GayWisdom

Looking for a Map

Our friend, White Crane contributor, and author of Stonewall: The Riot That Sparked The Gay Revolution, David Carter sends this...

Dear Friends, The first rough cut of the full-length PBS film on the Stonewall Riots -- now one and a half hours long -- is close to being assembled and we are looking for era maps of Greenwich Village to use in the film. 

I will make inquiries at the usual and obvious archives and collections, but we all know that one can't assume that one will find the best such map in any one collection ... and that any friend who either lived in New York at the time or has moved here since and who loves the Village might have a much better map than even New York's most famous archives might own: so if any of you happen to own a map that was made in the late 1960s or early 1970s of Greenwich Village, especially one that is detailed or features the area around the Stonewall Inn, and you would be happy to share it with the world in an American Experience documentary ... please let me know.  The filmmakers are on deadline for submission of the rough cut to a film festival and need a PDF of such a map ASAP ... they'd like to receive the PDF this coming week if possible.

If you have a map that they can use and can help, please contact David at History69@aol.com or the editors at White Crane at editors@gaywisdom.org

The 2009 National LGBTI Health Summit: The Call

Announcing a Call to Action

 Please join us for

LGBTI Health Through the Life Course

The 2009 National LGBTI Health Summit,

in conjunction with the BiHealth Summit

August 14 – 18, 2009 in Chicago

 

About the Summit

The 2009 National LGBTI (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex) Health Summit is an event dedicated to preserving and improving the emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual, psychological, environmental, and social health and wellness of LGBTI people, a population that continues to experience significant health disparities because of its members’ sexual orientations and/or gender identities.

We welcome all individuals who support the health and well-being of LGBTI people as well as all members of the community (no previous health experience necessary) to explore what it means to be a healthy LGBTI person, living in a healthy LGBTI community.

 

We invite you to spend a few days in Chicago working intensively with colleagues from all over the nation and world who are grappling with similar challenges, and engage in deep thinking and extended discussion about innovative programming related to the theme of “LGBTI Health Through the Life Course.”

We are especially excited to be holding this summit in the year marking the 40^th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the event frequently cited as the beginning of the LGBTI rights movement. The Stonewall Riots was a series of spontaneous, raucous demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn of New York City. in response to a government-sponsored system that persecuted homosexuals, and started the modern gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

This summit is different from traditional health conferences. Our LGBTI Health Summits (previously in Boulder, Colorado; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and most recently in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) have been described as nurturing retreats, exciting and intense think tanks, and an event of great enlightenment. Participants come away with a renewed passion for the cause, energized and inspired to tackle the problems confronting LGBTI health and wellness.

The Summit is a chance for all participants to reach out across differences in sexual and gender identity, ethnicity, race, age, and socioeconomic status and begin to work toward common goals. We avoid a focus on celebrities and big names, and we take plenty of time to relax, have fun, and make meaningful contact with other participants.

 

We Need You

The Summit needs the input of those who face daunting questions and formidable challenges as well as those who have succeeded in creating effective programs and campaigns related to LGBTI health and wellness. We welcome activists as well as researchers, doctors as well as holistic health practitioners, religious and spiritual leaders as well as sex workers. Most of all, we request the participation of ordinary LGBTI-identified people who will share their valuable experiences, questions, and energy as we build a movement around community health and empowerment. We welcome all individuals who support the health and well-being of LGBTI people and all members of the community (no previous health experience necessary) to explore what it means to be a healthy LGBTI person, living in a healthy LGBTI community.

Registration and a call for abstracts will be announced in the first quarter of 2009. In the meantime, you can stay abreast of our work by contacting Cat Jefcoat at CatJ@howardbrown.org or Jim Pickett at JPickett@aidschicago.org. We will be disseminating information about the Summit widely as details are finalized. Please stay tuned.

Thank you, and see you in Chicago, August 14 – 18, 2009!

The Chicago Host Committee of the 2009 National LGBTI Health Summit

We've got your American Idol RIGHT HERE!

FULL-TIME PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITY WITH THE KINSEY SICKS!

What could be more thrilling? More life-changing? More fun? More nauseating?

THE JOB:

The Kinsey Sicks, America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, is seeking a serious and skilled performer for a long-term full-time commitment as an actively performing swing. We are looking for:

* Substantial stage experience
* Strong musicianship
* Great talent in comedy and comedic improvisation
* Comfort with drag performance
* Ability to portray a comic character in an ensemble context
* Ability to learn complicated 4-part vocal arrangements in limited time
* Willingness to travel, perform live, and potentially appear on screen
* Willingness to chip in on some of the less glamorous aspects of travel and performance (including stage/dressing room set-up, meeting/greeting audiences, selling merchandise after shows)
* Decent business skills, progressive politics, good communication and the ability to work in a team.

A cappella experience is a plus but not required. Being part of the Kinsey Sicks is incredibly fun. You should be too. We want you to be as excited about what we do as we are. This position is open until filled.

TO APPLY:

Send a resume to info@kinseysicks.com, along with a headshot or recent photo, plus any materials you think would help us see your skills.

AUDITIONS:

The Kinsey Sicks will be touring throughout the spring and early summer, and we will audition qualified applicants as we tour. Let us know if you can make it to any of the following places:

April 10: Cleveland, OH
April 11-12: Providence, RI
April 13-14: Lincoln, NE
April 16-18: Hamilton, NY
April 23: Richmond, KY
May 11-15: Las Vegas, NE
May 17: New Hope, PA
June 6: Dallas, TX
June 7: Salt Lake City, UT
June 14: Spokane, WA
July 11: San Francisco
July 12: Seattle

Please circulate this email among your friends who perform, or who sing in choruses, or who otherwise are exceptional talents who might fit well with the Kinsey Sicks.

