#robyn talley

[biglisbonnews]

Edward Enninful and Linda Evangelista on Fashion Then And Now Edward Enninful cuts a unique figure across the backdrop of the fashion landscape. He is a Black gay man, an immigrant who came to London from Ghana and the European editorial director for Vogue as well as the editor-in-chief for British Vogue. The result means that while he is largely influential through his actions, overseeing the brands and editorial output of some of the industry’s most respected publications, his impact extends through his very existence. He is for many a “possibility model,” or a living testament to how far one can go.I know that experience personally: As a young Black boy aspiring to work in the fashion business, I had few people to look up to who actually looked like me. For years, André Leon Talley was my one-of-one. And then when The September Issue documentary was released in 2009, in which Enninful makes a cameo appearance as a contributing stylist for American Vogue, he too joined this small group. When Grace Coddington told him to “demand or you will be blamed” and urged him to beat his way through the industry to be heard, I felt as if she was speaking through him and to me. But Enninful had been beating his way through long before Coddington gave him any advice.While Enninful’s mother was certainly a part of the fashion industry, she was far from where the seats of true fashion power are thought to be in Europe. Back in Ghana, his mother ran a dress shop making looks for high-society women.“My mother lived and breathed fashion,” Enninful says. “She was a Black woman in the '70s running a business. She was the breadwinner and she showed me everything was possible.” And his life became a living testament to that idea.Once in London, Enninful was scouted as a model in the early '90s before going behind the camera, becoming a stylist and photography assistant. Then he made history as the youngest fashion director at an international fashion magazine when he was appointed to the post at i-D. Even then, he was pushing his way through, beating out his own path, namely through putting Black girls on the covers, issue after issue, at a time when they were often treated only as one-offs.“People in the industry would say to me, ‘Oh, another one?’” he remembers of the pushback. And that’s what he gave them: another one, and then another after that. It was an early mark in a career where Enninful has posed the question: “Why?” Why must we do it like this? Why can’t there be four covers in a row featuring Black models? The result has made him a catalyst for much-needed industry restructuring and reformation of thought.He pressed on asking why. He asked: Why can’t plus-sized models cover a fashion magazine? when he put Candice Huffine, Tara-Lynn and Robyn Lawley on the cover of Italian Vogue in 2011. He forced conversations about racism when he took to Twitter to ask about his second-row couture seating assignment while he was the fashion director of W Magazine — a departure from how his white counterparts were treated. And he asked why in a historic way when he helped to lead the execution of Italian Vogue’s all-Black issue. All along, he’s stayed true to his beliefs.“My mother told me, ‘If you are going to get fired, make sure you get fired for what you believe in and not what someone else believes,’” he says.Having made waves with the aforementioned projects, Enninful’s ascension to the top spot at British Vogue ushered in a new era for the publication seen primarily through his covers. In a bid to represent all women, the editor began releasing images featuring women of various races, at various ages and presentations. Why not cast Halima Aden as the first hijabi model for the cover? Why not give frontline workers in the COVID-19 epidemic center stage? Why not give British Vogue its first Black woman on the cover of a September issue in the form of Rihanna? Why not celebrate Pride with a fold-out cover of 12 LGBTQ+ stars? These are the questions Enninful has asked, pushing the industry forward with diversity as a central focus.“You’re influencing people who have even been around a lot longer than you,” supermodel Linda Evangelista tells Enninful just days after New Year’s celebrations. And she would know, given that the pair have worked together throughout the editor’s long career, beginning at i-D and then for every publication Enninful has held a post at since.But life is more than just work: The recently married editor is just as welcoming and supportive in his personal life, according to Evangelista. While Enninful calls Evangelista a star with a distinctly English sense of humor and awe-inspiring knowledge about fashion history, Evangelista’s words on Enninful get to the heart of the type of man he is.“For me, the most important thing for making a new friendship and keeping a friendship is how safe I feel when I’m with them,” she says. “To know that I’m safe to be myself. Edward has always offered me that. I can be as serious as I want to be, I can be as real as I want to be, I can be as funny as I want to be, and with Edward I know I’m always safe. This is even outside of work.”Here, in a conversation for PAPER, the close friends discuss how they met, how power in the fashion industry has changed and what keeps them going.How did you both spend New Year’s? Linda: I had the best New Year. Asleep at 10:30; it was fabulous, it was so good. I don’t like a prix-fixe menu at a restaurant with a warm glass of champagne and a noise maker. I don’t. Edward: And hot caviar. Linda: I don’t eat caviar, so I don’t. Edward: I was in St. Barth’s and I went to dinner. We thought it was a small dinner and it was about 150 people. It was hideous.Linda: It’s a scene in St. Barth’s. Was it your first holiday there? Edward: No, it’s my second. Last year we had a house so it was quieter. But I thought let me get into the party spirit and it was just... oh my god. At the parties it’s like you go places and you know people but don’t really know them. So you see all those people that you don’t really know in one place. Linda: I like smaller parties where you can actually have conversations. You can only have small talk at those bigger things. But Edward, you're so social. You have to be for your work. I saw you were out last night. Edward: [Laughs] Linda sees everything! Linda: Well, I wake up at 5 o’clock, so I do my scrolling then. Edward: Yes, I have to be social. But I am social. I think it comes from coming from a family of six. I always had people around.How did you two end up meeting? Through work? Linda: Through work. Edward, what was our first job? Was it i-D? Edward: Yeah, it was at i-D in the ‘90s. I remember the first time I met Linda, you probably don’t remember. It was in Paris. I was with photographer Jenny Howarth. We came to shoot a friend of yours. We were waiting for her outside the Chanel show and you all burst out. That was when we first got introduced, and then i-D was when we first worked together. It was just like oh my god, Linda. I still have that same feeling today. Linda: Speaking of Jenny, I love her. How real is she? I’m in awe. Edward: Very real! She’s incredible. And she’ll send me pictures all the time. But yeah, and since then you and I have done so many stories together. Some of my favorite stories.Linda: I don’t really remember the first time we worked together but I was intimidated. Because when you work with someone new and they’re cool and you’ve heard buzz, I get intimidated. Edward: I think that was when we did the shoot with Craig McDean. It was me, Didier Ludot, Craig McDean, Pat McGrath, and we were so nervous! I think we shot in London and the pictures were so easy. I was actually looking at them yesterday. This little sort of grungy story with sneakers. Do you still get that same nervousness working with new people or are you mostly working with frequent collaborators?Linda: I’m not as nervous with Edward per se. I’m always nervous or on edge to produce, always. But there’s certain people in this industry that you just know you can’t fail with and Edward... he brings the fun, too. It’s not fun anymore, but Edward brings the fun. Edward: We do have fun, we still laugh. What I love about Linda — let me put it this way: I’ve worked with every model alive, and the thing about Linda is when you think of an idea, it’s not just, "Here's the dates." Linda will ask, "What’s the character, are there books I should be reading, are there films I should watch?" Then when she comes on set it’s 150%. Do you remember when we were on set with Steven Klein and you cut your finger, went to the doctor and came back?Linda: And I stayed in character the whole time. Edward: Linda is like a silent movie star. Like a Greta Garbo. I think that’s why you get so exhausted because you give everything. It’s like climb the skyscraper, get in the scaffolding, there’s nothing she won’t do and that’s rare. It goes beyond modeling. Linda: I love being given a character and Edward just gives. I was just thinking of that shoot where I cut my finger and the cameras were still rolling. I kept in character with blood squirting out of my hand. I got a favor from a friend who got a favor from a friend for someone to come at 9 o’clock at night to sew my hand back up. How has your relationship evolved since then? Linda: We had mutual friends. Now we’re all a family. If you invite Edward over to watch the Oscars, he’ll come in his PJs, bring dogs. We’re very comfortable with each other. What kind of pajamas did you come in? Edward: They were Alexander McQueen! Snake print. Linda: It’s not like they were J Crew. They were silk. Edward: I miss those dinners you used to have at your house. You were an Italian mama. There would be pasta and pizza and oh, we would eat! Linda: I miss them, too. I’m feeling her coming back. That part of me disappeared for a while, but I think she can handle it again.​Having worked together for so long in this industry at so many different levels, how has the industry changed over that time? Linda: Oy. Edward: Oy. Where do we start? Linda: Would you agree with me Edward that now, the finished product, which is the ad, the photo or the editorial is no longer the primary reason to be there? All the B-roll and social media is the reason to be there. It feels like the image ends up being the least important part. Edward: Yeah. In the beginning, we would shoot pictures for magazines and you try to do the best pictures you can but now everything is a brand. So, like Linda is saying, there's the magazine cover which, for me, is the ultimate because it’s still the advertising for any magazine. But out of that you have to do video, audio, events. It’s no longer just one thing. But I still believe it’s what brings the magic. Linda: I was at the doctor’s office the other day and the nurse said she still got British Vogue. She was so old school but she said she looked forward to it every month. She doesn’t look like the kind of person who is on social media. It was sort of refreshing. She was saying they aren’t afraid and she looks at it as art. That’s the way people used to speak about magazines.Edward: The interesting thing about British Vogue is we are not subscription-based. We are slowly getting there but we are not subscription-based, so you have to sell on the newsstands. You have to surprise, you have to create conversation. So I’m very aware of that. I know that the Linda September cover was the most spoken-about thing that month, but it also sold very well. The video is my personal highest-viewed video. I called Linda when it hit one million views. But when we are on set we just have fun.Linda: We do have fun. I like putting Edward in the clothes. At the fitting, I had him in some footwear and some wigs. How do you think power in the industry has changed over that time?Edward: What do you mean by power?However you define it. For example: some people might say the consumer has more power than they had previously. Others might say whether or not stylists or models have more power than they did during the era of the original supermodels. Linda: Or the amount of followers a person might have has definitely shifted power. In the past we had one or a few dictators — mainly one. And yes, the power has shifted. There’s more than one view and opinion. A part of me says that all of it is welcome and refreshing but I feel like it’s maybe swung a bit too far. Sort of be careful what you wish for. I’m so proud of Edward and the person he has become. He’s worshiped and appreciated. You have so much to say, so much still to do, so much still to show. Your voice was so refreshing and necessary. I don’t know if everything you do is instinctual and it just comes naturally but it’s just a different way of working than the way things used to be, where one person at the top was pulling all the strings. You made change happen and we know you still have so much more to do and to give.Edward: Thank you, I don’t know what to say after that. I was supported, I had great mentors. And the industry was changing. I’ve been here for a long time and I felt that the industry had to be more welcoming to people from different backgrounds.Linda: It couldn’t stay the way it was.Edward: No, it couldn’t. We had to be more welcoming: colors, race, age, sexuality, economic background. Linda: Shape!Edward: Everyone has to see themselves. It moves beyond diversity by using positions of power to have important conversations. Do you feel a responsibility for that?Linda: I think it’s helpful to be transparent. Even if it just helps one person. I also worry we’re going too far the other way. I see clickbait, and I worry that all the mystery and magic of art is disappearing.Edward: With social media, everyone’s now a curator. Everybody can say whatever they want. We have to be careful, but we’re also now able to have discussions about things we didn’t have discussions about in fashion before. Race and even age. Like Linda said, everyone has to be seen. I try to focus on that and zone out the clickbait stuff.Linda: Clickbait is just noise. It makes me want to go away. Growing up, getting an issue of Vogue and flipping through, it was all about dreaming and fantasy and luxury. Yesterday I was scrolling on Instagram and an influencer passed gas in an elevator and got I don’t know how many million clicks. I thought, What am I doing here? I don’t even know how I got here. Edward: Curiosity. A lot of people in our generation are like, that’s over, that’s it, the good days are over. But there’s a curiosity that keeps Linda going, that keeps myself going. And also wanting to learn about a whole new generation.What keeps you going and plugged in and competitive? Linda: I’m not competitive.Edward: I was never competitive. I remember when I started at i-D in the early ‘90s, the trend was for stylists to have a style. So this one did minimalism, this one did something else. I wanted to do it all. I wanted to do street fashion, I wanted to do high fashion. I wasn’t successful for a lot of years because of that. But in the end that was the grounding that makes me able to do what I do now: versatility and curiosity.So what do you hope to focus on in the new year? Edward: I want to carry on doing what I do. I want to represent all women across the globe. I want to represent all different groups. Linda: It’s not just women that you represent though, Edward. It’s people.Edward: Nothing is off-limits. It’s my job, more than anything, to create conversation and to be part of the conversation. And bringing beauty as well.Linda: You’re influencing people who have even been around a lot longer than you. You’ve influenced the whole industry. Edward: That’s a confidence boost, thank you. The industry — it was time. When I got the job, I thought I’d last about three issues, because I was going to do what needed to be done. But you get to somewhere new by breaking misconceptions. Linda: You shook it all up for us.Director: Nick KnightExecutive producer: Kat DaveyProduction coordinator: Jared PasamarProduction assistant: Kitty LyonsProduction assistant: Tommy AucottCasting director: Rosie Vogel-EadesHair stylist: Sam McKnightHair stylist assistant: Eamonn HughesHair stylist assistant: Valerie BenavidesHair stylist assistant: Ryan SteedmanHair stylist assistant: Kumiko TsumagariMakeup artist: Laura DominiqueMakeup assistant: Katrina McLeodMakeup assistant: Shindo NannanManicurist: Adam SleeManicurist assistant: Abena RobinsonStylist: Dena GianniniStyling assistant: Aurelie Mason-PerezStyling assistant: Lea ZoellerStyling assistant: Sandra AmadorWardrobe coordinator: Sidonie BartonSeamstress: Laima Andrijauskaite1st photo assistant: Grace Hodgson2nd photo assistant: Christoph LangenbergPhoto assistant: Jed BarnesPhoto assistant: Madison BlairSet designer: Andrew Tomlinson Set assistant: Bradley BarrettWardrobe assist: Jaison Lin, Caitlyn Lim and Chloe FelopulosPA: Lily DaviesEditor-in-chief: Justin MoranEditorial producer: Alyson Cox https://www.papermag.com/edward-enninful-cover-2659212322.html

