Archives: Events

Philip Clark: Invisible History: The Collected Poems of Walta Borawski

Join us for a reading and conversation with Philip Clark, co-editor of Invisible History: The Collected Poems of Walta Borawski.

 

Winner of the 2023 Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry, the poems in Invisible History tell stories from the life of Walta Borawski, a widely published writer active in the Boston and national scenes from the 1970s until his death from AIDS in 1994. Sexy, funny, thoughtful, and passionate, Borawski is the poet for people who never thought they’d love a poetry reading, the man who proudly proclaimed, “Drag queens, flowers, and women / who sing are still the fulcrum / of my teeter-totter.”

Praise for the poems of Walta Borawski:

“The poems are truthful, snappy, plenty of low life & local detail, sparky mind of the young poet sassing & observing his environment, gay & grim, still romantic. Who doesn’t love romance? Lots of intelligence in the line, mindful measure of spoken speech music.” — Allen Ginsberg, author of “Howl”

“Whether he’s writing about household objects, love, cruising, or Barbra Streisand, Walta Borawski’s voice is fresh, commanding, irresistible. To read him is to appreciate a levity that is rooted in seriousness; like that of the torch singers he celebrates in his poetry, Borawski’s is the kind of charisma that emerges from real feeling.” — Jack Parlett, author of Fire Island: A Century in the Life of an American Paradise

“Walta Borawski could be as witty and sly as Frank O’Hara, but he was wiser, more passionate, naked and liberated. The poems he left behind are a gift.” — Christopher Bram, author of Gods & Monsters

Invisible History: The Collected Poems of Walta Borawski

Richard Mirabella: Brother & Sister Enter the Forest

Join us for a reading and Q&A with Richard Mirabella, author of Brother & Sister Enter the Forest.

Brother & Sister Enter the Forest reflects on the strained relationship between siblings Justin and Wilma. The pair embarked on a sudden road trip after Justin’s boyfriend became violent, and, years later, they’re unsure whether their relationship can hold. The novel is an intimate coming-of-age exploration of queerness, family, repair, and rupture.

Richard Mirabella is a writer and civil servant from upstate New York. His work has appeared in Story Magazine, American Short Fiction, Split Lip Magazine, and elsewhere. He is the author of the novel Brother & Sister Enter the Forest.

Brother & Sister Enter the Forest
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
The Washington Post, A Noteworthy Book
Harper’s Bazaar, A Best New Book of 2023
Goodreads, A Buzziest Debut Novel of the Year

Brother & Sister Enter the Forest

Emerson Whitney’s DADDY BOY

Join us for a reading and Q&A with Daddy Boy author Emerson Whitney, moderated by Diana Waters!

Daddy Boy ventures into the eye of queer theory and personal history, following Whitney’s journey into the world of storm-chasing. Amidst the confusion of aging while queer, Daddy Boy is a compass for those in the midst of upheaval. Whitney finds clarity in the chaos of selves. Pre-order here, or pick up a copy at the event.

More about Daddy Boy:

In 2017, Emerson Whitney was divorcing the woman they’d been with for ten years—a dominatrix they called Daddy. Living in a tent in the backyard of their marital home, Emerson was startled to realize they didn’t know what it meant to be an adult. “We often look to our gender roles as a sort of map for aging,” they write. “I wanted to know what the process looked like without that: not man-ness, not-woman-ness.” Dizzied by this realization, they turned to an activity steeped in stereotypical masculinity: storm chasing.Daddy Boy follows Emerson as they pack into a van with a rag-tag group of storm chasers and drive up and down tornado ally—from Texas to North Dakota—staying in motels and eating at gas stations and hunting down storms like so many white whales.In heading with them to Texas, we return, too, to the only site of adulthood Emerson has ever known: their childhood. Interspersed throughout this trip are memories of dad—both Emerson’s stepdad, Hank, present and unflinching and extremely Texan; and their biological dad, who they hardly knew. With his cowboy hats and random girlfriends, he always seemed so sweet and lost.Through these childhood vignettes, coupled with queer theory and weeks spent reading the clouds like oracles, wanting nothing more than to drive straight into the eye of a storm, Emerson frames these probing questions of manhood against the dusty, loaded background of the American West.

 
Praise for Daddy Boy“Captivating.”—Publishers Weekly“A beautiful flight toward a life one can believe in. Gorgeously written, truthful, and timely.”—Chris Kraus, author of I Love Dick and After Kathy Acker: A Literary Biography“Exquisitely-alive. After reading Daddy Boy, I feel so much more attuned to the complexities of the world.”—Patrick Cottrell, author of Sorry to Disrupt the Peace“Whitney’s brilliance lights up the sky, like the best of all storms.”—Samantha Hunt, author of The Unwritten Book: An Investigation“Hypnotic. It quivers with the air.”—Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, author of The Freezer Door“I am happy to go anywhere Emerson Whitney wants to take me.”—CAConrad, author of Amanda Paradise

 

Emerson Whitney is the author of Daddy Boy (McSweeney’s 2023), Heaven (McSweeney’s 2020), and the poetry title, Ghost Box (Timeless Infinite Light, 2014). Emerson’s work has appeared in The Paris Review, New York Magazine, The Los Angeles Review of Books and elsewhere. Kirkus, in a starred review, called Heaven “An incisive, nuanced inquiry into gender and body.” The Paris Review called Emerson “…a deft executor of their own unique style… a writer who guides with an intuitive vulnerability and honesty.” In a second review, Kirkus compared Emerson to Gertrude Stein, and said that they “energetically and incisively captures all of that complexity and more, demonstrating a kindred spirit to Stein’s but emerging with a voice all their own.” Emerson recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in gender studies at the University of Southern California and teaches in the BFA creative writing program at Goddard College

Jenny Fran Davis’ DYKETTE

Can’t get enough dyke drama?

