Seattle Gay News
Issue 12, Volume 48, March 20, 2020
SPRING ARTS & TRAVEL
Historic and sunny Key West, Florida is a great place to visit by Ed Walsh SGN Contributing Writer Key West, Florida, has one of America's most dramatic riches to rags stories. By the 1830s, the island city had become the richest city per capita in the US. But unlike today, its biggest industry wasn't tourism. The city's cash cow was shipwrecks. Key West is surrounded by reefs and disastrous wrecks were common. The rules of shipwrecking were that as long as you saved people first, you could keep most of what you salvaged. But by the Great Depression Key West was one of the nation's poorest cities, even by Depression standards. Better navigation systems meant ships weren't wrecking and other businesses faded away. The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane added insult to injury when the railroad that connected Key West to the mainland was wiped out. Eventually the city got back on its feet but faced another big setback when the Navy scaled back its presence in the 1970s. By the late 1970s LGBTs were among the first to see potential, buying up properties and businesses at bargain rates. In 1983, Key West elected an openly gay mayor, Richard Heyman. He was one of the first openly LGBT mayors elected in the US. LGBT resorts and other gay-owned businesses thrived along with political clout. While there are fewer gay resorts today than in the '80s and '90s, the remaining resorts are first-rate. The city also has a vibrant gay nightlife and a host of special events.
The beach at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park – Photo by Ed Walsh
Typical Key West architecture – Photo by Ed Walsh
Resorts The tourist heart of Key West, Old Town, is also where you will find all the gay stuff. The two largest resorts for gay men are on Fleming Street, just a few blocks apart. The fabulous Island House Key West (https://islandhousekeywest.com/) has it all: a bar, 24-hour cafe, gym, wet and dry saunas, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, a large pool and an XXX video play area. Four free happy hour drinks are included with every stay. If you are not staying there, day passes at the clothing-optional resort are $30. Island House's neighbor, the Equator Resort (https://equatorresort.com/) also includes free drinks during happy hour. They also throw in a free expanded continental breakfast. The Equator used to be two separate gay resorts but a few years ago, it absorbed its neighbor, Coral Tree, and now has two hot tubs and two pools. Like the Island House, it is for men and clothing-optional. Alexander's Guesthouse (http://www. alexanderskeywest.com/) is gay/lesbian mixed and is one of the most upscale resorts on the island. The property, right across the street from the Island House, also offers a happy hour and is known for its top-shelf expanded continental breakfast. The New Orleans House (http://www. neworleanshousekw.com/) is the place to be if you want to be in the heart of the city's LGBT nightlife. The male clothingoptional resort includes a pool, hot tub, happy hour and continental breakfast. It is over the Bourbon Street Pub and guests get free admission to the club and drag shows as well as access to the balcony overlooking
see KEY WEST page 4
Prayer for a Pandemic By Cameron Bellm
May we who are merely inconvenienced Remember those whose lives are at stake. May we who have no risk factors Remember those most vulnerable. May we who have the luxury of working from home Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent. May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close Remember those who have no options. May we who have to cancel our trips Remember those that have no safe place to go. May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market Remember those who have no margin at all. May we who settle in for a quarantine at home Remember those who have no home. As fear grips our country,
let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors. Amen. GoldmineDesignJewelers.com cindi@goldminedesignjewelers.com 206-622-3333 or text us at 206-290-3429 Our workshop is still up and running during this crisis and we’d love to create meaningful jewelry pieces for you. We make our jewelry for folks around the neighborhood and around the world. Call, email, or message us to get your special project started and
thank you for your support!!!
Original blog post by Cameron can be found at http://krugthethinker.com/2020/03/prayer-for-a-pandemic/ March 20, 2020 Celebrating 46 Years! 2 Seattle Gay News
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Seattle Gay News 3
SPRING TRAVEL
Bourbon St. Bar and New Orleans House – Photo by Ed Walsh
KEY WEST
continued from cover
Rainbow crossing in front of Bourbon St. Pub – Photo by Ed Walsh
Mural of the crossing off the Seven Mile Bridge – Photo by Ed Walsh
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Duval Street, the city's main drag. Nightlife & Special Events Key West's LGBT nightlife is centered at Duval and Petronia Streets. That is where you will find three mega-bar complexes. On one side just below the New Orleans House, is Bourbon Street Pub with a main bar and an outdoor Garden Bar in the back.The 801 Bourbon Bar is kittycorner from the Bourbon Street Pub and features a main bar, upstairs cabaret space and Levi-leather bar Saloon 1 in the back. The Aqua Bar and Night Club, like the Bourbon bars, is three venues in one. The main Aqua bar features drag shows, the BackBar is an expansive outdoor patio bar, and the SideBar is a modern, newer upscale dance bar. There are no full-time lesbian bars in Key West but every Sunday afternoon, from 3pm to 5pm, SideBar hosts "Hot Dog Church," a women-focused party that serves up hot dogs and sausages. The Key West Business Guild (https:// gaykeywestfl.com/) has been promoting LGBT business on the island since 1978. It has a handy storefront location on 808 Duval Street, steps from the Bourbon and Aqua bars. The big gay events that the guild helps organize include Pride, June 3-7 2020; the steamy gay male focused Key West Tropical Heat, Aug. 12-16; Key West Womenfest, Sept 2-6; the campy Headdress Ball, Oct. 22, 2020. Key West Bear Weekend is Oct 28-Nov. 1. For men who like to bare it all, check out Bone Island Bare it All (http://nakedkeywest. squarespace.com/home) July 8-12 and Dec. 3-6. All the gay venues are packed on New Year's Eve. If you watched CNN on New Year's Eve, you probably saw the drag queen Sushi drop from a high-heel shoe from the Bourbon Street Pub at midnight. Attractions A must-see attraction for anyone visiting Key West is the Tennessee Williams
Museum (https://www.kwahs.org/museums/tennessee-williams/visit). The gay playwright was a longtime Key West resident and the museum chronicles his life and works. A somber but beautiful memorial to the victims of AIDS in Key West stands at the Edward B. Knight Pier, where White Street meets the ocean. The memorial captioned "A Celebration of Life" depicts the Florida Keys and the names of those lost to the disease. Another attraction not to miss in Key West is Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden (https://www.keywest. garden/). It is the only frost-free botanical garden in the continental United States and has one of the two remaining freshwater ponds in the Keys. The garden was established in the Great Depression as a WPA project to create jobs and make a tourist attraction in Key West. Besides the garden, many visitors come by to look at the collection of makeshift boats that Cubans used to get to the US that are on display near the entrance to the gardens. The most photographed landmark in Key West is an oversized buoy that proclaims itself as the "Southernmost Point in the Continental US, just 90 miles from Cuba." There is usually a line to take a photo in front of it but none of what the buoy says is true. Not only isn't it the southernmost point in the Continental US, it's not even the southernmost point in Key West. The adjacent Navy Base is farther south. The base is not accessible to the public but parts of the nearby Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park are further south than the buoy. And the privately owned island Ballast Key, 10 miles from the buoy, is the southernmost point of the Continental US. Also, Cuba is closer to 100 miles away, not 90. The Hemingway House (https://www. hemingwayhome.com/) is just around the corner from the Tennessee Williams Museum and it continues to be one of the most popular attractions on the island. By
see KEY WEST page 7
Celebrating 46 Years!
Key West Home – Photo by Ed Walsh
Island House – Photo by Ed Walsh
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Seattle Gay News 5
, n e g Bin ington! h s Wa
Reasons to Visit
Enjoy the beautiful, Columbia Gorge SCENIC DRIVE! DISCOVER “The Wind Surfing Capital of the World”! Visit the West coast’s first legal pot shop, MARGIE’S POT SHOP and stock up for the holidays! Medical cards welcome.
“Just for the fun of it!”