[fenty-side]

Rihanna in Guo Pei at the Met Gala, 2015

"Ugh i love a girl from humble beginnings, becomes a big star, its like the american dream that's how you do it....and just keep going with the- i want MORE train And MORE TRAIN, i want Drama, i want five people picking up my thing. This is the Black frozen, This is the Queen of the Night."

- André Leon Talley

[andstolenstares]

wlw books released & upcoming in 2020

I was thinking of sorting them by genre, but there wasn’t that much for some. Anyways, something to read or look forward to whenever this lockdown is over.  Enjoy :))               

                                      Released:

 Upright Women Wanted - Sarah Galiey 

When Were Magic - Sarah Galiey

The Midnight Lie - Marie Rutkoski

The Empress of Salt and Fortune - Nghi Vo

 The Unspoken Name - A.K Larkwood 

We Used To Be Friends - Amy Spalding

The Seep - Chana Porter 

A Phoenix First Must Burn - Patrice Caldwell

Jamis Bachman, Ghost Hunter - Jen Jensen

The Love Hypothesis - Laura Stevens

 Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood - Anna Burke 

Witches of Ash and Ruin - E. Latimer 

The Winter Duke - Claire Eliza Bartlett

Belle Révolte - Linsey Miller 

Look - Zan Romanoff

Under the Rainbow - Celia Laskey 

Lady Hotspur - Tessa Grattion

Ink in the Blood - Kim Smejkal

 Blood Countess -  Lana Popovic

We Were Promised Spotlights -  Lindsay Sproul

Music from Another World - Robin Talley

The Animals at Lockwood Manor - Jane Healey 

Brooklyn Summer - Maggie Cummings 

No Parking - Valentine Wheeler 

                                          Upcoming:  

 The Falling In Love Montage - Ciara Smyth

Girl, Serpent, Thron -  Melissa Bashardoust

Cinderella Is Dead - Kalynn Bayron 

The Mermaid, The Witch, and The Sea - Maggie Tokuda- Hall

The Henna War - Adiba Jaigirdar

Something to Talk About - Meryl Wisner 

I Kissed Alice - Anna Birch 

The Secret of You and Me - Melissa Lenhardt 

Queen of Coins and Whispers - Helen Corcoran

The Storyteller -  Jea Hawkins

Burn Our Bodies Down - Rory Power

The Scapegracers - Hannah Abigail Clarke

Ghost Wood Song - Erica Waters 

The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson

All My Mother’s Lovers - llana Masad 

Late to the Party - Kelly Quindlen 

You Should See Me in a Crown -  Leah Johnson 

They Never Learn - Layne Fargo 

Waiting For You - Elle Spencer 

Beyond the Ruby Veil - Mara Fitzgerald 

Super Adjacent - Crystal Cestari 

The Circus Rose - Betsy Cornwell 

The Lady Upstairs - Hailey Sutton 

The Ballad of Ami Miles - Kristy Dallas Alley 

 The Dark Tide - Alicia Jasinska

Dangerous Remedy- Kat Dunn

The Art of Saving the World Book - Corinne Duyvis

A Curse of Roses - Diana Pinguicha

Afterlove - Tanya Byrne

Kiss Me Every Day - Dena Blake

The Summer of Impossibilities - Rachael Allen 

Ruinsong - Julia Ember 

I Think I Love You - Auriane Desombre

The Road Home - Erin Zak 

Islands of Mercy - Rose Tremain

Lobizona (Wolves of No World) Romina Garber

I’m sure there’s a lot more so feel free to leave some recs of your own below! :)

[sophielovesbooks]

Sophie’s Dark Academia Rec List

In honour of my favourite genre, have a very personal, very subjective recommendations list!

-        The Secret History (Donna Tartt)

The obvious choice, a classic. In my personal opinion, it’s not perfect and there are better dark academia books out there, but it has massively shaped the genre and therefore deserves recognition. Also, the aesthetic is on point! Read if you want to get a feel for the genre or if you’re simply curious.

-        If We Were Villains (M. L. Rio)

Basically a newer, better The Secret History?? Plenty of similarities, minus certain problematic bits that were present in TSH. Amazing prose, incredible characters, absolutely worth the read. A prime example of dark academia! Read if you love Shakespeare and college settings and compelling characters and drama and just beautiful writing!

-        Black Chalk (Christopher J. Yates)

Also a fairly good example of the genre, but tragically underhyped. Darker than, for example, If We Were Villains. Set at Oxford! Will mess with your head. The characters are not necessarily likeable, but interesting. The writing is fairly complex. Read for a dark academia thriller which takes the unreliable narrator to an impressive new extreme (in a good way!)

