A Different Light Bookstore

BOOK CLUB: March Selection - LAKE OVERTURN by Vestal McIntyre

2011-03-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

LAKE OVERTURN by Vestal McIntyre
Tuesday, March 29
7:30pm @ Magnet
Facebook RSVP

March Book Club selection, Lake Overturn, is available at A Different Light for 10% off when you mention Magnet book club!

“Reading Vestal McIntyre’s deliriously ambrosial novel is like entering reader’s heaven. Constantly surprising. . . . I loved it.” (Peter Cameron)

“Lake Overturn is a lovingly rendered portrait of small-town America. Vestal McIntyre knows his people intimately—how they speak, their manners and customs; but, most importantly, he knows their troubled hearts, and he plumbs the depths of those hearts with remarkable empathy and wisdom.” (Ron Rash)

“Every character in [Lake Overturn] is so real, complex, and interesting, the scope of the novel at once so wide and so deep, the themes and ideas so thoroughly embodied by the story, I felt as if I were reading a modern-day Middlemarch.” (Kate Christensen)

“Striking. . . . An author is lucky to bring one character so vividly to life: the gifted McIntyre...has done it for all of his. It may seem odd praise for a writer, but it’s among the highest: as you drink in this book, you barely notice the words.” (New York Times Book Review )

“A vast, intricate lattice of relationships, reminiscent of the novels of Richard Russo. . . . McIntyre is an honest enough artist that he [is] . . . capable of handling even the most noxious elements when he stirs his American backwater.” (Washington Post)

“[A] nicely handled exploration of the world’s effect on the tightly woven life of a small town driven by faith.” (Denver Post)

LAKE OVERTURN by Vestal McIntyre
Tuesday, March 29
7:30pm @ Magnet
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Angie Bowie ('Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie')

2011-03-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 19 @ 1pm

ANGIE BOWIE

Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Following her appearance at TRANNYSHACK: DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE NIGHT, Angie

Bowie will be at A Different Light for a more intimate discussion of her influential part in the Bowie universe. She has written about it in her book, BACKSTAGE PASSES: LIFE ON THE WILD SIDE WITH DAVID BOWIE, which she will be signing at the event.

Angie Bowie: style icon, author, performer, counselor, former wife of David Bowie and role model for outsiders everywhere. It is widely accepted that Angie and Tony DeFries, Bowie’s legendary manager, were the two most significant influences on David’s early career.

Angie was the “It Girl” in London’s ‘In’ crowd and cultivated all that was weird and left-field. She introduced her husband to a variety of talented eccentrics who also contributed to David Bowie’s kaleidoscope of stage personas-these include his Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Thin White Duke periods. The cultural impact of David and Angie Bowie in the 70s and beyond cannot be over-estimated.

Saturday, March 19 @ 1pm
ANGIE BOWIE

Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Marc Freden ('REALLY?!?: A Memoir By a Man Who's Not Quite Famous Enough')

2011-02-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 12 @ 4pm
MARC FREDEN
Really?!?: A Memoir by a Man Who's Not Quite Famous Enough
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

REALLY!?! is the story of privilege and purgatory…and the road traveled to both. Told as a series of uniquely witty and insightful anecdotal observations, Marc Freden quite literally travels the world, as the host of a British television series, to find out just where and who he is in the world.

The memoir takes on such lauded institutions as Hollywood, Catholicism, the British Monarchy and fame while exploring Freden’s personal vulnerability in dealing with homosexuality, depression, molestation and relationships. It’s written with his unique blend of raw, self-deprecating humor and honesty—the same winning combination that made him a true international television personality.

Since the age of 9 years old, Marc Freden has known the value of an audience. At various times he has been a dancer, an actor, writer, producer, a television reporter, host and radio personality. A veteran of 25 years of production experience, he has had his hand in everything from local news to network primetime specials, series and event television.

Audiences came to know Freden’s quick-witted personality on the syndicated series "Extra." Then during his tenure as the Hollywood correspondent for Britain’s highest rated morning television program, "GMTV," Freden broke ground as a genuine international "personality"—unique, witty, irreverent...and always entertaining.

Saturday, March 12 @ 4pm
MARC FREDEN
Really?!?: A Memoir By a Man Who's Not Quite Famous Enough
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Book Launch Party: My Uncle's Wedding

2011-02-24T19:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 5 @ 3pm
ERIC ROSS
My Uncle's Wedding
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

We're very excited to announce the official book launch party and signing event for My Uncle's Wedding! Come and meet author Eric Ross and illustrator Tracy K Greene in person and get an autographed copy of the children's book.

"My Uncle's Wedding is the sweet story of Uncle Mike and Uncle Steve's wedding as experienced through the eyes of their nephew, Andy. This children's book is the perfect gift for any child who loves a good story and especially children with gay people in their family. The author approaches the subject of same-sex marriage with a child's sensitivity and sensibility, and the beautiful illustrations are sure to be enjoyed by kids and parents alike."
- Molly McKay (National Media Director, Marriage Equality USA)

"My Uncle's Wedding" celebrates love from a young nephew's point of view of his favorite uncle's beautiful wedding. Eric Ross has written a wonderful, heartwarming and important book in today's climate -- a beautiful educational tool for children -- showing that all love is equal and good."
- Del Shores (Writer/Director, "Sordid Lives")

Saturday, March 5 @ 3pm
ERIC ROSS
My Uncle's Wedding
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

BOOK CLUB: February Selection - SALVATION ARMY by Abdellah Taia

2011-02-18T19:44:00.000-08:00

SALVATION ARMY by Abdellah Taia
Tuesday, February 22
7:30pm @ Magnet

Facebook RSVP

If reading has the power to transport you to a different place, then a book club is a group adventure.

