Excerpt of the week

Hi all,

This week’s excerpt will come from the back of a DVD case.  Albeit odd sounding, it’s just a friendly reminder that besides our collection of over 4000 books (which you can peruse through our online catalogue here:  http://www.librarything.com/catalog/outontheshelves ) we also have an impressive collection of queer related and gay themed VHS (for those who still own a VHS player) and DVDs.  From movies to documentaries to dramas to collections of television series to romantic comedies to this week’s excerpt from Kathy Griffin’s Allegedly (& much more)!

For those who aren’t familiar with Kathy Griffin, she’s an actress/comedian/writer/producer who is an outspoken supporter for LGBT rights.

Allegedly by Kathy Griffin

Her all new full-length totally uncensored concert DVD!

In this hilarious stand-up performance filmed live in 2004, the D-List Diva unleashes on her stint as a red carpet host at the VH1 Fashion Awards, her USO tour of Afghanistan, being a guest at Brooke Shields’ wedding, battling Barbara Walters on live television and much more.  From dishing the dirt on Gwyneth to getting groped by an alcoholic celebrity mom, this is Kathy Griffin at her outrageous best:  Pissing off everybody, naming names and telling tales out of school like never before!

So grab a partner (or your friends), grab some popcorn, and grab some tissues as you wipe away your tears while laughing out loud to Allegedly!

As always, please feel free to come on down and check out what other books and media we have in our library!

Excerpt of the week

Hi all,

This week’s excerpt is from the book entitled Like Coming Home: Coming-Out Letters edited by Meg Umans.  It is a collection of coming out letters submitted by various people all over the United States.  Although published in 1988, the content of the letters still contain the same heartfelt messages as they do today: of  love, courage, honesty, and acceptance.

Dear Family,

We agreed not to exchange Christmas gifts this year, but I still have a gift I wish to give to you.  The gift of honesty.  Some of you already know what it is I want to share with you.  Others may have guessed, but still it is important to me that I share this with you so that there never again has to be any dishonesty or pretending.

I am a lesbian.  I have been for as long as I can remember.  Please believe that I am not telling you this to hurt you or upset you.  I don’t even ask that you approve of my lifestyle.  I only ask you to believe that I am the same sister that you have always known, that I still love you as I have always and I ask you to accept that I am gay.

I am not writing this to you because I am ashamed or afraid to talk to you about this.  I want to talk to you and answer your questions if I can.  I also have books you can read if you are interested.  I have wanted to talk to you all for so long now, but we see so little of each other that the opportunity just never seemed to present itself.

I wonder how this letter has made you feel.  I’m sure it was as difficult for you to read as it was for me to write.  In my heart I believe that no matter how you feel about my homosexuality, you will still love me.  Always trusting what is in my heart is what has given me the strength to write this letter and share this fact of my life with you.

I told mom and dad almost a year ago.  We cried and talked that day.  I have given mom a book to read.  Mom and dad never said anything to me since so I don’t really know how they are dealing with this.  Perhaps now that you know, they will be able to share their feelings with you.

I want to know how you feel.  Please talk to me whenever you are ready.  I think we all have questions we need to have answered.

I love you,

Ilene

If you want to read the rest of this book or see what other books and media we have, please feel free to come on down to our library!

Audre Lord

Audre Lord is amazing! (Not just because she was a poet librarian!) We have several titles of hers at the library! Come on in and take a look around!

Recreation

By Audre Lorde

Coming together

it is easier to work

after our bodies

meet

paper and pen

neither care nor profit

whether we write or not

but as your body moves

under my hands

charged and waiting

we cut the leash

you create me against your thighs

hilly with images

moving through our word countries

my body

writes into your flesh

the poem

you make of me.

Touching you I catch midnight

as moon fires set in my throat

I love you flesh into blossom

I made you

and take you made

into me.

Obama’s Not Gay, But Some People Are Sure Mad

Obama recently came out in support of gay marriage in the States. Let the backlash begin:

Excerpt of the week

Hi all,

With Comicon right around the corner (taking place this Sunday, May 13th from 11am to 5pm at Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street; admission is $4), hopefully you all won’t be tired of yet another (queer) comic in anticipation of this upcoming event.

This comic is created by Alison Bechdel and is called Dykes to Watch Out For.  The comic itself is mostly about the lives of a broad range of characters (mostly lesbian).

We have a nice collection of her Dykes to Watch Out For comics here in our library, along with other books and media, so please feel free to come on down and check them out!

For more info on the Vancouver Comicon you can go here: http://www.vancouvercomiccon.com/

For more info on Alison Bechdel and Dykes to Watch Out For you can visit her web page here: http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/

Also, don’t forget, we’ll be selling comics at Comicon, generously donated to us, with all proceeds benefiting QMUNITY!  Comics include Star Trek, Star Wars and classic 1980s/90s Marvel and DC series.

We wish you all a fabulous day at Comicon and a Happy Mother’s Day!

Dreamspinner Press Sale

Newsflash!

