THE Y E A R IN
OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE
4
iLJ»]
DECEMBER 9. 2011
books
*
*
*
*
*
* * *
*
*
*
#
* % % %
Jt* * *
**********
*
* *
**
release o f The Vampire Bridegroom - Poems and
Tales added to Helder’s bulging body o f writ
ing, which includes Pop-Up Book of Death
and a co-editing credit for the queer horror
anthology Unspeakable Horror: From the
Shadows of the Closet.
aThe Vampire Bridegroom is my ultimate
response to the horror genre as a gay poet,”
Helder told Ju st Out in October. “Person
ally, I believe the horror genre is a healthy
outlet for fears and anxieties about gay life:
fear o f A ID S and its association with blood,
fear o f being rejected by religious commu
nities, fear o f being alienated from friends
and family, fear o f hate crimes, and even
fear o f being assimilated into straight cul
ture— all o f these translate beautifully into
horror stories.”
Nationally, LGBTQ_writers were repre
sented well at the 2011 National Book
Awards. Poet Nikky Finney received the
NBA for Poetry for the collection Head O ff
& Split. Finalists for the award included
Adrienne Rich for Tonight No Poetry Will
Serve: Poems 2007-2010, and Carl Phillips
for Double Shadow , both o f whom identify
as LG BT. Artist Philip Iosca released his
debut book o f poetry, Ballad o f The Sad
Young Men, in February via local D IY print
shop Publication Studio, and the Rev. D a
vid E. Weekley, the first openly transgender
pastor in the United Methodist Church,
published his autobiography.
Stay tuned for a slew o f admirable books
slated for release in 2012, including Port
lander Peter Zuckerman’s highly anticipat
ed Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story
o f the Sherpa Climbers on K 2 ’s Deadliest Day.
Until then, read on. J G
v
* * * * * * * * *
• '.* ;* * .* ,• * ♦ • v
WINE
let’s them know that everyone feels that
way.”
Large’s robust and sometimes sinister
sense o f humor provided a palatable founda
tion for the memoir— the immature timing
o f which, being that she’s only 42, is not lost
on her. Much o f the book is taken based on
script snippets from her one-woman show
o f the same name.
“I can happily report that in no way was
[writing the book] cathartic,” said Large. “I
feel no relief or redemption. I’ve never hidden
any o f my sexual or drug history, and I always
speak candidly, so that part was easy.”
Out o f the frying pan and into the fire we
go with the most recent release by Portland’s
most famous author, Chuck Palahniuk.
Damned traverses the wonderfully disgust
ing world o f eternal damnation via the expe
riences o f a recently-deceased-by-way-of-
weed-overdose teenaged girl. Sound...
weird? It is.
Featuring cringe-worthy descriptions of
the geographical standouts o f Hell— shit
waterfalls apd oceans o f hot vomit— and a
crew o f Breakfast Club-'xzn cohorts, Damned
is entertaining in a demented children’s
book sort o f way. By no means is it one o f
Palahniuk’s best— shhh, don’t tell The Cult!
— but its distinctly Judy Blume-ish plod
ding actually melds pretty well with Palah
niuk’s honed oeuvre o f twisted realities.
The underworld is a hot topic with today’s
readers, and nowhere is it more lucrative than
with vampire sagas. The success o f the Twi
light series is evidence enough o f that. Utiliz
ing a slightly different route this year was
Portland “gay horror” poet and Bram Stoker
Award-winning author Chad Helder. The
*
:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
r
N eed Wine for
the H olidays?
Buy Local— Hip Chicks do Wine has been producing wine in
SE Portland since 1999. With 18 wines in the bottle we are sure
to have some you like! Open daily for wine tasting.
We also have a limited amount of our limited production
n
Pride Wines available. Multiple bottle discounts available.
Bring in this ad for a BUY ONE GET ONE FREE tasting flig h t
•
*
Both tasting rooms open daily.
Portland tasting room: 1 1 am -6 i * m ; Newberg tasting room: 12 (noon)-7i>M.
LOCATED AT 4510 SE 23 rd AVE. PORTLAND, OR 97202
503-234-3790 | www.hipch1cksdowine.com
Merry Christmas
to all our valued customers.
As a present to you,
we are offering our popular
20 RENTALS
FOR $20
for the month o f December.
L im it one per customer.
V isit our stores between
Dec. 25th — Jan. 3rd
for our annual clearance sale.
Portland
503.227.1212
vancouver
Save up to 75% off
close-out and select overstock item s.
V I S I T O U R N S W W S B S IT S AT
WWW.TABOOV1DEO.COM
VANCOUVER
82ND AVE.
M IK BLVD.
BROADWAY (PEARL)
4 8 11 NE 94th Ave.
Vancouver WA
2330 SE 82nd Ave.
Portland OR
237 SE M IK Blvd.
Portland OR
311 NW Broadway,
Portland 97209
(360) 254-1126
(503) 777-6033
(503) 239-1678
(503) 227-3443
HUGE SELECTION OF DVDS ’ ADULT TOYS * LINGERIE • M AG AZINES
ALL STORES OPEN 74 HOURS TO SERVE YOU! PRIVATE AND INTIMATE MULTICHANNEL ARCADE