Lambda Literary
2026 Pride Reads for Every Shelf
The challenges of the current political era have inspired a strong wave of LGBTQ+ titles across every genre and age range, and our editors have been reading. [...]Read more about 2026 Pride Reads for Every Shelf
Winter Reads to Help You Ride Out the Chill
It’s cold out there, and not just because of the weather — we’re officially in another Trump era. Bearing the frigid temps outside and the chill of our current [...]Read more about Winter Reads to Help You Ride Out the Chill
Michigan-Based 'Renovated to Death' Author Draws on Love of Old Houses for First Cozy Mystery Novel
Lambda Literary Award-winning author and Pleasant Ridge resident Frank Anthony Polito has a new book out this month. “Renovated to Death,” billed as the first [...]Read more about Michigan-Based 'Renovated to Death' Author Draws on Love of Old Houses for First Cozy Mystery Novel
Michigan Really Gave the Film a Home': Sigourney Weaver Reflects on Shooting 'Prayers for Bobby' in Metro Detroit Before Pride Re-Airing
Sigourney Weaver almost didn't make it to Michigan to film "Prayers for Bobby." In fact, the star of "Ghostbusters" and "Alien" didn't think she could even [...]Read more about Michigan Really Gave the Film a Home': Sigourney Weaver Reflects on Shooting 'Prayers for Bobby' in Metro Detroit Before Pride Re-Airing
The Queer Library Is Open: 17 LGBTQ+ Must-Reads to Get You in the Pride Spirit
Finding LGBTQ+ books used to be a challenge. You couldn't just Google "lesbian romance novels" or "books with trans characters." But now, luckily, that's no [...]Read more about The Queer Library Is Open: 17 LGBTQ+ Must-Reads to Get You in the Pride Spirit
5 Queer Things You Can Do Right Now: Madonna, Bathroom Breaks and More
As cooped up as we've been all year, it's easy to feel like you've watched everything your streaming services have to offer. And who knows? Maybe you've gotten [...]Read more about 5 Queer Things You Can Do Right Now: Madonna, Bathroom Breaks and More
Obituary: Pioneering Lesbian Journalist Deb Price Wrote Column on Gay Issues for Mainstream Media
Feb. 27, 1958 – Nov. 20, 2020 Deb Price, who in 1992 began writing a groundbreaking column on gay issues for The Detroit News that would go on to be syndicated [...]Read more about Obituary: Pioneering Lesbian Journalist Deb Price Wrote Column on Gay Issues for Mainstream Media
Local Lesbian Publishing Company Rakes in Multiple Awards
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Bywater Books is a small lesbian press company that has been awarded a list of several awards for its 2017 titles. Founded in 2004, Bywater [...]Read more about Local Lesbian Publishing Company Rakes in Multiple Awards
Kicking Off 2018 With Some Heat: Sinister Wisdom Carries on Tradition
Sinister Wisdom revealed the cover for its first issue of 2018 and in a word it's "hot." Edited by JP Howard and Amber Atiya with the sultry cover photo taken [...]Read more about Kicking Off 2018 With Some Heat: Sinister Wisdom Carries on Tradition
Jim Toy Community Center Hosts 'Here Comes the Sun' by Nicole Dennis-Benn for LezRead January
Nicole Dennis-Benn's debut novel was lauded as one of the best books of 2016 by NPR, Buzzfeed the New York Times and more, as well as a winner of the Lambda [...]Read more about Jim Toy Community Center Hosts 'Here Comes the Sun' by Nicole Dennis-Benn for LezRead January
Book Marks: Coyote's new book from Pulp Press
by Richard Labonte January 1, 2007 "Bow Grip," by Ivan E. Coyote. Arsenal Pulp Press, 224 pages, $16.95 paper. After three acclaimed collections that blurred [...]Read more about Book Marks: Coyote's new book from Pulp Press
Bookmarks: LGBT Wordsmiths Pre-Orlando, Post Orlando
By Keith Orr Writers often feel things more intensely than other people and are better able to articulate those feelings. We are the canaries in the coal [...]Read more about Bookmarks: LGBT Wordsmiths Pre-Orlando, Post Orlando
Equality Michigan Appoints New Deputy Director
BY BTL STAFF DETROIT – Equality Michigan announced Nov. 18 the appointment of its new deputy director, L. Michael Gipson. Gipson, M.S., is an award-winning [...]Read more about Equality Michigan Appoints New Deputy Director
Lambda Literary Partners With New Millennium Writings For Essay Competition
Knoxville, Tenn. – To celebrate the recent SCOTUS ruling on marriage equality, New Millennium Writings, an award-winning literary journal founded in 1996, is [...]Read more about Lambda Literary Partners With New Millennium Writings For Essay Competition
My 'Ferguson Novel'
By Lev Raphael I once introduced a best-selling thriller writer at a reading here in Michigan and mentioned — among other things — that he was a finalist for [...]Read more about My 'Ferguson Novel'
Bookmarks: National Poetry Month
By Keith Orr Editor's Note: As we wrap up National Poetry Month, Keith Orr (owner of Ann Arbor's Common Language Bookstore) offers insight into the importance [...]Read more about Bookmarks: National Poetry Month
Local Jewish Author Highlights Dangers Of Police Discrimination
BY AJ TRAGER Suspenseful literature, like that of writers such as Dan Brown, brings intense scenes and a fast trajectory to the narrative. "Assault with a [...]Read more about Local Jewish Author Highlights Dangers Of Police Discrimination
Here, there, everywhere!
