Tuesday, December 1, 2009 Wars and Hidden Conflicts | | | Two Forum members, MaineWriter and markprobst, have co-edited and written for an anthology of four novellas, Hidden Conflict, which is available on Amazon and All Romance Books. The four entries are Our One and Only by E.N. Holland (MaineWriter), Not to Reason Why by Mark R. Probst (markprobst), Blessed Isle by Alex Beecroft and No Darkness by Jordan Taylor. Rainbow Reviews describes Hidden Conflict as "a well-written anthology detailing the lives of military men as they experience love, loss, pain and hope. Each story depicts a point in time, sometimes days or decades, in the life of a gay man set in a historical setting.." These historical settings range from the 1790s to the 1940s. Our One and Only follows four decades in the life of Philip Cormier after his friend and lover Eddie Fiske, is killed in France during D-Day in September 1944. Rainbow Reviews notes that the ending is "one of hope and promise", although the story itself had its sad and dark aspects, including a graphic World War II battle scene.
In Not To Reason Why, set in the mid-United States in 1876, Corporal Brett Price is a cavalry officer who is trying to cope with both his secret love for his friend and sergeant, Dermot Kerrigan and with the expeditions against the Native American tribes of the western plains led by commanding officer Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The now-legendary confrontation that Custer led in 1876 is the backdrop for the story. | |
| Blessed Isle, set in 1790, is based on a diary written by HMS Banshee Captain Harry Thompson with additions and commentary by his lover and former lieutenant, Garnet Littleton. No Darkness, set in 1915 during World War I, follows the unexpected bond formed by Lieutenant Darnell and Private Fisher while the two are trapped in a root cellar behind the trenches. | |
Hidden Conflict should appeal to fans of romance, historical fiction and gay-themed fiction.
It's available in both
hard copy and
e-book form on Amazon, and at
All Romance Books.
Ennis Jack and the Cowboy Code | Forum member ptannen reports that he plans to attend the "Whatever Happened to Ennis del Mar" panel discussion in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 13th. For Brokies traveling from the San Francisco area, "Southwest flights are $49 each way - and there could also the possibility of a Brokie train trip!!"
According to a press release from the Autry Center, "when Gene Autry issued his ten-point “Cowboy Code” in the 1940s, he could not have anticipated the story of Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, but the messages of tolerance, fairness, and integrity the Code promotes speak to the acceptance for which the Brokeback Mountain characters longed. Their story is the departure point for this first discussion. Scheduled for December 13 in the Wells Fargo theater, the panel will be moderated by Virginia Scharff, author and professor of history/director of the Center for the Southwest at the University of New Mexico. The program focuses on the representation of homosexuality in the West before, during, and after the era depicted in the movie, and explores the Academy Award–winning film’s significance in renewing the Western film for contemporary audiences. | | | |
| "Panelists will also discuss Brokeback Mountain’s impact as a pop-cultural milestone pointing to larger societal conflicts, such as the “red state/blue state” schism that mirrors rural and urban demographics—a divide that often compels LGBT Westerners to reluctantly abandon rural homes in search of more inclusive enclaves in larger urban areas. The panel includes Los Angeles Times and NPR film critic Kenneth Turan; Peter M. Nardi, Ph.D., author and professor of sociology at Pitzer College; and William Handley, associate professor of English at the University of Southern California and editor of The Brokeback Book (forthcoming).
“ 'We are proud to be a sponsor of Out West,' said Michael Lombardo, President, Programming and West Coast Operations, HBO, 'The Autry National Center is to be commended for shining a spotlight on the contributions of the LGBT community to the history and culture of the American West. As a major Western cultural institution, they have taken the lead in engaging contemporary LGBT issues in an unprecedented forum. We wish them continued success with their extraordinary programming mission.' ” Consulting producer Gregory Hinton recently facilitated the permanent inclusion of the International Gay Rodeo Association's (IGRA) archives into the Autry Library.