Join us on our journey to Morocco in February as we read and discuss SALVATION ARMY by Abdellah Taïa.

Grab your copy of the book club selection at A Different Light, mention Magnet and get 10% off! Then come discuss the book at Magnet (4122 18th Street) on February 22.

An “autobiographical novel” in the American avant-feminist tradition of Michelle Tea, SALVATION ARMY is a coming-of-age story that narrates Taïa’s life with complete disclosure — from a childhood bound by family order and latent (homo)sexual tensions in the poor city of Salé, through an adolescence in Tangier charged by the young writer’s attraction to his eldest brother, to his disappointing “arrival” in the Western world to study in Geneva.

Recently hailed by his native country’s press as “the first Moroccan to have the courage to publicly assert his difference," Taïa’s calmly transgressive work has “outed” him as “the only gay man” in a country whose theocratic law still codes homosexuality a crime.

SALVATION ARMY by Abdellah Taia
Tuesday, February 22
7:30pm @ Magnet

Facebook RSVP

Book Launch Party: American Heroes Coming Out from Behind the Badge

2011-02-10T16:33:00.001-08:00

Saturday, February 19 @ 3pm

GREG MIRAGLIA

American Heroes Coming Out from Behind the Badge
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

It's true that society as a whole has become more accepting, but homophobia continues to be pervasive in much of the public safetyarena. Most states still do not have any employment protection against harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation. Imagine being fired from the job you love because of who you are.

American Heroes Coming Out From Behind The Badge is Greg Miraglia's second book intended to show examples of how police officers, firefighters, and EMS professionals have been able to come out and be successful on the job. The stories come from across the country and tell of a very personal and courageous journey. They are intended to both inspire and educate.

Join us for the official book release and signing event at the A Different Light bookstore. Author Greg Miraglia will be joined by several of the contributing authors including Sergeant Peter Thoshinsky, EMT Jessica McGuinness and Fire Captain Brett Dunckel.

This event will include readings from the book, time to ask questions from the authors, and of course, an opportunity to get your book signed.

Saturday, February 19 @ 3pm

GREG MIRAGLIA

American Heroes Coming Out from Behind the Badge

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

Freedom to Marry Week Event: Davina Kotulski ('Love Warriors: The Rise of the Marriage Equality Movement & Why It Will Prevail')

2011-02-10T15:39:00.000-08:00

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 @ 7:30PM
DAVINA KOTULSKI, Ph.D.
Love Warriors: The Rise of the Marriage Equality Movement & Why It Will Prevail
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Join us for a very special post-Valentine's Day, Freedom to Marry Week. Dr. Davina Kotulski, the former executive director of Marriage Equality USA, reads from her new book, Love Warriors, an exploration on the social benefits of marriage equality. Only at A Different Light.

Praise:
"Love Warriors illustrates how society is best served when all loving couples who want to settle down are all able to do so through the civil institution of marriage.” —Mark Leno, California Leader

“If you want your opinions about the most important social issue of our time based on reason and facts this book is your MUST READ.” —Don Clark, Ph.D. author, Loving Someone Gay

Kotulski and her “unlawfully wedded” wife, Molly McKay, were active in the fight against Proposition 8 and both were featured speakers at a Post Prop 8 rally at the California Capital on November 8th. Their marriage was upheld by the California State Supreme Court in May 2009. They were awarded Community Grand Marshals in the 2009 San Francisco Pride Parade and they continue to fight for marriage equality and LGBT rights world wide.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 @ 7:30PM

DAVINA KOTULSKI, Ph.D.

Love Warriors: The Rise of the Marriage Equality Movement & Why It Will Prevail

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Paul Faraday & Haley Walsh

2011-01-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 8 @ 7:30pm

PAUL FARADAY (The Straight Shooter) & HALEY WALSH (Foxe Tail)

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

Gay Mystery 101: Two gay mystery authors take the genre back to school in a special event at A Different Light.

Paul Faraday, The Straight Shooter:

Fresh from a summer on the beach, West Hollywood Junior Collegiate, Nate Dainty is armed with a syllabus and a hidden agenda: to meet adult film sensation and (somewhat less) dedicated calculus student, Myles Long. Myles returns Our Red-Haired Amateur Sleuth’s desire, but before their big scene, the Paragon of Porn is snatched out from under Nate by masked men in a van in a parking lot! With the help of his good pals, Beso Tangelo and Jorge Ramirez, Nate tackles the case. Soon, life as Nate and his gay friends know it takes a dangerous turn—first into the Valley (!!) and then into a bathhouse (!!!) Who holds the secret to Myles Long’s kidnapping? A jealous roommate, an aging houseboy, or a drag queen with a weakness for Vodka Martinis? The fearless and nubile Nate Dainty takes on the list of suspects with charm, willingness to disrobe, and a disarming ability that only West Hollywood’s favorite amateur detective could muster!

Haley Walsh, Foxe Tail:

This romantic mystery series follows the teaching and unwitting sleuthing career of Skyler Foxe, high school English teacher. Being gay in the most redneck county of southern California doesn’t help matters, especially when his orientation needs to be kept a secret. But that’s not the only secret he encounters. In the first novel FOXE TAIL, Skyler’s principal’s son ends up dead outside a new dance club. Does it have to do with the fact that he’s gay, or is there something more sinister afoot? Skyler and his cadre of off-the-wall but well-meaning friends—Jamie, the high-spirited webpage designer; Philip, the straight-looking coffee house owner; Rodolfo, the Latin American queen who looks like Antonio Banderas; and Skyler’s best friend Sidney, the straight female detective—join forces to find a killer. But what does this murder have to do with the shady goings on in the background of James Polk High?

