Eat for a Cause : Come support AQLF with a tasty meal

Dine Out for AQLF at Wahoo Grill, June 29

Dine Out for AQLF will be held Monday, June 29, at Wahoo Grill, 1042 West College Ave. in Decatur, from 5 to 10 p.m.  Ten percent (10%) of the evening’s food sales go directly to AQLF. Guests must mention they are dining for AQLF in order to be included.

Wahoo has been rated as one of the Top 10 restaurants in the city by Atlanta Magazine, Creative Loafing, Access Atlanta and many more. The menu has an emphasis on seafood, but there is also pasta, chicken, burgers, salads and plenty of options for vegetarians.

Members of the AQLF board will also be dining that evening at 7 p.m., so drop by and say hello and find out more about this year’s festival.

For more information about the Atlanta Queer Literary Festival, visit www.atlqueerlitfest.com

Stonewall Reading, June 27

I’m feeling particularly lazy but I’ve been meaning to post this for several days now. So I took the easy way out. Though, in my defense, I may or may not be hungry, tired, and slightly nauseous. No, I’m not pregnant. I took the piss test, and it came back inconclusive. Which I then considered negative. Anyways, read on. Also, I may or may not be in heels (what better way to celebrate Stonewall than allude to the queens who started it all). You’ll have to come, though, to find out:

The Atlanta Queer Literary Festival and the Special Collections Department of the Atlanta-Fulton County Library team up to present a day of readings to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which ushered in the gay rights movement in America. Readings will take place on Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Central Library in Downtown.

Performers include: Malika, Patrique Vosges, Larry Corse, Alice Teeter, Elliott Mackle, Robin Kemp, Cleo Creech, Karen G, Dustin Brookshire, Bob Strain, Antron Rechaud, Stanley Fong, Lakara Foster, Megan Volpert, Collin Kelley, Guerin Asante, Queen Sheba, Lisa Allender, Deb/ra Hiers, Jessica Hand, Theresa Davis, Yolo Akili, KenJ Martin, Reginald Jackson, Sincere, Kristyl Dawn Tift and Franklin Abbott.

The library is located at 1 Margaret Mitchell Square in Downtown Atlanta. We strongly encourage visitors to take Marta to the Peachtree Center station. There is an entrance/exit directly across from the library’s front door.

Mondo Homo 2009 …

Atlanta, GA

May 21 -25

The South’s queer art, spoken word, dance party, hip-hop-electro clash, politics, film, BBQ, circus arts, theater, music, burlesque, social action diversity-lovin’ festival of fun queer space.

MondoHomo Dirty South 2009 will showcase cutting edge queer music, performance, burlesque, drag, spoken word, arts, crafts, film, video, politics, workshops and much more!5 days of nonstop queer culture fun, MondoHomo will again be the most OUTRAGEOUS Queer gathering ever to take over Atlanta!

This Year’s festival will be taking place at the illustrious Eyedrum Gallery.

The MondoHomo Posse is a loosely organized group of around 15 key organizers, and another 20-30 volunteers. Because we value diversity, we have made a concerted effort to include folks from a wide variety of backgrounds. We are: ages 20-40-ish; white, black, asian and mixed race; working class, middle class and upper class; students, unemployed, business owners, and working stiffs; blue, pink and white collar workers; women, men, transgender and other; gay, queer, dyke, fag, bi, trans… and so on. Mostly we passionately believe in creating fun queer space!

Eyedrum Gallery is located in Grant Park at:

290 MLK Jr. Drive SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Tel: (404) 522-0655 ,www.eyedrum.org

The MondoHomo alternative queer cultural festival is back for the third year this Memorial Day Weekend, packing Eyedrum Gallery with five back-to-back days of the the hottest LGBTQ performers, politicos, poets, and personalities from across the country. Hot for queer hiphop? Finicky about film? Worked up about workshops? MondoHomo ‘09 offers something for every girly boy, boyish girl, and gender-bending DIY diva right here in the Dirty South.

This year’s MondoHomo plans to have its cake and eat it too by focusing on the four things on every queer’s agenda: sex, art, music, and politics. With such nationally and internationally acclaimed acts as Justin Bond, star of John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus and cabaret act Kiki & Herb, and KIN4LIFE, fresh from their recent collaboration with Pharrell, not to mention the homegrown glamour of local legend and songstress Diamond Lil, and a rumored, impromptu appearance by Margaret Cho, MondoHomo ‘09 is ready to knock your lavender socks off!

Low-Cost Admission Application available!

Hey y’all, in hard times and not, we want to be accessible to folks of various economic and class status, so check it out – we now have an  Application for Low-Income Admission

Simply fill out the form, and we’ll get your low-cost admission rolling!

