype

See these guys with their laptops at some coffee shop? Disgusting. Ever since I saw these dweebs show up at my caffeine watering holes, I'd give them dirty looks and wish they'd go back home with their techno gadgets. I thought they were pretentious ass wipes letting the world know they're working on the next big screenplay.

Well, today, I couldn't take writing in my apartment one more minute. Actually I wasn't writing in my apartment, which made me wonder if there was something to writing in a coffee shop. I packed up old Myrtle, my laptop's name, and we headed over to the Coffee Table, a joint about a block away. I ordered their Asian Chicken Salad and sat down to work. You know what? I came up with some pretty good pages, I think. Yes, there were about five other people in the place writing and I thought maybe it was this collective energy of writers trying to put things down on paper that helped me write. I mean, anything in a group harnesses power. (I meditate alone which is great, but meditating in a group has its own kind of greatness.

You might see The Coffee Table in the Acknowledgment section of my next book.

Literary Studio

I'll be teaching at the Writers Studio for UCLA Extension. It'll be for four days from February 7-8, 2008. What's so exciting about it for me is that I went to this very same event almost ten years ago. It's fantastic to return to this as an instructor. I loved spending four intense days writing, writing, talking about writing, then writing some more. I'll be focusing on "Characters and Dialogue."

Literary "Journey"

I have these personal essays bottled up in me. Some day, I want to get to them after I write my third novel, a collection of short stories, and a new solo show. I think about that time of coming of age. I want to write about the music that I listened to. I just read from the Thai Crackhead known as Prince Gomolvilas that the band Journey, whose Escape album was part of my development, recently announced their new lead singer...and he's Filipino. They found him on You Tube of all places.

From the Journey Website:

(Oh, the Noel referred to in the press release is not me.)

December 5, 2007 -- After much speculation…the wait is finally over. JOURNEY--Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums)--is proud to introduce fans all over the world to their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda (“pin-eh-da”). He replaces Jeff Scott Soto, who parted ways with the band earlier this year after stepping in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the band in 2006 for medical reasons.

Arnel hails from Quezon City in the Philippines and has been singing Journey songs--in addition to original material--with his band, The Zoo, for the past couple of years in clubs all over his homeland. Joining the legendary band is a dream come true for him. “It’s so exciting to sing with one of the best bands in the world. It’ll be a lot of hard work on my part and I’m actually looking forward to the scrutiny I’ll get from the hardcore JOURNEY fans. I know they’ll expect me to sound exactly like ‘the voice’ (Steve Perry), but that will never happen. I know there's only one Steve Perry in this world.”

When it was time for JOURNEY to look for a new lead singer, the internet came to their rescue. Guitarist Neal Schon wanted someone new to the music business, so he turned to YouTube. After finding Arnel singing “Faithfully,” he knew he had found the perfect frontman.

“I was frustrated about not having a singer,” explains guitarist Neal Schon, “so I went on YouTube for a couple of days and just sat on it for hours. I was starting to think I was never going to find anybody. But then I found The Zoo and I watched a bunch of different video clips that they had posted. After watching the videos over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I heard sink in because it sounded too good to be true. I thought, ‘he can’t be that good.’ But he is that good, he’s the real deal and so tremendously talented. Arnel doesn’t sound synthetic and he’s not emulating anyone. I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him that night, but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter.”

Arnel Pineda picks up the story: “My friend Noel picked up the message on YouTube and told me it was from Neal. I thought it was a hoax so I ignored it. Noel said, ‘what if it really was Neal and he wanted to offer you the chance of a lifetime?’ So I e-mailed Neal back and the rest is history.”

“Arnel brings a soulful and passionate voice to JOURNEY,” continues keyboardist Jonathan Cain. “His personality is very well-suited to our music. He’s a sincere, authentic person with a great smile and a big heart. I think fans are really going to love him. With Arnel’s soaring tenor, Journey returns to our heritage sound.”

Schon agrees, “We feel reborn. I think there’s a lot of chemistry between the five of us. At first we were going to go into the studio and just write 4 songs, but now it’s escalated to a lot of great new and diverse material. The stuff sounds tremendous. Everyone’s so stoked about it. We feel very fortunate to have found Arnel.”

