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Confessions of an Elder-in-Training

by iralax

Join this unique interactive take on the passage of time we’re all trying to understand and make the most of. Local musician and workshop leader Jeanne Mackey offers a rare blend of emotional intensity, wry humor, and social commentary as she shares stories, songs, and reflections on the aging process. This adventurous gathering will be at the Downtown Library on Wed., Jan. 30, 7-8:30 pm.

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2012 LGBT Books

by pkooger

It seems impossible, but we’re already a couple weeks into the new year. Before 2012 fades into the mists entirely, let’s take a look back at some of the best books containing LGBT subject matter the year had to offer. May 2013 bring us many, many more excellent additions!

The Hunger Angel – The haunting story of a young gay man forced to work in a Soviet gulag just before the end of World War II. Herta Muller (winner of the 2009 Nobel prize for literature) writes with an unmatched intensity and beauty in describing the stark world of her characters.

In One PersonJohn Irving returns to the themes that he writes so well about in his previous novels, namely New England, great writers, and forbidden sex. His latest book tells the story of a boy growing up in an all-male prep school, discovering the true nature of his family and his past.

Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?Dan Bucatinsky offers his own humorous observations on parenting and family life in a family with two dads.

These Things Happen – Wesley’s best friend gets elected as class president and immediately comes out during his acceptance speech, which is rather a surprise to Wesley. Wesley’s adventures in adolescence make for an entertaining read.

A Sense of Direction – This autobiography follows the author, a self-proclaimed slacker, as he goes on several pilgrimages around the world in search of his life’s direction.

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Mom & Dad.....I'm Gay

by Beth Manuel

Thursday November 29, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Traverwood Branch: Program Room

When a child confides these words to a parent, they can totally transform the relationship. Whether that transformation results in a closer bond or a broken one is entirely dependent upon the parent's ability to accept, nurture and honor the child, whatever his or her sexual orientation. Join us and author Anne Dohrenwend at the Traverwood Branch as she shares insights from her book, Coming Around. Coming Around is an uplifting resource for understanding and coming to terms with a child’s sexual orientation and maintaining a dialogue between parent & child. With compassion and wisdom, Dohrenwend addresses parents' fears regarding what to say and what not to say, bigotry and social and religious prejudice, the legal issues facing LGBT individuals and how to understand homophobia. Dr. Dohrenwend will be there to sell and sign books as well.

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2013 Rainbow Project Nominations

by pkooger

All the nominations are in for the 2013 Rainbow Book List! Each year the Rainbow Books project of the American Library Association selects a list of top-notch books for young people (0-18 years) that contain honest depictions of LGBTQ people and themes. For a complete list of AADL’s holdings, click here. These are a few of my favorites so far.

Batwoman, Volume 1: Hydrology – Kate Kane tracks down a spectral child abductor. Little does she know, she is being tracked herself, by a government agent intent on unmasking Batwoman.

The Song of Achilles – Patroclus falls in love with his friend Achilles and follows him to war. Madeline Miller explores the relationships between several key players of Homer’s Iliad.

Tell The Wolves I’m Home – June’s uncle Finn is her best friend, but he is cruelly taken from her by AIDS. Carol Rifka Brunt deftly examines the simmering tensions and deep love present in any family, especially one dealing with tragedy.

DramaRaina Telgemeier’s graphic novel follows the hijinks of Callie and the theater department as they muddle through puberty, love, and line memorization.

The Rainbow Book List will be finalized in January, so stay tuned to see which books make the cut!

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Her Life

by pkooger

The past year has given us a number of excellent LGBT stories, especially from the L and the T. From graphic novels to memoirs to teen fiction, check out one of these incredible stories. You won't be able to put it down.

Are You My Mother?, by Alison Bechdel - Bechdel's amazing 2006 graphic novel, Fun Home, told the story of her relationship with her father and her experiences growing up with him. Are You My Mother gives the same treatment to her other parent. With references to Virginia Woolf and various psychotherapists, Bechdel's recollections are as literary and allusive as they are fascinating.

Pariah - Alike is a 17-year-old living in Brooklyn with her mom, dad, and sister. She is starting to embrace her identity as a lesbian, but this causes tension between her mother and father who differ in their attitudes toward their daughter. Alike's home life and her friends constitute two different worlds, and her struggle to reconcile the two is heartfelt and compelling. This critically acclaimed film currently boasts a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, by Jeanette Winterson - Winterson recounts the story of her early life, growing up with a fanatical mother obsessed with hell and damnation, not unlike the mother character in Carrie. She tells of finding shelter in her local library, discovering poetry and the world of words, and eventually becoming an author herself. This book is a fascinating autobiography of a leading lesbian author. Don't miss it.

Albert Nobbs - The titular character, played by Glenn Close, lives in 19th century Ireland, a time and place unwelcoming of independent women. Nobbs is living the life of a man, working as a butler in an upper class hotel. Nobbs maintains an introverted personality in order to prevent any discovery of the nature of her gender, but when other employees of the hotel get too close, her carefully constructed walls are compromised.

The Difference Between You and Me, by Madeleine George - Two very different high-school girls, Jesse, a politically active outsider, and Emily, a popular girl on the student's council, have been having clandestine meetings in the third-floor library bathroom to kiss. The"opposites attract" formula is put to the test when the two find themselves on opposing sides of a battle about a megastore threatening to crowd out local businesses. This is smart, thoughtful writing that will entertain, but also make teens (and adults) think.

