Craig Laurance Gidney's Blog, page 52
October 22, 2013
#DiversityInSFF Roundup: Some Links
Reblogged from thenerdsofcolor: The #DiversityInSFF hashtag gave a solid signal boost to the longstanding, often-ignored, ever-trolled, much-needed convos about race and gender, privilege and science fiction/fantasy that have been going on since the dawn of time. For a few weeks twitter was all aflame with debates, links and related shenanigans. We have these convos, increasingly […]
Racial Discrimation in the DC LGBT Community: A Game of Cards
Last night I attended a panel discussion about racial discrimination in the DC gay bar scene, put together by the Rainbow History Project. (The discussion was held in the Thurgood Marshall Center, that had formerly served as the “Colored” YMCA back in the day; Langston Hughes used to room there). Many bars and clubs used […]
October 21, 2013
The Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan: the secret history of Chocolate City
DC in the 80s was a hellish place. It was a city plagued by poverty, murder and the scourge of the Crack Epidemic. I was shipped off to high school in nearby Maryland during that time, where my mostly white and affluent classmates would marvel that I lived in the sordid mess that was the […]
October 18, 2013
My horror story Tinkerwench is set in the gay circuit boy scene of the 90s. A tale of #addiction and #desire.
Tinkerwench is a horror story, written from the point of view of a club drug. It was written in the late 90s, when Ecstasy and Crystal Meth (or “Tina”) were in the gay club scene. At the time, my (ex) roommate was in the full swing of a meth addiction. Filed under: Fiction Tagged: circuit […]
October 15, 2013
New Flash Fiction: Black Jesus on Velvet by Craig Laurance Gidney
I’ve posted a prose poem, Black Jesus on Velvet, over on Wattpad. Enjoy! Filed under: Book Reviews Tagged: flash fiction, prose poem, wattpad
Lois Lenski, the John Steinbeck of children’s literature: regional tales of diversity and classism
Strawberry Girl was the first novel I read by children’s book author and illustrator Lois Lenski (October 14, 1893 – September 11, 1974). I read the book in the fifth grade in secret, because with its pink cover, not to mention title, was girly. At the time, I was in the process of reading books […]
October 10, 2013
American Horror Story: Coven, Ep. 1; Grand Guignol, High Camp and the Spectacle of Black Suffering
I loved American Horror Story: Asylum. It was an excessive mess of Grand Guignol horror and over the top campyness. The new season, subtitled Coven, debuted last night. True to form,It was luridly disturbing. Race and rape and gendered tropes abounded; it is unclear whether the story is subversive or not. Catfights, and scenery-chewing competed […]
October 8, 2013
Othering or 50 Shades of Chocolate. Food as metaphor for skin-tone.
I admit-it often takes me a while to absorb certain concepts and critiques. I was first made aware of the ways of describing skin tone as food (spices and coffee and chocolate) in a writing workshop. A fellow workshopped found an instance of it in my story. I filed the critique away for future examination. […]
October 7, 2013
October 2013: New POC YA Release
Reblogged from Crazy QuiltEdi: I searched and searched until I could search no more! 7 days late, I had to get this up. So, please!! let me know what I've missed! The other side of free by Krista Russell; Peatree Press 1 Oct It is 1739. Young Jem has been rescued from slavery and finds […]
October 4, 2013
NEW FREE FICTION: Thy Father’s Lies by Craig Laurance Gidney
My story, Thy Father’s Lies, is now up on Wattpad. This is a postcolonial fantasy, a sort of prequel to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, told from the spirit Ariel’s point of view. Ariel is my favorite Shakespearean character, so in a way, this is a piece of fan fiction. Enjoy! Filed under: Fiction Tagged: ariel, […]
