Columnists
Truman Capote’s (Queer?) Tales of Fantasy. Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender
Truman Capote’s (Queer?) Tales Of the Fantastic by Jeff baker Hard to believe that a generation has gone by without knowing Truman Capote from their TV or movie screens as well as being parodied by comedians, all making him talked-about as not only one of the best-known American authors of the 20th Century but a master of self-promotion, gleefully eating it up every public chance he got. He was, of course, Gay (“Homosexual” was the term in his day) although he didn’t make a big deal of it, he certainly didn’t hide it. Sometime in his Twenties. Capote met the … Read more
Sources of Inspiration: Food
Such a turbulent, torrid passion I’ve had with food over the years. No, not always. Sometimes it’s been comforting. Sometimes it’s been all about comfort, distracting myself from fear or frustration. Those are the most dangerous moments when I eat, not really thinking about the food. I’m eating to avoid thinking about something else. I’m picky, too. There’s a lot of food I dislike while I overindulge in others. Cheese, chocolate, wine; many a time and often during 2020, I hid behind my favorite DVDs and BluRays with these. At other times, I forget to eat. When I’m so wrapped … Read more
Zenna Henderson: Quiet Rebel – Boogieman in Lavender
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
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
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
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
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
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