30 June 2010

Two quick things before I vamoose!

Hello:

Hope everyone's staying cool. I certainly am! :)

Seriously, though, I do want to call your attention to the existence of two new poems in print ("Guesswork" and "Bessie Smith's Advice to a Young Lesbian") in OFF THE ROCKS 14. (The cover is below.) The new edition is not yet mentioned in their web site, but do check it out anyway.



Just as importantly, I got a really thoughtful review of my novel Men with Their Hands by Robb C. Sewell. Please read his review here. If you haven't read my novel, please check it out! (Hint, hint ...)

Thanks, and may you all have a most Happy 4th!

Best,

Raymond

24 June 2010

Guess what? I got a *new* dog!



... er, no.

My dog Rocky got such a transformative haircut earlier today that I hadn't realized just how big his tongue was in relation to his own body. At least he can cool off for the next few months. Hard to believe it's the *same* dog!

May everyone stay cool all summer long!

01 June 2010

A long interview with yours truly at Lambda Literary!



Hi everyone!

Hope y'all are staying cool and dry these summery days!

Just wanted to drop a quick note about the interview I did about my experiences as a Deaf gay writer.

Check it out!

Thanks again.

11 May 2010

Itsy-Bitsy Spider's Got Some Itsy-Bitsy News (and Reviews) ...

Hello ...

While I continue to await word on my second novel and work on my third novel, I did want to toss out a few shout-outs:

- Verse Daily. My poem "The Elegist," which comes from my book Mute, was chosen as today's poem. It's a huge honor because so many publishers have tried to get them to choose one poem a day. Needless to say, I'm very tickled pink!

- Wilde Oats. They published an old short story of mine called "They Come Crawling." Please enjoy!

- Out in Print. They gave my novel Men with Their Hands a rave review. Check it out!

- Lambda Literary. Mute scores a very thoughtful review. One of the best I've ever gotten for my work as a poet.

- Out in Perth. Over there in Australia, they gave Mute a lovely rave.

- We'll Never Have Paris. They've excerpted my poems "Marenisco Eyes" and "Pitch" for their sixth issue, which also features an interview with yours truly. Check out their cool zine!

- Minneapolis Observer Quarterly. Sharon Parker enjoyed my memoir Assembly Required: Notes from a Deaf Gay Life. While the review isn't posted online, I'll quote Ms. Parker in part: "Books often take us places we would not otherwise go and offer a glimpse of a life we would never experience⎯sometimes imaginary, sometimes real. Raymond Luczak shows us, through a series of vignettes and observations, his very real life, and what it’s like to be twice marginalized.

Luczak takes us through an awkward childhood; a series of awakenings as he realizes that his sexuality must be kept a secret; and the wonderful discoveries that there are others like him, with whom he can communicate more naturally.

Deafness is not just about the physical limitations of hearing loss, but a subculture as well. Luczak gets to know those who would as soon live apart from the society of the hearing, and those who feel compelled⎯as he does⎯to straddle both worlds. He shares some surprising insights on different ways of communicating. “When I translate from ASL to English, I am always struck by the baroqueness of our English language.”

- My web site. It's been slightly updated with a fresh header montage. Thanks again, Ron!

Even though it feels wet and nippy out there right now, I'm glad that spring is here. Let the groovy greenery begin!

Later,

Raymond