Line Up

collage art by R. Land

Thursday, May 21

Mondo Politico, $7 at Eyedrum Gallery, co-presented by Atlanta Queer Literary Festival & Charis Books

7pm, MondoPolitico Art Show Grand Opening, co-curated by Donnie Reider and Kathy King.

8-9:30pm, HomoSpoken: Love and Politics, curated by Erotically Speaking’s Ché Johnson – Spoken word from some of the sexiest and hardest-hitting poets around, including Kathleen Delaney, Theresa Davis, Jed Drummond, Royce Hall, Collin Kelley, Stacie Boschma, Antron Reshaud, Finnegan, and Sincere. Hosted by Seria Mills, with DJ E on the ones and twos.

9:30-10:30pm, Daddy Jane hosts witty pop dykon Gretchen Phillips (Austin) and electro trans-phenom Athens Boys Choir. Performances followed by a screening of Kyle Keyser’s Stories from the Road – A Film about Following PJ Harvey.

Friday, May 22

MondoHomoHop, $10, Eyedrum Gallery, co-presented by Southern Comfort Conference

7:30-9pm, NYC bad girl and Nan Goldin protegé Katrina Del Mar screens Tuff Chicks, a collection of short films including her Girl Gang Trilogy.

9pm-1am, Mondo HomoHop, hosted by DJ Baker (NYC) and Jeremy Gloff (Tampa), featuring KIN4LIFE (NYC/ATL), Deadlee and Down Low (LA), Fiona Simone (ATL), Pretty Thugz (LA), Tori Fixx (MN), Benni E (Philly), Last Offence (LA), Tru Bloo (Oakland), and DaLyrical (OH), then 1am – Jumpin’ Jumpin’ Dance Party with DJ Double Dutch

Saturday, May 23

HomoCon, $FREE, ALL AGES! at Eyedrum Gallery

Noon-5pm, featuring Workshops by CEO of Riot Grrrl, Ink. Gina Mamone, Lady Jane, Ms. Bea Haven, Smokin’ McQueen, Vagina Jenkins and more, then at 4pm, Community Roundup Rodeo, a speed-dating BINGO event where you get to know your local activist groups!

Mondo Mondo, $15, at Eyedrum Gallery, co-presented by Southerners on New Ground

7-8:30pm, Andy Ditzler screens BODIES: the sexual revolution on screen, featuring the films of Barbara Hammer, Curt McDowell, Constance Beeson, and Michael Wallin. 18+ only.

8:30-11:30pm, all ages, Star of stage, screen, and cabaret Justin Bond (Shortbus, Kiki & Herb) performs Rites of Spring, with special performances by Dave End (Philly), Gently (ATL), Shitty Candy (ATH), and Sarah Greenwood of GSX (NYC). then11:30-the break of dawn, The Return of Log Jam makeout dance party with DJ Hawg-Tied!

Sunday, May 24

Mondo Day Camp, at Cabbagetown Park, $FREE, all ages Family Event, co-presented by Youth Pride

Noon-5pm, Everybody Wins at the Gay Games! Playground sports & outdoor crusing! Performances by Atlanta Sedition Orchestra, Dances in Air, Eggplant Faerie Players, and Humble Tripe featuring Melissa York (ex-Butchies).

7-9:30pm, Mondo Cockettes, $10, at Eyedrum Gallery
Documentary footage of SF’s legendary drag troupe in action, The Cockettes: Midnight at the Palace. Featuring the Cockette’s campy & controversial re-enactment of Richard Nixon’s daughter’s 1971 White House nuptials in Tricia’s Wedding.

9:30-10:30pm, Special performance by the incomparable Diamond Lil & the Naked Hearts, singing heartfelt standards to make you weak in the knees and tight in the pants!

Monday, May 25th

Mondo Finalé, a burlesque brunch, $15 includes brunch from Ria’s Bluebird! at Eyedrum Gallery

11am-1pm, Chicken & Waffles from Ria’s Bluebird smothered in jams by Radiotron’s DJ Lil Ray.

1:30-3pm, Top Shelf Burlesque hosted by Dickie Van Dyke (Blast-Off Burlesque) & Diana Cage (NYC), featuring performances by Ms. Bea Haven (CHI), Smokin’ McQueen (NC), Bambi Galore (DC), Cherry Bomb (NYC), Devin Liquor (ATL), Cocoa Storm (KY), Cherry Bomb (NYC), Boydonna (ATL), Noah Redd (CO) and our own hometown favorite, the lady Vagina Jenkins (ATL).

3:15-3:45pm, New American Junk Theatre premieres Billy Budd: A Portrait in Seamen, adapted from Herman Melville by John Drago.

3:45-6pm, Balls to the wall dance party led by DJ Lil Ray of Radiotron!

Time to dust off the crown, find my heels and short shorts. Hope to see you there!