-        Truly Devious (Maureen Johnson)

A rare YA dark academia book! Read for murder and mystery and a beautiful boarding school setting as well as a really likeable main character! Due to its nature less dark and somewhat less mature than most of the other books on this list, but if you’re looking for more of a quick and fun dark academia read, this is the one for you!

In a similar vain: The Vanishing Stair (Maureen Johnson)

Cannot actually vouch for this as I haven’t read it yet, but it’s the sequel to Truly Devious and I have heard good things.

-        The Secret Place (Tana French)

MASSIVELY underappreciated dark academia with (gasp) supernatural elements?! The most beautiful prose and funniest dialogue you will ever see. Incredible characters. Again, amazing boarding school setting and close group of female friends! (They will break your heart). Also murder. Also half of the story being told from a detective’s PoV. Read if you value good literature. Just. Read it.

-        The Likeness (Tana French)

Actually, maybe I was kidding before, maybe this book is the most underappreciated dark academia book out there? Either way, it’s my favourite. Within dark academia and within ALL OF THE BOOKS. This is it. The perfect novel. Characters that own my hearts to this day. Writing so beautiful that it had me sobbing uncontrollably on several occasions. The university it is set in is Trinity College Dublin. (Cue me being bitter that I don’t go there every single day for the rest of my life.) Very intriguing mystery, too. Hilarious dialogue. All the emotions. All the heartbreak. Just… I love it so much, okay? <3

-        The Lying Game (Ruth Ware)

Good, very good. Set in a boarding school near the ocean, but unfortunately, only the past tense story line is and we don’t get to see too much of it. Very interesting characters. Much heavier on the dark than the academia. Read if you’re looking for more of a classic murder mystery/thriller and are not too focussed on the academia. Also read for an interesting group of female friends.

-        The Basic Eight (Daniel Handler)

Very promising, but wasn’t my cup of tea at all. The setting is an American High School on the West Coast. The murder isn’t that much of a mystery. I’m mentioning it here because I know that other people love this book, even though I really didn’t. I would say don’t read, but see for yourself, I suppose.

-        The Lessons (Naomi Alderman)

Yes, okay, an interesting one. Set at Oxford, which was amazing. Interesting characters with interesting dynamics. I read it quickly and was quite entertained. But there were certain problematic bits (regarding LGBTQ+ representation and mental illness), so you’ve been warned. Not my fave, but I mostly enjoyed it while reading it.

 There are a few more dark academia books on my shelves, which I unfortunately cannot include on this list, as I haven’t read them yet. One of them is “The Lake of Dead Languages” by Carol Goodman. Another is “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh. Might edit this post later to add these and more. xx

UPDATE!! (With slightly longer descriptions this time, because people are actually reading this? Reblogging even? Wow!) 

-        The Lake of Dead Languages (Carol Goodman)

THE ALL-FEMALE DARK ACADEMIA NOVEL WE ALL NEED AND DESERVE…?? The setting is A++. An all-female boarding school in the Adirondack Mountains in New York! There is a lake that features so heavily in the story, it basically counts as a main character. Told from the PoV of a teacher who used to go to the school. There are two close groups of female friends, one in the present timeline, one in the past. Both have dark, dark secrets and both fit the dark academia genre so well! Also, heavy focus on Latin rather than Ancient Greek, which I have all the love for. This one is a gem, so give it a chance!

-        Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh)

An actual classic, as in… first published in 1945. And it reads like it. The beginning came with beautiful vibes! Our young boy Charles starting his time at Oxford, meeting a lot of pretentious people, including one Lord Sebastian Flyte, who Charles is suspiciously fascinated by. Sebastian is the biggest dork to ever dork, carries around with him an actual teddy bear named Aloysius, the absolute madmen?? But it’s all downhill from there, with alcoholism and war and depressing times… And Oxford only really features in the first half or less.

-        People Like Us (Dana Mele)

Another rare YA dark academia!! Features a group of Mean Girls who one day, when out at night to go swimming, find one of their classmates floating dead in the lake. Which is an excellent dark academia set-up, let’s be honest. Also, sapphic girls, incredible sapphic girls with really complex relationships! Bi main character! A fun and quick read, much like “Truly Devious”. More descriptions of the beautiful boarding school buildings would have been welcome, but at least we got a few! Anyway, go forth and enjoy this little beauty.

-        Party Girls Die in Pearls (Plum Sykes)

Umm… I barely even comprehend this book’s existence? Has a prime dark academia set-up with a murdered girl in Oxford, but I still somehow DNF’d it after about 20 pages?! The main character’s name is Ursula Flowerbutton, and if you think that’s quirky and funny… good for you, you might actually enjoy this book. But you’ll also have to endure descriptions of clothes, oh, so many descriptions of clothes! And for anything unique to Oxford that might make the book fun because only those who know will know… you’ll get a footnote. So actually, everyone will know, with zero effort. Definitely not for me, but if you want to read a glossy magazine style dark academia, knock yourself out, friend!

-        The Night Climbers (Ivo Stourton)

Breath-taking! A piece of beauty! Set at Cambridge (and the campus features heavily!), a main character reminiscent of Richard Papen, an intriguing group of new friends that he would do anything to belong with. Including… climbing the buildings of Cambridge at night? Without proper equipment, just with his hands and feet?? Honestly, out of the books on this list, this one is the closest in style and maturity and characterisation to The Secret History! The writing is absolutely gorgeous, the plot fascinating. And it’s dark academia that features a non-violent crime, which works surprisingly well. All in all: A STUNNER THAT FANS OF THE SECRET HISTORY SHOULD CHECK OUT!!

-        As I Descended (Robyn Talley)

A queer, sapphic Macbeth retelling?? Also a rare YA dark academia with strong supernatural elements?! The representation is on point, with two hispanic main characters, wlw, mlm and one of the girls in the main couple being disabled! The boarding school setting is also on point (and uniquely different as the school building is actually a former plantation in Virginia). This book is so different and so spooky! It wasn’t perfect and some say the retelling didn’t work 100% (I, personally, felt that the plot slowed down a bit), but the atmosphere is amazing and the characters are pretty cool, too!

Not to worry, my quest to find and read as many DA books as possible isn’t over. So this list might be updates again some time in the future! :)

[a-wlw-reads]

Happy Pride to all you bisexual women!

Looking for books featuring bisexual leads? Look no further than these!

Paper Love by Jae

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World edited by Robyn Ochs and Sarah E. Rowley

Necrotech and Nanoshock by K.C. Alexander

Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin

The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson

A Map of Home by Randa Jarrar

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Cinnamon Blade: Knife in Shining Armor by Shira Glassman

Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution by Shiri Eisner

The Afterward by E.K. Johnston

Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst

Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta

The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde

About A Girl by Sarah McCarry

[quietya]

31 Days of quietYA: 2020 F/F YA

As the third part of this mini-series of f/f YA, here are the books you can look forward to in the new year! Most of these have sold rights in the US, but a few have only sold UK rights - either way, you should be able to grab them from BookDepository or something like that.

The Summer of Impossibilities by Rachael Allen The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett Girl Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggeman The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran Ruinsong by Julia Ember Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller A Miracle of Roses by Diana Pinguicha Blood Countess by Lana Popovic Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen Look by Zan Romanoff The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski You Don’t Live Here by Robyn Schneider The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth We Used to Be Friends by Amy Spalding We Were Promised Spotlights by Lindsay Sproul Music From Another World by Robin Talley The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall Who I Was with Her by Nita Tyndall

[illbefinealonereads]

Blog tour! Keep scrolling for an exclusive excerpt from Music From Another World by Robyn Talley.

MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD By Robin Talley On Sale: Mar 31, 2020 Inkyard Press Teen & Young Adult 20th Century United States Historical Fiction Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Emotions & Feelings Teen & Young Adult Gay & Lesbian Fiction 9781335146779; 1335146776 $18.99 USD 384 pages

It’s summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can’t be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy’s only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk…until she’s matched with a real-life pen pal who changes everything. Sharon Hawkins bonds with Tammy over punk music and carefully shared secrets, and soon their letters become the one place she can be honest. The rest of her life in San Francisco is full of lies. The kind she tells for others—like helping her gay brother hide the truth from their mom—and the kind she tells herself. But as antigay fervor in America reaches a frightening new pitch, Sharon and Tammy must rely on their long-distance friendship to discover their deeply personal truths, what they’ll stand for…and who they’ll rise against. A master of award-winning queer historical fiction, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley once again brings to life with heart and vivid detail an emotionally captivating story about the lives of two teen girls living in an age when just being yourself was an incredible act of bravery.

Robin Talley studied literature and communications at American University. She lives in Washington, DC, with her wife, but visits both Boston and New York regularly despite her moral opposition to Massachusetts winters and Times Square. Her first book was 2014's Lies We Tell Ourselves. Visit her online at robintalley.com or on Twitter at @robin_talley.

Social Links: Author website: https://robintalley.com/ Facebook: @robintalleywrites Twitter: @robin_talley Instagram: @robin_talley Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6469490.Robin_Talley

Excerpted from Music from Another World by Robin Talley. © 2020 by Robin Talley, used with permission by Inkyard Press.

 Tuesday, June 7, 1977

Dear Harvey,

I hope it’s okay for me to call you Harvey. In school, when they taught us to write letters, they said adults should always be addressed as “Mr.” or “Mrs.,” but from what I’ve read in the newspaper, you don’t seem much like the adults I know. I’d feel wrong calling you “Mr. Milk.”

Besides, it’s not as if I’m ever going to send you this letter. I’ve never kept a diary before, but things have been getting harder lately, and tonight might be the hardest night of all. I need someone I can talk to. Even if you can’t answer back.

Plus, I told Aunt Mandy I couldn’t join the prayer circle be­cause I had too much homework. Tomorrow’s the last day of school, so I don’t have any homework, but she doesn’t know that. If I keep writing in this notebook, maybe she’ll think homework is really what I’m doing.

I guess I could write to my new “pen pal” instead. That might count as homework. It would be closer than writing a fake letter to a famous San Francisco homosexual, anyway, but I can’t handle the thought of writing to some stranger right now.

Technically you’re a stranger, too, Harvey, but you don’t feel like one. That’s why I wanted to write to you, instead of “Dear Diary” or something.

It’s ironic, though, that my pen pal lives in San Francisco, too. I wonder if she’s ever met you. How big is the city, any­way? I read a magazine article that said gay people could hold hands walking down the street there, and no one minds. Is that true?

Ugh. The prayer circle’s starting over. Brett and Carolyn are leading the Lord’s Prayer again. It’s probably the only prayer they know.

We’ve been cooped up in the church basement for five hours now—my whole family, plus the youth group, plus a bunch of the other Protect Our Children volunteers. Along with Aunt Mandy and Uncle Russell, of course. The results from Miami should come in any minute.

You probably already know this—wait, who am I kidding? Of courseyou know, Harvey—but there was a vote today in Florida. They were voting on homosexuality, so our church, New Way Baptist, was heavily involved, even though we’re on the opposite side of the country. Everyone in our youth group was required to volunteer. I worked in the office Aunt Mandy and Uncle Russell set up in their den, answering phones and putting together mailings and counting donations to the New Way Protect Our Children Fund. We had bake sales and car washes to raise money to send to Anita Bryant, too.

You know all about Anita Bryant, obviously. You’re prob­ably just as scared of her as I am. Although, come to think of it, whenever I see you in the newspaper, you look the oppo­site of afraid. In pictures, you’re always smiling.

Don’t you get anxious, having everyone know? I’m ter­rified all the time, and no one even knows about me yet. I hope they never find out.

Maybe I should pray for that. Ha.

Okay, the Lord’s Prayer is over and now Uncle Russell’s making everyone silently call on God to save the good Chris­tians of Florida from sin. I hope I can keep writing without getting in trouble.

Ugh, look at them all, showing off how devout they are. The only two people in this room who aren’t clasping their hands in front of them and moving their lips dramatically are me and Aunt Mandy, but that’s because I’m a grievous sinner—obviously—and Aunt Mandy keeps peeking out from her shut eyes at the phone next to her.

I’m not sure how much you can concentrate on God when you’re solely focused on being ready to snatch up the receiver the second it starts to shake. Maybe she’ll grab it so hard, it’ll crush to a pulp in her fist like one of Anita Bryant’s fucking Florida oranges.

I wonder what you’re doing tonight, Harvey. Probably waiting by your phone, too. Only you’re in San Francisco, and if you’re praying, you’re praying for the opposite of what Aunt Mandy and everyone else in our church basement is praying for.

It seems pointless to pray now, though. The votes have already been cast, so we’re just waiting to hear the results. There’s a reporter from my aunt and uncle’s favorite radio station in L.A. sitting at the back of the room, ready to in­terview Uncle Russell once we know what happened. Even though we basically already do.

My mom showed up at church tonight with a box of bal­loons from the supermarket, but Aunt Mandy wouldn’t let anyone touch them until the announcement, so at the mo­ment the box is sitting in the closet under a stack of old com­munion trays. The second that phone starts to ring, though,

I just bet Aunt Mandy’s going to haul out that box and make us all start blowing up those crappy balloons.

I wonder if you’ve heard of my aunt. She wants you to. She knows exactly who you are, of course—you’re her enemy.

Which makes me your enemy, too, I guess. I’m not eigh­teen, and it’s not as if I could’ve voted in an election in Miami even if I were, but I’ve still spent the past two months fold­ing up comic books about the destruction of Sodom to mail out to churches in Florida.

I’m a soldier for Christ. That’s what Aunt Mandy calls me, anyway. And since I do everything she says, she must be right.

Writing to you instead of praying with the others is the closest I’ve ever come to rebelling. That’s how much of a coward I am, Harvey.

I wish I had the nerve to tell my aunt to go shove it. That’s what I’d really pray for—the nerve, I mean. If I thought prayer ever helped anything.

Shit, the phone’s ringing. More later.

Tammy

Buy Links: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Music-Another-World-Robin-Talley/dp/1335146776 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/music-from-another-world-robin-talley/1131130958#/ IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335146779 Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Music-from-Another-World/Robin-Talley/9781335146779?id=7833509719461 AppleBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/music-from-another-world/id1458725405 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Robin_Talley_Music_from_Another_World?id=yEy7DwAAQBAJ

[bibookbabe]

Books I read in 2017

(books with an asterisk are ones I especially liked. I love talking about books, so come chat with me if you want deeper opinions on any of the books)

*My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

An Alter in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor

The Field by Lynn McTaggart

Lad of Lima (I didn't make note of the author for some reason, and it's a very old book that I ended up getting rid of)

Covering: the hidden assault on our civil rights by Kenji Yoshino

*Make Your Creative Dreams Real by SARK

How to be Here by Rob Bell

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd

*Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhonda Jansen (if you happen to come from a Mennonite background, as I do, you must read this. Absolutely hilarious and relatable)

*The Gender Creative Child by Diana Ehrensaft

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees

Simple Matters by Erin Boyle

*Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn

*The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Steifvater (yes, I read them again this year)

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

The More of Less by Joshua Becker (if you're looking for a good minimalism book, this is not it, imo. I liked simple Matters much better)

Moving On by Sarah Ban Breathnach

You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

The Scavenger's Manifesto by Anneli Rufus and Kristan Lawson

*Around the House and in the Garden by Dominique Browning

*Crossing to Avalon by Jean Shinoda Bolen

The Great Green Okayness by Rachel Awes

Spiritual Housecleaning by Kathryn L. Robyn

*Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (if you're a writer, I highly recommend Natalie's books on writing!)

*Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Thunder and Lightening by Natalie Goldberg

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein

The End of Absence by Michael Harris

The Wishing Year by Noelle Oxenhandler

White Hot Truth by Danielle Laporte

Clear Home, Clear Heart by Jean Haner

The Desire Map by Danielle Laporte

*Steering by Starlight by Martha Beck

Solitude: in pursuit of a singular life in a crowded world by Michael Harris

*Romancing the Ordinary by Sarah Ban Breathnach (a long time comfort book for me. I've read it many times)

*Good Omens by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman

*Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

*Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach

*The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (I've read this book many, many times, and I always envy people who are reading it for the the first time)

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Matilda by Roald Dahl (I listened to the audible version read by Kate Winslet and she was wonderful)

Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews (I don't know why I keep trying to read these kinds of books. I never like them. All I can say for this one is that I hated it less than usual)

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

*The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin

[softlunacademia]

Quarantine Reading List

* Jane Eyre // Charlotte Bronte

* The Picture of Dorian Gray // Oscar Wilde

* The Secret History // Donna Tartt

* If We Were Villains // M.L Rio

* Black Chalk // Christopher J. Yates

* Truly Devious // Maureen Johnson

* The Secret Place // Tana French

* The Likeness // Tana French

* Brideshead Revisited // Evelyn Waugh

* People like Us // Dana Mele

* As I Descended // Robyn Talley

[inevitably-johnlocked]

LGBT book list

Hey! I’m the anonymous who sent you an ask earlier about having an LGBT book list. I don’t have tumblr, hence the message :) So I’ve broken it into two major categories, and tried to include books from as many different genres as possible, so that there’s a wide variety for people to choose from.

Books whose major characters are LGBT and/or have LGBT themes:

Basically anything by David Levithan (YA)

If I Was Your Girl: Meredith Russo (YA)

Symptoms of Being Human: Jeff Garvin (YA)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Stephen Chbosky (YA)

Carry On: Rainbow Rowell (YA)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: Benjamin Alire Saenz (YA)

Every Heart a Doorway: Seanan McGuire (YA)

I’ll Give You the Sun: Jandy Nelson (YA)

Basically anything by Poppy Z. Brite (horror and general fiction)

The Raven Cycle: Maggie Stiefvater (YA)

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda: Becky Albertalli (YA)

Ask the Passengers: A.S. King (YA)

The Pants Project: Cat Clarke (MG)

The Song of Achilles: Madeline Miller (fiction)

Basically anything by Sarah Waters (fiction)

Nightrunner series: Lynn Flewelling (fantasy)

Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage series: Mercedes Lackey (fantasy)

None of the Above: I.W. Gregorio (YA)

Middlesex: Jeffrey Eugenides (fiction)

One Man Guy: Michael Barakiva (YA)

More Happy Than Not: Adam Silvera (YA)

The Art of Being Normal: Lisa Williamson (YA)

Gena/Finn, Not Otherwise Specified: Hannah Moskowitz (YA)

This is Where it Ends: Marieke Nijkamp (YA)

Tonight the Streets Are Ours: Leila Sales (YA)

The books in this part of the list have characters that are LGBT, but play only minor roles, or you don’t know about it until late in the book etc.

Books featuring minor LGBT characters:

Lola and the Boy Next Door: Stephanie Perkins (YA)

American Psycho: Bret Easton Ellis (fiction)

Garden Spells, Lost Lake, First Frost: Sarah Addison Allen (fiction)

Ready Player One: Ernest Cline (science fiction)

Emmy and Oliver: Robin Benway (YA)

The Millennium trilogy: Stieg Larsson (mystery/thriller)

Noggin: John Corey Whaley (YA)

Extraordinary Means: Robyn Schneider (YA)

Elusion, Etherworld: Claudia Gabel (YA)

Sarah’s Key: Tatiana de Rosnay (historical fiction)

Passenger, Wayfarer: Alexandra Bracken

And these books are ones I haven’t read but I believe have LGBT characters:

The Miseducation of Cameron Post: Emily M. Danforth

Rubyfruit Jungle: Rita Mae Brown

Keeping You a Secret: Julie Anne Peters

Fun Home: Alison Bechdel

Girl Walking Backwards: Bett Williams

Ash: Malinda Lo

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children: Kirstin Cronns-Mills

The Bermudez Triangle: Maureen Johnson

How to Repair a Mechanical Heart: J.C. Lillis

Annie on My Mind, Holly’s Secret: Nancy Garden

And the Band Played On: Randy Shiltz

Am I Blue?: Marion Dane Bauer

Maurice: E.M. Forster

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel: Sara Farizan

Lies We Tell Ourselves: Robin Talley

The Price of Salt, or Carol: Patricia Highsmith

Everything Leads to You: Nina Lacour

Luna: Julie Ann Peters

Written on the Body, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit: Jeanette Winterson

From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun: Jacqueline Woodson

The Color Purple: Alice Walker

More Than This: Patrick Ness

I am J: Cris Beam

For Today I am a Boy: Kim Fu

Hero: Perry Moore

Brokeback Mountain: Annie Proulx

Blue is the Warmest Color: Julie Maroh

Okay, I think that’s all I have for now, though I know I am missing a lot of books. This is a good start though for people looking for something to read. I’ve read all of these except for the last list, so any questions or recommendations, I am happy to provide. Also, I’m always up for chatting with a fellow johnlocker. The only friend I have who watches Sherlock is firmly in the ‘Sherlock is asexual, but if he loved anyone it would be Molly’ camp >_< Anyway, I love your blog. Keep up the great work. Cheers!

Kami

(referencing this post)

Wowee! Thanks for the fabulous list, Kami! I hope this will help out all of my followers looking for some literature!! :)

[rileykeouhg]

get to know me

i was tagged by @cptspeirss thank u ♥

rules: tag nine people you want to get to know better

relationship status: single

favorite color: pink

lipstick or chapstick: lipstick, always

last song i listened to: cold war kids ft bishop briggs - so tied up

last movie i watched: i think it was personal shopper?? it’s been a while

top 3 fictional characters: i. piper halliwell ii. blair waldorf iii. elena gilbert

top 3 ships: i. elena x damon ii. caroline x klaus iii. emma x hook iv. chloe x lucifer (i cheated but i h a d to)

books i’m reading: lies we tell ourselves by robyn talley, and probably a few more, but i'm not reading much atm

tagging @ronanlyynches @liziebennets @asrielsmarisa @captinamerica @itsyouemmaswan @howeverlongs @connormonbebe @karlasofens @adrianivashkovs​ @widowelena​

[bluesies]

LGBTQIA+ books coming out in 2017

there are a ton of lgbtqia+ books coming out this year so i decided to compile a list of all of them! if i made a mistake or if you know of a book that should be on this list but isn’t, please don’t hesitate to let me know!

JANUARY •flying lessons and other stories by ellen oh | jan 3 | diverse middle grade anthology •the cursed queen (the imposter queen #2) by sarah fine | jan 3 | wlw ya fantasy •wing jones by katherine webber | jan 5 | ya sports contemporary, wlw secondary character •history is all you left me by adam silvera | jan 17 | mlm ya contemporary •whiteout (seasons of love #1) by elyse springer | jan 24 | mlm contemporary romance •dreadnought by april daniels | jan 24 | ya superhero ft. trans mc •nor the battle to the strong (intertwined souls series: eva and zoe book 6) by mary d. brooks  | jan 24 | wlw historical fiction •the you i’ve never known by ellen hopkins | jan 24 | wlw ya contemporary •making love by aidan wayne | jan 30 | wlw fantasy romance •rogue magic by kit brisby | jan 30 | mlm urban fantasy   •our own private universe by robin talley | jan 31 | bi mc, ya contemporary •ida by alison evans | jan ? | bi mc+trans and non binary characters, sci fi/fantasy •flowers of luna by jennifer linsky | jan ? | wlw sci fi •warrior: a collection of short stories by antonica jones | jan ? | multiple lgbtqia+ protagonists, sci fi/fantasy ya anthology

FEBRUARY •the impasse (miles #3) by franci mcmahon | feb 1 | wlw western  •be safe by doug weaver | feb 2 | mlm literary fiction •my ladybird story by magus tor | feb 3 | trans mc, contemporary •claiming mister kemp (baleful godmother #3) by emily larkin  | feb 6 | mlm historical romance   •embers (common law #2) by kate sherwood | feb 6 | mlm, contemporary romance  •hacked up by ethan stone | feb 6 | mlm, mystery/thriller •working it (ringside romance #1) by christine d’abo | feb 6 | mlm, contemporary romance   •at the edge of the universe by shaun david hutchinson | feb 7 | mlm ya contemporary •island of exiles by erica cameron | feb 7 | bi mc, ya fantasy •the stars are legion by kameron hurley | feb 7 | wlw sci fi •once bitten by kate owen | feb 8 | wlw fantasy •the wolf and the moon by kayla bain-vrba | feb 8 | mlm fantasy •fighter (the brick yard #1) by carol lynne | feb 9 | mlm, sports contemporary •stolen ink (ink  born #1) by holly evans | feb 10 | mlm, fantasy/paranormal •as i am (all saints #3) by a.m. arthur | feb 13 | mlm, contemporary romance •half by eli lang | feb 13 | mlm, fantasy/paranormal  •hard wired (cyberlove #3) by megan erickson | feb 13 | mlm mc, m/m romance •amounting to nothing (tacoma mounted patrol #3) by karis walsh | feb 14 | wlw mystery •birthright by missouri vaun | feb 14 | wlw fantasy •crescent city confidential by aurora rey | feb 14 | wlw contemporary romance  •guarding mr. fine by helenkay dimon (tough love #3) | feb 14 | mlm, m/m romance •love down under by m.j. williamz | feb 14 | wlw contemporary romance  •love is love by mette bach | feb 14 | trans love interest, ya contemporary •same love by tony correria | feb 14 | mlm ya contemporary •the fury by camilla quinn | feb 14 | wlw fantasy   •the right kind of wrong by p.j. trebelhorn | feb 14 | wlw contemporary •we are okay by nina lacour | feb 14 | wlw ya contemporary  •wishing on a dream by julie cannon | feb 14 | wlw erotica  •worms of sin ( m’coul and ghoul series #2) by lyle blake smythers  | feb 14 | mlm, thriller   •a welded wave by z.a. tanis | feb 15 | trans+mlm mc, contemporary romance •behind bars (pandemonium #2) by meredith katz  | feb 15 | mlm, fantasy •cornwall is for lovers by h.p. medina | feb 15 | mlm mc, historical romance •finding fire (finding home #2) by shelia powell, liz mcmullen | feb 15 | wlw paranormal romance •humanity for beginners by faith mudge | feb 15 | wlw, fantasy/paranormal •peter darling by austin chant | feb 15 | trans+mlm mc, fantasy retelling •skyborn by helen maeve | feb 15 | wlw, fantasy •something there by jayne coleridge | feb 15 | wlw, contemporary romance •soundproof by c.a. blocke | feb 15 | mlm mcs, m/m romance •sparkwood by daria defore  | feb 15 | mlm, fantasy, romance •the death of israel leventhal by boom baumgartner | feb 15 | asexual, bi+homoroamntic+mlm characters, paranormal urban fantasy       •the last american hero by nicole field | feb 15 | trans+mlm mc, superhero/fantasy   •tread lightly by catherine lane | feb 15 | wlw, urban fantasy •when did thirty become such a big deal by alessandra ebulu | feb 15 | mlm, m/m romance  •you’re fired by shaya crabtree | feb 15 | wlw erotica •beneath the stars by lynn charles | feb 16 | mlm contemporary romance •dating ryan alback by j.e. birk | feb 20 | mlm, m/m romance  •a conjuring of light by ve schwab | feb 21 | bi+genderfluid mcs, ya fantasy •an unseen attraction by kj charles | feb 21 | mlm, m/m historical romance  •single malt (agents irish and whiskey #1) by layla reyne | feb 21 | mlm thriller •as la vista turns (queers of la vista #5) by kris ripper | feb 27 | wlw contemporary romance •10 things i can see from here by carrie mac | feb 28 | wlw ya contemporary  •a good idea by cristina moracho | feb 28 | bi mc, wlw, ya mystery/thriller

