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Monday, January 26, 2009

My Diva

The appropriately titled My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them is a forthcoming anthology of essays on, well, gay men and the women who inspire them. Happily, I'm one of the titular number and get to espouse the virtues of (wait for it)...some broad from Halloween named Jamie Lee Curtis.

Edited by poet Michael Montlack, My Diva is slated for release from the University of Wisconsin Press this coming May. Here is the official cover text:

“From Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Midler, and Diana Ross to Queen Elizabeth I, Julia Child, and Princess Leia, these divas have been sister, alter ego, fairy godmother, or model for survival to gay men and the closeted boys they once were. And anyone—straight or gay, young or old, male or female—who ever needed a muse, or found one, will see their own longing mirrored here as well.

These witty and poignant short essays explore reasons for diva-worship as diverse as the writers themselves. My Diva offers both depth and glamour as it pays tribute with joy, intelligence, and fierce, fierce love.”

The collection is getting some terrific advance buzz, too:

“Inspiration is contagious—and inspiration, excitement, and appreciation resonate through these essays. This is a story about how in the worst of times, there are the best of women—women in whom we find our courage and sometimes our heartbroken tenderness. My Diva is an act of love, well deserved and without reservation. Read it in the spirit in which it was made—this act of adoration, awe, and yes, love.”—Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina

“A completely fascinating and lovely book. In every case the diva is a kind of saint—for her suffering, for the emotional warble in her voice, as she sang, as she spoke those classic lines. It’s hard to miss the dovetailing of the gay male writer’s psyche and the voluptuous (much more than her body) voice of the diva. She shines her light on the way. Man, does she ever.”—Eileen Myles, author of Sorry, Tree

Pre-order a copy of what promises to be a fascinating look at diva worship.

2 comments:

Pax Romano said...

Well Done!

Let's get JLC up in the stratosphere of Diva Worship, where she rightly belongs - next up, make her the grand marshal of next years Pride Parade.

Yes, I am going to pre-order the book and then tell everyone that, "I kinda, sorta, know the guy who wrote the part on Jamie Lee"!

Vince Liaguno said...

Let's get JLC up in the stratosphere of Diva Worship, where she rightly belongs - next up, make her the grand marshal of next years Pride Parade.

Could you just imagine? How fabulous would that be? Thanks for the pre-order. I think I'll be at the launch party in NYC and at one of the NY signings if they'll have me and aren't frightened by my diva worship!