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fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station

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the gar spot fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station

Category: Everything Else

Keep Our Eyes on the Prize and Vote

Posted on February 23, 2020March 1, 2020 by gar

We have to follow the old Civil Rights Movement slogan and keep our eyes on the prize. Donald Trump and the filth he has visited upon the nation and the world has us beside ourselves with anger, fear, and despair. But we can’t let him, his tweets, or his parasitic sycophants distract us. Our purpose…

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Saints & Sinners LGBTQ Lit Fest Fiction Contest

Posted on December 14, 2019December 14, 2019 by gar

I’m very excited to announce that my short story, “Tom of Boalt Hall,” is a finalist in the annual Saints & Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival’s Short Fiction Contest. The story will appear in their superbly put together anthology along with new works from a group of amazing writers. I first attended Saints & Sinners in…

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Kristallnacht and Mauerfall

Posted on November 9, 2019November 9, 2019 by gar

Last May, to celebrate our 25th anniversary together, my husband and I took a trip to Germany. It was our first trip back in nearly 12 years. We went with a group organized by Dr. Marion Gerlind and JB of the Gerlind Institute for Cultural Studies. We had studied German at the institute many years…

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The Day the Bay Shook: Remembering Loma Prieta 30 Years Later

Posted on October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 by gar

October 17, 1989. Around 5:02 pm or so, I left my office, old room 349 Boalt Hall at UC Berkeley. I wound through the narrow catacombs that made up the third floor at that time, skipped down the stairs and exited the building via a backdoor between the second and third floors. The door exited…

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Reflections on the Castro Sweep 30 Years Later

Posted on October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 by gar

Thirty years ago, October 6, 1989, the Castro Sweep happened. And I was there. What started as a fairly routine ACT UP demonstration turned into a police overreach of epic proportions. I wrote about the Sweep a few years ago in a review/critique of a book by Paul Krassner (RIP), where he wrote about his…

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Herbie Hancock & Friends: Concert Reflections

Posted on August 24, 2019 by gar

Herbie Hancock entered the recording studio all smiles and excitement. “We’re gonna have a great time!” he enthused. So my brother Robert told me many years after this memorable gig, where he played bass with the Maestro. Mr. Hancock no doubt came in with such charged happiness and positivity to help calm the nerves of…

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Black Gay Voices in the Age of AIDS

Posted on June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by gar

The AIDS Memorial on Instagram and Facebook invited me to write a post about black gay writers during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s. I came out around that time and quickly saw the devastation the disease caused within the black gay literary community. Writers whose works I came to…

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Remembering Ustad Alla Rakha

Posted on April 28, 2019April 28, 2019 by gar

Two of my greatest musical idols were born on April 29. Duke Ellington, in 1899 and the doyen of the tabla, Ustad Alla Rakha in 1919. As the world celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of this musical colossus, who brought the tabla to a higher level of respect and dynamics, I reflect upon…

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Camp Witnesses

Posted on January 27, 2019January 27, 2019 by gar

As World War II came to a close, Allied troops made German citizens who lived in towns near recently liberated concentration camps go to these places of torture to see the horrors their government committed in their names. I remember as a kid seeing a photo of horrified German citizens walking past corpses. I’m not…

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A History of MAGA Kids

Posted on January 20, 2019January 20, 2019 by gar

I had my MAGA kid moment many years ago, also while playing drums.  One summer day, long ago, I sat on the lawn near Morrison Hall, home of the Music Department at UC Berkeley, and played tabla. Back in the day, when I took summer tabla classes with Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, I often would…

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SIN AGAINST THE RACE, a novel–Click image for info

Sin Against the Race

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garmcveyrussell

Waiting for a friend. #alameda #ferry #eastbayeve Waiting for a friend. 
#alameda #ferry #eastbayeveryday
"You must not leave. You have opened a door that m "You must not leave. You have opened a door that must not be allowed to close. I'm sure you have taken a lot of grief, or probably will for what you're doing. But you changed the face of television forever. You have created a character of dignity and grace and beauty and intelligence. Don't you see that you're not just a role model for little Black children? You're more important for people who DON'T look like us. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, and intelligent people--as we SHOULD be. There will always be role models for Black children: you are a role model for everyone. Remember, you are not important there in spite of your color. You are important there BECAUSE of your color. This is what Gene Roddenberry has given us."
-Dr. King on why Uhura is so important and why Ms. Nichols should not leave the show

RIP Nichelle Nichols
#legend #startrek #nichellenichols #scifi #nasa #dance #music #mlk #blm
Repost from @juliettesjoy Posted @withregram • Repost from @juliettesjoy 

Posted @withregram • @juliettesjoy Reposted from @queernation3000 CLARIFICATION: “condoms do not fully protect against Monkeypox transmission”

Source: NBC News (Chicago) 🔗 in bio

At the beginning of the HIV/AIDs epidemic, a group of gay men came together to release a set of rated risky behaviors that would guide the community on how to continue to live their lives without fear, empowered by scientifically-backed knowledge. This morning, experts warned that that we have a limited window to close the spread of Monkeypox. Cases are doubling week over week, and infections are being reported in over 74 countries. Misinformation about the spread of this virus could significantly increase the spread and will most certainly increase the stigma and shame surrounding it. 