405 E STEUBEN / SR 14, BINGEN, WA 98605 509-493-0441 | MARGIESPOT.COM 9AM-9PM EVERYDAY!
THIS PRODUCT HAS INTOXICATING EFFECTS AND MAY BE HABIT FORMING. MARIJUANA CAN IMPAIR CONCENTRATION, COORDINATION, AND JUDGMENT. DO NOT OPERATE A VEHICLE OR MACHINERY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THIS DRUG. THERE MAY BE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CONSUMPTION OF THIS PRODUCT. FOR USE ONLY BY ADULTS TWENTY-ONE AND OLDER. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.
Mina Miller, Artistic Director • 22nd Season
Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer
For a Look or a Touch
Based on the true story of two idealistic young gay men in 1930s Berlin whose lives and love were torn apart under Nazi rule. GHT ONE NI
ONLY
PLUS
Intonations: Songs from the Violins of Hope
Pacific Northwest Premiere
Precious instruments sing again, telling us of their journeys before and during the Holocaust.
Do you remember when night was for more than sleep? Sunday, May 17, 2020 | 5:30 p.m. Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall
Tickets: www.musicofremembrance.org
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Celebrating 46 Years!
KEY WEST
continued from page 4
the way, Hemingway only met Tennessee Williams once, but not in Key West. The famed writers met in Cuba, for a drink. Williams famously said that they didn't really have much to talk about. The Lighthouse & Keeper's Quarters (https://www.kwahs.org/museums/ lighthouse-keepers-quarters/visit) is across the street from Hemingway House and is well worth checking out. It includes a fascinating history of the life of the family that lived in the house. You can take the long winding staircase to the top for a spectacular view of the island. For a great and free view of Key West, check out Amsterdam's Curry Mansion Inn (https://currymansion.com/) Even if you are not staying in one of the inn's 28 rooms, you can check out the lobby and trek to the widow's walk lookout at the top of the building. The Custom House Museum (https:// www.kwahs.org/museums/custom-house) is running an exhibit with a tribute to the island's great writers including Williams and Hemingway. The museum also presents a great chronicle of the history of Key West. The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum (https://www.melfisher.org/) showcases the maritime history of the Keys and Carribean and chronicle's Fisher's long and eventually successful hunt for sunken treasure. The very entertaining Key West Shipwreck Museum (https://www.keywestshipwreck.com/) takes visitors into a look at the business that first put Key West on the map. The observation tower offers some of the best views of the city. Just steps from the three aforementioned museums, hundreds gather every sunset to watch the sun go down from Mallory Square. Street performers jam the waterfront promenade at tourists snap selfies with the setting sun. Getting there and getting around A must for any first-time visitor to Key West is the Old Time Trolley Tour (https://www.trolleytours.com/key-west). The bus tours through Old and New Town Key West and you can hop on and off at an attraction where you want to spend more time.The company offers an excellent Ghosts and Gravestones Tour that is not-to-be-missed. It includes a stop inside the Shipwreck Museum as well as the Fort East Martello Museum, next to the airport (https://www.kwahs.org/museums/ fort-east-martello/visit). The legendary haunting "Robert the Doll" is on display at the civil war era fort. The open-air Conch Tour Train (https://www.conchtourtrain. com/) is another great tour that allows you to hop on and off at your favorite attractions in Old Town. There are no nonstop flights to Key West from Seattle but United, American, and Delta offer connecting flights into Key West International. Once you get to the airport, you can take a cab or Uber into town for about $20. You can also catch a city bus for the 25 minute ride into town for $2. By the way, on the way home, if you get to the airport early, check your luggage and walk next door to the aforementioned Fort East Martello Museum. It is a fascinating museum in a Civil War fort that chronicles Key West history. A section of the fort also showcases the work of junkyard artist Stanley Papio. Don't even think of renting a car in Key West. Parking is scarce. Some bicycle rental companies charge as much as $25 a day. WeCycle is among the cheapest on the island at only $10 a day for a cruiser bike. They have three locations in Key West and will do free deliveries (https://wecyclekw. com/). For more information on all things gay in Key West visit the Key West Business Guild site at https://gaykeywestfl.com/.
Tennessee Williams Museum– Photo by Ed Walsh
Inside Tennessee Williams Museum – Photo by Ed Walsh
AIDS Memorial – Photo by Ed Walsh
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Celebrating 46 Years!
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Seattle Gay News 9
Renton Civic Theatre presents
By August Wilson 4Culture/King County Building for Culture Program
Directed by Vincent Orduña
April 24 - May 9, 2020 TICKETS: Thursday 7:30 p.m.
Friday 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 2:00 p.m.
RentonCivicTheatre.org • (425) 226-5529 507 S. Third Street • Renton, WA
$26 Adults $21 Seniors/ Students Season Tickets Available Information online
Poster by Stevie VanBronkhorst • stevievanb.com
Produced with special permission from Samuel French, Inc.
Natalie Diaz Poet & author of When My Brother Was an Aztec: new book Postcolonial Love Poem
lectures.org
MAY 7
Rick Barot New poetry book— The Galleons, traces a personal & historical journey from the Philippines to the Americas
MAY 15
10 Seattle Gay News
March 20, 2020
Celebrating 46 Years!
SPRING ARTS
MOR closes 22nd season with two Holocaustinspired works by composer Jake Heggie & librettist Gene Scheer
For a Look or a Touch – Photo by Cory Weaver
On Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 5:30pm, Music of Remembrance (MOR) presents a concert at Seattle’s Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall featuring a rare double bill of works by the incomparable team of composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer. Tickets are $55 and available at www.musicofremembrance. org. 4:45pm pre-concert discussion with Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer. The program includes the Pacific Northwest premiere of Heggie and Scheer’s newest creation, Intonations: Songs from the Violins of Hope. The work was inspired by a rare collection of Holocaust string instruments that belonged to Jews who played them before and during the Holocaust. Lovingly restored over the past two decades, these precious instruments can now sing again even though their former owners were silenced. Puget Sound Area audiences had the opportunity to see and hear four of the historic instruments in concert this March, as part of a brief residency of the Violins of Hope in partnership with Music at Kohl Mansion. Heggie and Scheer’s dramatic song cycle is scored for a solo violinist, a solo singer as the voice of the violin, and string quartet. Each song “intones,” telling its own story and that of its owner from the perspective of the violin itself. Through music and words, the songs bring listeners along on extraordinary physical and emotional journeys. The performance features Metropolitan Opera mezzo soprano Laura Krumm along with MOR’s stellar string quartet drawn from the members of the Seattle Symphony, and violin soloist Mikhail Shmidt The program also features For a Look or a Touch, the earliest of four Heggie/Scheer
works that MOR has commissioned and premiered over the past decade. The first musical work ever to explore the Nazi persecution of homosexuals, it is based on the true story of two idealistic young gay men in 1930s Berlin whose lives and love were torn apart under Nazi rule. MOR’s production, directed by Erich Parce, features rising operatic star baritone Jarrett Ott as Manfred Lewin, along with actor Curt Branom, a beloved fixture of San Francisco’s Beach Blanket Babylon, in the role of Gad Beck. The work bears inspiring witness to the power of love, courage and memory. ABOUT THE MUSIC OF REMEMBRANCE ENSEMBLE: MOR’s core artists are members of the Seattle Symphony: clarinetist Laura DeLuca; flutist Zart Dombourian-Eby, violinists Mikhail Shmidt, Natasha Bazhanov and Artur Girsky, violist Susan Gulkis Assadi, and cellist Walter Gray. These artists can also be heard on MOR’s eight commercial audio recordings for Naxos.
Prisoners in the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen, Germany, 12-19-1938 – NARA
ABOUT MUSIC OF REMEMBRANCE: Now in its 22nd year, MOR remembers the Holocaust through music and honors the resilience of all people excluded or persecuted for their faith, nationality, ethnicity, gender or sexuality. In addition to rediscovering and performing music from the Holocaust, MOR has commissioned and premiered more than 30 new works by some of today’s leading composers, drawing on the Holocaust’s lessons to address urgent questions for our own time.