Tuesday, February 8 @ 7:30pm

PAUL FARADAY (The Straight Shooter) & HALEY WALSH (Foxe Tail)

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

EVENT BACKLIGHT: 2nd Annual Mystery Panel w/ Anthony Bidulka, Ellen Hart & Greg Herren

2011-01-02T12:35:00.000-08:00

Gay mystery writers Bidulka and Herren return to A Different Light and bring Ellen Hart along this time. The three authors read and sign from their 2010 books and discuss the mystery genre's relevance to the LGBT community.

BOOK CLUB: January Selection - JUST KIDS by Patti Smith

2010-12-21T15:24:00.000-08:00

JUST KIDS by Patti Smith
Tuesday, January 25
7:30pm @ Magnet

Your New Year's resolution is to be more well-read in 2011? We got you covered. Our monthly BOOK CLUB meets at the Magnet Health Clinic (4122 18th Street) the last Tuesday of the month to discuss the latest, most buzzworthy titles popular in the LGBT community.

Our New Year's resolution here at A Different Light has always been to learn more from the men and women who came before us and paved the way to a more enlightened sensibility. With that thought in mind, we are happy to announce our first BOOK CLUB selection of the New Year: the National Book Award-winning JUST KIDS by Patti Smith.

Grab your copy at A Different Light, mention the Magnet Book Club and get 10% off! Then come discuss the book at Magnet Health Clinic (4122 18th Street) on January 25.

"Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe weren't always famous, but they always thought they would be. They found each other, adrift but determined, on the streets of New York City in the late '60s and made a pact to keep each other afloat until they found their voices--or the world was ready to hear them. Lovers first and then friends as Mapplethorpe discovered he was gay, they divided their dimes between art supplies and Coney Island hot dogs. Mapplethorpe was quicker to find his metier, with a Polaroid and then a Hasselblad, but Smith was the first to fame, transformed, to her friend's delight, from a poet into a rock star. Mapplethorpe soon became famous too--and notorious--before his death from AIDS in 1989.

Smith's memoir of their friendship is tender and artful, open-eyed but surprisingly decorous, with the oracular style familiar from her anthems, balanced by her powers of observation and memory for everyday details like the shabby, welcoming fellow bohemians of the Chelsea Hotel, among whose ranks these baby Rimbauds found their way." --Tom Nissley

JUST KIDS by Patti Smith
Tuesday, January 25
7:30pm @ Magnet

EVENT BACKLIGHT: Steven Saylor ('EMPIRE: A Novel of Imperial Rome')

2010-12-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

The New York Times bestselling author and "modern master of historical fiction" (USA Today) Steven Saylor introduces his highly-anticipated new novel EMPIRE and focuses on the heavy homosexual undertones only at A Different Light.

In the words of Steven himself, "I'd like to think EMPIRE is a Big Gay Book. The sex lives of the emperors is so wildly varied, the historian Suetonius felt obliged to point out that the oddball Claudius 'had no interest in either boys or men.' What a weirdo!

The widespread nature of homosexuality in the Roman Empire has been hinted at in previous fiction, but I think EMPIRE breaks new ground. The story of Sporus, the eunuch-wife of Nero, has never been told in a novel before. The boy was a ringer for Nero's dead wife, and Nero fell for him at first sight; eventually Sporus was castrated and led the rest of his life as a woman, making him one of history's first known transsexuals.

After two hereditary dynasties that ended in disaster, the Romans turned to emperors who produced no offspring—and obtained good government and stability at last. You might even say that EMPIRE is the story of 'how the gays saved civilization,' since it's the unapologetic boy-lovers Trajan (a military genius) and Hadrian (an artistic genius) who finally bring sanity to the Roman Empire.

Less well known is the ironic twist on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' found in Trajan's policy toward that despised minority, the Christians. Yes, a gay emperor decided it was best to tolerate the troublesome, gods-hating Christians, and even allowed them to serve in the military, as long as they weren't too flagrant with their perversity. (I couldn't make up this sort of thing.)"

EVENT BACKLIGHT: Deborah Cohler ('Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain')

2010-11-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

Deborah Cohler ('Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain') event on Monday, September 27 at A Different Light bookstore in the Castro, San Francisco.

Deborah Cohler is associate professor of women and gender studies at San Francisco State University. She researches how war changes our ideas about sexuality, gender, race, and citizenship. In addition to Citizen, Invert, Queer she has published articles on the queer effects of war. Her new research project examines media and political representations of gender and sexuality during the War on Terror under George W. Bush.

EVENT: Armistead Maupin ('Mary Ann in Autumn')

2010-11-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15 @ 7:30PM
ARMISTEAD MAUPIN
Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Armistead Maupin personally presents his latest Tales of the City novel to the Castro on Monday, November 15 at 7:30pm with a reading and signing of MARY ANN IN AUTUMN.

This is Armistead's only scheduled appearance in the Castro.