Join us for a reading and conversation with Jenny Fran Davis, author of Dykette!

In Davis’ new novel, Sasha and Jesse embark on a ten-day New Years getaway with another, older lesbian couple, and a third pair that Sasha simultaneously longs for and loathes. Jealousy, psychodrama, havoc, and hilarity ensue. Dykette is an exploration of lesbian dynamics that delights in its own unseriousness.

Praise for Dykette:

“A bold and refreshingly zany novel of gay millennial life in New York, Dykette is sharp and unsparing as a play piercing needle. Bound to set countless group chats afire, this book signals Jenny Fran Davis as a writer to watch.”
—Sarah Thankam Mathews, author of the National Book Award finalist All This Could Be Different

“A hilarious, astute, and captivating tour of a young femme’s interior life over the course of one long weekend upstate. Dykette is a portrait of a certain corner of queer culture that is part satire, part ode, and full of delightful cringe. Davis’s unrelenting scrutiny is a consummate pleasure; I gasped with laughter and delight on nearly every page.”
—Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood

“Dykette stared directly into my soul, pinned me against a wall, and made me look inward, consider the sharp and ugly parts of myself. A novel that can accomplish that complexity while also being wickedly funny, achingly sensitive, readable as hell–simply put, Jenny Fran Davis is a talent.”
—Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl

Dykette

QUEERAPALOOZA: 50 Year Anniversary

Who’s ready for: QUEERAPALOOZA

Join Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room in celebrating our 50-year Golden Anniversary!

We take to the streets at 12th and Pine, where Emcee Robert Drake will welcome Queer Performers and Musicians such as  DJ Lowiron, Weez the Peeples Collective, Solomon Temple, Jaelyn, Thunder Thighs, Icon Ebony-Fierce and more!

The event will be filled with fabulous Queer art/craft/vintage vendors selling their wares and food/drinks from Mixto Restaurante and more!

Dancing in the streets is strongly encouraged.

Jonathan Harper & Patrick E. Horrigan: READINGS AND DISCUSSION

Join us for a wonderful pre-dinner event this Saturday the 20th, at 4 p.m.!

Jonathan Harper and Patrick E. Horrigan will be reading from and discussing their most recent releases: You Don’t Belong Here and American Scholar: A Novel. Hosted by Steve Berman: author, editor, and founder of Lethe Press, an independent publishing house specializing in the strange, the eerie, and the uncanny.

Jonathan Harper is the author of the short story collection DAYDREAMERS. His work can also be found in BEST GAY STORIES 2013, with short stories and essays in a multitude of other anthologies. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from American University in 2010 and has received residencies from The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and The Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow. A long-time resident of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, he has a fondness for period pieces, plays way too many video games and hates wearing socks.

Born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania, Patrick E. Horrigan received his BA from The Catholic University of America and his PhD from Columbia University. He is the author of the novel PENNSYLVANIA STATION (Lethe Press; Indie Book Award finalist for best LGBTQ2 fiction) and the novel PORTRAITS AT AN EXHIBITION (Lethe Press; winner of the Dana Award for fiction as well as the Mary Lynn Kotz Art-in-Literature Award, sponsored by the Library of Virginia and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts). Winner of Long Island University’s David Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching, he taught literature for twenty-five years at LIU Brooklyn. He lives in Manhattan.

 

You Don’t Belong Here

American Scholar

Tarot Night with Coral Fox!

Looking answers? Searching for a sign ? Are you curious about current (or possibly future) relationships?
Come to PAT @ Giovanni Room’s (second floor) for Tarot Readings with Coral Fox. Both Walk-Ins and Scheduled Appointments are welcome. 
Go to Instagram @coral_fox_tarot, email coralfoxtarot@gmail.com.Readings are $20 each and run between 20-30 minutes per session. 

I AM ACE: the book and a conversation with Cody Daigle-Orians and Zoe Stoller

Join us for an evening in conversation with Cody Daigle-Orians of I Am Ace: Advice on Living Your Best Ace Life, and Zoe Stoller!

Praise for I Am Ace:

“… feels like receiving guidance from a compassionate mentor, and readers will appreciate his no-frills, conversational style. This is a welcome addition to the growing literature on asexuality.” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Cody Daigle-Orians (they/he) is a writer and asexuality educator living in Columbus, Ohio. They are the creator of “Ace Dad Advice,” a social media based asexuality education project designed to support people exploring asexuality or questioning their sexual orientation. For his online work, he is nominated for a 2023 British LGBTQ Award for Online Influencer. They also lead trainings and workshops focused on ace and aro inclusion, as well as sex and relationships through an ace and aro lens. Their book I AM ACE: ADVICE ON LIVING YOUR BEST ASEXUAL LIFE is out now, and they are at work on a second book, THE ACE AND ARO RELATIONSHIP GUIDE.

Zoe Stoller (they/she/he) is a queer, genderfluid, and asexual creator, educator, and social worker, with a passion for spreading LGBTQ+ knowledge, mental health visibility, and overall authenticity through the power of social media. Zoe’s goals are to break the stigmas surrounding these topics, to create online resources with free and accessible education, and to empower his community to be their fullest, most authentic selves. To learn more, visit @ZoeStoller on all social media platforms.

I Am Ace: Advice on Living Your Best Asexual Life

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