Visit us online www.sgn.org
Courtesy of Music of Remembrance
Gene Scheer and Jake Heggie – Photo courtesy of MOR
March 20, 2020
Seattle Gay News 11
SPRING LITERATURE Announcing the 32nd Annual LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS FINALISTS
Photo courtesy of Lambda Literary
Lambda Literary, the nation's premier LGBTQ literary organization has announced the finalists of the 32nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards (a.k.a. the “Lammys”). The Lammys were created over thirty years ago with the expressed purpose of recognizing the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. For many LGBTQ authors, the Lammys were among the first awards to recognize their work, and the list of past winners includes many names still widely celebrated, including: Dorothy Allison, Alison Bechdel, Richard Blanco, Charles M. Blow, Justin Vivian Bond, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Alexander Chee, Susan Choi, Michael Cunningham, Roxane Gay, E. Lynn Harris, Larry Kramer, Tony Kushner, Audre Lorde, Carmen Maria Machado, John Rechy, Edmund White, and Jacqueline Woodson, among many others. Now with twenty-four categories, the Lammys have continued to evolve as they seek to celebrate the vast range of LGBTQ literature. “The Lammys are a testament to the LGBTQ community’s longstanding contribution to literature,” said Sue Landers, executive director of Lambda Literary. “The awards celebrate authentic LGBTQ storytelling in all of its beauty, complexity, and power.” This year’s finalists were chosen by over 60 judges, literary professionals who spent countless hours considering a recordbreaking number of submissions. Finalists and winners will be celebrated at the awards ceremony on Monday, June 8 in New York City at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Every year, over 600 guests – including writers, industry professionals, and celebrities – attend the ceremony. This year’s host is "Saturday Night Live" cast member Bowen Yang. Tickets for the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony, VIP cocktail reception, and after-party are on sale at https://www.lambdaliterary.org/buy-tickets/ The Lammys are the most prestigious award in LGBTQ publishing. Please join us in celebrating the following authors and their literary accomplishments.
Lesbian Fiction Cantoras, Carolina De Robertis, Knopf; A Generous Spirit: Selected Work by Beth Brant, Janice Gould, Sinister Wisdom & Inanna Publications; Mostly Dead Things, Kristen Arnett, Tin House Books; On Swift Horses, Shannon Pufahl, Riverhead Books; Patsy, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Liveright Publishing; A People's History of Heaven, Mathangi Subramanian, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill; Red at the Bone, Jacqueline Woodson, Riverhead Books; Stay and Fight, Madeline ffitch, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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March 20, 2020
Gay Fiction Animalia, Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, translated by Frank Wynne, Grove Press; The Archive of Alternate Endings, Lindsey Drager, Dzanc Books; In West Mills, De'Shawn Charles Winslow, Bloomsbury Publishing; Like This Afternoon Forever, Jaime Manrique, Kaylie Jones Books; Lord, João Gilberto Noll, translated by Edgar Garbelotto, Two Lines Press; Lot, Bryan Washington, Riverhead Books; Murmur, Will Eaves, Bellevue Literary Press; On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong, Penguin Press
Bisexual Fiction Big Familia, Tomas Moniz, Acre Books; Deposing Nathan, Zack Smedley, Page Street; Exquisite Mariposa, Fiona Alison Duncan, Soft Skull Press; Jude, Garrett Leigh, Fox Love Press; Just Pervs, Jess Taylor, Book*hug Press; The Man Who Saw Everything, Deborah Levy, Bloomsbury Publishing; The Not Wives, Carley Moore, The Feminist Press; The Remainder, Alia Trabucco Zerán, translated by Sophie Hughes, Coffee House Press Transgender Fiction The Beatrix Gates, Rachel Pollack, PM Press; Honey Walls, Bones McKay, McKay & Gray Publications; Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian), Hazel Jane Plante, Metonymy Press; Poet, Prophet, Fox: The Tale of Sinnach the Seer, M.Z. McDonnell, Self-published; The Trans Space Octopus Congregation, Bogi Takács, Lethe Press Bisexual Nonfiction IMPERVIOUS: Confessions of a Semi-Retired Deviant, Janet W. Hardy, SinCyr Publishing; Socialist Realism, Trisha Low, Coffee House Press; A World
Without Martha: A Memoir of Sisters, Disability, and Difference, Victoria Freeman, UBC Press Transgender Nonfiction Females, Andrea Long Chu, Verso Books; Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States, Samantha Allen, Little, Brown and Company; Theorizing Transgender Identity for Clinical Practice: A New Model for Understanding Gender, S.J. Langer, Jessica Kingsley Publishers; Time Is the Thing A Body Moves Through, T Fleischmann, Coffee House Press; We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan, Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma, Nightboat Books LGBTQ Nonfiction Bloodflowers: Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Photography, and the 1980s, W. Ian Bourland, Duke University Press; The Bodies of Others: Drag Dances and Their Afterlives, Selby Wynn Schwartz, University of Michigan Press; Dying to Be Normal: Gay Martyrs and the Transformation of American Sexual Politics, Brett Krutzsch, Oxford University Press; Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women, E. Patrick Johnson, Duke University Press; In the Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado, Graywolf Press; When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History, Hugh Ryan, St. Martin's Press; Why Karen Carpenter Matters, Karen Tongson, University of Texas Press; A Year Without a Name, Cyrus Grace Dunham, Little, Brown and Company Lesbian Poetry & more black, t'ai freedom ford, Augury Books; Odes to Lithium, Shira Erlichman, Alice James Books; (the other house), Rocío Carlos, The Accomplices; Pressure Cooker Love Bomb, Sharanpal Ruprai, Frontenac House; Soft Science, Franny Choi, Alice James Books; Time, Etel Adnan, translated by Sarah Riggs, Nightboat Books; tsunami vs. the fukushima 50, Lee Ann Roripaugh, Milkweed Editions; Without Protection, Gala Mukomolova, Coffee House Press
see LAMBDA page 17
Celebrating 46 Years!
GardenMusic with Teddy Abrams
Olympic Chamber Music Fellowship
OLYMPIC MUSIC FESTIVAL
Stella Chen Matt Zalkind
JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER FORT WORDEN | PORT TOWNSEND world-class artists intimate performances chamber music masterworks
Programs and Concert Info online May 1st olympicmusicfestival.org
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Seattle Gay News 13
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Celebrating 46 Years!
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Seattle Gay News 15
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Celebrating 46 Years!