From Publishers Weekly:
In the sure-to-please follow-up to Michael Tolliver Lives, the bestselling Tales of the City reboot, it's been 20 years since series anchor Mary Ann Singleton left her family and headed to New York. Maupin's San Francisco is comforting in its familiarity, and the gang is (mostly) all here, older, wiser, and settled in: Michael "Mouse" Tolliver is married to Ben; Shawna, Mary Ann's estranged daughter, is a popular sex blogger who is dating Otto, an enigmatic professional clown; and grand dame Anna Madrigal, once landlady to Michael and Mary Ann, is still kicking in her late 80s. Into this milieu returns Mary Ann, who ditched her husband and the young Shawna for a career in television. Now, nearing 60, she's back with news she can't bear to tell anyone but Michael. From the haven of his tiny garden cottage, Mary Ann regroups and confronts some uncomfortable chapters in her past. As ever, Maupin's edgy wit energizes the layered story lines. His keen eye for irony and human foible is balanced by an innate compassion in this examination of the life of a woman of a certain age.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15 @ 7:30PM
ARMISTEAD MAUPIN
Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Daniel Allen Cox ('Krakow Melt') w/ Kevin Killian ('Impossible Princess')

2010-10-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19 @ 7:30PM
DANIEL ALLEN COX
Krakow Melt
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Daniel Allen Cox reads and signs copies of his new novel, KRAKOW MELT - our October Book Club selection. Kevin Killian moderates the discussion.

Pyromaniacs fight homophobia in a Polish city where nothing is fireproof.

This second novel by Lambda Literary Award finalist Daniel Allen Cox (Shuck) is an incendiary story about two pyromaniacs who fight homophobia in Krakow, Poland, one of the fronts of the Solidarność revolution that eventually toppled the Berlin Wall in 1989. It’s 2005, and Poland is grappling with its newfound role as a member of the European Union; the country dips into moral crisis as Pope John Paul II (a Pole) approaches death while the country’s soon-to-be president makes homophobic declarations.

Radek, a bisexual artist and a practitioner of the extreme urban sport parkour, is convinced that fire is the great stabilizer. While creating miniature replicas of the world’s great infernos—Chicago 1871, San Francisco 1906, London 1666—he meets Dorota, a literature student and budding pyromaniac. Driven by rage, sexual curiosity for one another, and Pink Floyd, they buck Church, government, and the LGBT community to find sexual freedom, escaping their enemies by scaling the crumbling walls and ideas of the city.

Provocative and unnerving, Krakow Melt is at once a love letter and a fiery call to arms.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19 @ 7:30PM
DANIEL ALLEN COX
Krakow Melt
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: 2nd Annual Mystery Panel w/ Anthony Bidulka, Ellen Hart & Greg Herren

2010-10-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14 @ 7:30PM
2ND ANNUAL LGBT MYSTERY PANEL
Anthony Bidulka, Ellen Hart, Greg Herren
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

Gay mystery writers Bidulka and Herren return to A Different Light and bring Ellen Hart along this time. The three authors read and sign from their 2010 books and discuss the mystery genre's relevance to the LGBT community.

Anthony Bidulka (Date with a Sheesha):
Anthony Bidulka’s mystery series tells the story of a world-traveling, wine-swilling, wise-cracking, gay, Canadian private detective living a big life in a small city. The Russell Quant series was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Best Men’s Mystery and was recently shortlisted for Crime Writers of Canada Book of the Year.

From the glitzy, flamboyant, mega-high rises of Dubai, to the frankincense fields of Oman and scorching sand dunes of Saudi Arabia, PI Russell Quant is on one heckuva magical carpet ride. In Date with a Sheesha, Quant embarks upon a perilous journey that pits him against a deceitful Bedouin sheikh, shifty souk merchants, a snooty museum curator, quirky antique carpet enthusiasts and an underground club for “fabulous men.”

Ellen Hart (Wicked Games):
“Ellen Hart is The Lambda Literary Award and Minnesota Book Award-wining author of 16 Jane Lawless mysteries and knows how to spin a tale full of complex plot lines, fast-paced actio, and characters skilled in deception. Fans of the Lawless series and readers who enjoy gay/lesbian mysteries will not be disappointed in Wicked Games.

When Annie Archer turns up at Minneapolis's Xanadu Club, its owner, lesbian restauranteur and amateur sleuth Jane Lawless, offers her a job and takes on the task of finding Annie's long-missing father.” (Library Journal, Starred Review)

Greg Herren (Vieux Carre Voodoo):
Greg Herren is the author of twelve novels, including the award winning Murder in the Rue Chartres, called by the New Orleans Times-Piacyune “the most honest piece of writing about post-Katrina New Orleans.”

In Vieux Carre Voodoo, former go-go boy turned detective Scotty Bradley is back! When an old family friend apparently commits suicide from his French Quarter balcony, Scotty’s life accelerates from boring to exciting again in a nanosecond. Why would anyone want the old man dead, and what were they looking for in his ransacked apartment? It’s up to Scotty, Frank, his crazy family, and friends to get to the bottom of this bizarre mystery—and when an old, all-too-familiar face turns up, it’s not just Scotty’s life that’s in danger, but his heart.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14 @ 7:30PM
2ND ANNUAL LGBT MYSTERY PANEL
Anthony Bidulka, Ellen Hart, Greg Herren
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Steven Saylor ('Empire: A Novel of Imperial Rome')

2010-09-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

MONDAY, OCTOBER 11 @ 7:30PM
STEVEN SAYLOR
Empire: A Novel of Imperial Rome
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

The New York Times bestselling author and "modern master of historical fiction" (USA Today) Steven Saylor introduces his highly-anticipated new novel EMPIRE and focuses on the heavy homosexual undertones only at A Different Light.

