Contra/Diction: New Queer Male Fiction

"Contra/Diction" is an anthology of gay men's fiction to re-establish the queer in queer. The book is a gay men's fiction anthology that represents the plurality of gay identity; an attempt to show that not all gay men "drive to Ikea, go to the gym, and buy new ties for their management-level positions before taking in the latest stage hit," as suggested in such well-known men's anthologies as the Men on Men series. Instead, the stories found in "Contra/Diction" are not easily digestible; their writers ask difficult questions of themselves and the world around them in a way which makes them truly "queer." The nightmare and paradise of sexuality, love, and community are viewed from different perspectives, along with issues of race, economics, violence, politics, and homophobia. The 32 stories, by writers living in the US and Canada, include dark fantasies about hustlers and one-night stands, and cautionary tales about murderers and dreamers. As might be expected, AIDS is a spectre that haunts many of these stories, represented in themes of anger, beauty, and bereavement. In addition, there are statements from the contributors, in which they write about their motivations and concerns as queer male writers at the cusp of the millennium. "Contra/Diction" wishes to speak loudly from the margins, articulating a specific storytelling "queerness" that is politicized, sexualized, and without mercy. Shortlisted for the American Library Assoc. Award for Gay Literature