Description: The breakthrough queer anthology that first presented the works of Michelle Tea, Ali Liebegott, Marci Blackman, Trebor Healey, and many other currently acclaimed writers
"Filled with loss, grief, and the spirit to endure, this is a welcome addition to gay and lesbian literature." -Booklist
"...An entire volume dedicated to stories of sexual identity that weren't visible or understood before, let alone appreciated." -Susie Bright
Beyond Definition confronts questions of sexuality and identity in a groundbreaking collection of dynamic work by established and emerging LGBTQ writers from the San Francisco Bay Area. Urgent and significant issues are explored through short stories and narrative poetry, including coming out to one's parents, transgenderism, and coping with the loss of a loved one to AIDS, among other contemporary topics.
A native of Ohio, editor Marci Blackman is an African American award-winning queer writer. Editor Trebor Healey is a San Francisco native, and has received numerous literary awards since Beyond Definition was published.
Review Quotes:
This aptly titled anthology presents a set of unpretentious voices speaking plainly about the realities of San Francisco's gay and lesbian scene as it has evolved and affected today's society. Especially notable contributions to this compelling collection come from Robin White recalling the potentially erotic occasions of his Brushes with Barbers; Judith Fauconnier in her meditations on the Breaking of both hearts and spirits in the wake of a breakup; Lucy Jane Bledsoe in The Rescue as her narrator considers the crumbling of a crush on a businesswoman in suit and sneakers (How low could I sink?); and Edward Wolf in the moving AIDS poem, Garden. Throughout, the epidemic that has ravaged San Francisco's gay population casts its shadow. Indeed, it permeates these powerful writings: Isn't that just the most awful question: is it safe to kiss? asks Robert Kaplan in AIDS Death #54,911. Filled with loss, grief, and the spirit to endure, this is a welcome addition to gay and lesbian literature. Whitney Scott, Booklist