Writing by Twilight: Steven Corbin’s Queer Triptych
Like that of all authors who died AIDS-related deaths, with each passing year Steven Corbin’s work takes on a significance beyond its worth as good or not so good… More
365 Black: Celebrating African-America History and Culture All Year Long
As an African-American author and publisher of children’s books I am delighted when the month of February arrives. February is a short and usually cold month, but in publishing… More
Grand Tour
In America I’m not really a private person. No, I’m a public person. And a public person cannot write. More
Essential Incarceration
At no time in the modern era has the concern over incarceration--its purpose and consequences--been so prevalent and urgent. This has been quite clear from the amount of legislative… More
Birds of a Feather
On October 24th, Ronald Reagan signed the necessary executive order sending the Congressionally approved $100 million in aid to the Nicaraguan contras. Of this aids $70 million was designated… More
My Banned Books
Back in the 1970's I wrote a couple of what used to be known as “middle age” novels that were banned in Texas and in West Virginia. They were… More
Authoritarianism in the Light of the Olympic Flame
In April 2007, Beijing announced its grand plan for the Olympic Torch Relay. The official theme, "harmonious journey," was clearly meant as an indirect reference to the "harmonious society"… More
A Twisted Evening With Dr. Gonzo
My early literary influences naturally gravitated towards counterculture writing that started with Kerouac’s On the Road, Ginsberg’s epic poem of the Beat Generation, Howl, and experiencing the utter depths… More
A Strangely Fruitful, Frustrating Experience
It is the end of another January. I find myself locked away, facing the most unforgiving punishment any human being could possibly face: the “death penalty.” Consequently, I have… More
Unilaterally Punitive
The United States is unique in the world for its overzealous love affair with life without parole sentences (LWOP). It is one of the few western countries to have… More