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6 Questions for Artist Paul Plumadore
I’m delighted to have a chance to catch up with artist Paul Plumadore. It’s been four years since last we spoke, and I wanted to check in on the indefatigable artist and see what he’s been up to.
Paul Plumadore Paul’s collages have graced book covers, record covers, and editorial stories for leading magazines, record companies and newspapers. He was named “Upcoming Illustrator” by Art Direction Magazine in 1976, and he hasn’t slowed down since.
MM: It’s been four years since I last interviewed you (2016). At the time, your book Archive: 1957 – 1974 had just been published. Can you tell us about the books you’ve put out since then, Unthinkable and Anomalies?
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From the Archives: 6 Questions for Author Paula Martinac
By Mark McNeaseEight years of LGBTSr have given me a rich archive of interviews, reviews, podcasts and content. Here’s a ‘6 Questions’ interview from 2018 with author Paula Martinac. Her most recent novel, Clio Rising, was released by Bywater Books in April, 2019.
Paula Martinac I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author Paula Martinac. Her latest novel, The Ada Decades, tells the story of Ada Shook, a librarian who begins the book as a child discovering a shocking postcard image in her father’s possession, and ends seven decades later as a reluctant witness to history. Told in eleven interconnected stories, the novel examines issues of race, class, and the slow climb toward LGBT equality in a pre-Stonewall world.
See Paula’s in-depth answers to ‘6 Questions’ below, and mark your calendars: I’ll be chatting with Paula on a podcast sometime in the next month or two. I’m excited to continue our conversation. For now …
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6 (More) Questions for Dave Hughes of RetireFabulously.com
By Mark McNease
I’ve been a fan of Dave Hughes and his RetireFabulously.com website for the past five years. I’ve been raving about his columns and had the privilege of helping edit his two books . We both recently enjoyed cruises with our husbands, and I thought it was a good time to ask him some more questions about living in retirement, some of the realities of traveling as a retiree, and a general update. (Note: I’ll be turning 60 this month and hope to retire myself at 62.)
Dave, thanks for taking the time to answer more questions. You’ve been retired a while now and more active than ever. We both just finished cruises, and have fabulous, but different, experiences with this form of vacation. Let’s start there …
MM: I know people who love cruising and people who would rather walk on burning coals than be on a ship. What would you tell someone who’s never cruised to sell them on doing it?
DH: Cruises aren’t for everybody. I won’t pretend that they are. But some people harbor misconceptions about what cruises are really like. There are plenty of lesbian and gay people who harbor misconceptions about what lesbian or gay cruises are like.
Slideshow from Dave and Jeff’s Cruise
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6 Questions for Professor Drewey Wayne Gunn
Professor Gunn We learned last week of the passing of Professor Drewey Wayne Gunn. Many of us knew Professor Gunn for his generosity and his encyclopedic knowledge of gay literature, especially forgotten gay literature by authors who paved the way for later generations. I had the pleasure of interviewing him and being amazed at his extensive answers and his deep knowledge of a subject he was devoted to. Here is a reprint of that interview. – Mark/Editor
I was recently introduced by a mutual friend to Drewey Wayne Gunn, Professor Emeritus , Texas A&M University–Kingsville. Professor Gunn has long been interested in recovering forgotten works of gay literature and has produced a treasure trove of guidebooks in his effort to acknowledge the many authors who, while largely ignored or forgotten, paved the way for the richness and variety we now enjoy in gay literature.
His books include the upcoming Gay American Novels, 1870 – 1970 (McFarland, 2016), as well as Gay Novels of Britain, Ireland, and the Commonwealth, 1881 – 1981 (McFarland, 2014), 1960s Gay Pulp Fiction, edited with Jaime Harker (Massachusetts, 2013), The Gay Male Sleuth in Print and Film (Scarecrow, 2013), and The Golden Age of Gay Literature, editor (MLR, 2009).
