New from Terrace Books: MY DIVA

Coming in May from UW Press...

“These deeply personal, campy, and insightful essays illuminate the eternal bond between gay men and their fabulous diva icons.”—Michael Musto

MY DIVA
65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them
Edited by Michael Montlack

Publication Date: May 7, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-299-23120-0, Cloth, $24.95, 320 pages
Terrace Books: A trade imprint of the University of Wisconsin Press

“I’m living for this book—What a thrill! Even if I wasn't one of the Divas myself I would be curling up with this tome and letting the multiple muses enthrall me. These women are lifelines to creativity, self-actualization and freedom of spirit. Uh-Mazing! ”—Justin Bond (a.k.a. Kiki Durane)

From Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Midler, and Diana Ross to Queen Elizabeth I, Julia Child, and Princess Leia, these divas have been sister, alter ego, fairy godmother, or model for survival to gay men and the closeted boys they once were. And anyone—straight or gay, young or old, male or female—who ever needed a muse, or found one, will see their own longing mirrored here as well.

These witty and poignant short essays explore reasons for diva-worship as diverse as the writers themselves. My Diva offers both depth and glamour as it pays tribute with joy, intelligence, and fierce, fierce love.

“Inspiration is contagious—and inspiration, excitement, and appreciation resonate through these essays. This is a story about how in the worst of times, there are the best of women—women in whom we find our courage and sometimes our heartbroken tenderness. My Diva is an act of love, well deserved and without reservation. Read it in the spirit in which it was made—this act of adoration, awe, and yes, love.”—Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina



Editor Michael Montlack splits his time between New York City, where he is professor of English at Berkeley College, and San Francisco. He has published two chapbooks of poetry, Girls, Girls, Girls and Cover Charge. This book was inspired by his love for Stevie Nicks.

MY DIVA
65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them
Edited by Michael Montlack

Publication Date: May 7, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-299-23120-0, Cloth, $24.95, 320 pages

Terrace Books – A Trade Imprint of the University of Wisconsin Press

“A completely fascinating and lovely book. In every case the diva is a kind of saint—for her suffering, for the emotional warble in her voice, as she sang, as she spoke those classic lines. It’s hard to miss the dovetailing of the gay male writer’s psyche and the voluptuous (much more than her body) voice of the diva. She shines her light on the way. Man, does she ever.”—Eileen Myles, author of Sorry, Tree

Featuring...

D. A. Powell on Eartha Kitt
Joseph Campana on Audrey Hepburn
Rigoberto González on Rocío Dúrcal
Michael Klein on Laura Nyro
Lloyd Schwartz on Gracie Allen
David Bergman on Lotta Lenya
Edward Field on Gloria Swanson
Kenji Oshima on Margaret Cho
Michael J. Andrews on Parker Posey
Brian Teare on Virginia Woolf
Forrest Hamer on Mahalia Jackson
Alfred Corn on Billie Holiday
Mark Doty on Grace Paley
Patrick Letellier on Queen Elizabeth I
Walter Holland on Marlene Dietrich
Michael Broder on Sappho
Michael Schiavi on Karen Black
Guillermo Castro on Evita
Peron Wayne Koestenbaum on Anna Moffo
Richard Blanco on Endora
Jonathan Howle on Patti LuPone
Regie Cabico on Nina Simone
Timothy Liu on Rickie Lee Jones
Lewis DeSimone on Auntie Mame
Christopher Murray on Margaret Dumont
Bill Fogle on Julia Child
Jason Schneiderman on Liza Minnelli
John Dimes on Björk
Christopher Lee Nutter on Sade
Jeff Oaks on Wonder Woman
David Trinidad on Joan Crawford versus Bette Davis . . .

________________________________________________________

Dear Friends;

Please join me in celebrating the publication of MY DIVA at one or both of the NYC DIVA EVENTS.

AND look for the piece on it in TIME OUT NEW YORK THIS WEEK!

NYC DIVA EVENTS:

APRIL 27 (Mon) 7pm. MY DIVA READING.
Barnes & Noble. 82nd &
Broadway. 2289 Broadway.
With Michael Klein, Walter Holland, Jason Schneiderman
& Michael Montlack.

MAY 13 (Wed) 6pm - 9pm. RECEPTION & READING.
Out Professionals My Diva Event.
At the LGBT Center: 208 West 13th Street. (West Village).
With Mark Wunderlich, Tim Liu, Michael Broder,
Richard Tayson, Steven Cordova & Michael Montlack.

Thanks and hope to see you,

Michael

PS Doing events in Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans, San Francisco, Rhode Island, Philadelphia, DC, Portland, Atlanta, and more soon (if you're not in NYC).