In the words of Steven himself, "I'd like to think EMPIRE is a Big Gay Book. The sex lives of the emperors is so wildly varied, the historian Suetonius felt obliged to point out that the oddball Claudius 'had no interest in either boys or men.' What a weirdo!

The widespread nature of homosexuality in the Roman Empire has been hinted at in previous fiction, but I think EMPIRE breaks new ground. The story of Sporus, the eunuch-wife of Nero, has never been told in a novel before. The boy was a ringer for Nero's dead wife, and Nero fell for him at first sight; eventually Sporus was castrated and led the rest of his life as a woman, making him one of history's first known transsexuals.

After two hereditary dynasties that ended in disaster, the Romans turned to emperors who produced no offspring—and obtained good government and stability at last. You might even say that EMPIRE is the story of 'how the gays saved civilization,' since it's the unapologetic boy-lovers Trajan (a military genius) and Hadrian (an artistic genius) who finally bring sanity to the Roman Empire.

Less well known is the ironic twist on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' found in Trajan's policy toward that despised minority, the Christians. Yes, a gay emperor decided it was best to tolerate the troublesome, gods-hating Christians, and even allowed them to serve in the military, as long as they weren't too flagrant with their perversity. (I couldn't make up this sort of thing.)"

MONDAY, OCTOBER 11 @ 7:30PM
STEVEN SAYLOR
Empire: A Novel of Imperial Rome
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

Event: Dr. Jallen Rix ('Ex-Gay, No Way: Survival & Recovery from Religious Abuse')

2010-09-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7 @ 7:30PM
Dr. JALLEN RIX
Ex-Gay, No Way: Survival and Recovery from Religious Abuse
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

"The Ex-gay Movement is stripped naked, and through an abundance of snapshots we get to see its vulnerability and cover-ups. These perspectives are mounted together with Jallen’s moving story telling and in-depth research. The naming of religious abuse, the dispelling of sex-phobic myths, the raw emotion of personal experience make this a great resource for pastors and counselors; yet possibly the greatest accomplishment of this book is that it brings the reader to a conclusion – a motive and means for recovery without feeling forced to accept or abandon."
-- Paul Whiting, International advocate, writer and pastor

"Dr. Rix has exposed reparative therapy in a way never seen before. He clearly compares the features of the ex-gay movement with the damaging and cultic aspects of hyper-religiosity. The similarities are so numerous that, at times, there simply is no difference between the two."
-- Professor of Sexology, Dean of Students, Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, San Francisco, California

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7 @ 7:30PM
Dr. JALLEN RIX
Ex-Gay, No Way: Survival and Recovery from Religious Abuse
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Deborah Cohler ('Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain')

2010-09-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 @ 7:30PM

DEBORAH COHLER

Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain

Free and Open to the Public

Facebook RSVP

Citizen, Invert, Queer examines the relationship of queer sexuality to nationalism and race in England during World War I. The book argues that before WWI, British culture did not really "understand" lesbianism as an identity, but that after the war, this was a common understanding. So, I ask, how did this shift occur? The book explores how "masculine women" came to be regarded as lesbians by the 1920s, and argues that the masculine citizenship encouraged for women during the war, combined with homophobic ideas about gay men, Germans, and decadence during the war, spurred this change. The conclusion of the book suggests how my methodology might help us to understand shifts in gender and sexuality after September 11, 2001 on our own current "home front."

Deborah Cohler is associate professor of women and gender studies at San Francisco State University. She researches how war changes our ideas about sexuality, gender, race, and citizenship. In addition to Citizen, Invert, Queer she has published articles on the queer effects of war. Her new research project examines media and political representations of gender and sexuality during the War on Terror under George W. Bush.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 @ 7:30PM

DEBORAH COHLER

Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain

Free and Open to the Public

Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Jeff Commings ('Odd Man Out: True Stories of a Gay Black Swimmer')

2010-09-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 @ 4pm

JEFF COMMINGS

Odd Man Out: True Stories of a Gay Black Swimmer

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

ODD MAN OUT: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY is the first book to tell the true story of a gay African-American swimmer. Jeff Commings was the first African-American to win a gold medal in swimming at the Olympic Festival, but he spent all of his teenage years and most of his 20s afraid to live openly as a gay man. Though he was a member of several USA Swimming national teams and competed in two Olympic Trials, his fear of rejection from those he loved and respected severely affected his life socially and athletically.

In his book, Commings reveals intimate details of his life, many of which have never been made public. But this book is much more than the story of a man’s journey to discover his place in a world he feared would shun him. It’s also the story of a black swimmer who rose to elite status when he saw very few on pool decks with his skin color.

Commings takes us on a rollercoaster ride through more than 30 years of triumph, sorrow and love. Equally heartbreaking and funny, this book is an uncompromising portrait of one man’s quest to fit in on his own terms. It tests readers of all walks of life to look inwardly and reflect on their own fears and insecurities.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 @ 4pm

JEFF COMMINGS

Odd Man Out: True Stories of a Gay Black Swimmer

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

READING: Lambda Literary Emerging Voices

2010-09-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 @ 7:30pm

LAMBDA LITERARY EMERGING VOICES

Meg Day, Chuck Forester, Liz Demi Green, Billie Mandel & Oscar Raymundo

Free and open to the public

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We are proud to bring together the Bay Area-based 2010 Lambda Literary Writers’ Retreat fellows for a special reading. From slam poets to femme novelists, the diversity of styles and genres highlight the vitality of new queer voices. Be the first to listen to their up-and-coming projects and support their emerging talent.

