fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station
Last July, I appeared on the Sandra Moran Book Club to discuss my novel Sin Against the Race with host Elizabeth Andersen and panelist and poet Mercedes Lewis. I met Elizabeth and Mercedes at the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in 2018 and I’m so happy that we’ve stayed in touch. We had an excellent…
Mark the date! Next Saturday, July 11 at 1pm CDT (11am PDT), I’ll be a guest on the Sandra Moran Radio Book Club from radio station KKFI in Kansas City. Host Elizabeth Andersen, panelist/poet Mercedes Lewis, and I will discuss my novel Sin Against the Race. Society has entered an extraordinary period of activism around…
In 1988, I wrote an article for 10 Percent, the former LGBTQ news magazine at UCLA about Christopher Street West. The article also included a bit of history about the Stonewall Rebellion. As I had learned in my Civil Rights History classes, Stonewall did not just up and happen. Stonewall happened in the context of…
December 16 is the birthday of my fictional character Alfonso Rutherford Berry, III, protagonist for my novel Sin Against the Race. So to mark the occasion, I read parts of the book that reflect upon Alfonso’s 21st, which he spent in hospital. Earlier in the book, police beat him while he tabled at a needle exchange…
Author Wayne Goodman has hosted singly and with his partner author Rick May various literary readings in the Bay Area. He has now launched a new venture: Queer Words Podcast. Premiering this month, the podcast features Wayne talking with queer writers about their work, their influences, and how their queer identity shapes what they write….
I created a Spotify playlist of the music associated with my novel Sin Against the Race. As I’ve written previously, and as those who have read the novel can attest, I reference a lot of music. It became, in effect, a character in the book. Tunes I listened to while writing and editing ended up becoming…
I’ll be reading in Vallejo on Wednesday, June 6 at 7:00 pm at the JFK Library (505 Santa Clara Street). Hosted by Queer Words, this event will celebrate Pride Literature. I’ll be reading with Achy Obejas, Jon Wilson, and Richard Loranger. Come joint us!
UPDATE 3-3-18: Dog Eared Books has graciously allowed me to continue the raffle for another week. So there is still a chance to enter the raffle for a free lunch with yours truly. We can talk about my book, books in general, writing, the weather…endless possibilities! Have lunch with the author? Why not! I’m holding…
Jerry L. Wheeler at Out in Print: Queer Book Reviews has reviewed Sin Against the Race. The site has hundreds of reviews over many years, so I am grateful for the review. “First novels are tough, especially ones that aim to tell a large story. Big stories usually require big casts, which can be difficult for even…
Grady Harp at the San Francisco Review of Books has written a review for Sin Against the Race. I’m quite grateful for and flattered by it: Gar’s skill as a writer of prose is very close to that of an accomplished poet. His language is beautiful and his ability to create the atmosphere of his story…
