There is no easy way to say this — Equal Writes Bookstore is closing. We will begin liquidating assets on Saturday, November 11th. Our Board of Directors and investors knew that we had to remain on-track with our sales projections; unfortunately, October was [sic] off pace and we cannot absorb the loss.
I'm just at a loss as to what to say, to think. I loved walking down the aisles, being able to browse at the many titles by gay and lesbian authors, finding new authors among the scores of the well-known. So many titles that I may have never purchased before: by Larry Duplechan.
by Robert Hofler. Patience and Sarah by Isabel Miller. by Geoff Ryman.
Regular chain stores don't carry them or, if they do on the one or two shelves located near the Psychology and the Religion sections or mixed in with the regular fiction, you have to know exactly who and what you're looking for. I liked the proximity of the store to my house, of being able to just pop in to look around, to chat with the owner. The next closest gay bookstores are 50 miles to the North in West Hollywood or in the desert of Palm Springs.
It was also at Equal Writes that The Boyfriend and I met face to face for the first time, at one of the first few meetings of the book group. posted by Greg at 11:34 AM | 10 words of wisdom Bad Case of Lovin' You (Doctor, Doctor) music/lyrics by John Martin Robert Palmer recorded and released this song on his 1979 album, garnering him his second U.S.
top 20 hit and quickliy becoming one of his signature songs. Last night, The Boyfriend and I sped through the homeward bound traffic and arrived at The Ahmanson around 7:30 PM -- plenty of time to pick up our tickets from the Will Call window for The Light in the Piazza. With a book by Craig Lucas ("Prelude To a Kiss," "Longtime Companion") and music/lyrics from Adam Guettel, this tale of romance between a young American girl visiting Florence with her mother and a young Italian really lives up to the New York calling it "the most romantic score of any Broadway musical.
" I almost cried during a few scenes. I guess these types of scores run in the family because Guettel's grandfather is Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers Hammerstein and Rodgers Hart fame) so that's where this week's Frist Line comes from. After one whole quart of brandy With no bromo-seltzer handy I love Ella Fitzgerald's recording of this song, though I've never heard it in the context of the show for which it was written.
posted by Greg at 3:01 PM | 1 words of wisdom In the years following the great World War against the living dead, author Max Brooks traveled the world to learn the stories of the men and women who battled and survived against the almost unstoppable force. From the supposed beginning of the outbreak in Old Dachang, China to the government coverups -- many in power choosing to claim the first few infected as contracting "African rabies" -- and the drug companies jumping on the bandwagon to create ineffective panaceas for the people. From the survival of a blind man in Japan to the disastrous Battle of Yonkers when the armies had no real idea of what they were fighting against.
From the survivors who managed to find escape from the devouring hordes and who battle to this day to take back the world to the sometimes unbelievable actions of governments trying to maintain some kind of control. (The whole of North Korea disappeared and has yet to be heard from.) This oral history offers a vivid portrayal of a new world order, where instead of allowing fear to take control, the people of the world rise to the challenge, learn to communicate with one another to overcome obstacles.
And while the major threat of zombie infestation has ended, pockets of the undead still remain, slowly and methodically being controlled by the survivors of the new world. is a work of fiction. No zombies were harmed in the creation of this post.
posted by Greg at 3:21 PM | 0 words of wisdom We read the book quite a while ago for the Men's Reading Group at Equal Writes and were excited to learn about the impending movie. So this Sunday, we managed to catch a screening. We wondered how they would create a single, flowing story from the many short stories and anecdotes of the memoir, and fortunately, were not disappointed with the outcome.
The movie retells portions from Augusten Burrough's memoirs about growing up with a diverse and dysfunctionally functional family. His mother Dierdre (Annette Benning) dreams of becoming a published author and dotes on her favorite audience, Augusten (Joseph Cross). His father Norman (Alec Baldwin) tries to cope with his dissatisfaction by drinking which eventually leads to a tremendous argument with Dierdre in front of Augusten.
They hope by visiting a psychiatrist, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox), to fix their problems, but what happens is anything but normal. They divorce, and then Deirdre signs her parental rights over to Dr.
Finch and his weird family: the ultra-religious daughter Hope (Gwyneth Paltrow), the mousey housewife Agnes (Jill Clayburgh), their rebellious daughter Natalie (Evan Rachel Wood) and the 33-year-old pedophile Neil Bookman (Joseph Fiennes) whom the Doctor has "adopted." The writers picked and chose from the many stories of "Running with Scissors" and managed to craft a story that alternates from laughter at the sheer audacity of the Finch household to poignant with Augusten's dealing with an absent mother. Annette Benning and Jill Clayburgh, both at opposite ends of the spectrum as far as their characters, gave wonderful performances.
Annette's drugged out scenes are some of the best in the entire film, just the way she carried herself and spoke were amazing; Jill's mousey, somewhat addle-minded portrayal made me sympathize with her role in the strange family. Evan Rachel Wood fit the role of the rebellious Natalie with perfection, and Gabrielle Union's Dorothy was such a bitch that I wanted to jump from my seat and slap her silly (just like in the book). Joseph Cross gave an admirable performance as Augusten, and together with Joseph Fiennes, did a nice job with their relationship.
Though I wish they had kept the power control that Augusten had over Norman -- it made for such an important part of the memoir and really defined their relationship. Brian Cox played the Doctor as cooky and as crazy as I imagined, and though he wasn't in the movie too much, Alec Baldwin made me feel sorry for Norman. Paltrow was underutilized in the movie but came across rather stiff when she was in any scene so no big loss for me.
Would I recommend it? Definitely, despite the four or five people who walked out during the first thirty minutes of the film. If you've read the book, I think you will enjoy the movie; and if you haven't, well, you should.
posted by Greg at 11:48 AM There is no easy way to say this — Equal Writes Bookstore is closing.
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