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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Bio, With Links. Updated 3/25/23.

Bio, With Links. Duane Simolke (pronounced “Dwain Smoky”). Education: Belmont University (B.A., ‘89, Nashville, TN), Hardin-Simmons University (M.A., ‘91, Abilene, TX), and Texas Tech University (Ph.D., ‘96, Lubbock, TX), all with a major in English.

Writing published in nightFire, Mesquite, Caprock Sun, Midwest Poetry Review, International Journal on World Peace, and many other publications.

I also wrote the preface to Ronald L. Donaghe’s gay novel Lance: The Continuing Journals of Will Barnett.

Who’s Who Among America’s Colleges and Universities, 1988-89.

At the Conference on Christianity and Literature, presented papers, "Pilgrim's Progress As Satire" (1990) and "C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces" (1991).

1991, Masters Thesis, This Present Darkness and Its Influences.

Two Texas Tech University English Department Harbinger Awards for Excellence in Short Fiction.

1996, Doctoral Dissertation, Stein, Gender, Isolation and Industrialism: New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio.

At the 2001 Convention of The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA), spoke on the panel “Writing with a Texas Twist.”

Two StoneWall Society 2002 Pride In The Arts Awards. Acceptance for The Acorn Stories. Acceptance for Holding Me Together.

2003 StoneWall Society Pride in the Arts award for Degranon.

Dann Hazel used Reactions to Homophobia (a long essay from Holding Me Together) as one of the resources for his book Witness: Gay and Lesbian Clergy Report from the Front. Kris Coonan, UQ Union, University of Queensland, used it as a resource for his article Sexual Prejudice: Understanding Homophobia and Heterosexism, Biphobia and Transphobia. The Queensland Government's Community Benefit Fund and PFLAG Brisbane used it as a resource for the PDF booklet Assisting Those Who Come Into Regular Contact with Lesbian and Gay Youth. November 2003: at the Texas Book Festival, signed copies of The Acorn Stories.

October 2005: lead the discussion Gay Symbols and History.

Three of my books recognized as iUniverse Editor’s Choice books: The Acorn Stories, Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure, and Holding Me Together.

February 2006: part of View from Brokeback Mountain panel discussion.

June 2006: The Acorn Stories and Holding Me Together featured in discussions and spoken word presentations at the first StoneWall Society Pride in the Arts Festival, Walton, West Virginia.

Noted a few times during Jed Ryan’s interview with StoneWall Society’s founder.

The Return of Innocence received a 2007 Allbooks Reviewer’s Choice Award.

March 2007: Featured author at Razor Pages.

July 2009: Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure discussed in Encyclopedia of Contemporary LGBTQ Literature of the United States.

May 2010: Featured in books Belmont University People: Belmont University Alumni, Belmont University Faculty, Trisha Yearwood, Kimberley Locke, Brad Paisley and Hardin-Simmons University Alumni: Doyle Brunson, Buddy West, Rupert N. Richardson, Dan Blocker, Victor G. Carrillo, George H. Mahon.

September 2010: Featured Writer, Bitsy Bling's Book Review.

October 2016: Sons of Taldra Interview at Prism Book Alliance.

September 2016: Interview at Our Queer Art.

October 2016: Sons of Taldra Interview at Prism Book Alliance.

November 2016: Degranon featured at shahwharton.com.

March 2017: The Acorn Stories at Book of the Month Club.

April 2017: Our Epic Worlds SciFi Interview: The Epic World of Valchondria by Duane Simolke.

June 2017: Fire and Ice: Fiction Feature and Author Interview: The Acorn Stories by Duane Simolke.

June 2017: Sons of Taldra Review at Enas Reviews.

July 2017: SelfPublishingReview.Com Reviews Taldra. “A highly-imaginative sci-fi adventure set in an alternate universe.”

August 2017: The Acorn Stories featured in Publishers Weekly.

December 2017: The Abstract reviews The Acorn Stories, saying it “reminds us that nobody is perfect and that everyone is just trying to get by in life either it be by hurting others or by trying to change their life for the better.”

January 2018: Interview about my books in Gay Webcast Two Gay Geeks.

February 2018: Interview About Sons of Taldra and More at BooksGoSocial.Com.

March 2018: Genre Spoof Gay Cowboy Vampire Highlander at Who Writes Short Shorts.

June 2018: Patchwork story published by Gay Flash Fiction.

January 2021: Trailer for The Acorn Stories appears during morning shows in Palm Springs and three Texas television stations.

February 2021: Sons of Taldra reviewed at Doctor Who Online.

March 2021: Featured author at humanmade.net.

February 2022: Nominated for a QueerIndie Award.

Early 2022: Featured at Feed My Reads, BookClubPro, and eBookLingo.

June 2022: Featured in the #IndiePride Book Spotlight 2022 Celebration with an Author Interview and a look at The Journey to Sons of Taldra.

July 2022: The Acorn Stories: N. N. Light’s Beach Reads Pick.

August 2022: Featured author at The RedHead Notes Book Blog.

January 2023: Book Review and Interview at Tweetables book blog.

January 2023: Nominated again for a QueerIndie Award.

March 2023: Awarded for one of the most popular interviews in the first year of Tweetables book blog.

March 2023: A featured author at Ray Ferch’s BookHylla book search.