LGBTQ Comics Are You Listening?, Tillie Walden, First Second; Cannonball, Kelsey Wroten, Uncivilized Books; Death Threat, Vivek Shraya, illustrated by Ness Lee, Arsenal Pulp Press; Is This How You See Me?, Jaime Hernandez, Fantagraphics Books; Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Rosemary Valero O'Connell, First Second LGBTQ Drama The Amateurs, Jordan Harrison, Samuel French, Inc.; Dr. Ride's American Beach House, Liza Birkenmeier, produced by Ars Nova; A Strange Loop, Michael R. Jackson, produced by Playwrights Horizons LGBTQ Erotica Lord of the Senses, Vikram Kolmannskog, Team Angelica Publishing; Lot's Wife: An Erotic Novella, Rosalind Chase, Under Hill Press; The Shape of the Earth, Gary Garth McCann, Bold Strokes Books; Texas Crude, Thomas Kearnes, Lethe Press; Whore Foods, LA Warman, Inpatient Press
LAMBDA
continued from page 12 Gay Poetry Doomstead Days, Brian Teare, Nightboat Books; The Experiment of the Tropics, Lawrence Lacambra Ypil, Gaudy Boy; Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers, Jake Skeets, Milkweed Editions; Losing Miami, Gabriel Ojeda-Sagué, The Accomplices; NDN Coping Mechanisms: Notes from the Field, Billy-Ray Belcourt, House of Anansi Press; The Revisionist & The Astropastorals, Douglas Crase, Nightboat Books; SLINGSHOT, Cyrée Jarelle Johnson, Nightboat Books; The Tradition, Jericho Brown, Copper Canyon Press Bisexual Poetry Build Yourself a Boat, Camonghne Felix, Haymarket Books; HoodWitch, Faylita Hicks, Acre Books; Moira of Edges, Moira the Tart, Moina Pam Dick, Organism for Poetic Research; Pet Sounds, Stephanie Young, Nightboat Books; Revenge of the Asian Woman, Dorothy Chan, Diode Editions; ROMANS/SNOWMARE, Cam Scott, ARP Books; A Sand Book, Ariana Reines, Tin House Books; water/tongue, mai c. doan, Omnidawn Transgender Poetry Dispatch, Cameron Awkward-Rich, Persea Books; EXTRATRANSMISSION, Andrea Abi-Karam, Kelsey Street Press; HULL, Xandria Phillips, Nightboat Books; Our Weather Our Sea, Samuel Ace, Black Radish Books; The Year of Blue Water, Yanyi, Yale University Press Lesbian Mystery The Blood Runs Cold, Catherine Maiorisi, Bella Books; Galileo, Ann McMan, Bywater Books; The Hound of Justice, Claire O'Dell, Harper Voyager; The Mirror of Muraro, Amelia Ellis, Newton Pryce Ingram; Twisted at the Root: A Jane Lawless Mystery, Ellen Hart, Minotaur Books Gay Mystery Carved in Bone: A Henry Rios Novel, Michael Nava, Persigo Press; ChoirMaster: A Mister Puss Mystery, Michael Craft, Questover Press; Death Takes a Bow, David S. Pederson, Bold Strokes Books; The Fourth Courier, Timothy Jay Smith, Arcade Publishing; The Nowhere, Chris Gill, PRNTD Publishing; The Quaker, Liam McIlvanney, Europa Editions/World Noir; Rewind, Marshall Thornton, Kenmore Books; Royal Street Reveillon, Greg Herren, Bold Strokes Books
Photo by Joao Silas – Unsplash
Lesbian Memoir/Biography Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, T Kira Madden, Bloomsbury Publishing; Motherland: A Memoir of Love, Loathing, and Longing, Elissa Altman, Ballantine Books; Ordinary Girls, Jaquira Díaz, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill; The Rib Joint: A Memoir In Essays, Julia Koets, Red Hen Press; Sontag: Her Life and Work, Benjamin Moser, Ecco; Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval, Saidiya Hartman, W. W. Norton & Company; We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir, Samra Habib, Viking Canada; A Wild and Precious Life, Edie Windsor with Joshua Lyon, St. Martin's Press Gay Memoir/Biography The Amphitheater of the Dead, Guy Hocquenghem, translated by Max Fox, Guillotine; DISASTERAMA! Adventures in the Queer Underground 1977-1997, Alvin Orloff, Three Rooms Press; How We Fight for Our Lives, Saeed Jones, Simon & Schuster; I.M., Isaac Mizrahi, Flatiron Books; In the Shadow of the Bridge, Joseph Caldwell, Delphinium Books; Indefinite Sentence: A Personal History of Outlawed Love and Sex, Siddharth Dube, Atria Books; Jimmy Neurosis, James Oseland, Ecco; The Light Years, Chris Rush, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Elhillo, Haymarket Books; Foglifter Volume 4 Issue 2, Luiza Flynn-Goodlett, Foglifter Press; The Heart of the Matter: The Gerald Kraak Anthology Volume III, The Other Foundation, Jacana Media; Hustling Verse: An Anthology of Sex Workers' Poetry, Amber Dawn and Justin Ducharme, Arsenal Pulp Press; LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia, Jeff Mann and Julia Watts, West Virginia University Press; Love WITH Accountability: Digging up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse, Aishah Shahidah Simmons, AK Press; Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender and Identity, Micah Rajunov and Scott Duane, Columbia University Press; A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts from the First Century to 1969, Noam Sienna, Print-O-Craft
LGBTQ Science Fiction/Fantasy/ Horror Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon James, Riverhead Books; The Deep, Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes, Gallery/Saga Press; False Bingo, Jac Jemc, Farrar, Straus and Giroux; The Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon, Bloomsbury Publishing; The Rampant, Julie C. Day, Aqueduct Press; A Spectral Hue, Craig Laurance Gidney, Word Horde; Stories to Sing in the Dark, Matthew Bright, Lethe Press; Wake, Siren, Nina MacLaughlin, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
LGBTQ Children’s/Young Adult All the Things We Do in the Dark, Saundra Mitchell, HarperTeen; The Grief Keeper, Alexandra Villasante, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers; Hazel's Theory of Evolution, Lisa Jenn Bigelow, HarperCollins; Hurricane Season, Nicole Melleby, Algonquin Young Readers; The Meaning of Birds, Jaye Robin Brown, HarperTeen; Pet, Akwaeke Emezi, Make Me a World; Pride Colors, Robin Stevenson, Orca Book Publishers; Wilder Girls, Rory Power, Delacorte Press
LGBTQ Studies All Our Trials: Prisons, Policing, and the Feminist Fight to End Violence, Emily L. Thuma, University of Illinois Press; Archiving an Epidemic: Art, AIDS, and the Queer Chicanx Avant-Garde, Robb Hernández, New York University Press; Beside You in Time: Sense Methods and Queer Sociabilities in the American Nineteenth Century, Elizabeth Freeman, Duke University Press; Queer Times, Black Futures, Kara Keeling, New York University Press; Queering Black Atlantic Religions: Transcorporeality in Candomblé, Santería and Vodou, Roberto Strongman, Duke University Press; Reading Sideways: The Queer Politics of Art in Modern American Fiction, Dana Seitler, Fordham University Press; Scorpio Rising: A Queer Film Classic, R.L. Cagle, Arsenal Pulp Press; Trans Exploits: Trans of Color Cultures and Technologies in Movement, Jian Neo Chen, Duke University Press
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Seattle Gay News 17
Lesbian Romance Aurora’s Angel: A Dark Fantasy Romance, Emily Noon, Bluefire Books; Create a Life to Love, Erin Zak, Bold Strokes Books; Once Ghosted, Twice Shy, Alyssa Cole, Avon Impulse; Pretending in Paradise, M. Ullrich, Bold Strokes Books; The Roommate Arrangement, Jae, Ylva Publishing; The Secret Chord, Virginia Hale, Bella Books; Tennessee Whiskey, Donna K. Ford, Bold Strokes Books; Top of Her Game, M. Ullrich, Bold Strokes Books Gay Romance Best Man, Chris Delyani, Self-published; Blue Umbrella Sky, Rick R. Reed, Dreamspinner Press; Code Name: Liberty, Marshall Thornton, Kenmore Books; Digging Deep, Jay Hogan, Dreamspinner Press; Escaping Camp Roosevelt, Bryan T. Clark, Cornbread Publishing; Joseph Chapman: My Molly Life, James Lovejoy, Self-published; Kiss Me Again, Garrett Leigh, Fox Love Press; My Baby Chased Away the Blues, R.A. Thorn, NineStar Press LGBTQ Anthology The BreakBeat Poets Volume 3: Halal if You Hear Me, Fatimah Asghar and Safia
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SPRING ARTS
Smithsonian's American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith at MOHAI April 2
Explore America's bold experiment in a government "of, by and for the people" at Seattle's Museum of History & Industry this spring with American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith exhibit
Photo courtesy of MOHAI
MOHAI is the only West Coast venue for this timely and important exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution. Coinciding with the 2020 election year ahead, Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) presents American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith (April 25 - August 16, 2020). Featuring hundreds of rare artifacts and images, as well as interactive experiences, this important exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution celebrates the bold and radical experiment to test a new form of government. The exhibit makes clear that democracy is still a work in progress, but it is at the core of our nation's political, economic, and social life and depends on the informed engagement of each citizen. American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith is a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) that examines the continuing evolution of America’s – and Washington’s – experiment in a government “of, by, and for the people.” The exhibit also highlights the critical importance of active participation in our quest to form a “more perfect union.” The only West Coast venue of the exhibit’s national tour, MOHAI, also a Smithsonian Affiliate, will incorporate regional stories and artifacts into the national exhibit. The exhibit’s presentation at MOHAI will include a look into Washington’s journey to statehood and over the following 130 years, highlighting key moments in our region’s history. Interactive experiences allow visitors to test their civic literacy, take the citizenship test, register to vote and voice their opinions on the issues of the day. As an exhibit and catalyst for public program-
