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BAQWA Presents: Two
Sit down and kick your feet up with your favorite warm beverage for fall. It's time for you to enjoy stories and poetry that reflect the number two.
The Bay Area Queer Writers Association is proud to present this year's collection of short stories and poetry featuring authors: M.D. Neu, R.L. Merrill, Liz Faraim, K.S. Trenten, Wayne Goodman, Richard May, Gar McVey-Russell, Vincent Traughber Meis, Michael Alenyikov, and Kelliane Parker. Sometimes you need to be able to sit back and let the words from the pages wash over you. See how these amazing authors spotlight the number 'two' in each of their works.
All proceeds from this limited-time anthology will be donated to the Lavender Library and Archives in Sacramento, California.
The Bay Area Queer Writers Association is proud to present this year's collection of short stories and poetry featuring authors: M.D. Neu, R.L. Merrill, Liz Faraim, K.S. Trenten, Wayne Goodman, Richard May, Gar McVey-Russell, Vincent Traughber Meis, Michael Alenyikov, and Kelliane Parker. Sometimes you need to be able to sit back and let the words from the pages wash over you. See how these amazing authors spotlight the number 'two' in each of their works.
All proceeds from this limited-time anthology will be donated to the Lavender Library and Archives in Sacramento, California.
178 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2022
3 people want to read
About the author
M.D. Neu
29 books124 followersM.D. Neu is an award-winning inclusive gay Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock, Harvey Fierstein, Anne Rice, and Kim Stanley Robinson. An odd combination, but one that has influenced his writing.
Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.
When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric his husband of twenty plus years.
Growing up in an accepting family as a gay man he always wondered why there were never stories reflecting who he was. Constantly surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, M.D. Neu decided he wanted to change that. So, he took to writing, wanting to tell good stories that reflected our diverse world.
When M.D. Neu isn’t writing, he works for a non-profit and travels with his biggest supporter and his harshest critic, Eric his husband of twenty plus years.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 21, 2022
“CAN YOU GIVE ME TWO?”
Once again, as with their horror collection of 2021, the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) has assembled a fine collection of short stories. And, they’ve added poetry to this year’s collection. The theme of this year’s collection is “Two.” All of the eight short stories in BAQWA Presents: Two are about the relationships between two men or two women. An author may provide a brief introduction and an afterword to a story or a poem.
Wayne Goodman begins the collection with a short, hopeful, eight-line poem titled “Give Me Two.” The collection then takes off with M. D. Neu’s “Nightingale’s Heart.” Rakim is the bodyguard for Aza, a popular performer who packs arenas. Rakim is quite enamored of Aza. Does Aza feel the same way about Rakim? The nuances in the banter between the two are captivating.
R. L. Merrill’s “Lonely in a Cupertino ADU” consists of hilarious Reddit posts. The posters have clever aliases, such as Babelon Five, Glairvoyant, and DudeBro69. In the story by Liz Faraim, “Better than One,” the narrator meets Gloria on the train and gets more than she bargained for. Wayne Goodman’s intriguing “Stag Station” takes place in an isolated lighthouse. The narrator is an assistant to Platon, the mysterious lighthouse keeper. In Richard May’s “Harlan Adam’s Neck,” a painter is fascinated by the thick neck of a man who turns out to be a famous movie star. He paints the man’s portrait and his life will never be the same.
Gar McVey-Russell’s “Dear Beloved Comrade” describes the difficulties a Black American and a North Korean experience in maintaining a relationship, particularly their constant search for privacy. “Two Visitors” by Vincent Traughber Meis is a powerful story about a Muslim man’s repression of his real nature. In Michael Alenyikov’s sensitively written “Communion,” a gay couple takes a day trip to Fire Island on a December Saturday to fly a kite. The kite string serves as a metaphor for the dynamics of their relationship.
I love these lines from Kelliane Parker’s poem “Meet You at Tau Herculid”: “What if Mercury did it’s [sic] bide? / or Venus clam-shelled on Neptune’s shore? / if Jupiter’s moons applauded?” K. S. Trenten’s poem “Two” is mesmerizing with its alternation of the lines “One becomes two” and “Two becomes one.”
One quibble: The book is riddled with copy editing errors. One of the more laughable is the following: “He was a mouth and Aza was the flame.” Also, whenever the letter “d” appears in a sentence that is in italics, it appears as a black oval.
I would like to quote a random line from each of the stories, out of context, of course, to give a hint of the flavor of the author’s writing and to pique readers’ interests in the stories.
M. D. Neu, “Nightingale’s Heart”: “What was the point of leaving a place in fear if you embraced the same rules and prejudices that you fled?”
R. L. Merrill, “Lonely in a Cupertino ADU”: “#AITA for using questionable methods to find a date?”
Liz Faraim, “Better than One”: “I shook my head and cynically chastised myself for engaging with a rando on the train.”
Wayne Goodman, “Stag Station”: “I know what I wanted but wanted what I know.”
Richard May, “Harlan Adam’s Neck”: “We met over avocadoes at Harvest Market.”
Gar McVey-Russell, “Dear Beloved Comrade”: “I hope he didn’t have to pay the price for it.”
Vincent Traughber Meis, “Two Visitors”: “He was so ignorant about sex he went to his brother the night before his wedding, asking him what to do.”