MARCH •a careful heart by ralph josiah bardsley | mar 1 | mlm contemporary •america #1 by gabby rivera & joe quinones | mar 1 | wlw mc, comic •fury's bridge (afterlife, inc. #1) by brey willows | mar 1 | wlw fantasy •darkness (common law #3) by kate sherwood | mar 6 | mlm mystery •the other f word by natasha friend | mar 7 | wlw parents, ya contemporary •the inexplicable logic of my life by by benjamin alire sáenzs | mar 7 | mlm parent, ya contemporary •the pants project by cat clarke | mar 7 | trans mc, middle grade contemporary •you’re welcome, universe by whitney gardner | mar 7 | wlw parents, ya contemporary •the northern heart (kingdom curses #2) by sasha l. miller | mar 7 | mlm fantasy •ghosts & ashes (broken moon #2) by f.t. lukens | march 10 | mlm ya sci-fi •attention to death by alisha abraham | march 10 | mlm, mystery/thriller •fair chance (all fair’s #3) by josh lanyon | march 13 | mlm, mystery •insight (the community #1) by santino hassell | march 13 | mlm fantasy   •sons of devils by alex beecroft | march 14 | mlm historical fantasy  •danced close (portland heat #6) by annabeth albert  | march 14 | mlm, m/m romance •divided nation, united hearts by yolanda wallace | march 14 | wlw historical •lightning strikes (lightning #1) by cass sellars | march 14  | wlw thriller •love in disaster by charlotte greene | march 14  | wlw erotica  •queens of geek by jen wilde | march 14 | wlw ya contemporary •secret hearts (romance #14) by radclyffe | march 14 | wlw contemporary •sins of our fathers by a. rose mathieu | mar 14 | wlw mystery •star-crossed by barbara dee | mar 14 | questioning mc, middle grade contemporary •the new old me: my late-life reinvention by meredith maran | mar 14 | wlw memoir •the sniper’s kiss by justine saracen | mar 14 | wlw historical  •troop 18 (a dr. kate morrison mystery #3) by jessica l. webb | mar 14 | wlw mystery •worthy of trust and confidence (agent o’connor #2) by kara mcleod | mar 14 | wlw mystery •future leaders of nowhere by emily o’beirne | mar 15 | wlw ya contemporary •in the direction of the sun by lucy j. madison | mar 15 | wlw contemporary •winterbourne's daughter by stephanie rabig | mar 15 | asexual, biromantic+bisexual, trans characters, and poly relationship, fantasy •growing pains (toronto connections #3) by cass lennox | mar 21 | mlm contemporary •shadow run by adrianne strickland | mar 21 | genderfluid+gay secondary characters, ya sci fi/fantasy •strays (urban soul #2) by garrett leigh | mar 27 | mlm contemporary romance •the lotterys plus one by emma donoghue  | mar 28 | wlw+mlm+transgender characters, childrens/middle grade contemporary •honestly ben (openly straight #2) by bill konigsberg | mar 28 | mlm ya contemporary •watch as my world ends by kayla bain-vrba | mar 29 | mlm fantasy   

APRIL •at attention (out of uniform #2) by annabeth albert | apr 1 | mlm, m/m romance   •death goes overboard (a detective heath barrington mystery #2) by david s. pederson | apr 1 | mlm historical mystery •relationship status (ethan & wyatt #3) by k.a. mitchell | apr 1 | mlm new adult contemporary •strawberry summer by melissa brayden | apr 1 | wlw contemporary romance •don't feed the trolls by erica kudisch | apr 3 | gender questioning mc, new adult contemporary •home fires (common law #4) by kate sherwood | apr 3 | mlm contemporary •loose cannon (the woodbury boys #1) by sidney bell | apr 3 | mlm contemporary •ashes to asheville by sarah dooley | apr 4 | wlw parents, ya contemporary  •get it together, delilah! by erin gough  | apr 4 | wlw ya conetmporary •the truth about goodbye by russel ricard | apr 4 | mlm contemporary •the paths we choose (lillac town #2) by m hollis | apr 6 | wlw mc, na contemporary •hopeless romantic by francis gideon | apr 10 | mlm+trans characters, contemporary •the upside of unrequited by becky albertalli | apr 11 | secondary wlw, ya contemporary  •razor's edge (american yakuza #3) by isabella | apr 11 | wlw thriller •placement by abby elise | apr 17 | bi mc+asexual+agender characters, dystopian  •wake up call by j.l. merrow | apr 17 | mlm contemporary romance •escape in time by robyn nox | apr 18 | wlw historical time travel •forget me not by kris bryant | apr 18 | wlw contemporary •highland fling by anna larner | apr 18 | wlw contemporary •meg & linus by hanna nowinski | apr 18 | wlw+mlm ya contemporary romance •phoenix rising (storm’s quarry #2) by rebecca harwell | apr 18 | wlw sci fi/fantasy •soul survivor by i. beacham | apr 18 | wlw contemporary romance •the edge of the abyss (the abyss surrounds us #2) by emily skrutskie | apr 18 | wlw ya sci fi/fantasy  •the girl on the edge of summer (micky knight #9) by j.m. redmann | apr 18 | wlw mystery •unknown horizons by c.j. birch | apr 18 | wlw sci fi  •city of dreams by sydney blackburn | apr 19 | mlm, fantasy/romance •puss in prada by marie jacquelyn | apr 19 | mlm, fantasy/paranormal •lumberjanes vol 6: sink or swim by shannon watters | apr 20 | wlw+trans characters, ya fantasy comic •necessary medicine by m.k. york | apr 24 | mlm contemporary romance •thaw (seasons of love #2) by elyse springer | apr 24 | wlw adult contemporary romance •back piece (skin deep inc. #1) by la witt | apr 25 | mlm, contemporary romance •looking for group by rory harrison | apr 25 | mlm+trans characters, ya contemporary

MAY •cask strength (agents irish and whiskey #2) by layla reyne | may 1 | mlm thriller •concourse (five boroughs #5) by santino hassell | may 1 | mlm, contemporary romance •risky behavior by l.a. witt | may 1 | mlm mystery/suspense, romance •georgia rules by nanci turner stevenson | may 2 | wlw parents, middle grade contemporary •how to make a wish by ashley herring blake | may 2 | wlw ya contemporary •my fairy godmother is a drag queen by david clawson | may 2 | mlm ya contemporary •noteworthy by riley redgate | may 2 | bi mc, ya contemporary •the dark prophecy (trials of apollo #2) by rick riordan | may 2 | bi mc+mlm, ya fantasy/mythology •bad beginnings by nicole field | may 3 | mlm, contemporary romance •the silksmith’s girl by reece pine | may 3 | intersex mc, historical fiction •release by patrick ness | may 4 | mlm, ya contemporary •the seafarer’s kiss by julia ember | may 4 | wlw fantasy retelling •bend by nancy j. hedin | may 8 | wlw contemporary •faking it (ringside romance #2) by christine d’abo | may 8 | mlm, contemporary romance •girlhood by cat clarke | may 9 | bi mc, ya contemporary mystery •it’s not like it’s a secret by misa sugiura | may 9 | wlw ya contemporary •ramona blue by julie murphy | may 9 | self-identified lesbian questioning (bi)sexuality, ya contemporary •undercover girl: the lesbian informant who helped the fbi bring down the communist party by lisa e. davis | may 9 | nonfiction •the penalty for holding (the games men play #2) by georgette gouveia | may 10 | mlm, contemporary •wish on the water (the sole experiement #3) by eve francis | may 10 | genderqueer love interest, contemporary •primal need by parker foye, holley trent, k.l. white | may 15 | mlm paranormal romance anthology •summer stock by vanessa north | may 15 | mlm contemporary romance •the alpha's claim by holley trent | may 15 | mlm paranormal romance •forsaken trust (luce hansen thriller #2) by meredith doench | may 16 | wlw, mystery •gatecrasher (the maverick heart cycle #2) by stephen graham king | may 16 | mlm, fantasy/speculative fiction •her best friend’s sister by meghan o’brien | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance •letter of the law (lone star law series #3) by carsen taite | may 16 | wlw, mystery/thriller, romance •new life by jan gayle | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance •rough patch by nicole markotic | may 16 | bi mc, ya contemporary •royal rebel (a royal romance story #2) by jenny frame | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance •serendipity by max c. payne | may 16 | mlm, contemporary romance   •the love interest by cale dietrich | may 16 | mlm ya contemporary •this would make a good story someday by dana alison levy | may 16 | wlw parents, children’s contemporary •unbroken by donna k. ford  | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance  •where the light glows by dena blake | may 16 | wlw, contemporary romance •wicked frat boy ways by todd gregory | may 16 | mlm, erotica  •straight expectations by peggy cryden | may 18 | nonfiction  •queer, there, and everywhere: 23 people who changed the world by sarah prager | may 23 | nonfiction  •eternity in an hour (eternity #1) by matthew merendo | may 24 | mlm, fantasy  •fraud twice felt (the oddities #2) by j.t. hall | may 29 | mlm, paranormal romance  •heels over head by elyse springer | may 29 | mlm, contemporary romance 

JUNE •troublemakers by catherine barter | june 1 | mlm side characters, ya contemporary •action (murmur inc. #2) by quinn anderson | june 5 | mlm, contemporary romance •on point (out of uniform #3) by annabeth albert | june 5 | mlm, contemporary romance •perfect ten by l. philips | june 6 | mlm ya contemporary romance •tash hearts tolstoy by kathryn ormsbee | june 6 | asexual mc, ya contemporary •from prejudice to pride: a history of the lgbtq+ movement by amy lamé | june 8 | nonfiction •american family by catherine marahsall-smith | june 13 | mlm, adult general fiction •an unnatural vice (sins of the cities #2) by kj charles | june 13 | mlm, historical romance •how to survive a summer by nick white | june 13 | mlm, adult general fiction     •marriage of a thousand lies by s.j. sindu | june 13 | mlm+wlw mcs, literary fiction •the gentlemen’s guide to vice and virtue by mackenzi lee | june 20 | bi/pan mc, mlm ya historical fiction •seduced by the tide (dragon soul #2) by sean michael | june 26 | mlm, paranormal romance/erotica •a destiny of dragons (the tales of verani #2) by tj klune | june ? | mlm+asexual characters, fantasy