Dreamspinner Press, a gay romantic fiction publisher based in Frisco, Texas, is having a sale! For their 5th anniversary celebration, they are offering a 35% discount on all works by authors signed during the company’s second year of business. There are ebook and dead tree formats available in a wide variety of genres (including Steampunk!) and they do ship to Canada.

The sale is only on from May 6-12, 2012 so check them out now and show some support for small presses and queer authors!

Excerpt of the week

Hi all,

This week will be an excerpt from Me, by Ricky Martin.   I believe he shouldn’t need much introduction.  However, if you haven’t heard of him before, go look for a music video of “Livin’ la Vida Loca”!  But anyways, back to the book – in Ricky’s own words, this book has “allowed me to explore the different paths and experiences that have led me to be who I am today.”

It was around that time that the universe put another great love in my path – one of those loves in which you immerse your entire body and soul, and this time it was a man, for whom I almost gave it all up.

We met at a radio station, and from the moment we met it was like a meeting of souls – at least that’s the way I saw it.

…

When I visited him, we were literally inseparable.  At night, he would go to work at the radio station, and I would stay in bed listening to his voice, while he would send me subtle messages over the airwaves.  It was especially meaningful to me because I had always been the one who did the pursuing.

…

Honestly, no one had ever sent me coded messages over the radio before!  It was very original and very romantic.  During the days I would do whatever I could to be with him and court him, but at night he would counteract on the radio.  Without anyone noticing, he would play certain songs and say certain things that only I could understand.  He would scream his love out to me over the airwaves, but the really incredible, powerful, magnificent, and devastating thing about it was that only I knew it.

…

Once I even suggested we both run away and leave everything behind to go live together somewhere… Asia, Europe, anywhere. We were young and I truly felt that the best thing we could do was to leave our worlds behind and move in together.  I didn’t care about my career or what would happen if I told the whole world I was gay.  Nothing else mattered.

If you are interested in this book, or are curious about what other celebrity biographies we have (Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O’Donnell, Elton John – to name a few), please feel free to come on down and check out what other media and books we have in our library!

Webcomic: I Was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space

I Was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space

So bi-weekly may have been ambitious. Apologies all around! And with those apologies I bring you a fun, quirky lesbian science fiction comic by Megan Rose Gedris.

The title really says it all here. The story begins when Susie, a hapless secretary, is (surprise) kidnapped by lesbian pirates from outer space. As she travels with the motley crew, she becomes part of the team and slowly opens her mind to her own sexuality.

The art style mimics comics from the fifties/sixties. Though it starts out a little shaky, it really embraces that retro style in Chapter 10, when the artist begins “aging” the pages so that they look like “something you found in your grandparents’ attic.

If you’re looking for something a little off the wall with a ton of positive lesbian content, this is definitely for you. It is equal parts humour, romance and science fiction. The story is light, the art is unique and women are portrayed with a variety of body types. As of this post, there are fifteen chapters completed (but be warned, the update schedule is highly erratic.) So what are you waiting for?

Oh! Maybe you’re waiting for this…. This post is a twofer as Megan Rose has written another lesbian comic which wrapped up in 2010: YU+ME: dream. I’ve got to admit, this one was a little too surreal for my tastes. When I tried to read it a few years ago, I had trouble following the plot, but now that it’s finished and you don’t have to wait for updates, I bet it reads through a lot smoother. Give it a shot!

Excerpt of the week

Hi all,

 
This week’s excerpt will be coming from Out of the Ordinary:  Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents with editors, Noelle Howey and Ellen Samuels.  As the title illustrates, Out of the Ordinary is an anthology of essays written by grown children of lesbian, gay, and transgender parents covering a variety of topics, themes, and issues ranging from dealing with a parent’s sexuality to overcoming homophobia at school.  More importantly, it examines love, family, and relationships and tells of learning, understanding, and acceptance.

She’ll Always Be My Daddy
by Laurie Cicotello

When MacGregor and I walked out of the theater after seeing Back to the Future on Halloween night, it was pouring rain.  I called my dad from the pay phone in the lobby and asked him to come pick us up.

“I can’t,” he said.

“Why not?” I demanded, unhappy at the thought of walking home in the downpour.  I persisted until he finally stammered, “I can’t because… because I’m dressed as Dana.”

“That’s okay,” I answered, feeling relieved that it was Halloween.  “MacGregor will think it’s only a costume.”  After convincing my reluctant father to come get us, I coached MacGregor on what was going to happen.  A few minutes later, my dad arrived, dressed in an expensive pink running suit with daisies appliquéd on the front and wearing matching pink tennis shoes.

“Nice costume, Mr. Cicotello,” MacGregor said.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

To read the rest of “She’ll Always Be My Daddy,” or see what other wonderful essays exist in the book, be sure to check out Out of the Ordinary!

As always, please feel free to come on down and check out what other media and books we have in our library!

Qmunity Fundraiser at Vancouver Comicon May 13!

Come buy some comics! All proceeds will go to benefit Qmunity!

A very generous member moved and donated his huge collection to us to sell to support Qmunity. The comics are not LGBTQ themed, unfortunately, but we have some valuable ones to sell at bargain prices!

Come see us at:

HERITAGE HALL

3102 MAIN ST VANCOUVER