Established in 2007, the Lambda Literary Foundation's Writers’ Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices is the first of its kind for LGBT writers: a one-week intensive immersion in fiction, nonfiction or poetry. The retreat is an unparalleled opportunity to learn from the very best writers in the LGBT community. This year’s retreat was held August 8-15, 2010 at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. The fellows participating in this event are:

Meg Day is a nationally awarded spoken word artist, published poet and arts educator for Youth Speaks in San Francisco. In 2006 she became San Diego’s first queer Spoken Word Grand Champion and held the title for three years. In 2009 she was named a “Top 30 Under 30” artist by OUT-ART magazine.

Chuck Forester is a Wisconsin raised, East Coast educated, San Francisco resident since 1971. He’s a writer, poet, memoirist and novelist. Active in local and national GLBT community, Chuck has bee partnered five years with John Cadle.

Liz Demi Green is a writer, performer and community college educator based in Oakland, California. A graduate of Vassar and Mills, she is a playwright, a poetry slam champion, and a prose stylist. She is at work on her first novel, The Ella Verse (LGBT Young Adult SciFi).Billie Mandel is a fire-breathing femme novelist, transported half a lifetime ago from New York to the Bay Area. Excerpts from her novel-in-progress, tentatively titled The Possibility, have been previewed at the National Queer Arts Festival, Ladyfest Litfest, and SFinX.Oscar Raymundo is a writer and multimedia artist originally from Guadalajara, Mexico. A Northwestern graduate, he is the event coordinator at A Different Light bookstore in San Francisco where he is currently at work on his first novel, The Pride (New Adult Fiction).

The Lambda Literary Foundation nurtures, celebrates and preserves LGBT literature through programs that honor excellence, promote visibility and encourage development of emerging writers.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 @ 7:30pm

LAMBDA LITERARY EMERGING VOICES

Meg Day, Chuck Forester, Liz Demi Green, Billie Mandel & Oscar Raymundo

Free and open to the public

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ADL SHINES: WeHo Store on Film

2010-09-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

It's been over a year since our West Hollywood location closed, but thankfully its one-of-a-kind ambiance was captured in the 2005 film, The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green. In the film, Ethan is dating a recently published author who is invited to give a reading at... ADL, of course! You know what they say: you haven't made it in gay publishing unless you've read at A Different Light. Check out the stills from the film airing on LOGO.

Even hotshot baseball players with book deals get the jitters talking in front of our customers.

Oh, our Lesbian Humor section. The best place for side-conversations...

...and NEUROTIC FREAK OUTS!!!

Good thing our customers come prepared!

"Thanks for coming! It's been a dream of mine to read here ever since I was in the minors!" "Yeah, about that... we're breaking up."

ADL SHINES is a new blog feature looking back at our 30-year-old (gosh, we're old!) history as queer literary institution.

BOOK CLUB: 'Insignificant Others' Reading Guide - 2nd Half

2010-08-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

We'll be meeting at Magnet on Tuesday, August 24 at 7:30 pm (that's tonight!) to discuss the last half of Insignificant Others by Stephen McCauley, our official August book club selection. See you all there!

1. Why is Doreen invested in Conrad having an insignificant other? What’s at stake for her?

2. The narrator says men should handcraft their relationships to better suit their needs. Do you think this is makes them psychologically evolved or as Doreen puts it, emotionally cut-off?

3. Richard and Conrad finally have a “little talk” on page 143. The conversation is rather anti-climactic with Conrad saying very little. What does it say about who’s in control and who is desperately trying to keep it together?

4. Why does the narrator put up with his overly sensitive, gossip fueling, religious assistant Anne?

5. What’s more difficult, telling your spouse about an impending surgery or an insignificant other? Why does Richard seem to be the go-to bad news bearer, except in his own life?

6. On page 154, Richard comments that the only way to keep the early affection glowing in a relationship is sadomasochism. Do you agree that we need to negotiate a “safe outlet for the inevitable desire to humiliate and punish the person you love”?

7. How’s Richard a poison and a cure for Benjamin’s sexual craving? Do you think he can be both or is he just a poison and deluding himself to justify his actions?

8. What’s the difference between the Connectrix building Richard works in and the one Benjamin designs, the “profitable traps he’s created for himself” (pg. 172).

9. Towards the end of the novel, the narrator ends his relationship with his insignificant other and freezes his gym membership. Subsequently he begins focusing on the “main event” relationship. What’s the message about monogamy and insignificant others and potentially life-shifting distractions?

BOOK CLUB: 'Insignificant Others' Reading Guide - 1st Half

2010-08-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

We'll be meeting at Magnet on Tuesday, August 10 at 7:30 pm (that's tonight!) to discuss the first 120 pages of Insignificant Others by Stephen McCauley, our official August book club selection. See you all there!

1. On page 2, Richard says that he and his partner Conrad have stopped using the word “monogamy,” but continue to say “I love you,” which Richard finds more important. But actions speak louder than words. What actions point to Richard and Conrad’s love, if any?

2. Richard is not as worried about Conrad having an affair with someone from Ohio as he would be if the paramour hailed from New York or Los Angeles. Are gay men from metro areas more menacing? Or is this just a comment on Conrad’s snobby taste?

3. On page 5, Richard talks about Americans undergoing an ego adjustment. What are some concrete examples of this in the book? Conrad and Doreen? Co-worker Brandon? Richard himself?

4. What type of relationship does Richard have with his part-time lover Benjamin’s own significant others (wife and children)?

5. How does Richard’s relationship with Benjamin compare with his relationship with Conrad? Who’s really the insignificant other?

