I had a great time yesterday reading at Bureau of General Services-Queer Division. It was my first time visiting this new bookstore which is now the ONLY queer bookstore in New York City. It's a beautiful space: housed in an art gallery, pressed tin ceilings, artwork featuring half-naked people, great music playing, and a little pop-up bar. Oh, yeah, and a lot of neat books. They will only be in that location until the end of July, so I encourage you to pay them a visit if you are in the area.
There were six of us Bold Strokes Books authors reading.
I was really pleased to read with such a talented bunch of writers.
Now, a slight detour to talk about a completely different writer.
I really love To Kill A Mockingbird. That is one magnificent book. You would think that a 1960 novel about race relations in the South written by a white woman would now be cringe-inducing or dated, but Harper Lee's writing stands the test of time and I think unfortunately the novel is as relevant as it ever was. To Kill A Mockingbird is indestructibly good. This book has been taught in schools for forty years or more, and you know how boring English classes are, and yet the book hasn't been ruined and people still love it. People wonder why Harper Lee never wrote another novel, but I think there's no way she could ever have topped Mockingbird, and if you write something that great and enduring, you deserve to just rest on your laurels for the rest of your life.
So why am I rabbiting on about Harper Lee? Lately it's been getting me down how all these luminaries have been dying (Maria Tallchief, Esther Williams, Iain Banks, Jack Vance, E.L. Konigsburg, etc.) Everyone gets all sad and writes something on Facebook about how awesome they were. I want to appreciate great people while they are still alive for a change. I decided that in each blog post, I should mention one living creative genius I admire. I do hope Harper Lee will be around for many years to come, but since she is 87 years old and extremely amazing, I figured she would be a good choice for the first one. If you haven't read To Kill A Mockingbird, what are you waiting for?
Extra bonus! Today is Maurice Sendak's birthday. Let the wild rumpus start!