JOURNEY is currently working on a new album with legendary producer Kevin Shirley, which they hope to release by spring/summer 2008. Details will be announced early next year.


More in this Rolling Stone article.

Literary 3D

I finally saw the stunning Beowulf in 3D--Amazing! I didn't understand why no one had thought of bringing this epic English story to the screen before. What amazes me is that the original author of the story is unknown--who the hell wrote Beowulf?!?! I believe it was penned sometime in the first millenium. I doubt that the writer of Beowulf could have ever guessed that his (or her?) story would be enjoyed by those living in the third millenium.

On a side note, as I watched the movie, caught up in the troubles of fighting the first antagonist Grendel, I kept thinking of the Philippines' version of America's Next Top Model. Ur, the show is called Philippines' Next Top Model. The winner of the show is a lovely Filipina named...Grendel. What were her parents thinking naming their daughter after a legendary monster? (Grendel below)

Literary Sewing

When the writing gets discouraging (I can't think about these characters anymore!) or work gets hectic (Why am I the only one working on this project?!?!?), I have to clear my head. I sew. I started sewing several years ago and then I stopped when my dad died. I pulled out the trusty sewing machine not too long ago when friends said that I looked stressed out. Sewing calmed me down.

I began to sew out of necessity. Often pants are kinda long for these legs of mine. Having someone hem them for me was a fortune ($8 for one leg, one seamstress told me. As if I'm only going to hem one pant leg.). I'd want to buy bedding or curtains and couldn't believe how much that sh*t costs. I'm no genius, but aren't duvet covers and pillowcases nothing more than two sheets sewn together? Aren't curtains nothing more than long pieces of cloth attached to a rod? I could do that, I thought.

I went to Target and invested a hunrid dollars in a Singer and off I went. It was one of the best investments I'd ever made. I made curtains and bedsheets and hemmed clothes. I tell all my friends to learn how to sew. It'll empower you! I didn't take classes, I just read the instructions that went with the machine.

Lately, I'd been dealing with my writing frustrations by cutting up clothes and putting them back together again. I'm a big thrift store rat. I bought these dollar blazers. I bought a footbal jersey, an old t-shirt with a boxing motif, and a red sweat jacket with a hood. Each a dollar. I cut off the number 13 from the jersey and attached it to one blazer. I cut up the boxing t-shirt and ripped off the hoodie from the sweat jacket and sewed them onto another coat. Two new blazers that no one else has, all for $5. I had the coats dry cleaned--the dry cleaning cost more than the materials!

Afterward, I felt more refreshed. I returned to writing or to my job. I reveled in the fact that I took out my frustration on a cheap endeavor that allows me to be creative AND better my wardrobe.

Literary Black Friday

You don't wanna be these guys. They're Cory and Justin and they just worked the last shift at Skylight Bookstore on Black Friday. BF is considered the busiest shopping day of the year. You can tell from the smiles on their faces, how they feel about it.

Literary Gay Books Become Straight Stories on Screen

Remember Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? It was a nonfiction book written by journalist John Berendt. I knew the author was gay because of the sensibility of the book. The gayness of the journalist was a non-issue, but it wasn't inconsequential either. His sexuality was omitted from the movie.

Well, now there is a movie called Martian Child. I thought that title sounded familiar. Then I remembered that Martian Child by David Gerrold and my first novel Letters to Montgomery Clift were finalists for the Lambda Literary Award in 2002. (The winner was At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'neil.)

Martian Child is a novel about a gay dad who adopts a kid. Um, I haven't seen the movie yet, but I understand the gay identity part was left out of the movie. Ironically, John Cusack (above) played the lead in both movies. Maybe John Cusack has a straight, but underlying gay sensibility about him.

Literary Bombing

On March 5, 2007, a car bomb exploded on Mutanabbi Street, the lively center of Baghdad bookselling, filled with bookstores, cafes, and book stalls. 30 people were killed; more than 100 were wounded. Join poets and writers to memorialize this wounding of Baghdad's literary and intellectual heart.