6. On page 68, Richard mentions that he has no problem with acting as long as it’s good acting. Who’s doing the most acting and who’s the best actor in the novel?

7. Expanding on question # 1, on page 85, Richard suggests that love and tenderness kills passion. Love (emotional), passion (sexual), monogamy (loyal) are the usual ingredients of a successful relationship. Is one more important than the other? Can you have two and negotiate the third, as Richard and Conrad have done?

8. Richard tries to convince co-worker Brandon to stay at the company, but Brandon thinks it’s too stable and wants to go play poker in Las Vegas. What does Richard think of this impulsive jump? Who’s Richard’s safe(r) bet – Conrad or Benjamin?

9. Talking to his trainer on page 110, Richard says that “sometimes the most settled lives have the biggest distractions.” Can we ever settle or are we always looking for the next best thing?

10. Ironically, Richard talks about distractions while working out, his small distraction from his bigger distraction (Benjamin). Is he caught in a cycle?

11. Expanding on question # 6, on page 118, Richard states that “self-awareness and confession make up for almost any flaw, in my book.” It’s evident that he doesn’t follow his own ideology. Can we trust a hypocrite narrator? Do his flaws humanize him or did you find them infuriating?

12. At the end of the first half, Richard forms an unlikely alliance with Doreen, the most important woman character in the book and Conrad’s “wife.” Going into the second half, what do you think her motives might be?

Hope you've all enjoyed getting an intimate look at modern day relationship power play. Discussion of the second half of Insignificant Others will be held at Magnet on Tuesday, August 24 at 7:30 pm.

EVENT: Del Shores creator of Sordid Lives reunites the Cast

2010-08-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13 @ 7:00pm
THE CAST OF SORDID LIVES
Del Shores (creator), Ann Walker (LAVonda), Newell Alexander (Wardell), Rosemary Alexander (Dr. Eve) and Jason Dottley (Ty)
Free and open to the public

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Come, meet and greet the creator/director and cast - Ann Walker (LAVonda), Newell Alexander (Wardell), Rosemary Alexander (Dr. Eve) and Jason Dottley (Ty) - of one of the most beloved subversive camp comedies ever about a white trash Southern family. Talk to Del Shores and poke the cast with your questions, get them all warmed up for their live comedy show at the Rrazz that night! Copies of the hard-to-find TV series on DVD will be available for signing after the audience Q&A.

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EVENT: Stephen McCauley ('Insignificant Others') & Sebastian Stuart ('The Hour Between')

2010-07-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

AUGUST 3 @ 7:30pm
STEPHEN McCAULEY / SEBASTIAN STUART
Insignificant Others / The Hour Between
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STEPHEN McCAULEY, INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS
Narrator Richard and his partner, Conrad, are a well-adjusted gay couple living in Boston at the end of the American Century in McCauley's adroit latest (after ALTERNATIVES TO SEX). They have an understanding that allows for the occasional infidelity, but when Richard realizes that Conrad's current fling may be luring him away, he begins to worry. It doesn't help that Richard is becoming infatuated with his own insignificant other, Benjamin, who leads a double life as a supposedly happily married father of two. Richard's problems, though, go well beyond his love life, and with a dry, caustic wit and the occasionally weighty social observation, he describes how he's coping with his own exercise addiction, his suspicious sister, a client at work who may or may not be on the brink of going crazy,etc. But it's an unlikely alliance with Conrad's business partner and the slow unraveling of his problems that adds an unexpectedly and refreshingly sentimental dimension to this accomplished comedy.
- Publishers Weekly

SEBASTIAN STUART, THE HOUR BETWEEN
In 1960s Manhattan, Arthur MacDougal has been thrown out of his exclusive prep school and sent off to the Spooner School for the disciplinary challenged in rural Connecticut. Just minutes after his parents speed back to the city, he hits it off with the fragile and quirky Katrina Felt, daughter of a famous show biz couple, who immediately recognizes Arthur's latent gayness. Enter Sapphire, Katrina's roommate, a promiscuous but sweet hippy chick; Nicolas, Arthur's roommate, still dealing with his mother's death; and Lenny, the muscular, snaggle-toothed townie who catches Arthur's eye. Novelist-playwright Stuart sets his fully drawn character loose in a familiar era, but there's nothing quaint or retro about his '60s set; the ubiquitous drugs, the war, the new sense of sexual freedom and the fight against the establishment are pervasive and essential elements. This simple but wholly moving coming-of-age story features a worthy successor to Holden Caulfield coming to grips with what (and who) he cannot change.
- Publishers Weekly

INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS is our August Book Club selection. Sign up for the book club and get 10% off. Magnet Book Club on Facebook.

AUGUST 3 @ 7:30pm
STEPHEN McCAULEY / SEBASTIAN STUART
Insignificant Others / The Hour Between
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DORE ALLEY EVENT: Alex Ironrod (author of the Leather Masters & slaves trilogy)

2010-07-14T14:24:00.001-07:00

JULY 22 @ 7:30pm
ALEX IRONROD
Submission, Domination & Obsession (Leather Masters & slaves trilogy)
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Come celebrate Dore Alley, up our alley! British Leatherman Alex Ironrod is semi-retired from the scene, but he continues to write scorching hot BDSM erotic fiction.

Obsession is Ironrod's latest novel and the final segment of the Leather Masters & slaves trilogy about Tarquin and Paul and their adventures in today's Leather world in LA, Palm Springs and England. It's a penetrating look at the dynamics of man-to-man sexual relationships, always evolving and diversifying, of Masters and slaves, friends and enemies, and provides a powerful and dramatic conclusion to the three BDSM novels - Submission, Domination and now Obsession.