To change your mind and PMS like a bitch, I would know…

Dear Patrick

I’ve noticed we’ve both been visibly absent, from the blog and from reality. However, I think it is safe to say we have pleasantly crashed back into both. Well, more so reality than the blog, but with the waning full moon I think it is safe to say we’ve made it across the threshold for the season. Pourqoui, you may ask? My leg did not shake tonight. In fact, I daresay I reveled in the spotlight. Perhaps I should send a blind copy of this letter to Honesty as well; she has much to do with this.

To begin, I woke up this morning around 8 AM. Now, normally we’re both in the habit of waking up around 10 AM – 1 PM, depending on sunlight, thoughts weighing on the mind, etc. I woke up at eight this morning, petrified of the upcoming reading. Serious, debilitating petrification. I try using the bathroom, but my stomach only thinks it has to go because of my nerves. I immediately went out for a smoke, to help calm my nerves, but nicotine and a high level of adrenaline do not mix. I was at the back wall, beginning to hyperventilate.

Mission One Ima Get Me Some…

Imagine my surprise when I open up my mail and see:

Thursday, October 16

Readings by Alex Sanchez, Dan Vera and Sister So Am I at Outwrite Books, 7:30 p.m.

Cliterati Open Mic featuring Daphne Gottlieb and Blair at Charis Books, 7 p.m.

Skin Deep at First Existentialist Church ft. pre-show reading by Patrique Vosges & Dustin Brookshire, 7 p.m.

Friday, October 17

Keynote Readings by Kate Bornstein, James Nolan and Theresa Davis. Hosted by Megan Volpert, 7 p.m.

Reading by Jenny Block at Outwrite Books, 7:30 p.m.

Readings by Lisa Allender, Alice Teeter, Reginald Jackson and Patrique Vosges at Charis Books, 8 p.m.

The Atlanta Queer Literary Festival will be held October 15-19, 2008 at venues around Atlanta.

I cannot stop laughing and smiling at this news. Yesterday I danced around my home office to “Proud Mary” and “Get Me Bodied” to celebrate. Simply amazing. Now to decide what to read and how to read it. I should select something by this week, and get to practicing/get feedback. Oh my. Thank you Mr. Abbott.

I told my parents that I would be reading next month, leaving out the Queer part. They’ve no problems with me being gay. Or The Gays in general. I’ve been out for 5 years now. But I don’t think they’ve actually interacted with The Gays, and this will be their first time.

This will also be their first introduction to Patrique, and as we all know or will find out, Patrique can be interesting to deal with. Ask any of the bars in Athens. Or any of my friends who’ve had to put me to bed. Think Towanda meets Sasha, Beyonce’s alter ego, meets Pink meets Colin Ferrell meets Christina meets Oscar Wild/Paul Rimbaud, ‘L’enfant terrible.’ That is a lot of people for my parents to meet at once. So I’m going to be working both factors in slowly.

In other news, I’ve been immersed in research these past few days, hence the lack of posts. Mind you, I sat down Monday to write, and 10 pages came out. What started as a letter turned into a chapter of my memoirs. I’ve also been researching data for my series L’Essence of Being Gay. Mind you, I’ve been doing a lot of this research on gay sex sites. Let me tell you, I’ve never seen so many dicks and ass shots in my life. At one point I had to turn off pictures because I just couldn’t handle anymore. They were everywhere. Even in my raccoon wounds. To sum it up, searching through roughly 30,000 profiles is a LOT of work. All in an attempt to define Alpha Males,  Queen Bees and The Essence of Being Gay.

All this research, and number crunching, has made me a little crazier than normal. I find myself wanting to post some of the findings, but I decided a coherent series of articles would be better than randomly posting findings, statistics and figures here and there. And, I’ve realized, I need feedback. Not that I ever had any intention of defining The Essence of Being Gay, Alpha Males, or Queen Bees all by myself. I did need time to think about my own definition on the Essence of Being Gay.

But now, I require feed back. Lots of it. Please, please, please tell me what you think The Essence of Being Gay is. Or, what does it mean to be an Alpha Male or Queen Bee? I know I’ve yet to define them thoroughly  on this site yet, but whatever your response is to either three, just Send it to Patrique.vosges@gmail.com . The more responses, the better.

With Alpah Males, think of the masculine qualities  (muscle/body worship, leather, bears/cubs, daddies/sons, allegedly Str8 Gays, and any other symbolism of masculinity in the world of The Gays) With Queen Bees, the first thing that pops to mind are Drag Queens, but I think they’re an end result in the process of realizing the feminity in each of us, regardless of sexuality. With Queen Bees, I think of the more feminine aspects of The Gays (Twinks, love of chiffon and all things shiny, Drag queens, appletinis, etc) Anyways, that’s a start. Now, tell me what you think.

Signed,

Patrique