We’re thankful for various journalists (including those at NBC-Chicago) and medical professionals who have begun the process of rating certain activities on a scale of “whether you're at-risk of contracting the [monkeypox] virus”. We’ve put it into this graphic for easy sharing. The source for all of this information is linked in my bio.

There is still much more to do.  Individual health precautions without significant government action to increase vaccine production & deployment will not work. So please, stay safe, stay informed, and get vaccinated. More to come. 

If you want to help us add additional activities or replace ones based on new information, DM @queernation3000. You can also reach us at queernationfund@gmail.com. 

#monkeypox #monkeypoxvirus #vaccine #pox #lgbt #lbgtq #lesbian #gay #bi #bisexual #trans #transgender #queer #queernews
A typical view of the Golden Gate Bridge in #summe A typical view of the Golden Gate Bridge in #summer from #Sausalito. At a birthday party for friends. 
#coldestwintersummerinsanfrancisco
Trying something new. @understoryoakland #downto Trying something new. 
@understoryoakland 
#downtownoakland #restaurant #veganoptions #dinner
Working. #writersofinstagram #amwriting #amwriting Working.
#writersofinstagram #amwriting #amwritingfiction #tea #jazz #kcsm
Really should have gotten this outdoor furniture y Really should have gotten this outdoor furniture years ago. 
#lunch #alfresco #backyard
Think of all the potential. #wordsonthestreet #se Think of all the potential. 
#wordsonthestreet #seenwhilewalking #neighborhood #walk #oakland #ilovemycity
Pride brunch. #pride #pridemonth #pridesunday #pr Pride brunch. 
#pride #pridemonth #pridesunday #prideday #pancakes #brunch
Dug up from the archives. I can’t believe we hav Dug up from the archives. I can’t believe we have to fight for this again. 
#abortionrights #abortionishealthcare #cisgaymanforchoice
Time to write more letters to encourage people to Time to write more letters to encourage people to vote. Tempus fugit.
#abortionrights #abortionishealthcare #roevwade #mymarriageisnext #voteblue #voterepublicansout
Pride flag over the Claremont Hotel. Don’t think Pride flag over the Claremont Hotel. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. 
#pride #pridemonth #berkeley
New outdoor dining set. #backporch #alfresco #hom New outdoor dining set. 
#backporch #alfresco #homedecor
Consulted with my editors this morning. I value th Consulted with my editors this morning. I value their feedback. 
#trees #hiking #oakland #writersofinstagram #iputmyfaithintrees
Remembering Roger Ebert on what would have been hi Remembering Roger Ebert on what would have been his 80th birthday. 
#rogerebert #writer #legend #cancersucks
Fly me to the moon (not pictured) Let me play amon Fly me to the moon (not pictured)
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter (the brighter one) and Mars
#backyardastronomy #jupiter #mars #predawn #goodmorning
A gorgeous day at the #oaklandgreekfestival #oakla A gorgeous day at the #oaklandgreekfestival #oakland #greekfestival #greek #music #food #ilovemycity
I used to rock the hell out of these. Cards of dis I used to rock the hell out of these. Cards of discovery and endless possibilities. I still miss them. 
#cardcatalog #library #knowledge #og #searchengine
A sunny Saturday in 1990 found my sister Tania (@m A sunny Saturday in 1990 found my sister Tania (@makeuptogoblog) and I outside of the Julia Morgan Center waiting. I had seen the great Maestro Pt. Shivkumar Sharma in LA—he even autographed an album for me. And I was studying tabla with his accompanist Ud. Zakir Hussain at the time. We couldn’t wait. But wait we did, because the maestros weren’t there. As my sister and I stood at the front of the line, they came. Ud. Zakirji was laughing and joking. Pt. Shivji looked as if he floated in as he passed and entered the theater. After we got settled in our seats, it was on. A beautiful concert with the two maestros playing rapturously, holding us spellbound. Pt. Shivji floated in like a deity and played to the heavens, taking us all with him. By far one of my favorite concerts. 

Words cannot describe how devastated I am at the great master’s passing. His gifts to music and the world are incalculable. My condolences to Panditji’s family, to @zakirhq9 , and to all who loved his beautiful music. #ptshivkumarsharma #indianclassicalmusic #santoor #rip
This makes me very happy. #oaklandgreekfestival # This makes me very happy. 
#oaklandgreekfestival #theyreback #yahoo #greek #oakland #ilovemycity
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