All posts by Vance

01Mar/24

Curtis Chin

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March 1, 2024

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 9 Interview – Curtis Chin

Curtis Chin joins us to share his memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant. We discuss that the book is not only a love-letter to Detroit, but a culmination of his many paths in life coming together.

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A co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Curtis Chin served as the non-profits’ first Executive Director. He went on to write for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in twenty countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appetit, the Detroit Free Press and the Emancipator/Boston Globe. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. His memoir, “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant” will be published by Little, Brown in Fall 2023. His essay in Bon Appetit was just selected for Best Food Writing in America 2023.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWFMLkHdHQU[/embedyt]

23Feb/24

Larry Duplechan

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February 23, 2024

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 8 Interview – Larry Duplechan

Larry Duplechan shares his memoir, Movies That Made Me Gay. We discuss the importance of film in queer lives, as well as why you should buy the book and host your own home film festival!

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Larry Duplechan is the author of five novels, including Blackbird (considered the first modern Black “coming-out” novel) and the Lambda Literary Award-winning Got ‘til it’s Gone; plus the movie memoir Movies That Made Me Gay. His hobbies include singing, playing the ukulele, reading show business biographies, and pursuing his ongoing quest to forestall the physical aging process and build truly outstanding pecs. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband of 47 years and a Chartreux cat named Mr. Blue.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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January 7, 2022

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Larry Duplechan as the guest on Season 7, Episode 1 – All Things Blackbird!

In this WROTE Reviews crossover episode we talk with Larry Duplechan about his novel Blackbird and its journey into becoming a film.

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Larry Duplechan is the author of five novels, including Blackbird (considered the first modern Black “coming-out” novel) and the Lambda Literary Award-winning Got ‘til it’s Gone. His hobbies include singing, playing the ukulele, reading show business biographies, and pursuing his ongoing quest to forestall the physical aging process and build truly outstanding pecs. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband of 38 years and a 17 pound Chartreux cat named Mr. Blue.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):

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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgdvjSVgEw[/embedyt]

16Feb/24

J.M. Redmann

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February 16, 2024

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 7 Interview – J.M. Redmann

J.M. Redmann joins us to share her latest Micky Knight Mystery, Transitory. We discuss why it was important to have a gritty, noir, lesbian detective in the world, as well as the growth of the series.

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J.M. Redmann is the author of a mystery series featuring New Orleans private detective Michele ‘Micky’ Knight. Her books have made the American Library Association GLBT Roundtable’s 2013 Over the Rainbow list, and have won a Fore Word Gold First Place mystery award, and her book LAW & DESIRE was an Editor’s Choice of the San Francisco Chronicle and a recommended book on NPR’s Fresh Air.

Her books have been translated into Spanish, German, Dutch, Norwegian and Hebrew. Redmann lives in an historic neighborhood in New Orleans, at the edge of the area that flooded.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx8guPfdUGU[/embedyt]

26Jan/24

Donald Mengay

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January 26, 2024

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 4 Interview – Donald Mengay

Donald Mengay joins us to share his recent book, The Lede to Our Undoing. We talk about placing a novel in the rust belt of the 70s, diversity and inclusion, and how his narrator ties in humanity’s behavior toward the natural world.

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Donald Mengay grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked in a factory for a time and managed a bookstore. He began writing fiction in his early twenties while pursuing a degree in Psychology at Metropolitan State University in Denver. He earned a Masters in English Lit at the University of Denver and a Ph.D. in Comparative Lit from NYU. He taught Queer and Post-Humanist Lit at the City University of New York for over thirty years, as well as English at the University of Paris, Nanterre. During his years teaching he published several articles of queer criticism in academic journals that include among others Genders, Genre, and Minnesota University Press. He also co-published a book entitled Dis/Inheritance: New Croatian Photography, from Ikon Press. The Lede to Our Undoing is his debut novel, the first in a trilogy. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_4wYIo571s[/embedyt]

19Jan/24

John Musgrove

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January 19, 2024

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 3 Interview – John Musgrove

John Musgrove returns to share the second book in his historic Reticent Richmond series, Mary’s Grace. We discuss LGBTQ+ history, the resiliency of our community, and then John teases his coming fall release.

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John Musgrove grew up in Virginia and had a stint in the US Navy before starting his IT career. He married the love of his life in 1986 and they haven’t been apart since their first date. He waited until middle age to begin writing seriously, but now that he’s all-in he prefers to write historical fiction that illuminates otherwise-forgotten LGBTQ figures that made history for other reasons – Lewis Ginter, Grace Arents, James Buchanan, and Baron Von Steuben to name a few. He’s known throughout Richmond as “Cookie John” for his baking prowess, and is an IT Geek: nerdy, introverted, fascinated by technology, and easily distracted by the next shiny thing that catches his eye.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmfKbpVEV30[/embedyt]

May 19, 2023

It gives us great pleasure to present Season 8, Episode 21: John Musgrove + Our Review of Hannah Gadsby’s “Something Special!”

John Musgrove highlights his love of LGBTQ figures from our past while he shares his historic fiction novel Ginter’s Pope with us. We discuss the same-sex legacies that helped shape Richmond, Virginia. Then Baz and Vance rate and review Hannah Gadsby’s Something Special, followed by who won our weeks!