I had the pleasure of asking Professor Gunn ‘6 Questions’ about his books, his passion for forgotten works, and how he thinks we can best keep our literary heritage alive. – Mark McNease/Editor
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6 Questions for Author Paula Martinac
Paula Martinac By Mark McNease
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author Paula Martinac. Her latest novel, The Ada Decades, tells the story of Ada Shook, a librarian who begins the book as a child discovering a shocking postcard image in her father’s possession, and ends seven decades later as a reluctant witness to history. Told in eleven interconnected stories, the novel examines issues of race, class, and the slow climb toward LGBT equality in a pre-Stonewall world.
See Paula’s in-depth answers to ‘6 Questions’ below, and mark your calendars: I’ll be chatting with Paula on a podcast sometime in the next month or two. I’m excited to continue our conversation. For now …
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6 Questions for Author Michael Nava
Michael Nava By Mark McNease
As a mystery writer myself, it shouldn’t be surprising I jumped at the chance to interview Michael Nava, an icon in the genre. His seminal Henry Rios series was heralded as the gold standard when the books came out, beginning with The Little Death in 1986.
In communicating with Michael for this interview, I discovered we were both in Los Angeles during the same time period, and both considered queer bookstore A Different Light (Silver Lake location) central to our writing and reading lives. This December we’ll see the release of Lay Your Sleeping Head, from Kórima Press (now available for pre-order), a reimagined and substantially rewritten version of that first book. I had the great pleasure of reading an advance copy, and was struck on the first page by its literary strength, its meticulous, rich detail and the aching humanity of its characters, as well as its finely crafted plot. Nava, as was declared of him in the New York Times, was, and is, “one of the best.” I’m delighted to share his answers to ‘6 Questions’. (And for all you audiobook fans, check out his Henry Rios series on Audible.)
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6 Questions for Audiobook Narrator Daniela Acitelli
Daniela Acitelli By Mark McNease
I recently had the pleasure of working with audiobook narrator and voiceover artist Daniela Acitelli on my book Death in the Headlights. Daniela was my first and immediate choice, with a voice as rich and clear as her personality is engaging. We’ve since become friends, and she’s been kind enough to give me a glimpse into the life of a professional book narrator. A Californian now living in London, Daniela follows her passions and inspires others to do the same. Enjoy her answers to ‘6 Questions’ below.
You can see Daniela’s website here, and find her many audiobooks here.
MM: You’re an expat living in London, originally from California. Why London, and how did that come about?
DA: I moved for love… well almost. I grew up with a father from Italy and a mother from America travelling back and forth so as a little girl I always assumed I’d move to some exotic country. London had everything and appealed to the ‘city girl’ in me. I’m married to a Glaswegian. I’m working on convincing him to move to Glasgow someday.
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6 Questions for Author Ann Aptaker
Ann Aptaker By Mark McNease
Whether you’re new to LGBT mysteries or a longtime fan, the name Ann Aptaker should by now be a familiar one. Author of the Cantor Gold series, Ann recently had the distinction of being the first author to with both the Lambda Literary Award (tied with Victoria Brownworth) and the Golden Crown Society Award for best mystery for the same book.
Considering that winning book, Tarnished Gold, was only the second in the series, you can plan on seeing many more featuring the irrepressible Cantor Gold. Thanks to Ann for taking the time to answer ‘6 Questions,’ offering an inside look at her life and writing.
Read more about Ann below, following the interview.
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6 Questions for Author Michael Craft
Author Michael Craft By Mark McNease
I had the pleasure of reading a short story author Michael Craft submitted for an anthology I was co-editing a couple years ago. The story, “Frog Legs”, was an immediate yes, and among the best stories in that collection. As it turns out, it was also the first story in his new book, Inside Dumont, a novel-in-stories that centers on characters in Dumont, Wisconsin, and begins with architect Marson Miles falling in love with his nephew over a dinner that includes frog legs.
