Best Gay Erotica 1998 [Paperback]

Erotic fiction has rarely been given its due. Usually viewed simply as a printed aphrodisiac, it is ascribed a utilitarian purpose that precludes "art" or even talent. Yet this does not have to be the case. Best Gay Erotica 1998--the third in an annual series--proves that smut can be smart, witty, insightful, and even funny. This year's installment, produced under the guidance of series editor Richard Labonte, is selected and introduced by award-winning novelist Christopher Bram, and it's the best collection so far.

Bram's thoughtful and intelligent introduction places gay male porn in the broader realm of American literature--right up there with Phillip Roth and John Updike--and his selections prove his point. While all of the pieces here are sexy--or at least include sexual material--they are also about real life as well. Will Leber's "White Picket Fence" deals with romantic illusions and expectations, Brian Bouldry's "Pioneering" is about the confusions of sex among young boys, and horehound stillpoint's "All the Hookers in America" examines the reality behind the fantasy of tricking. Best Gay Erotica delivers on all three of its title's promises. -- Michael Bronski

Celebrating sexy, literate queer writing, Best Gay Erotica features the steamiest, most thought-provoking sexual writing of each year. Guest judges selected from the queer literary world select and introduce the collections, which represent a wide range of styles and voices. The series is edited by Richard Labont. Best Gay Erotica 1998 is selected and introduced by guest editor Christopher Bram, author of Father Of Frankenstein and Gossip. "Sex is a wonderful subject for fiction," writes Bram, "It's so expressive, so dramatic.a way of thinking with our bodies, the mind climbing down for a brief visit"

Best Gay Erotica 1998 The year's steamiest, most thought-provoking gay sex writing Best Gay Erotica 1998 is the newest collection in the annual erotica series that hit The Advocate's bestseller list in 1996 and 1997. Celebrating sexy, literate gay writing, Best Gay Erotica 1998 is selected and introduced by guest editor Christopher Bram, author of Father Of Frankenstein and Gossip. "Sex is a wonderful subject for fiction. It's so expressive, so dramatic.a way of thinking with our bodies, the mind climbing down for a brief visit" - Christopher Bram Jameson Currier Paul Reed John Tunui Nikolaus Merrell Michael Lassell Lawrence Schimel Elden Buck Tom Bacchus David Schmader horehound stillpoint Aaron Link Jorge Ignacio Cortinas Brian Bouldrey David Patrick Beavers Will Leber Jim Pearce Robert Thomson Jack Fritscher Gerard Wozek Andrew Ramer Praise for Best Gay Erotica 1997: "An eclectic, provocative selection of stories" - Publishers Weekly "Full of surprisesWhat really distinguishes Best Gay Erotica from its competitors is the quality of the writing."-Bay Area Reporter Praise for Best Gay Erotica 1996: " leaves you hungry for more. Pick up this volume as an introduction to the many and glorious approaches to gay male sexual writing" - Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review

Richard Labont is general manager of A Different Light Bookstores in San Francisco, where he lives most of the time in a book-stuffed apartment near the Castro shared with man Asa and dog Percy; in the heart of West Hollywood, where he has rented a room in friend Patrick's assorted apartments for seven years; and in New York, where he climbs five flights to a West Village studio the size of his San Francisco kitchen. He edited Best Gay Erotica 1997, reviews books for Q San Francisco and contributes a regular column to Feminist Bookstore News about gay books.