Happy Accidents, by Jane Lynch - Fans of Tina Fey's Bossypants will be tempted to assume the two comedian-penned memoirs are similar, but Lynch's book is less jokey and more personal. She tells it all, from her teenage alcohol abuse to her success as a popular actress. Jane Lynch has led an amazing life, and I'm happy she put it all down on paper for our enjoyment.

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LGBT Chorus: Confessions on a Choir Stage

by Stewart

January 20 and 21, 8 pm, Towsley Auditorium, Washtenaw Community College

Join the Out Loud Chorus for a retrospective of their favorites. Out Loud is Washtenaw County's original LGBT chorus. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, $5 for students, and free for the unemployed. Director Dan Gerics leads the chorus.

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Comfort & Joy

by muffy

British journalist India Knight's semi-biographical novel Comfort and Joy (2011) is "clearly warm-hearted holiday fun".

Christmas is the most important holiday for Clara Dunphy (a follow-up to My Life on a Plate, 2000). She demands nothing short of "perfect" for her family and friends, never mind family these days means 2 ex-husbands, 3 children, sisters, parents, in-laws, out-laws and sundry hangers-on. So on a frantic and rainy Dec. 23, after fighting the crowds on Oxford Street, a giant cocktail in the swanky hotel bar sounds like just the reward she deserves before heading home to a houseful of guests. But then a handsome stranger asks her to stay for another drink. Oh well, all good intentions...

As we follows Clara, "a witty, blackly funny everywoman" through three successive Christmases, we witness changing roles and shifting family dynamics. Well-paced dialogue and amusing and insightful anecdotes captures the spirit of the season while giving us a glimpse into one modern family's struggle with children, marital turmoil, and materialism.

In Kristin Hannah's Comfort & Joy (2005), recently divorced and having no family of her own, Joy Candellaro is beginning to dream of a new life with widower Daniel O'Shea and his son, Bobby, until a fateful Christmas Eve forces her to make a painful choice. A modern-day fairy tale of a woman who gets a miraculous chance at happiness.

I first read Jim Grimsley's memorable and moving Comfort & Joy in 1999. It is still one my favorite to revisit at Christmas time.

Ford McKinney is a devastatingly handsome, successful doctor, raised in an old Savannah family among good breeding and money. His longtime boyfriend, Dan Crell, is a shy hospital administrator with a painful childhood past. When the holidays arrive, they decide it's time to go home together. But the depth of their commitment is tested when Ford's parents cannot reconcile themselves to their son's choices. "Grimsley triumphs in (this) novel in which two unlikely lovers must reconcile what is expected of them with what they know in their hearts is right."

Wishing you comfort and joy this holiday season...

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2012 Rainbow Project Book Nominations

by pkooger

The Rainbow Project presents an annual bibliography of quality books with significant and authentic GLBTQ content, which are recommended for people from birth through eighteen years of age. The list is created each year by the GLBT Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the ALA. Check out the Rainbow Project’s website for a full list of the 2012 nominations. For a list of the nominated books held by AADL, click here.

Donovan’s Big Day: A beautifully illustrated picture book about a young boy and his determination to do everything just right on his parents’ wedding day.

Huntress: Prequel to the critically acclaimed Ash. Two teenage girls, a warrior and a sage, undertake a dangerous journey to the city of the Fairy Queen to save their world from destruction.

Gay in America: A photographic survey of gay men of all walks of life from across the country.

I am J: One of the best books ever written about the complicated life and relationships of a transgender teen.

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My Right Self: Color Portraiture and Documentary Photography Exploring Issues of Gender and Identity

by monkk

My Right Self will be on display at the Michigan Union from November 14 - 20 and at the Hatcher Graduate Library December 2 - January 2. The exhibit reveals transgender issues and rights that are particularly relevant to contemporary questions of social justice and human rights. These images and accompanying text are meant to confront and dispel myths and misperceptions around marginalized and disenfranchised communities. For more information please contact thl-outreach@umich.edu.

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Coming Out, Standing Up

by pkooger

Expertly turned phrases and pithy remarks have long been the sword and shield of LGBT people making their way through life. Look no further than Oscar Wilde and Gertrude Stein, the patron saints of savage wit and wisdom. Today is National Coming Out Day, when we are encouraged to celebrate being out and open about ourselves. Nobody does this as well as the wielders of words, the Valkyries of verbosity, the champions of chortling, the legends of laughter. I’m talking of course, about gay and lesbian comedians, people who make a business of opening their lives up to other people and encouraging laughter.

The diversity of LGBT folks is reflected in the wide variety of comedic performers. You couldn’t get much more opposite than the prim and proper English archetype Stephen Fry and the extremely raunchy John Waters.
Matt Lucas is a sketch comedian most famous for his series Little Britain.
Margaret Cho is most well known for her hilarious stand-up routines, but she also has a hand in fashion design, music videos, and social activism.
Wanda Sykes, named one of the 25 funniest people in America by Entertainment Weekly, has been doing comedy in television and films as well as on-stage for the past two decades.
Oh, and then there’s this comedian named Ellen. Maybe you’ve heard of her?