JULY •love and other hot beverages by laurie loft | jul 3 | mlm, contemporary romance •spun! (the shamwell tales #4) by jl merrow | jul 3 | mlm, contemporary romance •the other five percent by quinn anderson  | jul 10 | mlm, contemporary romance •the art of starving by sam j. miller | july 11 | mlm ya contemporary •sovereign (nemesis #2) by april daniels | july 25 | ya superhero ft. trans mc •the backstagers vol. 1 by james tynion iv | july 25 | mlm fantasy comic •the gallery of unfinished girls by lauren karcz | july 25 | wlw ya contemporary

AUGUST •we now return to regular life by martin wilson | aug 1 | mlm ya contemporary •barrel proof (agents irish and whiskey #3) by layla reyne | aug 7 | mlm, suspense/romance •little & lion by brandy colbert | aug 8 | wlw ya contemporary •what is gender? how does it define us? and other big questions by juno dawson | aug 10 | nonfiction •the gang’s all queer: the lives of gay gang members by vanessa r panfil | aug 15 | nonfiction •dress codes for small towns by courtney c. stevens | aug 29 | ya contemporary questioning mc •illegal contact by santino hussel | aug ? | m/m romance •the tiger’s watch by julia ember | aug ? | genderfluid mc, ya fantasy

SEPTEMBER •girl made of snow and glass by melissa bashardoust | sep 5 | wlw ya fantasy retelling •lgbtq politics:a critical reader by marla brettschneider, susan burgess, christine keating | sep 5 | nonfiction •mask of shadows by linsey miller | sep 5 | genderfluid mc, ya fantasy •they both die at the end by adam silvera | sep 5 | mlm ya sci fi contemporary •autoboyography by christina lauren | sep 12 | mlm ya/na contemporary romance    •caterpillars can’t swim by liane shaw | sep 12 | mlm mc, ya contemporary •echo after echo by amy rose capetta | sep 15 | wlw ya •kaleidoscope song by fox benwell | sept 19 | wlw ya •the queer history project: no way, they were gay? by lee wind | sep ? | middle grade nonfiction

OCTOBER •27 hours by tristina wright | oct 3 | mlm+wlw ya sci fi •that inevitable victorian thing by e.k. johnston | oct 3 | wlw ya sci-fi/fantasy •the ship of the dead (magnus chase and the gods of asgard #3) by rick riordan | oct 3 | genderfluid mc+non-labelled lgbtqia+ character, ya fantasy/mythology •the tiger’s daughter by k. arsenault rivera | oct 3 | wlw, ya fantasy •top ten by katie cotugno | oct 3 | bi mc, ya contemporary romance •like water by rebecca podos | oct 17 | wlw ya contemporary •the 57 bus by dashka slater | oct 17 | agender mc, ya •mick & michelle by nina rossing | oct ? | trans mc, ya contemporary •the consumption of magic (the tales of verani #2) by tj klune | oct ? | mlm+asexual characters, fantasy

NOVEMBER •boomerang by helene dunbar | nov 7 | mlm ya contemporary mystery •chainbreaker (timekeeper #2) by tara sim | nov 7 | mlm ya sci fi/steampunk

UNKNOWN RELEASE DATE •alan cole is not a coward by eric bell | ? | mlm middle grade contemporary •amelia westlake by erin gough | ? | wlw ya contemporary •here so far away by hadley dyer | ? | mlm ya contemporary •hold my hand by michael barakiva | ? | mlm ya contemporary •if found return to astropop by lucas hargis | ? | genderfluid mcs, ya contemporary •these books belong to ken z by r. zamora linmark | ? | mlm, ya contemporary

[willreadforbooze]

Hey everyone!!

Hope you all had an ok week with all the craziness going on in the world. Hope you all are staying healthy and safe. We’re definitely learning how to have fun separately lol. Virtual happy hours and such.

Sam’s Update

This week was better than last, but I’m starting to freak out.

What Sam Finished:

Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa: This is the finale to the Shadow of the Fox series. I really enjoyed this finale. It definitely rang “final” to me. I’ve already written a drunk review coming soon. We get a ton of our kids, but especially Okame. God love Okame.

What Sam is Currently Reading:

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore: This is the third companion novel in the Graceling books. Are you sensing a theme? Yes. I’m trying to knock out my unfinished series one at a time. This will be a story about Bitterblue, a character from the first book. She’s 18 and

Minda’s Update

Magical Readathon starts up this week! So excited—I’m going for a career as a Curse Breaker.

What Minda finished:

Music From Another World by Robin Talley – In the form of letters and diary entries, two young women from the opposite ends of California explore their sexuality, punk music, and the gay rights movement in the late 70s. Seriously could not adore this book more! Review to come, but it was glowing.

What Minda is reading now:

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict – Historical fiction following the life of Mileva Marić, the wife of (you guessed it!) Albert Einstein. I had no idea that she was a brilliant physicist in her own right, so definitely wanted to learn more. I’m about 30% in and digging it—will finish before the readathon.

Illegal by Eoin Colfer – Counts as my potions class—books under 150 pages. I got this graphic novel at last year’s summer ALA and just rediscovered it on my shelf. The story is about a young African refugee in his journey to Europe, so expecting it to be a poignant read.

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin – For Defense Against the Dark Arts aka a book set on the sea/coast. The book is about a woman trying to get to the bottom of her sister’s unsolved murder in the Caribbean from years before. She teams up with an unlikely ally—someone who was the suspected murderer. Sam picked it up at ALA Philly this winter and it came out in Feb.

Ginny’s Update

My brain isn’t working enough to write any sort of introduction. Hope everyone is healthy and safe.

What Ginny Finished:

Bliss, Remembered by Frank Deford: This book follows Sydney, who ended up being an Olympian in 1936 in Nazi Germany. She falls in love with a German man, and they have a long “written” relationship once she goes home. I think this book tried to do a good job of explaining how the Nazi regime used a lot of tactics to hide what was really happening and did a good job of keeping it from both the German public and the world. A pretty good read even though some of the emotional twists were easily seen.

Clementine: The Live of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell: Reading this at the same time as Bliss Remembered was actually pretty good timing because parts of the books overlapped. Clementine sounds like a fascinating person but she was so closely tied to Winston Churchill that at times the book focused too greatly on him, which wasn’t my favorite because Winston Churchill (while often right, and having done a good job leading through WWII) was a raging asshole.

Sunrise on Half Moon Bay by Robyn Carr: I received this book as an ARC and will be writing a review. The book follows two sisters who are dealing with the fallouts of major events in their lives.

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire: This book follows one of the minor characters who jump in and out of the Incryptid novels, the road ghost Rose Marshall. Because this is Seanan McGuire, I will most likely end up writing a review, but short summary, not my favorite of her books, but has some fascinating tidbits that are just in general a ton of fun.

What Ginny is Currently Reading:

Hilariously Ever After by Various Authors: I have actually added this book to my to-do list. I’m determined.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: I’ve gotten a little bit further in this book, but the focus has been getting through some of the library e-books I have that were about the expire.

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente: Speaking of library books I need to whiz through. I know Sam really enjoyed this book so I put a hold on it a forever ago and then it came up in the rotation right when I started to slow down reading (Still reading, but playing more video games).

Until next time, we main forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Ginny, and Minda

Weekly Wrap-Up: Mar 23 – 29, 2020 Hey everyone!! Hope you all had an ok week with all the craziness going on in the world.

[a-wlw-reads]

Happy Pride Month everybody!

Another year another pride month, so here’s to hoping that you have a good one!

(From left to right by row)

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue

Disobedience by Naomi Adlerman

The Difference Between You and Me by Madeline George

Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World edited by Robyn Ochs and Sarah E. Rowley

Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz

The Shattering by Karen Healey

Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst

The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta

Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst

Bittersweet by Nevada Barr

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

My Best Friend, Maybe by Caela Carter

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

The Island of Excess Love by Francesca Lia Block

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Soft on Soft by Em Ali

Thaw by Elyse Springer

Ash by Malinda Lo

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens

Moon at Nine by Deborah Ellis

37 Things I Love (In No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon

Living as a Lesbian: Poetry by Cheryl Clarke

Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard

The World Unseen by Shamim Sarif

The Second Mango by Shira Glassman

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

Hild by Nicola Griffith

Dreadnought by April Daniels

Gretel: A Fairy Tale Retold by Niamh Murphy

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Not Vanishing by Chrystos

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

Pulp by Robin Talley

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Natural Selection by Malinda Lo

P.S. I Miss You by Jen Petro-Roy

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

As I Descended by Robin Talley

Run by Kody Keplinger

Ship It by Britta Lundin

[demitgibbs]

What’s Hot South Florida: May 24 – May 30

Thursday, May 24

Stonewall National Museum – Wilton Manors presents Movie Night: Free Havana at 6pm. This event is free to attend, but there is a suggested donation of $5.Refreshments courtesy of Barefoot Wine & Bubbly.  Free Havana paints a vivid picture of what it has been like to be gay in Cuba through the candid stories of six gay and lesbian individuals. From the Batista era to the Revolution to the Mariel Boatlift to present-day Cuba, Free Havana exposes the evolution of gay life from a time when homosexuality was considered a punishable crime to current efforts to promote a greater acceptance of freedom of sexual orientation. Honest in approach and poignant in content, the stories of the six Cubans will inform and inspire as they touch your heart.