Mon, Nov 19, 7 PM
“Memorial Reading for Mutanabbi Street”
Chris Abani, Beau Beausoleil, Laila Lalami, Suzanne Lummis, Majid Naficy, Marisela Norte, Sholeh Wolpé,and Terry Wolverton with a special musical performance by the Saadoun Al-Bayati Ensemble, music of Iraq.

Go to the Los Angeles Central Library and show your support. I'll be there.

Literary Mailer

Norman Mailer passed away today. He was a brilliant writer and a crochety old guy. He said things that only Mailer could get away with (like bashing Pulitzer Prize winning critic Michiko Kakutani for not reveiwing enough books by straight white men in the New York Times). I saw him speak at a bookstore many years ago. He seemed like he'd live forever. With his writing, he certainly will. Click here.

Literary Men of Mystery

Last Saturday, I participated in Men of Mystery, a whole day event in Orange County. There were roughly 50 authors there. 500 people attended to have lunch and interact with authors working in the Mystery, Crime, Thriller genre. My second novel "Talking to the Moon" was about the aftermath of a hate crime. This was enough to warrant an invitation to this amazing day. (Well, support from masters of the genre like James Ellroy, Eddie Muller, and Naomi Hirahara didn't hurt either)

I didn't know what to expect, but I had never been so "on" at a literary event. From the moment I got there (8:30am) till I left (4:30pm) I was constantly interacting with people. There was a bit of of a please-buy-my-book-please-please-please feel to the event. I have to say that these mystery writers are a different brood from those working in literary fiction. First of all, the mystery writers are the most outgoing bunch of people you'll ever wanna meet. It seems that this genre is just as much personality as it is writing. And second, they all seemed to have a great sense of humor. Unlike sullen literary writers that I know, these guys were having a good ole time. And I got caught up in it.

New York Times Bestselling writer Vince Flynn (pictured) gave a talk. He discussed how he self-published his first book, hand sold it until it became number one in the twin cities. From there, he's been flying ever since. Thus far, both presidents Clinton and Dubya Bush have read his work and are apparently quite impressed with his attention to detail--perhaps too much detail on how America spies on others.

What made me laugh was that Flynn talked about "The Secret." He is not the type the person who believes that good things will happen just becuase he thinks it. Indeed, he usually thinks the worst things will happen and hopes that it won't. Here's to negative thinking and hoping for the best--uh, which sounds closer to the way I think.

Literary First Names

Terry

Don

M.E.

Carlos
Find out these people's last names and what the hell they'll be doing this November 7 at 7:30:

http://adleventsweho.blogspot.com/

It's usually packed, so come EARLY.

Literary Witch and Hook

Some of you requested a pic of me in costume. That's me as Hook, posing with my friend Nancy. Those of you familiar with Los Angeles pop history, may know the witch as Atomic Nancy. She used to run Little Tokyo's Atomic Cafe, which was a gathering place for the punk scene back in the day. Nancy has had the pleasure of serving noodles to people like David Bowie and Debra Harry. She used to have a dish on the menu called Go-go chicken. She said that's how the band The Go-Go's got their name, from eating at her restaurant.


The Atomic Cafe had been mentioned in several literary works documenting life in LA in the 70's and early 80's. Recently, Atomic Cafe was described in Janet Fitch's latest novel "Paint it Black."

Literary Hook

For Halloween, I chose to be a literary villain. I will be Captain Hook from JM Barrie's classic tale "Peter Pan." I began to think about what Hook means to me and why I chose this persona. In Peter Pan, also known as "The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," Captain Hook lost his hand because of Pan. Hook replaced his missing appendage with a hook; thus, his name. An alligator ate the hand and found it delicious, so tasty, in fact, that the alligator followed Hook hoping to eat more of him. Fortunately, for Hook, the alligator also swallowed a clock and Hook knows that the alligator is approaching when he hears ticking.

I'm nearing forty. I wondered if my need to be Hook is my inner most self experiencing aggression toward youth, symbolized by Peter Pan. The tick-tock of the alligator is a constant reminder of my eventual demise. By being Hook this Halloween, I wondered if I'm becoming that crochety old fellow who mutters cliches like, youth is wasted on the young? Is my psyche telling me that I am aging, left battled-scarred, parts of me eaten by time and left with a sharp left hook to show for it?

