“One can categorize this memoir as a queer coming-of-age story; however, to limit your understanding of this book to just that theme short-changes the scope of Ardoin’s story. This is a book about work, family, grieving, and finding yourself, and your freedom, that will resonate with a broad range of readers. If you’re looking for something good to read, cher, try this one.”– Rachel Lutwick-Deaner, … Continue reading A fresh review from SRB
For this episode of Queer Voices, I had a great talk with Joel Lafayette Fletcher III about his new book, With Hawks and Angels: Episodes from a Southern Life, published by the University Press of Mississippi. You can find the episode here. Joel Lafayette Fletcher, III served as an officer in the US Navy and lived abroad for a dozen years. He co-owned a language … Continue reading With Hawks & Angels
In this episode of Queer Voices I talk to Dr. Terry Chase about her book Spoke by Spoke – How a Broken Back and a Broken Bike Led to a WholeHearted Life, released in 2021 by Push On Press. You can find the interview here. About the Author Terry Chase, ND, MA, RN, CEIP-Ed, is dedicated to health, growth & learning. She has a deep and … Continue reading Spoke by Spoke
It took a few tries, but I’ve finally settled on a recipe for Momma’s Syrup Pie (or Tarte au Sirop). My goal was to recreate a pie that is, on the surface, very simple: a sweet pie dough crust, with a caramel custard-like filling, though not a caramel custard pie per se. This old Cajun pie was a doozy to figure out because few reliable, … Continue reading Elusive Cajun Recipe: Syrup Pie
In this episode of Queer Voices I talk to Dr. Chris Belcher about her new book Pretty Baby – A Memoir, released in July 2022 by Simon & Schuster. You can listen to the episode here. About the Author Chris Belcher is a writer, professor, and former sex worker. She completed a PhD in English at the University of Southern California, where she is now Assistant Professor … Continue reading From Dominatrix to College Professor
On the sidewalk Ever notice LGBTQ couples holding hands in public? Too disturbingly often (like just this morning on 8th Avenue in Manhattan, during Pride Month, no less) I’ve noticed something that sours the sweetness. On the sidewalk two men hold hands. Tentative, self-conscious, and furtive. They look ahead. On guard. Not at each other, like adoring straight couples get to do without thinking. It … Continue reading Reason 28 why we still need Pride
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of my move to New York City, I figured I needed to make a cake. I’ve already done two chocolate cake recipes (here and here) but I am compelled to share a third with you – my Buttermilk Chocolate-Chip Cake – to appropriately mark this milestone in my life. The idea of using buttermilk in a chocolate cake only recently … Continue reading Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Cake
In this episode of Queer Voices of the South I talk with Dr. Sherry Scott about her new book, “Playhouses: Sexuality and Fundamentalism,” released in February by Black Rose Writing. Sherry Scott, MD, is a pediatrician who has practiced palliative/hospice care for children and general medicine. She founded Paris Poet’s Society and published a juried anthology of poetry and photography, “What Brings You Here,” in … Continue reading On Sexuality and Fundamentalism. My talk with Sherry Scott
In this episode of Queer Voices of the South I talk to Dr. Gregory Samantha Rosenthal about her new book Living Queer History – Remembrance and Belonging in a Southern City, released in December 2021 by the University of North Carolina Press. You can find the episode here. Gregory Samantha Rosenthal, PhD, is Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of the Public History Concentration at … Continue reading Living Queer History
In this episode of QUEER VOICES OF THE SOUTH, I talk with ANDREW J. KUNKA, who is a professor of English and division chair at the University of South Carolina Sumter. He is the author of the book Autobiographical Comics and has also published articles and book chapters on Will Eisner, Kyle Baker, Doug Moench, Jack Katz, and Dell Comics. Dr. Kunka’s new book, The … Continue reading Howard Cruse, LGBTQ Comics Trailblazer
We had a remarkable year on the Queer Voices of the South podcast. In this episode, John and I discuss the authors we talked to in 2021. You can listen to the episode here. Photo by: Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash C’est tout! M Morris Ardoin’s book, STONE MOTEL – MEMOIRS of a CAJUN BOY can be purchased through the publisher, on the independent bookseller website Indibound, or on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other … Continue reading Another Great Year in LGBTQ Books
In this episode of QUEER VOICES OF THE SOUTH, I talk with SHELBY CRISWELL, whose book QUEER AS ALL GET OUT 10 People Who’ve Inspired Me follows the daily life of one queer artist from Texas as they introduce us to the lives of ten extraordinary people. You can listen to the episode here. The author shares their life as a genderqueer person, living in … Continue reading Illustrating 10 LGBTQ+ Trailblazers
Thanksgiving week, y’all! I don’t love Thanksgiving turkey so much, but I love the side dishes. This side is my second fave (after Rice Dressing) and I like to use a recipe I developed from a childhood memory of my Aunt Versie’s version. In hers, the corn was more crumbly than other recipes I’ve tried, which end up a bit wet. Aunt Versie’s was crumbly … Continue reading T’ante Versie’s Maque Choux
I had a great talk with Chris McLaughlin about her new book, MISSISSIPPI BARKING – Hurricane Katrina and a Life That Went to the Dogs, by the University Press of Mississippi, for the podcast I cohost on the New Books Network. McLaughlin is founder and executive director of the Animal Rescue Front. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston with a BA in earth … Continue reading Chris McLaughlin’s Category 5 Heart
(Parenthetically) Speaking 