WHO WE ARE:

For over 14 years, the Kinsey Sicks, America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, has served up a feast of music and comedy to audiences across the US and abroad. Combining award-winning a cappella singing, sharp satire and over-the-top drag, the Kinsey Sicks tours full time, having performed in 37 states as well as Mexico, Canada and Europe. The Kinsey Sicks have had their own Off-Broadway run at New York's legendary Studio 54 as well as an extended run in Las Vegas. They have released five CDs and are the subjects of two feature films: "I Wanna Be a Republican," released in 2006, and "Almost Infamous," slated for release in 2008. For more information, visit www.kinseysicks.

Call for Anthology Submissions

 White Crane Books is reading submissions for an anthology to be edited by Bo Young and Steve Berman entitled:

IDOL THOUGHTS: GAY MEN AND THEIR HEROES.

IDOL THOUGHTS [a working title] will be a collection of   personal essays and short fiction (as patterned after the Lambda Literary Award-finalist CHARMED LIVES published in 2006 by White Crane Books) that offer Gay authors the chance to express their admiration for historical and literary Gay figures that have inspired them, motivated them, served as role models and muses. Whether it be Michelangelo or Andy Warhol, Lord Byron or James Broughton, John Grimes or Harvey Milk, there are many figures that reaffirm our cultural and artistic sensibilities.

Essays submitted should be between 500-1,500 words in length. Fiction submitted should be between 1,000-3,500 words in length. Reprinted works are okay with editorial consent.

Submissions can be sent to submissions@gaywisdom.org or Lethepress@aol.com

White Crane Books is an imprint of Lethe Press and is funded by White Crane Institute, a 501(c)(3) foundation, that promotes the study of the role of Gay men in the evolution of society, psychology, sociology, and practice of spirituality, ritual, and religion. Since WCI is a non-profit, the editors are asking authors donate their short work to the anthology rather than offering payment for one-time anthology rights. All contributors will received two [2] copies of the book and will have a copy donated in their name to a local Gay organization of their choice.

All submissions must be received by February 1st. The book is scheduled to release in 2008.

Bo Young is a publisher, journalist, editor, poet, and publicist. In addition to publishing White Crane Journal and White Crane Books, his writings appear regularly in White Crane, and have been seen in Fine Cooking, RFD, POZ Magazine. He is the author of First Touch (White Crane Press, 1998). He lives in Brooklyn.

Steve Berman edited the Lammie Finalist anthology Charmed Lives, as well as So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction, and Magic in the Mirrorstone. His debut novel, Vintage, released to enthusiastic critical review, proved that readers enjoy good old fashioned boy-meets-ghost stories. A member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, he lives in southern New Jersey and has has sold over 80 articles and short stories of queer and weird fiction.

You Really Oughta Be In Movies...

INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

The ONE IN TEN SCREENPLAY CONTEST, a screenplay contest dedicated to the positive portrayal of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trangendered and queer individuals in film, celebrates it's 9th anniversary this year.  Entries are now being accepted online and are limited to the first 250 entries for 2007.  Executive Director, David Jensen, "We are pleased to continue the contest and are amazed with the high caliber screenplays received year after year."

The ONE IN TEN SCREENPLAY CONTEST has gained respect and notoriety from Hollywood studios, agents and producers. Entries for 2007 are being accepted online at:  www.OneInTenScreenplayContest.com

Prizes for 2007 include cash, industry exposure and merchandise.  The One In Ten Screenplay Contest is sponsored by: Cherub Productions, Final Draft, scr(i)pt magazine, www.inktip.com, and www.sellascript.com.

The submission deadline for 2007 ONE IN TEN SCREENPLAY CONTEST is September 1, 2007.  Entry forms are available online through the contest website: http://OneInTenScreenplayContest.com.  Entry forms may also be obtained through the mail by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to:

CHERUB PRODUCTIONS One In Ten Screenplay Contest, PO Box 540, Boulder, Colorado 80306

For more information contact: Mike Dean — One In Ten Screenplay Contest 303.629.3072

Friends - A Call for Submissions

"The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference."
Audre Lorde

I'm not sure who said "Friends are God's apology for family" but whoever said it could well have been speaking of Gay people. Not that every Gay person is estranged from family, but certainly there is a time in ever Gay person's life when he must consider that the loss of family is a distinct possiblity. It was, for me personally, the final decision I had to make in my move to come out -- to myself and the world: Was I willing to say goodbye to my family? Was I prepared for them to reject me entirely?

"Oh you gotta have friends!"...Bette Midler

So we are putting out a Call to readers for essays and articles, poetry and art that expresses the special relationship that "friend" represents.

"The best mirror is an old friend."

Old friends? Young friends? Boy friends? Girl friends? Do you sleep with  friends? Do we have straight friends? Can you be friends with lovers? Who's your "best friend"? What do friends mean in your life? How many friends have you lost? How do you make new friends? In a community, like ours, that is constantly coming out of erasure, from generation to generation, are friendships how we keep the palimpsest readable?

Do GLBT people have a different idea about friendship?

Do we have something new to add to the discussion?

Tell us all about your friends.

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one."       C.S. Lewis