With advance praise from Patricia Nell Warren and Michael Nava, Inside Dumont presents the story of Marson Miles in his later life from a variety of viewpoints. Each story connects to the others to make a striking, organic whole. It’s a great pleasure to finally have a chance to ask Michael ‘6 Questions,’ and share his wonderfully detailed answers. Read more about Michael after the interview.
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6 Questions for Author Joe Okonkwo
Author Joe Okonkwo By Mark McNease/Editor
I’ve had the great pleasure of getting to know author Joe Okonkwo this year, including the privilege of sharing his 2015 Puschart Prize-nominated short story Cleo here at lgbtSr. Joe’s debut novel Jazz Moon was recently released to deserved acclaim. He’s the Prose Editor for Newtown Literary, a journal featuring work by writers from Queens, New York, and in In 2017 he will take the reins as Editor of the annual Best Gay Stories anthology published by Lethe Press. Following are Joe’s answers to a ‘6 Questions’ interview.
MM: Please tell us a little about yourself, your journey from there to here (you went to school in Houston so I’m guessing you’re not a native New Yorker, few of us are, but I could be wrong …)
JO: I am a native New Yorker—if you’re talking about New York state. I was born in Syracuse, then moved around a great deal: New Jersey, Michigan, Nigeria, Mississippi. I ended up in Houston at age 11 and lived there till I moved to NYC in 2000. Since I was born in Syracuse and have now lived in NYC for sixteen years, it’s fair to say that New York is my home state. Even so, because I grew up in so many places, it’s challenging to figure out if I’m actually from anywhere.
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6 Questions for Author Kate Walter
Author Kate Walter Kate Walter’s recent book, Looking for a Kiss: A Chronicle of Downtown Heartbreak and Healing, is a deep examination of despair and recovery from a relationship that ended after 25 years. Not legally married at the time, she found herself single again, dealing with bewilderment and uncertainty, and ultimately on a road to healing. The memoir is her journey through that experience and her emergence on the other side. Following are Kate’s answers to ‘6 Questions’ about the book, her life and her plans for the future. – Mark McNease/Editor
MM: It was nice to meet you in person at the Rainbow Book Fair. You’re a fellow New Yorker (I’ve been here since 1993). Can you talk about your journey from there to here, wherever there was?
KW: I was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. As a teenager, I was influenced by Allen Ginsberg, home town celebrity, who used to return to read at the local public library. I graduated from a conservative Catholic women’s college in New Jersey, one of the few hippies on campus.
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6 Questions for Author Robert Hill
Author Robert Hill I recently had the pleasure of featuring Robert Hill’s newest book, The Remnants, a story of two near-centenarians preparing to observe their annual birthday tea and a town at the end of its days. His previous, debut novel, When All Is Said and Done, was shortlisted for the Oregon Book Awards’ Ken Kesey Awards for Fiction. A longtime resident of Portland, Oregon, Robert writes in an engaging style compared by one reviewer to James Joyce. It was a delight to have a chance to ask him ‘6 Questions’ and share his answers with you. – Mark McNease/Editor
MM: We’ll get to your new book The Remnants in a moment, but can you tell us first about yourself? I know you’re a New Englander by birth and a West Coaster by choice. How did that happen?
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6 Questions for Jesús Guillén, Artist, Activist and Shaman
Jesús Guillén I recently read a series of profiles in the San Francisco Chronicle based on their Last Men Standing Project, focusing on the lives of long term HIV survivors. Among those profiled in the piece and in the documentary is the extraordinary Jesús Guillén. Not only is he a long term survivor, but he also helps countless others on a dedicated Facebook page, through his art, music, shamanism, and in his indomitable spirit. I was delighted to have the chance to ask him ‘6 Questions.’ – Mark McNease/Editor
Note: This interview was edited with Jesús Guillén’s permission.
MM: How did you come to be involved with the ‘Last Men Standing’ project, and what was the process like for that as a written feature and a documentary?
JG: Ah, my point of view, my story, hopefully represented well. In the end all I can do is be myself and tell you how and what I’m going through or how I happen to be part of the LAST MEN STANDING project.