Shade: An Anthology of Fiction by Gay Men of African Descent

by Bruce Morrow (Editor), L. Phillip Richardson, G. Winston James

In the Black gay literary tradition that includes such gifted American writers as James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Countee Cullen, Shade is the first anthology devoted exclusively to fiction by contemporary Black gay writers. Powerful and often stunning, the stories in Shade are so brilliant they will cast a long shadow for years to come.

Genres: LGBT, Anthologies, Gay Fiction

348 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Bruce Morrow has been known for years by thousands of radio fans as Cousin Brucie

Reviews

[George Ilsley]

I read this one back in the late 1990's but cannot really remember it. Recently re-read it.

Enjoyed it. Most of the pieces still feel timely and current. Especially enjoyed the story “Wash Me” by Randall Kenan.
Introduction by the amazing Samuel R. Delaney.

And today, as I revisit this anthology, I discover that Randall Kenan has just died. So many people die way too young. ❤️💜🖤

[Wade]

I wish there were more. I was delighted, disturbed, engrossed, and engaged by this collection. Without putting my academic cap on, I couldn't say that there were specific common themes - but I appreciated the way the book highlights the varied backgrounds, experiences, and narrative voices of the Black gay authors who are included here.

[Jeff Keith]

SHADE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FICTION BY GAY MEN OF AFRICAN DESCENT
JEFF KEITH’S COMMENTS, SUMMER OF 2021: [three stars] Collection of 22 stories. I have had this book for a while, but didn’t find time to read it until the pandemic hit. The author’s choice seems kind of weird to me at times; some the stories are not on gay subjects, and other ones are simply boring. I will describe a few of the best ones. Many of these authors have written a lot of fiction, so this book could be useful in finding their other writings.
Spice, by A. Cinqué Hicks (pretty good): out gay man prepares for a small dinner party with his mother and resents having to be in the closet.
Nobody Gets Hurt, by Bennett Capers (pretty good, but sad): two young guys have been soul mates and sex partners for years; one gets married unhappily and the other one starts acting out.
Twilight at the Equator, by Jaime Manrique (GOOD; 27 pages long; is this part of his novel of the same name?) Afro-Colombian man goes home to the Caribbean coast for a visit. [1] goes to a gay bar with friends; [2] goes to visit his grandmother and cousins way up in the country.
Your Mother from Cleveland, by Bil Wright (GOOD): drag performer dies, and a neighbor/fan goes to the funeral, is horrified to see her body in an open casket dressed in male-type clothing.
Powers That Be, by L. Phillip Richardson (GOOD, but sad): a young gay man in New York is unemployed and kind of directionless, longing for love, burying his sorrows in lightweight drug use.
Church, by G. Winston James (pretty good, but sad): a gay man who has led an exciting life is back in his hometown, goes to church with his mom; called to the front in welcome, says he is terminally ill; people bless him, and his mother eventually cries out that she won’t let AIDS take away her love for her son.
The Pool, by K. Anthony Appiah (GOOD, 24 pages long): a gay man has moved from a Caribbean island to the USA and become a music professor; goes home on summer vacation and has cautious gay adventures with visiting North Americans.
My Son, My Heart, My Life, by John R. Keene, Jr. (good, I guess, 24 pages long): thirteen-year-old Black/Puerto Rican boy in Boston has gay fantasies; his brother was killed in drug trafficking; on the way to school one morning, he gets molested and is ambivalent about it.
Wash Me, by Randall Kenan (GOOD): college student from rural North Carolina goes home on vacation and works with relatives in the tobacco fields, staying closeted and so on.
All, Nothing, by Bruce Morrow (GOOD, but a little sad): set in New York during the AIDS years; a lonely professional African American man looking for love finds an interesting new friend, a mostly unavailable young Dominican man.
Citre et Trans, by Samuel R. Delany (GOOD, longest story in the book at 32 pages): bisexual African American man in his 20s has various adventures in Greece, mostly with Europeans; references in the story date this as the 1960s.

[Tama Wise]

Without a heck of a lot of fiction (actually, next to none) dealing with gay Polynesian males, I have to either make my own, or cling to what little fiction there is about gay African American males, of which there is at least a bit more. The quality stuff is hard to find, but when it comes in short story format, it's ok, you can pick and choose as you want.