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Columnists

Zenna Henderson: Quiet Rebel – Boogieman in Lavender

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For this fifth installment of this column’s occasional “On Beyond Cisgender” feature (a feature suggested by A. M. Leibowitz) about recommendations of books or stories for High School by authors outside the white, male, cisgender paradigm that has so often been the norm, the focus is on just one author, one who may not be so well-known as she was even twenty-five years ago. The lines between science fiction and fantasy are blurred. The definition of science fiction is even sort of blurred. Sometimes the better term is “Science Fantasy.” Zenna Henderson, very definitely wrote science fantasy. While spaceships and … Read more

Are We There Yet? (December, 2021)—-Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender

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Alien Sunset - Deposit Photos

Are We There Yet? By Jeff Baker The year is zipping to a close. Are we better off now than we were a year ago? Are things less hectic or at least horrifying than they were in December Twenty-Twenty? Plague? Check. Political unrest? Check. Genial acceptance of medical misinformation? Check. Yeah, there’s a lot of pessimism in this darkest time of the year, but there is room for optimism too. If you want symbolism, look no further than the sky. This is being written in Kansas in the second week of December. The Winter Solstice is a couple of weeks … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: A Purpose

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I find I write faster, stay focused, and stayed inspired in general if I have a purpose.  What am I trying to accomplish with this particular project? If I have characters, what are their purposes? How are those purposes aligned or at odds? Reminding myself of this helps me keep writing. It inspires my characters to do things. Sometimes they act in ways that surprise me, but they remain true to their purposes.  This doesn’t mean their purposes can’t change. Sometimes the actions my characters take over the course of a plot can lead to a change of purpose. It … Read more

Where Everybody Knows Your Name Is Walt Whitman—–Jeff Baker: Boogieman In Lavender

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Cave - pixabay

Where Everybody Knows Your Name is Walt Whitman by Jeff Baker Laugh on laughers! Drink on drinkers! Bandy the jest! Toss the theme from one to another! Beam up—Brighten up, bright eyes of beautiful young men! ——-Walt Whitman, from “The Two Vaults.” There were no Pride flags flying in New York City in 1859. But if you were gay there were places to discreetly hang out. One was literally underground. Pfaff’s, a bar and restaurant located beneath the sidewalk at 647 Broadway, featured a dining area and a bar, literally in a cellar. Named for it’s owner Charles Pfaff, it … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Petals on the Wind

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There was nothing quite like the drift of sakura which followed Sakurazuka Seishirou around in Tokyo Babylon and X, giving him that unique ambience of beauty and menace, clinging to Sumeragi Subaru as well once he caught Seishirou’s eye. Drifting rose petals in Revolutionary Girl Utena gave Ohtori Academy, the Duelists, and the Rose Bride herself a menacing, yet seductive ambience, suggesting that the roses were not what they seemed.  Falling petals aren’t necessarily menacing. They can create a unique moment, suggesting a special memory which will stay with those caught within their drift, long after it’s gone. I catch … Read more

Halloween Reading Reccs 2021 – Boogieman in Lavender

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Extreme Haunted Housing

The Bat and the Raven; Halloween Reading for 2021 By Jeff Baker And now for Halloween reading recommendations with an LGBT flair. For the last few years I have recommended the two Lethe Press takes on Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This time, I’m going to go a bit more in-depth. “Suffered From the Night: Queering Stoker’s Dracula,” edited by Steve Berman with a title from Stoker’s novel, features variations on the themes, characters and story of the famous 1897 novel, only some of which has entered into the popular consciousness. The original novel is epistolary, that is, … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Statues

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Statues fascinate me. I’m often drawn to them in churches, in museums, finding myself studying their inscrutable (or weathered) expressions, their posture, how much has been captured in stone. I didn’t even notice this one’s lack of certain attributes. I was too engrossed by his posture, his face, the way he loomed over his surroundings. The whiteness, the hardness, the details carved or chipped away to reveal a beauty very different, yet similar to other kinds. No wonder Anne Rice’s vampires became more statue-like as they got older; paler, harder, more removed from humanity with age and blood. No wonder … Read more

Tim and Bernard’s Big date: Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender

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Robin Bisexual - DC Comics

Bernard and Tim’s Big Date By Jeff Baker Word is out: Tim Drake has made a date to go out with his buddy Bernard Dowd. Just a nice story, right? Except that Drake is the secret identity of Batman’s partner Robin and the comics world is abuzz. To be more specific; Drake is one of several young men (not sure how old he is, I suspect about sixteen) to have donned the costume as Batman’s athletic young sidekick since the original debuted in 1940. The close relationship between Millionaire Bruce Wayne and his youthful ward has been the subject of … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Patterns

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I’m drawn to patterns, even when I don’t understand them. Seeing how something links, intertwines, weaves in and out of other lines and shapes, forming an intricate design fascinates me.  Of particular interest to me are patterns in stories, how plot and character hang together, every little detail drawing attention to a greater whole. My favorite stories involve a tight web where it’s easy to remember every detail, because they’re linked to other details. All of them are part of a greater whole, a greater story, and an overall theme. A shield glitters with a menacing light, drawing the main … Read more