Reviews for Gay fiction speaks

The average rating for Gay fiction speaks based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-10-10 00:00:00 Robert Mclaughlin It was initially my intention just to read the Ethan Mordden interview, but the conversation was so interesting that I ended up starting from the beginning and read through all 400+ pages. These are very much authors "talking shop," focused on the writing process, technique, negotiating the publication world, sources of inspiration, and even occasional gossip and blunt critique (Canning doesn't hesitate to ask the authors about each other); the focus is not on biography or explaining work, but nitty-gritty discussions on the use of first vs third person narration or the differences in writing drafts on a computer, typewriter, or by longhand. As someone fascinated by creative process I found nearly everything here of extreme interest whether or not I was actually familiar with the work under discussion, and I am now in possession of an extremely daunting "to read" list of all the titles and authors I jotted down.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-06-18 00:00:00 Leandro Duarte Compilations of interviews with writers are always a mixed bag, and "Gay Fiction Speaks" is no exception. I read this book 11 years after it first was published due to my reluctance to read it until I had better read the works of the authors covered. Reading it in 2011 I was taken by how most of these writers have struggled in the past decade. The decline of independent bookstores, especially gay bookstores, in America has made it tougher for them to get published, no doubt. Richard Canning does a fine job of interviewing this wide assortment, however; he has done his homework and leads the writers to provide genuine insights. All openly share what they've learned with their successes and failures. A few get caught up in attacking other writers, but they are in a minority here; most seem truly supportive of their colleagues. This book is a welcome read if you've read any of these 12 authors, though now dated; the chapters are substantive and still worth your time. Was a sequel ever published as Canning projected?