Parting Glances I've been rereading Irish author Colm Toibin's book "Love in A Dark Time," as Motor City and Ferndale's Pride 2013 events take place one week [...]Read more about Here, there, everywhere!
Book Marks: Michael Rowe's outstanding debut novel, 'Enter, Night'
by Richard Labonte "Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?," by Jeanette Winterson. Grove Press, 224 pages, $25 hardcover. More than a quarter-century after [...]Read more about Book Marks: Michael Rowe's outstanding debut novel, 'Enter, Night'
Book Marks: Talking My Life, The Fog, Nocturnal Omissions: The Tale of Two Poets
by Richard Labonte "Taking My Life," by Jane Rule. Talonbooks, 284 pages, $19.95 paper. It's good to go through all the boxes. That's how scholar Linda M. [...]Read more about Book Marks: Talking My Life, The Fog, Nocturnal Omissions: The Tale of Two Poets
Book Marks: Sally Bellerose's debut novel embraces sisterhood
by Richard Labonte "The Girls Club," by Sally Bellerose. Bywater Books, 288 pages, $14.95 paper. Marie is the tough sister. Renee is the pretty sister. And [...]Read more about Book Marks: Sally Bellerose's debut novel embraces sisterhood
Book Marks: Bob Smith's transcendent new novel
by Richard Labonte "Remembrance of Things I Forgot," by Bob Smith. Terrace Books/University of Wisconsin Press, 272 pages, $26.95 hardcover. Comic book [...]Read more about Book Marks: Bob Smith's transcendent new novel
Book Marks: 'Celluloid Activist' offers thrilling history of gay liberation
by Richard Labonte "Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo," by Michael Schiavi. University of Wisconsin Press, 366 pages, $29.95 [...]Read more about Book Marks: 'Celluloid Activist' offers thrilling history of gay liberation
Book Marks: The International Homosexual Conspiracy, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
by Richard Labonte "Parallel Lies," by Stella Duffy. Bywater Books, 198 pages, $14.95 paper. Yana Ivanova is Hollywood royalty, the best actress of her [...]Read more about Book Marks: The International Homosexual Conspiracy, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
Book Marks: Secret Historian, Water Mark, Hot off the Presses
by Richard Labonte "Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade," by Justin Spring. FSG, 478 pages, [...]Read more about Book Marks: Secret Historian, Water Mark, Hot off the Presses
Book Marks: Like Me, The Lost Library, One Bloody Thing After Another
By Richard Labonte "Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer," by Chely Wright. Pantheon Books, 288 pages, $25.95 hardcover. If you're a country [...]Read more about Book Marks: Like Me, The Lost Library, One Bloody Thing After Another
Local authors to appear in Grand Rapids
On Wednesday, June 16, Literary Life bookstore in Grand Rapids will team up with home decor boutique Wealthy at Charles to present an evening of progressive [...]Read more about Local authors to appear in Grand Rapids
Bookmarks: Between Boyfriends, The Midnight Hunt
By Richard Labonte "Between Boyfriends," by Michael Salvatore. Kensington Books, 328 pages, $15 paper. Tart tongues, caustic commentary, the objectification [...]Read more about Bookmarks: Between Boyfriends, The Midnight Hunt
Book Marks: Spanking New, Robin and Ruby, Ganymede Stories One
by Richard Labonte "Spanking New," by Clifford Henderson. Bold Strokes Books, 288 pages, $16.95 paper. Spanky, the narrator of this delicious novel, is an [...]Read more about Book Marks: Spanking New, Robin and Ruby, Ganymede Stories One
Book Marks: 'Probation', 'Songs Without Words', 'Party Animals'
by Richard Labonte "Probation," by Tom Mendicino. Kensington Books, 344 pages, $15 paper. Perfect wife, perfect home, perfect job – well, a perfect job if [...]Read more about Book Marks: 'Probation', 'Songs Without Words', 'Party Animals'
Book Marks: Just Kids, The Silver Hearted, The Talented Miss Highsmith
By Richard Labonte "Just Kids," by Patti Smith. Ecco Press, 280 pages, $27 hardcover. Though the likes of William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg wander through [...]Read more about Book Marks: Just Kids, The Silver Hearted, The Talented Miss Highsmith
