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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

Tag: gay

Black Gay Bookstagram for Pride Month

Posted on June 2, 2018June 2, 2018 by gar

This month, I’m curating a series of photos of books by and about black gay men on Instagram. We have a long, rich history of telling our stories. Sadly, much of it remains hidden just beneath the surface. Even today, one learns about these jewels by word of mouth. Sometimes, folks ask me if I’ll…

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Alfonso’s Companions: Bill and Roy

Posted on October 25, 2017 by gar

[Part of a series of posts previewing the novel Sin Against the Race.] In addition to meeting his late cousin’s friends, Alfonso meets two folks closer to his age: Bill Hawk and Roy Prince. Before there was Alfonso R. Berry III, there was Bill Hawk, an 18-year-old freshman. In early drafts of Sin Against the Race,…

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Sammy Turner: The Mother of Carver Street

Posted on October 18, 2017 by gar

[Part of a series of posts previewing the novel Sin Against the Race.] Sammy Turner can be a nag. Some might call Sammy Turner a busybody, because he knows everybody’s business. All that know him, however, will eventually admit that Sammy Turner is their rock. His corner grocery story is the kitchen of Carver Street, the…

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Enter The Huck: Sin Against the Race

Posted on October 14, 2017 by gar

I wanted an area where black and queer intersected, overlapped. My friend and former college roommate Pete recommended that I create my own neighborhood—from this suggestion The Huck was born. In its center lies Huckleberry Park, a large urban patch of green that spans several long blocks. A largely African American neighborhood, straight folks live…

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Sin Against the Race–Look! It’s a Book!

Posted on October 7, 2017 by gar

Get ready, folks! My first novel Sin Against the Race drops Sunday, October 29. Am I excited? Hell yeah, I’m excited! This day has been a Long Time Coming. Indeed, the genesis of this book dates back to my own coming out nearly 30 years ago. Upon coming into the life, I became entranced by the…

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Baby Boy Strayhorn – The Strayhorn Centenary Project

Posted on November 8, 2015 by gar

For the first few years of his life, Billy Strayhorn didn’t have a name. His parents had buried two of three children born before him, so when the new born started life sickly, with rickets, they did not rush to name him. He was called “Baby Boy Strayhorn” on his birth certificate. The rickets went…

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Eww! And the gay kiss

Posted on May 18, 2014 by gar

“Love him, and let him love you.” – James Baldwin Out of nowhere, my friend started making loud, “Eww!” sounds. Over and over again, “Eeeeewwwww!!!” I was like, what? He said he saw two men on the TV, kissing. I had missed it. He continued to register his disgust on our eardrums. My other friend…

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Dear Beloved Comrade – Part II

Posted on January 20, 2014 by gar

He liked to be called J, so even his name remained a mystery. We had dinner together a few times. We saw a movie together. I asked teasingly if these things were outside the bounds of tolerance from his government. He only smiled. I actually referenced his peculiar homeland very infrequently. It sat in the…

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Dear Beloved Comrade – Part I

Posted on January 5, 2014January 6, 2014 by gar

His uniform and the strong sense of purpose with which he came at me caused an instinctual reaction. I no longer roamed freely around an open market in small-town Malaysia. I was back home in South Central, a frightened nappy-headed kid who knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, but felt a need to flee anyway….

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Encore from the Archives: Clyde

Posted on December 15, 2013 by gar

[Originally published in February 2012.] When I was about 13 I had to endure a week at Reverend Schlep’s Summer Camp for Men and Boys.  It’s a right of passage in my family.  My grandfather took my father.  My father took my older brothers Mark and Karl, Jr., when they reached the right age.  Now…

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

Sin Against the Race

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