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John Musgrove grew up in Virginia and had a stint in the US Navy before starting his IT career. He married the love of his life in 1986 and they haven’t been apart since their first date. He waited until middle age to begin writing seriously, but now that he’s all-in he prefers to write historical fiction that illuminates otherwise-forgotten LGBTQ figures that made history for other reasons – Lewis Ginter, Grace Arents, James Buchanan, and Baron Von Steuben to name a few.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
Apple PodcastsGoogle PlayiHeartRadioSpotifyStitcherTuneIn

Or Listen Right Here:

OR Watch on YouTube:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7XnkMXcs4Q[/embedyt]

12Jan/24

Emanuel Xavier

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January 12, 2024

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 9, Episode 2 Interview – Emanuel Xavier

Emanuel Xavier joins us to share his recent book, Love(ly) Child. We talk a bit about his past in the ball scene, and his recent discoveries that helped him focus on his Latinx heritage.

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Emanuel Xavier was born in Brooklyn, NY, and became involved in the ball scene as a homeless gay teen. Over a span of twenty-five years, Xavier has received recognition as a spoken word artist from national colleges and universities. He has been named an LGBTQ Icon by The Equality Forum and has been presented a New York City Council Citation Award. Xavier has received an International Latino Book Award, Lambda Literary Award nominations and American Library Association Over the Rainbow Books selections for his collections which include: Pier Queen, Americano, If Jesus Were Gay, Nefarious, Radiance and Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier. He is also editor of Me No Habla With Acento: Contemporary Latino Poetry, Bullets & Butterflies: queer spoken word poetry and Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry. He is the recipient of a Gay City Impact Award and The Marsha A. Gomez Cultural Heritage Award. Xavier founded the Penguin Random House LGBTQ Network and is on the Board of The Publishing Triangle. The author and editor of several books, Xavier continues to read his work across the country.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_62W8g3Uo[/embedyt]

22Dec/23

Ryan States

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December 22, 2023

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 8, Episode 53 Interview – Ryan States

Ryan States introduces us to his latest novel Someone Else’s Story. We discuss what happens when an immortal secondary character from a previous book gets his own book and meets a monster of literary legend, as well as feeling like a supporting character in real life.

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Ryan States was born in Calgary Alberta, but spent his childhood in Saskatoon, then returned to Alberta as adult. He lives with his platonic life partner, another writer, Gayleen Froese, and a great many animals. In addition to his writing, he is an actor and occasional standup comedian, and is employed as a corporate trainer. He self published two books, Souria, and Silver Bullets, and then published two others with The Seventh Terrace press: Sleeping Underwater, and Somebody Else’s Story.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z46lcsubSzY[/embedyt]

15Dec/23

AE Lister

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December 15, 2023

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 8, Episode 52 Interview – A.E. Lister

A.E. Lister shares their latest novel A Port Essington Christmas. We discuss where the inspiration for the series originated, as well as previewing Alison’s next project.

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Alison Lister is a Canadian non-binary author. They write graphic erotic romance (contemporary/historical/paranormal) as AE Lister, and sweet Young Adult LGBTQ+ romance as Alison Lister.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQAKz3si6gI[/embedyt]

08Dec/23

Bailey Merlin

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December 8, 2023

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 8, Episode 51 Interview – Bailey Merlin

Bailey Merlin shares her debut novel A Lot of People Live in This House. We discuss how Bailey’s actual experience living in an intentional community inspired the book.

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Bailey Merlin is a talented writer with a rich background in fiction and media, medicine, and health. She holds an MFA in fiction from Butler University and an MS from Harvard Medical School, and her writing has been published in numerous literary magazines. In addition to her writing, Bailey has co-performed a spoken word short story album, Bug Eyes, with award-winning jazz guitarist Richie Smith. She is also the librettist of the opera ¡Dime! An Opera in Four Acts. Based in Boston, Bailey lives in an intentional community with a dynamic cast of humans, a toddler, a dog, a cat, and a friendly ghost.

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b37MGclQPmY[/embedyt]

24Nov/23

Mary Burns

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November 24, 2023

It gives us great pleasure to present a Season 8, Episode 49 Interview – Mary P. Burns

Mary P. Burns introduces us to her murder mystery Cold Case Heat, and shares that it’s based on real world events in such a way that she had to dip into memoir-writing skills to put this story together.

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Mary Burns is a long-time resident of New York City, sharing the best life ever with her wife of over twenty years. After receiving a Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting from Columbia University in 1991, she experienced a twenty-year bout of writer’s block. During that time, she carved out a career as an executive assistant. Finally taking a sabbatical to assess things and perhaps try writing a play again, what came out instead was a novel. “Forging a Desire Line” was published by Bold Strokes Books in 2020, followed by “Suspecting Her” in Sept. ’21. “Cold Case Heat,” a murder mystery, arrived this September.
She has also published short stories in Sinclair Sexsmith’s award-winning Best Lesbian Erotica, volumes 4 (Dec. 2019) and the non-award winning volume 5 (Dec. 2020 / both Cleis Press)..

This Podcast episode is available on these channels (in order alphabetical):
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Or Watch on YouTube:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxtr_b9XRTM[/embedyt]