Michael Alenyikov, “Communion”: “The ferry to the island is half full; men, mostly, with fading tans and perfect haircuts.”
BAQWA Presents: Two is an entertaining collection of queer stories and poetry. I wanted more, much more.
Once again, as with their horror collection of 2021, the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) has assembled a fine collection of short stories. And, they’ve added poetry to this year’s collection. The theme of this year’s collection is “Two.” All of the eight short stories in BAQWA Presents: Two are about the relationships between two men or two women. An author may provide a brief introduction and an afterword to a story or a poem.
Wayne Goodman begins the collection with a short, hopeful, eight-line poem titled “Give Me Two.” The collection then takes off with M. D. Neu’s “Nightingale’s Heart.” Rakim is the bodyguard for Aza, a popular performer who packs arenas. Rakim is quite enamored of Aza. Does Aza feel the same way about Rakim? The nuances in the banter between the two are captivating.
R. L. Merrill’s “Lonely in a Cupertino ADU” consists of hilarious Reddit posts. The posters have clever aliases, such as Babelon Five, Glairvoyant, and DudeBro69. In the story by Liz Faraim, “Better than One,” the narrator meets Gloria on the train and gets more than she bargained for. Wayne Goodman’s intriguing “Stag Station” takes place in an isolated lighthouse. The narrator is an assistant to Platon, the mysterious lighthouse keeper. In Richard May’s “Harlan Adam’s Neck,” a painter is fascinated by the thick neck of a man who turns out to be a famous movie star. He paints the man’s portrait and his life will never be the same.
Gar McVey-Russell’s “Dear Beloved Comrade” describes the difficulties a Black American and a North Korean experience in maintaining a relationship, particularly their constant search for privacy. “Two Visitors” by Vincent Traughber Meis is a powerful story about a Muslim man’s repression of his real nature. In Michael Alenyikov’s sensitively written “Communion,” a gay couple takes a day trip to Fire Island on a December Saturday to fly a kite. The kite string serves as a metaphor for the dynamics of their relationship.
I love these lines from Kelliane Parker’s poem “Meet You at Tau Herculid”: “What if Mercury did it’s [sic] bide? / or Venus clam-shelled on Neptune’s shore? / if Jupiter’s moons applauded?” K. S. Trenten’s poem “Two” is mesmerizing with its alternation of the lines “One becomes two” and “Two becomes one.”
One quibble: The book is riddled with copy editing errors. One of the more laughable is the following: “He was a mouth and Aza was the flame.” Also, whenever the letter “d” appears in a sentence that is in italics, it appears as a black oval.
I would like to quote a random line from each of the stories, out of context, of course, to give a hint of the flavor of the author’s writing and to pique readers’ interests in the stories.
M. D. Neu, “Nightingale’s Heart”: “What was the point of leaving a place in fear if you embraced the same rules and prejudices that you fled?”
R. L. Merrill, “Lonely in a Cupertino ADU”: “#AITA for using questionable methods to find a date?”
Liz Faraim, “Better than One”: “I shook my head and cynically chastised myself for engaging with a rando on the train.”
Wayne Goodman, “Stag Station”: “I know what I wanted but wanted what I know.”
Richard May, “Harlan Adam’s Neck”: “We met over avocadoes at Harvest Market.”
Gar McVey-Russell, “Dear Beloved Comrade”: “I hope he didn’t have to pay the price for it.”
Vincent Traughber Meis, “Two Visitors”: “He was so ignorant about sex he went to his brother the night before his wedding, asking him what to do.”
Michael Alenyikov, “Communion”: “The ferry to the island is half full; men, mostly, with fading tans and perfect haircuts.”
BAQWA Presents: Two is an entertaining collection of queer stories and poetry. I wanted more, much more.
November 17, 2022
I’m proud to have my fairytale-inspired poem in such company. The theme of Two connects us all, taking on many forms in the imaginations and creative endeavors of various members of BAQWA, brought together in this anthology by Wayne Goodman. For M.D. Neu, it’s the story of a celebrity and their private security guard, having to peer past the clouds of insecurity to see each other’s feelings. For R.L. Merrill, it’s a hilarious tale in the form of a forum chat where many voices come together, offering help and insight to a member dealing with a botched summoning and two estranged demons. For Liz Faraim, two very different women end up inhabiting the same body, sharing a life. For Wayne Goodman, a job in isolation proves the perfect relief for loneliness, given the company available. For Richard May, an artist shies away from romance with a former star, even though the actor’s neck inspires him to temptation and creativity. For Gar McVey-Russell, forbidden love blossoms in a carefully orchestrated act which unfurls like a mystery. For Vincent Traughber Meis, it’s the outpouring of a lonely soul trapped in squalid conditions, visited by the ghosts of his past whom make certain he’s never alone. For Michael Alenyikov, it’s the sweet uncertainty of one becoming two as two men contemplate getting closer. For Kelliane Parker, it’s a beautiful selection of poems exploring intimacy, love, and the state of two becoming one. As for me, K.S. Trenten, it’s a poem about the often turbulent and unsatisfying relationship with a reflection, turning magical, turning mythical with both herself and the woman bold enough to get close enough to the reflected. We vary in style and expression. We offer you something funny, something sad, something profound, something beautiful. As a reader as well as a writer, I feel this is definitely a collection worth picking up.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews