Please read my interview in Chapter 2 of the gay ebook Q&A New Voices. That project tries to educate the public about diversity within the lesbian/gay/bi/trans community, while also exposing misconceptions about us.

Gay Valentine’s Day E-Card (Ecard)

Gay men who want to send their boyfriend a gay Valentine e-card for free might send a link to my
gay love poem “Home”. There’s also a “Share” button on the top of that page. You can find an audio file of “Home” at DuaneSimolke.Com, under the listing for my book Holding Me Together: Essays and Poems.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Torch Song Trilogy


When I first saw Torch Song Trilogy, I had only seen a few movies that included gay characters, and most of those showed gays in both a limited and a negative role. Certainly, none of them came close to exploring how I felt as a gay man.

This movie changed that. I watched with amazement at how much Harvey Fierstein’s character matched my life and expressed how I felt. Actually, I wasn’t a gravel-voiced, Jewish drag queen who sang torch songs, but Harvey’s outlandish character experienced the same need for love and acceptance that other gays experience. In fact, he even manages to capture the universal desire for all people to know love of every kind.

Fierstein adapted the screenplay from his Tony-winning drama of the same title, bringing it to the big screen in 1988. Though parts of it might seem dated, the struggles of his character (Arnold) continue to epitomize the struggles of gays and lesbians everywhere.

Of course, Fierstein gets helps from great co-stars like Anne Bancroft (as Arnold’s mother), Brian Kerwin (as Arnold’s lover at the beginning of the movie), and Matthew Broderick (as the new man that Arnold slowly learns to trust). Despite seeing this movie countless times, I still feel empathy for Arnold in his struggles. I also still feel ambivalence toward the way he treats his mother; despite her flaws, I think she really wants to understand and love unconditionally.

Overall, I can’t think of many gay movies that I suggest as readily or as often as Torch Song Trilogy. Watch it. Then watch it again. I certainly will.

Book review of…


The Noble Generation Volume II: Stories of the American Experience

Senior writers from all over Texas (including here in Lubbock) share memorable moments from their childhood or early adult years. This book captures great stories that we might otherwise lose. Those stories range from comical to sad to simply nostalgic. Most of them appear in prose form, but a few writers used free verse poetry or traditional verse.

I recently discovered a gay web site that promotes and sells gay ebooks.

GBookEbook—Gay eBooks. “Our website is designed to help gay writers (Gbook) convert their writing into eBook format, and then assist them in marketing their work.”

Ryan Kelly, author of the gay novel Octagon, The Early Years, founded the site, which also includes an exciting ebook project, "Q&A - New Voices." That project invites gay readers to answer a series of interview questions, all designed to help nongays understand us better and see the diversity of our community.

Science Fiction and Fantasy

View a teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Preview the comical fantasy The Return of Innocence.

Press release: Scifi novel joins gay marriage debate.

Read about Serenity, the movie that continues the Firefly saga.

Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

• “In Degranon, author Duane Simolke establishes his voice in gay genre writing by combining current concerns revolving around queer culture with a world of dimensional doorways, advanced technology, and distant planets.” X-Factor, October 1, 2004 issue.
  
  
• “A must read.” Joe Wright, a reviewer for StoneWall Society.
  
  
• “A reminder of the danger of fanaticism.” Mark Kendrick, author of the gay time-travel romance Stealing Some Time.
  
  
• “Duane Simolke's latest offering is a fascinating scifi excursion into a world as unique as his singular vision.” Ronald L. Donaghe, author of Cinátis, Uncle Sean, and Common Sons.

Book review: Twilight of the Gods: Cinátis: BOOK ONE COMPLETE by Ronald L. Donaghe
Review by Duane Simolke

After reading Book One of Twilight of the Gods: Cinátis a while back, I kept looking forward to reading Book Two. Now both books appear in a single volume, as author Ronald L. Donaghe originally intended. Two Brothers Press released the single-volume epic, and also released a single-volume version of The Early Journals of Will Barnett, which includes Donaghe’s novels Uncle Sean, Lance, and All Over Him.

However, Cinátis represents a major departure from Donaghe’s examinations of gay life in rural eras. In fact, he takes us out of this world for a grand, high-fantasy adventure.

Young Jeru leaves his farm in Omoham and hopes to use his connection with the ground to learn about a danger threatening his people. That connection isn’t unusual, because many of Jeru’s people are felders—individuals with deep links to particular elements.

Eríl, a new friend, teaches Jeru more about their world’s history, and about his own growing power. They fall in love, and set out on a quest to learn about the plague that threatens life as they know it. Unfortunately, others want to stop the plague by oppressing anyone who disagrees with certain doctrines, while Jeru himself might become a new threat to the very world he wants to protect.

The ensuing conflicts include epic battles and a great deal of magic, but Donaghe keeps his focus on character development. The love between Eríl and Jeru seems no less real than the love between Joel and Tom in Donaghe’s classic gay novel Common Sons, or between any of the other characters in his other novels. Donaghe brings humanity and deeply felt emotions to his fantasy novel; on that level, maybe Cinátis doesn’t represent such a departure from his other works after all. But the fantasy elements certainly let Donaghe explore his interests and concerns in a new and exciting way.

Donaghe’s Twilight of the Gods series will continue with Gwi’s War and conclude with War Among the Gods.

Anti-war poem. Essay about writing. Instinct Magazine. Degranon.

Children in the Streets, a poem from my book Holding Me Together: Essays and Poems, appears in the Fall 2004 issue of Writers Against War.

I recently posted an updated version of my essay
How the Internet Changed My Writing Career.

Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure receives a comical mention in the October 2004 issue of Instinct.

The Trip.

DVD reviewed by Duane Simolke for This Week In Texas


This epic starts during the seventies and follows eleven years in the lives of two gay men who seem totally wrong for each other: an outgoing gay activist (played by Steve Braun) and a repressed, closet-case Republican (played by Larry Sullivan).

Not surprisingly, hilarity ensues, especially with Alexis Arquette and Jill St. John in flamboyant supporting roles. Still, The Trip offers much more than comedy. It also shows how love matters more than any differences, and it offers insight into how the political climate of two decades affected gay communities and gay individuals.

The Trip received numerous awards during its trip through film festivals and eventual wider release. The DVD’s many extras make it even more appealing.