JULY 22 @ 7:30pm
ALEX IRONROD
Submission, Domination & Obsession (Leather Masters & slaves trilogy)
Free and open to the public
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BOOK CLUB: 'Role Models' Reading Guide - 1st Half

2010-07-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

Excited about our first book club meeting? Well, so are we! So much, in fact, that we've put together a reading/discussion guide. We'll be meeting at Magnet on Tuesday, July 13 at 7:30 pm (that's tomorrow) and taking it from there! Meanwhile, something to think about before then. See you all there!

Role Models by John Waters

Johnny and Me: The first chapter is a pop culture platter stuffed with short vignettes on everyone from the Wicked Witch of the West, Captain Hook and John Travolta.

Waters describes Johnny Mathis as the "polar opposite" of him. How so?
On page 8, he describes Mathis as "beyond fame, something I'll never be." What does he mean?
Towards the end of the chapter, Waters alludes to Mathis's sexual orientation but is vague. Why do you think he makes this subtle in a chapter filled with overt references?

The Kindness of Strangers: Waters is rescued from conformity by Tennessee Williams's "bad" work.

Waters claims that Williams saved his life twice. Can literature be life-saving?
According to Waters, which of Tennessee Williams's works are considered "bad"? Why are these his favorites?

Leslie: Waters traces the case of a former Manson girl to explore the concepts of freedom, friendship and forgiveness.

Waters finally bring up an agenda. Does his case seem genuine or is it another example of pure, entertaining shock value?
What connections does Waters make between cinema and murder? Manson and Hollywood?

Rei Kawakubo: Waters reveals the secrets behind his iconic "look" - Maybelline eyeliner in Velvet Black and thousand-dollar ill-fitting sports jackets.

Young people can get away with anything fashion-wise, according to Waters. But once you're old you need... a direct line to designers and a big bank account. Has Waters strayed away from his thrift shop style mentality?
Waters's wardrobe is full of intentional, expensive staining. He also mentioned in an interview that he fought his publisher to have a white book cover, easiest to stain. Do you think that was the point?

Baltimore Heroes: Waters takes us bar-hopping in Baltimore, to a time when cheap dive bars used to be exclusive and strip joint locals all had an outrageous story to tell.

"Bad motherhood" makes a comeback in this chapter. Is Waters trying to make a point about the stability of a conventional, nuclear family?
Despite the racism, drug use and corruption, Waters manages to make Baltimore nightlife glamorous. Will we too learn to appreciate the bizarre, backwards beauty of our shit-hole hometowns?

Hope you've all enjoyed getting to know various different sides of John Waters while reading his non-traditional memoir. Discussion of the second half of Role Models will be held at Magnet on Tuesday, July 27 at 7:30 pm.

EVENT: Steven Reigns (author of 'Inheritance')

2010-07-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

JULY 3 @ 4pm
STEVEN REIGNS
Inheritance
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"Steven Reigns's graceful, plainspoken lyrics describe the shape of one gay life at the beginning of this new century, a time of uncertainty, transformation, and hope. To read his book is to meet a man alert to his times and the textures of the lives around him, a community observed with tenderness, wit and pleasure."
-- Mark Doty, author of Dog Years and Fire to Fire

Steven Reigns is a Los Angeles-based poet and educator. His newest collection, Inheritance, came out in 2010 by Lethe Press. After earning a degree in Creative Writing at the University of South Florida, he published his début poetry collection, Your Dead Body is My Welcome Mat, in 2001. A two-time recipient of The Los Angeles County’s Department of Cultural Affairs' Artist in Residency Grant, Reigns organized and taught the first-ever autobiography poetry workshop for GLBT seniors and edited an anthology of their writings, My Life is Poetry. Visit him at www.stevenreigns.com.

JULY 3 @ 4pm
STEVEN REIGNS
Inheritance
Free and open to the public

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MAGNET is excited to announce a bi-monthly BOOK CLUB in association with A DIFFERENT LIGHT bookstore

2010-06-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

Magnet (4122 18th Street) will begin hosting a bi-monthly book club starting on Tuesday, July 13 at 7:30pm. John Waters’s newly released memoir Role Models is the July book club selection. Copies are available at A Different Light bookstore (489 Castro Street) with a 10% discount for book club members.

Meetings will be held at Magnet’s storefront every second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. The second meeting to discuss John Waters’s Role Models will take place on Tuesday, July 27 at 7:30pm. Discussion will be led by A Different Light’s event coordinator and will feature special appearances to be announced.

The partnership comes as a response to a growing interest in the Castro for community activities revolving around literature and open discussion. Magnet’s unique and innovative approach to sexual health lends itself to supporting all aspects of one’s life in HIV/STI prevention and self-care. The book club provides a space for people to make new friends, engage existing ones and intellectually engage each other in a unique space in the Castro. Waters’s book shares speaks to years of progressive outlooks on sexuality from sharing his own experiences as a gay man to vignettes of Tennesee Williams and pornographer Bobby Garcia.

***
Celebrating seven years in the Castro, MAGNET is a place where gay men connect. In addition to our clinical services, MAGNET is also an art gallery, lounge and internet café. A program of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, our mission is to promote the physical, mental and social well-being of gay men.

Since 1979, A DIFFERENT LIGHT bookstore has been committed to serving the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender community. We have been bookstore, social hall, sanctuary and life-line. With our world-famous store in San Francisco and, now, online - our commitment extends beyond the West Coast to the rest of the country and the world.