ming, American Democracy will reflect the value of civics education, and spark discussions that are essential to a healthy democracy. Based on the permanent exhibition of the same name at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the exhibit explores democracy from the Revolution to the present, using objects from the Smithsonian’s collection, ranging from a portable writing box designed by Thomas Jefferson while composing the Declaration of Independence to campaign materials, protest signs, and political memorabilia charting over two centuries of American political life. “I am thrilled that Seattle residents will not only have the opportunity to experience artifacts from the Smithsonian but that we can share rare pieces from MOHAI’s own collection that represent Washington’s role in the nation’s long journey towards a selfgovernment that welcomes all Americans,” said Leonard Garfield, MOHAI’s Executive Director. In addition to the Smithsonian artifacts, MOHAI will present nearly 100 local artifacts on display including campaign and protest posters, fliers and bumper stickers, furnishings from the first Territorial Legislature and the actual public address system that Bertha Knight Landes, Seattle’s first female mayor, used to rally women to the world of politics. Loans from the Suquamish, Makah Cultural & Resource Center, Burke Museum, and more help illustrate enduring Native governance. In addition, the MOHAI Youth Advisory committee – teens dedicated to
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March 20, 2020
see MOHAI page 20
Photo courtesy of MOHAI
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OPEN FOR TAKEOUT 3PM - 9:30PM
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Photo courtesy of MOHAI
MOHAI
continued from page 18 bringing a young person’s perspective to the museum experience – have curated a section to illustrate how youth participate in democracy, featuring artifacts reflecting the political activism of those too young to vote. American Democracy is comprised of five sections that demonstrate how our democracy relies on active participation to form “a more perfect union.” “THE GREAT LEAP” The first section sets the scene with “The Great Leap,” which examines the system that the colonists inherited and the issues that the founding generation debated to change that world. They would do without a king or aristocrats. They would create a new government based solely on “the people.” But who would really count as “the people,” and how would it all work? Should wealthy and educated gentlemen still dominate the government? Could a new, representative form of government truly represent the interests and views of common men and women? How should those people participate to make their voices heard? The new United States of America was a great leap forward from elite hierarchies. But a double standard of freedom and equality for some, but not all, continued to exist – and that was true in Washington Territory. The new republic disregarded Native systems of governance that had been in place for millennia, and forcibly confis-
20 Seattle Gay News
cated Native land. Additionally, territory residents did not have the full democratic rights allowed to state residents back East, until the territory gained statehood. As territory residents, citizens had limited political power. They could elect just one non-voting delegate to join the U.S. House of Representatives, and only elect representatives to their territorial assembly. The Territory was effectively governed from the “other Washington”. This form of government lasted another 36 years until residents here gained full democratic rights when Washington became a state. “A VOTE, A VOICE” The second section “A Vote, A Voice,” looks at Americans grappling with the expansion and contraction of voting rights as they debated who should have a direct voice in the political process. When it was established, the United States boasted more eligible voters than ever before. But voters still made up just a fraction of the new country’s population. The nation’s founders never envisioned the numbers, classes, sexes, and races of Americans who cast ballots each election day. They envisioned a world in which propertied men rose above self-interest and voted on behalf of “the people.” Many of “the people,” however, showed a stubborn desire to vote directly to choose their leaders and laws. The result has been reluctant adjustments, contentious struggles, and ongoing negotiations as groups tried to persuade lawmakers, the courts, and their fellow citizens to let them share the power of the polls.
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Statehood for the Washington territory was met with delight – male, mostly white, citizens could finally vote. They delegated their power to representatives in Olympia and Washington, D.C. They elected their own governor, voted for the U.S. President, and elected representatives to Congress. Territorial women briefly held the right to vote in the 1880s, but soon lost it. In the decades following, Washington state women worked tirelessly to achieve suffrage. Men slowly elected women to “motherly” state positions on school and library boards. Women persuaded their husbands, fathers, and sons to grant them the basic civil right to vote. Finally, in this progressive state, men voted to amend the state constitution nearly two-to-one. Washington women gained the vote in 1910, a full decade before the 19th Amendment. Residents here continue to push for the power of voting to be shared broadly. With each generation, more are included, though opportunities remain to widen the pool. “CREATING CITIZENS” In its third section “Creating Citizens,” the exhibit examines the basic questions of: How diverse should the citizenry be? Is there a need to share a common national story? And what are the rights and responsibilities of citizens? These questions have shaped the most contested debates in America’s nearly 250-year-old political history. Fulfilling the ideals of American democracy required defining “The People” and determining the meaning of citizenship. Not clearly articulated in the founding documents, these unsettled issues were left
for future generations. Since its earliest days, Washington has experienced those challenges, too. Racially and ethnically diverse throughout its history, due in large part to the influence of our sizable ports and international border, Washington has had a history of contradiction between welcoming and restricting newcomers even as cultural diversity is embraced. The 1860 census of Washington Territory documents a racially diverse population, with residents hailing from Calcutta to New York, to Norway. By 1910, almost 24% of the state’s residents were foreign-born. Today, King County continues to be diverse – new immigrants arrive every day. While some welcome these new Americans with open arms, anxiety over them and antiimmigrant discrimination also continues. “THE MACHINERY OF DEMOCRACY” How do we define “We, the People”? What is the meaning of citizenship? Who is a citizen and what are their rights and responsibilities? We have continued to shape our diverse national identity by understanding our rights and responsibilities and by exploring our complex national story. “The Machinery of Democracy,” section investigates the informal institutions and activities not spelled out in the Constitution, but which make America’s participatory system possible and motivate citizens to join political parties, support candidates and vote. State and national parties, nomination and ratification conventions, and
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intense and elaborate campaigns are examples of the informal processes Americans have adopted that give life and form to the ideas in the Constitution. The presidential campaign of Republican nominee Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade, an event that caught the attention of men, women, and children. The idea originated in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1858, and was revived for Lincoln’s campaign. Tailored oilcloth capes distinguished the marchers, some of whom were too young to vote. Their example spread from Hartford to cities all over the northeastern United States, culminating in a Grand Procession in New York City on October 3, 1860. The martial spectacle – including 10,000 uniformed men, fireworks, and floats – created envy among New York’s Democrats, and alarm among Southern sympathizers. In 1896, Seattle held its own Torchlight Parade for populist Presidential candidate Williams Jennings Bryan. Over 6,000 people – about 10 percent of King County’s population – marched with lanterns. Bryan won in Washington but lost the national election. His deep support here illustrates a long history of progressive politics.