Book Marks: Sordid Truths, Remarkable Journey of Trnby Quirke, Lynnee Breedlove's One Freak Show
by Richard Labonte "Sordid Truths: Selling My Innocence For a Taste of Stardom," by Aiden Shaw. Alyson Books, 258 pages, $15.95 paper. Can a book about [...]Read more about Book Marks: Sordid Truths, Remarkable Journey of Trnby Quirke, Lynnee Breedlove's One Freak Show
Book Marks: Impossible Princess, My Red Blood, A Report from Winter
by Richard Labonte "Impossible Princess," by Kevin Killian. City Lights Books, 168 pages, $14.95 paper. What's the secret of Killian's prodigious talents with [...]Read more about Book Marks: Impossible Princess, My Red Blood, A Report from Winter
Book Marks: The Reluctant Daughter, Sugarless, The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You
by Richard Labonte "The Reluctant Daughter," by Leslea Newman. Bold Strokes, 256 pages, $16.95 paper. A distant daughter's angst-filled filial obligation [...]Read more about Book Marks: The Reluctant Daughter, Sugarless, The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You
Men of Mystery' heads to Ann Arbor
Neil Plakcy will be one of four mystery authors appearing at SHaut in Ann Arbor. Four of the best practioners of the gay mystery genre join forces to talk [...]Read more about Men of Mystery' heads to Ann Arbor
Book Marks: Mapping the Territory, The LABRYS Reunion, The Sower, and more
by Richard Labonte "Mapping the Territory: Selected Nonfiction," by Christopher Bram. Alyson Books, 258 pages, $23.95 hardcover. Though best known as a [...]Read more about Book Marks: Mapping the Territory, The LABRYS Reunion, The Sower, and more
Book Marks: Reviews of 'The Creamsickle', 'The 38 Million Dollar Smile', and more
by Richard Labonte "The Creamsickle," by Rhiannon Argo. Spinsters Ink, 268 pages, $14.95 paper. Bois, boards, baby butches and bed hopping: Argo's angsty [...]Read more about Book Marks: Reviews of 'The Creamsickle', 'The 38 Million Dollar Smile', and more
Lesbian 'Man' steams up Hotter Than July
By D. A. Blackburn Laurinda D. Brown knows a thing or two about creating steamy theater. And on July 25, she's bringing the heat to Detroit's annual black [...]Read more about Lesbian 'Man' steams up Hotter Than July
Book Marks
By Richard Labonte "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America," by Nathaniel Frank. St. Martin's Press, 364 pages, $25.95 [...]Read more about Book Marks
Book Marks
by Richard Labonte "Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love," by Sheila Rowbotham. Verso Books, 548 pages, $40 hardcover. Rowbotham's gripping biography [...]Read more about Book Marks
Book Marks
by Richard Labonte "The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For," by Alison Bechdel. Houghton Mifflin, 384 pages, $25 hardcover. First, for completists, the numbers: [...]Read more about Book Marks
Book Marks
By Richard Labonte "The End of the World Book," by Alistair McCartney. Terrace Books, 314 pages, $26.95 hardcover. There's nothing linear about McCartney's [...]Read more about Book Marks
Local publisher nominated for 2007 Lambda Literary Award
YPSILANTI – Eli Clare, whose latest book was published by local Homofactus Press, is a finalist for the 2007 Lambda Literary Award for his poetry and prose [...]Read more about Local publisher nominated for 2007 Lambda Literary Award
Book Marks
By Richard Labonte "The Sixth Form," by Tom Dolby. Kensington Books, 320 pages, $24 hardcover. Ethan, an artistically talented 17-year-old California kid [...]Read more about Book Marks
Book Marks
By Richard Labonte "The Assassination of George W. Bush: A Love Story," by Krandall Kraus. Lulu Press, 332 pages, $17.95 paper. The title is certainly [...]Read more about Book Marks
OBITUARY
By Wayne Hoffman Gay historian Allan Berube Gay historian Allan Berube, award-winning author of Coming Out Under Fire, died on Dec 11. He was 61. His death [...]Read more about OBITUARY
Founder of HeartStrong comes to Jackson Nov. 2
JACKSON – Marc Adams, Lambda Literary Award finalist and Silver Pen Award recipient for his autobiography "The Preacher's Son," will be speaking at a special [...]Read more about Founder of HeartStrong comes to Jackson Nov. 2