Or did I choose to be Hook this Halloween because Pirates are really big this season and I got caught up in the hype? Maybe I chose to be Hook so I have an excuse to wear a wig, ruffles and a big hat!

Literary Peony

Some time ago, I mentioned that I was up for a literary award with the Southern California Independent Book Association. The nominees included TC Boyle, Salvador Placencia, Lisa See, me, and the legendary Ray Bradbury.

The awards dinner was on Saturday. The award went to...Lisa See for her novel Peony in Love. Congrats!

It was a most enjoyable evening. It was at the Biltmore in downtown. Many authors were gathered for dinner at 6pm., then we were asked to mingle with the booksellers, then table hop while the booksellers had thier dinner.

We were ordered to be nice to the booksellers. We were told one story of an author who yelled at a bookseller from Booksoup in West Hollywood. The store pulled the author's work from their shelves. Alas, I'd heard this story in different forms. I heard of one store pulling a rude author's book and telling customers that her work was no longer in print. Ouch! Always be nice to the bookseller.

Literary Outing

I couldn't help but post this. Guess what? Dumbledore is gay, gay, gay!

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/10/20/dumbledore-is-gay-says-rowling/

Literary Spaciousness

Last night we celebrated our 20th anniversary at work. It was a joyful, sucessful evening. I woke up this morning feeling absolute relief. The writing of my novel had been difficult the last few weeks. My mind mostly focused on the anniversary gala. Squeezing in 20 minutes to work on the novel was hard. This morning, I got up and wrote on the new book for a good hour. I felt a part of my brain had been released, spaciousness grew and I was able to imagine again.

Literary Lessing

The big literary news of the day is that Doris Lessing won the Nobel Prize in Literature. At 88, she is the oldest person to do so. Congrats, Ms. Lessing!

Literary Scripting

I'm tossing and turning on how to make my third novel work. I'm not freaked out about it. I just know that this is part of the novel writing process. I get frustrated about what happens next, then suddenly in the midst of rush hour traffic it all becomes clear.

I'm also heavily involved in planning the 20th anniversary gala for the nonprofit I've been with for 14 years. Here's a sample of other writing that I'm doing. It's part of the script for the eveing. The following is what our host Amy Hill will say at some point in the evening:

"Before we serve dinner, I want you to know that we have an evening of dance and laughs in store for you. An amazing dance company will be performing for you soon and so will Dat Phan, Winner of Last Comic Standing. Enjoy dinner!"

Not exactly art, I know, but it's keeping the writing muscle very much alive.

Literary Gulp

I spent Sunday at the West Hollywood Book Fair. Always fun. I enjoy running into people I don't run into except for a literary gathering like this one. Some writers that I hadn't seen in awhile include Meghan Daum, Jenoyne Addams, Michael Datcher, Eduardo Santiago, and Frederick Smith.


Some observations:


1. There was a green room for authors. At one point Gore Vidal entered. It was a bit of a shock to see him in a wheel chair. I know he's over 80, but I was still taken aback. I smiled thinking that I'm in the same room as Mr. Vidal.


(Several years ago, I was selling books on behalf of Skylight Bookstore. It was for a Gore Vidal event and I sat next to him while he signed books. I heard a low, gravelly voice say, "Shurley. Shurley, don't forget this." I thought: I KNOW that voice! I looked up and it was Faye Dunaway.)


2. I noticed that on some panels Authors would hog the time talking about their own books, instead of discuss the overall topic presented to the panel. I'd think, Geez, shaddup already!


3. I would have to say the most memorable time was when Actress Eva Marie Saint (below) sat at my table in the Greenroom. I gulped. I couldn't move. She starred in the movie Raintree County, along with my muse Montgomery Clift. I don't get gaga over actors, but when they shared a screen with Monty--whoa! Before I could say something, I was shuttled off to my first panel. Having a brush with one of Monty's leading ladies will have to be enough for me.