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” – Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 Generous support for American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith in Seattle is made possible by the Boeing Company, Laird Norton Wealth Management, the RealNetworks Foundation, and the MOHAI Exhibits Fund. Media support provided by The Seattle Times and KCTS 9 | Crosscut. Up-to-date information about American Democracy and related programming can be found in the MOHAI online calendar at mohai.org, on Facebook or by calling (206) 324-1126. Location, Hours, and Admission MOHAI is located at 860 Terry Ave. in the South Lake Union neighborhood in Seattle. Exhibit gallery hours are 10am to 5pm daily. Admission is free on first Thursdays to MOHAI’s regular galleries and
Photo courtesy of MOHAI
Photo courtesy of MOHAI
“BEYOND THE BALLOT” The exhibit’s “Beyond the Ballot” section explores the ways in which Americans have shaped their country through petitioning, protest and lobbying throughout the country’s history and across the political spectrum. The First Amendment of the Constitution established that Congress shall make no law restricting “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Not limiting their participation to electoral politics, individuals and groups with very different resources – on the streets, in back rooms, and through the media of their times – have brought their interests and concerns before the nation. From 18th-century petitioning and mass demonstrations, to formal and informal lobbying of government officials, to electronic letter-writing campaigns, Americans have exercised this very basic democratic right to shape their country beyond the ballot box. Democracy cannot function without dissent. And Washington residents are not afraid to do just that. The exhibit illustrates the region’s tradition of civic activism – people taking action beyond voting to employ their constitutional right to disagree. Methods range from boycotts, to education platforms, to protests heard around the world. Washington’s distinct experiment with democracy reflects the people here. Since the state’s earliest days, we’ve enacted progressive policies, pushed to affect change, and wrestled with shared and conflicting values – all to create “a more perfect union.” As the exhibit makes clear, the work continues, and MOHAI invites visitors to be a part of that evolving story.
Photo courtesy of MOHAI
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open until 8pm. Please check the website for admission prices. As part of the Museums For All program, low-income families can visit MOHAI for a minimal fee of $2 per person with the presentation of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. For more information, call (206) 324-1126 or visit https://mohai.org/ (You can take the South Lake Union street car or King County Metro Transit routes 40 or 70 to MOHAI.) [NOTE: The museum is temporarily closed as a preventive measure during this time of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.] About MOHAI A Smithsonian Affiliate since 2009, MOHAI (Museum of History & Industry) is dedicated to enriching lives through preserving, sharing, and teaching the diverse history of Seattle, the Puget Sound region, and the nation. As the largest private heritage organization in the State of Washington; the museum engages communities through interactive exhibits, online resources, and award-winning public and youth education programs. For more information about MOHAI, please visit mohai. org, or call (206) 324-1126. Facebook: facebook.com/seattlehistory Twitter: @ MOHAI.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they
About SITES SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 65 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites. si.edu.
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Seattle Gay News 21
SPRING ARTS
San Juan Islands Museum of Art presents two exceptional exhibits Missing / Highway of Tears (March 6-May 25) Deon Venter Statement from the artist: The highway refers to a short stretch of Highway 16 between Prince Rupert [BC] and Prince George [BC], where 18 girls, almost all Aboriginal, were murdered. On the piece of highway from Vancouver to Edmonton RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] records show that over 200 people have disappeared on this route. The Highway of Tears is an installation of individual portraits alternating with flower paintings, and was inspired by two poems of the Pulitzer Prize winning American poet Mary Oliver, entitled “Goldenrod” and “Peonies”. These nature poems form a potent metaphor for the young lives lost. The estimated 120 women who have disappeared and/or been murdered, from a two city block radius within Vancouver’s [BC] Downtown Eastside is beyond comprehension. That these women were involved in the sex trade (part of society’s most disenfranchised) and a disproportionate number of them Aboriginal, is an indictment to all of us – it happened under our watch, with very little public outcry. Although we are no Willie Pickton, as Canadians we find ourselves in the court of public opinion for our inaction. As tragic as the deaths of these women are, united in their circumstances, their legacy is a powerful and collective voice and this is the intended empowerment I bring to the paintings in the Missing Series. Venter states, “I hope my paintings achieve some type of memorial, awareness and resolution in converting the subject into life affirming art.” Sponsored by The Honeywell Charitable Fund, Kim Miller, San Juan County, Town of Friday Harbor, San Juan Island Community Foundation, Printonyx, Harbor Rentals and Browne’s Home Center.
Highway of Tears by Deon Venter – Photo courtesy of SJIMA
and more. The landmark exhibition transports us to a world of connections between individual and community, body and soul, land and people. Watch for A Conversation with Beckwith and Fisher – They are coming to Friday Harbor – come meet and hear them! https:// sjima.org/shop/art-as-a-voice-a-conversation-with-beckwith-fisher/ Sponsored by Dave Ralston and Don Pollard, The Honeywell Charitable Fund, Kim Miller, San Juan County, Town of Fri-
In addition to exhibitions and allied events, SJIMA also contributes to the community through on-going financial support for art education in the San Juan Island School District. Arts education is always vulnerable when overall funding for education is curtailed, and through the recent period of severe local educational funding cuts, there would not have been any arts program in the elementary school at all if SJIMA had not provided crucial support and creative leadership. As the heart of the visual arts of the Salish Sea, SJIMA champions artists, the arts, and arts programming because we champion authenticity of expression, place, and connections. HOURS: Memorial Day to Labor Day – Thursday to Monday 11am - 5pm September to May – Friday to Monday 11am - 5pm MONDAYS are Pay What You Can Reservations recommended for groups of eight or more. Please call 360-370-5050. ADMISSION: Adults: $10 Children 18 years and younger: Free Members: Free
Two Hadza hunters overlook their territory bordering Lake Eyasi, east of the Serengeti Plains, Tanzania – Photo courtesy of SJIMA
African Twilight (June 4-September 8) Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher The trailblazing photographers & adventurers record a disappearing culture of Africa before it is too late. The photographs, seen for the first time, cover 15 years of pioneering work that brings us the dazzling diversity of African ceremonies, rituals & culture. Bringing the personal connections and meaningful under- standing for which they are renown, the women capture the broad cultural diversity of the sacred rituals of birth,death, courtship, leadership, healing
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day Harbor, San Juan Island Community Foundation, Printonyx, Harbor Rentals and Browne’s Home Center. About San Juan Islands Museum of Art Thank you for your interest in SJIMA. We are located in the San Juan Islands in northwest Washington – an area noted for its scenic beauty and incredible concentration of artists. The museum is committed to promoting the arts of the Pacific Northwest and Southwest British Columbia. We offer rotating exhibitions through our three galleries, with approximately 8-10 exhibitions per year, as well as a lecture series titled Art as a Voice.
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Take I-5 approximately 90 miles from either Seattle or Vancouver, BC, to the Washington States Ferries terminal in Anacortes, WA. Tell the ticket agent you are going to San Juan Island and she will guide you to the correct lane. The beautiful oneto two-hour ferry ride will take you through the breathtaking San Juan archipelago. There will be an announcement when the boat arrives at Friday Harbor. Follow the other cars (right) off the ferry, then left onto Spring Street, Friday Harbor’s main commercial street. SJIMA is approximately half a mile up Spring St., on the right. You really can’t miss it! [NOTE: Although there are no known cases of COVID-19 in San Juan County at this time and the San Juan Islands Museum of Arts' gallery spaces are spacious enough to accommodate recommended social distancing guidelines SJIMA is currently closed to visitors pending further guidance from WA Governor Jay Inslee's office and state health department officials.] Courtesy of SJIMA
GETTING THERE: San Juan Island is 90 miles north of Seattle; 90 miles south of Vancouver B.C.; 1 hour from Victoria BC, Vancouver Island via the ferry To find hotels in and around Friday Harbor, check: https://www.visitsanjuans.com/san-juanisland/accommodations#island-selectortitle The island is accessible only by ferry or plane. To make a ferry reservation click on the link below: https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/TakeaFerry To make a flight reservation click on the link below: https://www.kenmoreair.com/ destinations/san-juan-islands DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
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Seattle Gay News 23
Adopt a Dog Today! We have adoption events every weekend! There are so many dogs that need, and deserve, our help.