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Remembering Transgender Casualties | "West Hollywood unveiled the first Transgender Memorial Plaque in America last week during a commemoration of The Transgender Day of Remembrance at the Matthew Shepard Memorial Triangle in the Creative City. The Transgender Day of Remembrance was established in order to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is supported by the City of West Hollywood's Transgender Task Force. | |
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| | "Several distinguished West Hollywood city council people were in attendance at the ceremonies including John J. Duran, Jeffrey Prang, and West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land. Chaz Bono made a moving speech during his appearance celebrating his acceptance of his identity at the public ceremony. "Leaders and long-time activists in the community like Shirley Bushnell and Amanda Stevens, along with others, were also present and made presentations. Notably leading the forum that evening was Karina Samala whose outstanding leadership in the community has earned well-deserved recognition. In 2006, she received the "Connie Norman Award" that recognizes an individual for outstanding achievement in fostering racial, ethnic, religious and gender unity within the LGBT community. In 2006, Ms. Samala also received "The Karina Samala Transgender Trailblazer Award," the first award given to a transgender by The Gay and Lesbian Center of Los Angeles for her outstanding work in the intervention and prevention of HIV in the GLBT community. Ms. Samala is currently President of the Imperial Court of Los Angeles & Hollywood as well as being a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality, West Hollywood Transgender Task Force and The Los Angeles County Sheriff's GLBT Advisory Council. | |
| "The Transgender Day of Remembrance raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current mainstream media doesn’t perform nearly as much as it should. The vigil publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. It also gives allies an opportunity to step forward and stand in vigil, memorializing those who have died by anti-transgender violence."
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Video: Soaps Out of the Closet | A video on YouTube gives an overview of gay characters in television soap operas and miniseries. These include Celebrity, a 1984 NBC miniseries; Dynasty, 1984-1985 season; I'll Take Manhattan, a 1987 CBS miniseries based on the Judith Krantz novel; Melrose Place, Dawson's Creek, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers and Sisters..
Click on the image to view the video | |
The Filly | | |
Forum member markprobst remarked in New Members that he was in the middle of writing his own western-themed book The Filly when he first heard of Brokeback Mountain being made into a film. " I too am a fan of Annie Proulx's short story and the wonderful movie that came out of it through the efforts of Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana, and Ang Lee. Even though the short story was written way back in 1997, I had not heard of it when I started writing The Filly. I was in the middle of writing it (in 2004) when I heard about the movie being fillmed, so I rushed out and picked up the story, worried that it was going to be too similar to my book, but then was relieved that while it was a beautiful story in its own right, it was completely different from mine, which is a tribute to the old Hollywood Western movies." | |
"A lifetime without the mountain" | BthovenRex, in How Brokeback Affected Me:
"Ask anyone middle aged or above that is here and they can tell you about a lifetime without the mountain. The young, 'out' gays that I know, particularly living in urban areas where diversity, if not valued, is certainly part of life's fabric, don't ''get' BBM (how's that for a sentence?). Of course, two guys thrown together, weathering life together, suffering, rejoicing, living, dying, has happened to so many of us in small ways, big ways, figuratively, and in the case of least a couple of people on the forum, literally.
"For me, life just didn't seem to have the meaning that it has since BBM- like I was living was a lampshade over my head, you know? I'd like to think my life has been a series of actually, significantly awesome episodes of dumb luck. Of course, believeing in a higher power, and the general effect of kharma, everything occurs for some purpose. Here we are woven together on this forum. That the story became a movie becoming a book and a website and passing out a transforming, life changing energy to people is... inconceivable. Hollywood would love to take credit for that... but they can't. So, Annie, cast and crew, musicians for the film, Dave, and all of you are changed... and changing other people (including me). | |
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"BBM represented parts of my life- of course I was Ennis and some very minor ways, still am. Trying to be like Jack. I'll get there. I swear."
Fun Question of the Week |
| | This week’s Question: In Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 movie Psycho, what substance was used to simulate blood in the famous shower scene featuring Janet Leigh?
Let us know your answer in the response thread.
Last week's question and answer: Morse Code was invented by Samuel F. B. Morse around 1836. The first Morse Code message was sent from Washington to Baltimore, what was the message?
There is nothing y'all don't know! Fritzkep was right on the money with this one: "What hath God wrought. The first telegraph line was 45 miles long." | |
The Forum ImageDon't miss the photos of
jnov's trip to China, starting on page 119 of
Life Through the Lens 4.
terracotta soldiers at xian
One of a number of views of the Great Wall
Forum Image -- Holiday ClassicsPatSinnott posted a number of eye-catching images of outdoor Christmas displays in the 2006-2007
Christmas thread, on pg 51:
a festive Brokeback ornament, "given by a forum member whom I've never met, only chatted with via email."
A series of photos of elaborate outdoor light displays include a stylized arrangement of colorful trees.
Quote of the Day“"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present."
~ Francis Bacon ~
Photo Caption of the DayMore early holiday themes from
doodler, in
Photo Captioning Fun 5:A Brokeback Christmas
Jack and Ennis celebrate at Don Wroe's cabin
Contributors: ptannen, PatSinnott, jnov, MaineWriter, markprobst, gnash, doodler, BthovenRex.
Calendar of Events
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