The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) will present the group exhibition “Monarchs: Brown and Native Contemporary Artists in the Path of the Butterfly” from today through Aug. 5. Curated by Risa Puleo, the exhibition features the works of 37 artists who are native to the Americas separated into conceptual categories including indigenous, immigrant and assimilated. The exhibition focuses on the monarch, the only butterfly that migrates in two directions, as a geographic range and a metaphor. Monarchs (specifically those of eastern North American) fly from southern Canada through the Midwest on their way to Michoacán, Mexico and back.  Admission to MOCA is $5, free for MOCA members and North Miami residents.

Friday, May 25The Pub presents their monthly (last Friday of the month) show staring Electra at 9:30pm, and with Electra you just never know which famous celebrity she will show up as.

Saturday, May 26

As part of their Memorial Day weekend extravaganza Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar presents “Alibi Underground” with guest DJ Barry Huffine and featuring a live performance of their hit song “Sexy Motha U” by Zhana.

As part of Rumors weekend long celebration of Memorial Day, they present a daytime dance party form 1 to 6 pm starring DJ Ricciardi’s. They invite everyone to come play their favorite outdoor games while listening to the music.

Club Aqua Miami presents their monthly “CumUnion Party” starting at 10 pm.

Ramrod presents guest DJ Vlexxx on the turntables from 10 pm to 3 am.

The Manor presents another one of their famous themed parties entitled “Dominate.” In the Ballroom catch celebrity DJ Tony Moran spinning and a performance by recording artist Emily Perry performing her hit songs “Walk in Silence” and “Summer on Lock.” In The Ivy Dance Room and Patio, Noche Latina Saturdays presents “Dominame” with their queens: Kalah Mendoza (Miss Florida F.I. 2017) and Yeisa Jovovich (Miss Universo Latina 2017) dominating the boys! The night will also star resident DJ Larry Larr, and sexy Latin Go-Go Papi’s. They wil also be featuring a free raffle to win 2 VIP tickets to One Magical Weekend’s Riptide at Typhoon Lagoon.

Sunday, May 27

Rramon Miami presents another one of his famous Bear Splash Pool Party starring DJ Mike James at the Windamar Beach Resort from noon until 6 pm. This will be the last pool party before Windamar closes its doors at the end of May. Admission is $20 and features a complimentary BBQ from 1 to 3 pm.

Rounding out Rumors weekend long celebration of Memorial Day, they present Evan Grushka live on stage singing from 12 to 3 pm. While there don’t forget about their brunch style favorites from award winning chef Robyn Almodovar.

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar presents the 1 year anniversary of Crazy Daisy’s P-Town Tea Dance from 6-11pm. Music by DJ Mike James, and featuring hotspots drag go-go boys, pick a pop song and lots of Daisy’s antics.

Wednesday, May 30

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar presents the Mr. Alibi Pageant, an official preliminary to Mr Florida M.E. 2018 at 9p.m. The pageant will be hosted by Nikki Adams and Honorary Miss Florida 2017, Michael Cavo with performances by Mr. Florida M.E. 2017, and reigning Mr. Alibi Antonio Edwards, Noel Leon (Miss Florida F.I. At Large, and Jose Vega. The categories are Swimwear, Evening Wear Talent and Q&A. Registration is at 6pm, and there is no entry fee. Contact Antonio Edwards for more information.

This is HOT

The Gospel According To Andre, which is rated PG and is 94 minutes in length opens June 1 at O Cinema Wynwood Miami. André Leon Talley has been a fixture in the world of fashion for so long that it’s difficult to imagine a time when he wasn’t defining the boundaries of great style. Kate Novack’s intimate portrait, takes viewers on an emotional journey from André’s roots growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South to becoming one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times.

Novack’s film draws fascinating, heretofore unexplored connections, between the elegance of André’s beloved grandmother and the Black Church of his youth and his later iconic, barrier-breaking work at publications like Women’s Wear Daily, W and Vogue. Weaving together a wealth of archival footage from the most glamorous moments in fashion history with André’s poignant reflections on his life and career, The Gospel According to André is a cinematic monument to one of the most unique figures of 20th Century American culture.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/05/23/whats-hot-south-florida-may-24-may-30/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/174183811960

[cynthiajayusa]

What’s Hot South Florida: May 24 – May 30

Thursday, May 24

Stonewall National Museum – Wilton Manors presents Movie Night: Free Havana at 6pm. This event is free to attend, but there is a suggested donation of $5.Refreshments courtesy of Barefoot Wine & Bubbly.  Free Havana paints a vivid picture of what it has been like to be gay in Cuba through the candid stories of six gay and lesbian individuals. From the Batista era to the Revolution to the Mariel Boatlift to present-day Cuba, Free Havana exposes the evolution of gay life from a time when homosexuality was considered a punishable crime to current efforts to promote a greater acceptance of freedom of sexual orientation. Honest in approach and poignant in content, the stories of the six Cubans will inform and inspire as they touch your heart.

The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) will present the group exhibition “Monarchs: Brown and Native Contemporary Artists in the Path of the Butterfly” from today through Aug. 5. Curated by Risa Puleo, the exhibition features the works of 37 artists who are native to the Americas separated into conceptual categories including indigenous, immigrant and assimilated. The exhibition focuses on the monarch, the only butterfly that migrates in two directions, as a geographic range and a metaphor. Monarchs (specifically those of eastern North American) fly from southern Canada through the Midwest on their way to Michoacán, Mexico and back.  Admission to MOCA is $5, free for MOCA members and North Miami residents.

Friday, May 25The Pub presents their monthly (last Friday of the month) show staring Electra at 9:30pm, and with Electra you just never know which famous celebrity she will show up as.

Saturday, May 26

As part of their Memorial Day weekend extravaganza Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar presents “Alibi Underground” with guest DJ Barry Huffine and featuring a live performance of their hit song “Sexy Motha U” by Zhana.

As part of Rumors weekend long celebration of Memorial Day, they present a daytime dance party form 1 to 6 pm starring DJ Ricciardi’s. They invite everyone to come play their favorite outdoor games while listening to the music.

Club Aqua Miami presents their monthly “CumUnion Party” starting at 10 pm.

Ramrod presents guest DJ Vlexxx on the turntables from 10 pm to 3 am.

The Manor presents another one of their famous themed parties entitled “Dominate.” In the Ballroom catch celebrity DJ Tony Moran spinning and a performance by recording artist Emily Perry performing her hit songs “Walk in Silence” and “Summer on Lock.” In The Ivy Dance Room and Patio, Noche Latina Saturdays presents “Dominame” with their queens: Kalah Mendoza (Miss Florida F.I. 2017) and Yeisa Jovovich (Miss Universo Latina 2017) dominating the boys! The night will also star resident DJ Larry Larr, and sexy Latin Go-Go Papi’s. They wil also be featuring a free raffle to win 2 VIP tickets to One Magical Weekend’s Riptide at Typhoon Lagoon.

Sunday, May 27

Rramon Miami presents another one of his famous Bear Splash Pool Party starring DJ Mike James at the Windamar Beach Resort from noon until 6 pm. This will be the last pool party before Windamar closes its doors at the end of May. Admission is $20 and features a complimentary BBQ from 1 to 3 pm.

Rounding out Rumors weekend long celebration of Memorial Day, they present Evan Grushka live on stage singing from 12 to 3 pm. While there don’t forget about their brunch style favorites from award winning chef Robyn Almodovar.

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar presents the 1 year anniversary of Crazy Daisy’s P-Town Tea Dance from 6-11pm. Music by DJ Mike James, and featuring hotspots drag go-go boys, pick a pop song and lots of Daisy’s antics.

Wednesday, May 30

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar presents the Mr. Alibi Pageant, an official preliminary to Mr Florida M.E. 2018 at 9p.m. The pageant will be hosted by Nikki Adams and Honorary Miss Florida 2017, Michael Cavo with performances by Mr. Florida M.E. 2017, and reigning Mr. Alibi Antonio Edwards, Noel Leon (Miss Florida F.I. At Large, and Jose Vega. The categories are Swimwear, Evening Wear Talent and Q&A. Registration is at 6pm, and there is no entry fee. Contact Antonio Edwards for more information.

This is HOT

The Gospel According To Andre, which is rated PG and is 94 minutes in length opens June 1 at O Cinema Wynwood Miami. André Leon Talley has been a fixture in the world of fashion for so long that it’s difficult to imagine a time when he wasn’t defining the boundaries of great style. Kate Novack’s intimate portrait, takes viewers on an emotional journey from André’s roots growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South to becoming one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times.

Novack’s film draws fascinating, heretofore unexplored connections, between the elegance of André’s beloved grandmother and the Black Church of his youth and his later iconic, barrier-breaking work at publications like Women’s Wear Daily, W and Vogue. Weaving together a wealth of archival footage from the most glamorous moments in fashion history with André’s poignant reflections on his life and career, The Gospel According to André is a cinematic monument to one of the most unique figures of 20th Century American culture.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/05/23/whats-hot-south-florida-may-24-may-30/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2018/05/whats-hot-south-florida-may-24-may-30.html