10,080 dogs saved out of death row! Adopt Foster Volunteer Transport Donate Check out our upcoming adoption events at: gingerspetrescue.org/events
MENDANCE Against the Grain since 1996
Committed to supporting and producing cutting-edge male-identifying concert dance, in all of its colors
CALL FOR CHOREOGRAPHERS MEN IN DANCE is seeking proposals for our 13th Anniversary Festival to be held over two weekends: Oct. 2 – 4, & Oct. 9 – 11, at The Erickson Theatre in Seattle, Washington. Choreographers may be of any gender; all performers must be male-identifying. We encourage group pieces but will also consider solos and duets.
Application Deadline: Thursday, April 30 Submission details can be found at submit.menindance.org Please direct any questions to MenInDanceSEA@gmail.com Responses will be sent out to all choreographers no later than Friday, May 15, 2020
Men In Dance @MeninDance w w w. M e n I n D a n c e . o r g • M e n I n D a n c e S E A @ g m a i l . c o m
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March 20, 2020
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PNB’s brilliant “One Thousand Pieces” program cancelled due to novel coronavirus but dress rehearsal video streamed to PNB ticket holders
Pacific Northwest Ballet company dancers in David Dawson’s Empire Noir, – Photo by Angela Sterling
by Sharon Cumberland SGN A&E Writer PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET “ONE THOUSAND PIECES" TICKET HOLDER'S VIDEO STREAM March 17 Pacific Northwest Ballet has done something wonderful in naming Alejandro Cerrudo, the Chicago-based choreographer from Spain, as PNB’s first-ever Resident Choreographer. It’s a big deal for a lot of reasons. Not only can dance lovers look forward to wonderful new works by this brilliant artist, but the very fact of a resident choreographer means that PNB has risen to a new level of professionalism in the world of dance. It means that the PNB dancers will become the exponents of Cerrudo’s work, and that PNB will be the go-to company offering definitive versions of each new dance he creates for the company. It also means that when Peter Boal was invited to be the Artistic Director of PNB in 2005, Seattle got a former dancer from the New York City Ballet who has a sophisticated worldview of dance and choreographers. Boal was trained from childhood by George Balanchine, one of the greatest Resident Choreographers who ever lived. Boal understands the importance for a dance company to identify a brilliant talent like Cerrudo, and then give him the time, dancers, designers and orchestra to make big, ambitious new works. It also means that Seattle audiences are so supportive and knowledgeable about a great art form that we, together, can support a great choreographer. And now, of course, we need to be more supportive than ever, because PNB has had to cancel the marvelous program, “One Thousand Pieces,” that was set to run from March 13th to March 22nd. As disappointing as this is to ticketholders and subscribers, the company has generously streamed the dress rehearsal for those who would have been there on opening night, and on all the successive evenings of this innovative program. It’s not the same as seeing it in the theater – the camera directs what you see rather than you choosing for yourself, the energy and astonishing physicality of the dancers is mediated rather than experienced directly, the collegiality and excitement of the audience is replaced by your husband wandering in to ask if its OK if he
eats the last muffin. Nevertheless, streaming has some advantages. When a dance is as complex as “One Thousand Pieces” you can replay some of the moments when you couldn’t believe your eyes. You can stop the picture and count how many people are on stage – reviewers are always trying to count how many people are dancing in a sequence when everyone is moving at once. You can look at different things occurring in the same moment that might have been lost on you in a live performance. I’m very grateful to Peter Boal, Executive Director Ellen Walker, and all the craft unions and the orchestra for agreeing to let folks see this wonderful program in a limited time frame online rather than miss it all together or have to wait to see it for x number of weeks or months. And I somehow feel that the dancers feel better knowing that their audiences got to see them perform a work they have been rehearsing for months. Though it’s taboo to review a dress rehearsal, I was fortunate to see the opening dance on the program, David Dawson’s marvelous “Empire Noir,” when it was performed in 2017, and so that review is reprinted below. And though I can’t tell you why Cerrudo’s “One Thousand Pieces” is so brilliant, I can offer you a reprint of a review I wrote when PNB presented another of his works, “Little Mortal Jump,” in 2016. I only wish my review at that time was more detailed. Cerrudo’s style is very distinctive, uniquely inventive, and increasingly complex and moving. “Little Mortal Jump” was great, but believe me when I tell you that as soon as we’re all out of lockdown, you should celebrate by going to see “One Thousand Pieces.” The music by Philip Glass, the intricacy and power of the choreography, the intense commitment of the dancers, the exquisite musicianship of the PNB orchestra – all combine to make a work that will live forever. And to think that Cerrudo is creating an entirely new work for PNB – and for us – next year. “Empire Noir” (2015) Choreography: David Dawson Music: Greg Haines Costumes: Yumiko Takeshima (Performed March 17, 2017) [NOTE: The following reprints Sharon Cumberland’s review of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s March 17, 2017 performance of David Dawson’s work “Empire Noir” – which was also a part of PNB’s recently cancelled “One
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Thousand Pieces” program – to give readers a sense of this piece.] Usually the most thrilling piece – the one that brings audiences to their feet for extended cheering and applause – is presented last, like a fireworks display. In this case, however, David Dawson’s exciting “Empire Noir” was presented first and yes, we leapt to our feet cheering at the end. Though the dance was “noir,” the choreography and music were in Technicolor. The monochromatic set uses a dramatic black parabola (think upside-down swoosh) and bright, white, shadow-casting light to create performance fields for the black-clad dancers. Greg Haines’ percussive music – bells, drums, wood clappers, horns – and Dawson’ daring, architectural movement are the fireworks contained in this dark world. Haines’ sharp, rhythmic music fuses with the movement, driving dancers into ever more vivid and architectural shapes. The dance began with all ten dancers facing the audience at the footlights, arms extended to one another, like cut-out dolls from another planet with one hand at a ninety-degree angle up, and the opposing hand at a ninety degree angle down. This motif returned repeatedly as Dawson explored odd numbers of dancers – three, seven, five, one, nine – in an ever-shifting numerical universe. One particularly striking move has a male dancer grip his partner under the arms in a floor-skimming swing as she forms a diamond with her legs. It’s potentially ungainly, yet strange and absorbing. And just in case we didn’t fully grasp it the first time it came around, Dawson has all five couples perform the same low swing at the finale, moving the group in a large circle like the orbit of a planet that has stars circulating inside the perimeter. There were amazing fishtail-shaped lifts with the women uplifted in backbends, there was the clever device of dancers entering and leaving the stage at a run, and the continuing use of the hands as gestures independent of the arm, unlike the classical tradition of the hand as an extension of the arm. There are so many dramatic configurations of the body and the corps of dancers in this ballet that one can only wonder at the inventiveness of Dawson’s choreographic mind. I haven’t been this impressed with a modern ballet since Crystal Pite’s “Emergence.” “Little Mortal Jump” (2012) Choreography: Alejandro Cerrudo Music: Various Artists,
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including Philip Glass, Max Richter, and Tom Waits Costumes: Branimira Ivanova (Performed March 18, 2016) [NOTE: The following is a reprint of Sharon Cumberland’s review of PNB’s March 18, 2016 performance of Alejandro Cerrudo’s earlier work “Little Mortal Jump” – which was not on PNB’s “One Thousand Pieces” program – to give the reader a sense of Cerrudo's brilliant work although this work wasn't on the program.] Of three marvelous dances in the evening’s program, this was my and the audience’s favorite, prompting the entire contents of McCaw Hall to erupt into shouts of amazement and delight at the end. “Little Mortal Jump” was first created for Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago where Spanish choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo is the resident choreographer. It’s funny, mysterious, and startling. For some undisclosed reason the men are dressed like 1930’s news boys, in knickerbockers and suspenders, while the women are in more contemporary, cool-looking jumpsuits and skirts. The stage contains four huge black boxes that dancers stand on, disappear into, and ultimately send spinning across the stage in a finale that defies logic but strikes at that place in your chest where the thrills vibrate. In the opening section a single male dancer comes out and performs a tour de force of body language and dance acrobatics that concludes with – well, I’d better not tell you (no spoilers) – but it caused a collective gasp and a wave of laughter from the orchestra to the top tier. The sections that follow – duets interspersed with sequences for all ten dancers – display a style of movement that uses every part of the body independently, as though the head and arms are inexplicably independent of the torso, and the skeleton inside is a flowing liquid rather than a solid. This may sound weird, but it isn’t. It actually does what great dance always does – it gives us a new understanding of what the human body can do. One aspect of Cerrudo’s choreography that I loved is his use of simultaneous movement in groups – all ten dancers moving together in a kind of semaphore communication that bypasses the left brain and goes straight to the heart. “Little Mortal Dance” is the first work I’ve seen by Cerrudo and my antennae are out now – I want to see everything he’s ever made.
Seattle Gay News 25
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SIFF's message to the public about COVID-19 MARCH 18, 2020 46th Seattle International Film Festival canceled amid COVID-19 pandemic SIFF on hiatus after the majority of staff furloughed It is with great sadness that we announce the cancellation of the 46th Seattle International Film Festival, scheduled to run May 14 to June 7, 2020. SIFF is committed to being a part of the solution to help slow down the recent spike in numbers of COVID-19 cases in the state and across the country, and we remain committed to the safety of audiences, staff, and the community at large. This, in addition to Monday's announcement by Governor Jay Inslee and King County Executive Dow Constantine further expanding social gathering limits, which now prohibit all events of 50 or larger statewide until further notice, led to this difficult decision. For our patrons who have already purchased passes or ticket packs to SIFF 2020, please consider making your purchase a donation to SIFF. If you'd like to consider other options, please submit your request via this form [https://docs.google.com/form s/d/e/1FAIpQLSey8HMHo3HHW8iw1Y3j WcMycSaTg0pMTT-dG1eJ0JnUdnK4Bw/ viewform] or email boxoffice@siff.net. We did not make this decision lightly. The Seattle International Film Festival is the largest film festival in North America, showcasing more than 400 films from more than 85 countries to 140,000+ attendees over 25 days. While the core of the Festival takes place mid-May into early June, preevents and activities begin up to six weeks earlier. The looming uncertainty of this crisis, and the huge amount of work that would have to be done now, makes it impossible to continue as scheduled. In addition to not being able to bring on nearly 100 seasonal workers, as well as previously announced cinema staff furloughs, we are placed in the untenable position of furloughing the majority of our staff.
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SIFF will be on hiatus for the next few months while the board and a minimal leadership crew, working reduced hours, regroup. This is hitting SIFF at our most vulnerable time. So much of our funding comes in through festival, and we are losing that to the COVID-19 response at a point when we have already started spending on fixed costs for the festival. When the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, we won't be able to flip a switch and start back up with business as usual. We must pivot our current circumstances into an opportunity to innovate and reimagine a stronger, more sustainable and exciting future for SIFF and activate the philanthropic community to help us. The day will come when we gather again to share great films, community, and experiences. Please consider supporting SIFF with a donation. [https:// www.siff.net/support/support-your-siffcommunity] Support your SIFF community As a non-profit organization, SIFF's mission is to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world. As you are likely aware, in light of the circumstances related to COVID-19 (coronavirus) and the directives issued by the Governor and King County, on Friday, March 13, SIFF suspended all screenings and events at our three cinemas – SIFF Cinema Egyptian, SIFF Cinema Uptown, and SIFF Film Center – until conditions improve sufficiently. As the situation continues to evolve, we are complying with the state, city, and county in prioritizing the health and safety of audiences, staff, and the community at large. We know there is uncertainty ahead, and we also know that our mission matters more than ever. The day will come when we gather again to share great films, community, and experiences. Until then, we need your help. While we can't currently gather in person, please consider supporting the SIFF community with a donation. [https://www.siff.net/support/support-yoursiff-community] Courtesy of Seattle International Film Festival
March 20, 2020
Teresa Palmer in Ride Like a Girl – Photo courtesy of IMDB
by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer RIDE LIKE A GIRL VOD The feature-length directorial debut of actress Rachel Griffiths, tells the story of Australian jockey Michelle Payne, the first woman to ever win the prestigious Melbourne Cup. Beautifully portrayed by actress Teresa Palmer in one of the best performances of her career, Payne’s story is one of perseverance, courage, hardship and family that I found impossible to resist. Griffiths showcases a level of dramatic restraint that gives her movie an extra layer of authenticity that’s splendid, and as familiar as many of the thematic beats might be that doesn’t make this inspirational sports story any less entertaining. The youngest of ten kids, all of whom were raised by their respected horse trainer single father Paddy (Sam Neill) after the tragic death of their mother and most of which have had careers as jockeys, Michelle Payne might just be the one most focused on achieving lasting success. Constantly training, always working with their family’s horses, learning everything she can about being a jockey at the expense of her schoolwork, Michelle showcases a fearless tenacity that if it were properly focused could transform her into one of the best jockeys of her generation. When one of her sisters, Brigid (Anneliese Apps), dies after a fall during a race, Paddy is understandably shaken. He begins to worry that Michelle takes too many risks and isn’t ready to enter the world of professional horse racing. But she defies her father, setting out on her own in an attempt to prove she doesn’t need to wait and has what it takes to be champion rider now and not at some fabled point in the unknown future. It’s a risk to do this without Paddy’s blessing, yet it is one Michelle feels she has to take, and if she can get anything close to consistent work the young jockey is certain she’ll show everyone, including her father, how wrong they were to doubt her. There are admittedly not a ton of surprises. It’s how Griffiths handles Andrew Knight (Hacksaw Ridge) and Elise McCredie’s (Strange Fits of Passion) efficient, if hardly imaginative, screenplay that
is most impressive. The director doesn’t sugarcoat any of the story’s more upsetting aspects, most notably the estrangement between Michelle and Paddy that occurs after she defies his orders. Griffiths understands that Michelle Payne doesn’t need to be depicted as a saint, and by making her so multidimensional it substantively increased how much I ended up relating to her life story. Another aspect of the film I appreciated was how it rarely wallowed in maudlin sentiment or forced melodrama. When Michelle gets injured during a race, Knight and McCredie don’t spend wasted energy chronicling the length and difficulty of her recovery. Instead, they jump forward and allow Griffiths the freedom to chronicle the highs and lows of the jockey’s early career as she sees fit, the athlete’s bruises and scars speaking volumes more than any Rocky-style training montage ever could have. The director emphasizes Michelle’s ultimate destination and her resilience to achieve this supposed impossibility on her terms and in her own way, making the climactic Melbourne Cup all the more thrilling in the process. Not to say there are any surprises as to where all of this ends up. We know going in that Michelle Payne riding astride the sixyear-old gelding Prince of Penzance won the Melbourne Cup in 2015. We also know she is going to overcome all of the injuries, travails and gender-related injustices that are thrown in front of her like a concrete roadblock redirecting traffic down some unpaved side street. All of this is public record, so it’s safe to say at least some of the suspense driving this story forward has been diluted through no fault of the filmmakers. Yet Griffiths refusal to make a glossy biopic and present things in such an unvarnished fashion works in the film’s favor. Additionally, as already stated Palmer is outstanding, the actress delivering a delicately nuanced and emotionally refined performance I was continually impressed by. Add in bravura supporting work from Neill and an even more enchantingly intoxicating turn from Stevie Payne, Michelle’s real-life older brother who has Down syndrome, and there’s precious little about Ride Like a Girl that I can find any lasting fault in. Griffiths’ debut is a victorious gem, sprinting to the finish line with a gleeful enthusiasm that’s downright infectious.
Celebrating 46 Years!
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March 20, 2020
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