A new clip of "Fireflies" ... in ASL (and subtitled in English)

Just a quick note.

I've created a new clip in which I share my memories of watching fireflies on late summer nights ... back when I was a deaf boy growing up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. While not voiced, the clip in ASL is subtitled in English, and it comes from my book THIS WAY TO THE ACORNS (Handtype Press).

The YouTube clip is right here!

Thanks for viewing! I'll be back before you know it!

May you have a glorious April!

My twelfth book just came out today!

NOTES OF A DEAF GAY WRITER: 20 YEARS LATER (published by Hot Off The, as in www.hotoffthe.net) came out earlier tonight. I'm very happy with the way the chapbook (a chapter-length book; in this case, it's 50 pages long) has turned out. It was published as an extremely limited print edition of only TEN copies. These precious few editions are unfortunately sold out already, but I do plan to have it put out as an ebook in the near future. [Noted on 11/26/10: It is now available as an ebook at this link.] (Thanks again, Kevin, for taking a quick snapshot of moi!)

This essay holds a very special place in my heart. As I've said elsewhere before, the piece was written during a very difficult summer of my life—added job responsibilities and stress, lousy love life, doubts about my abilities as a writer, and uncertainties about staying on in New York. I managed to piece together a string of short observations about being a deaf gay writer. After whittling down some 60 pages to a manageable 28 pages, I sent "Notes of a Deaf Gay Writer" off to the magazine CHRISTOPHER STREET. The rest, as one might say, is history, and it eventually inspired my eighth book ASSEMBLY REQUIRED: NOTES FROM A DEAF GAY LIFE some nineteen years later. This time I revisit the original essay with a 20-year hindsight and offer a running commentary on whether things have changed since its initial publication in December 1990.

I'm just very pleased with seeing this back in print, even if for a very short time. Be on the lookout for the ebook edition! Enjoy the rest of your summer, everyone!

A panel discussion about the Deaf GLBT community!

Discuss. That's exactly what ten Minnesotan writers, both Deaf and hearing, from my new anthology Eyes of Desire 2: A Deaf GLBT Reader will do on the night of January 4th, 2008. (For those who haven't "heard" about the book yet, it is a collection of stories, interviews, and poems about and by members of the Deaf gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender [GLBT] community. It is also the first such book to focus on the Deaf GLBT experience in fourteen years.)

The writers include Karen Conway, Jessica Eggert, Jessalyn Frank, C J Hetle, Elise Knopf, John Kowalczyk, Michael La Rocca, Barry R. Segal, Canae Weiss, and Patricia White.

I will moderate the lively discussion, which will be ASL- and voice-interpreted for all. The event will also have CART captioning for those who are late-deafened and hard-of-hearing. It’s also wheelchair-accessible! (Participants will receive .2 CEUs from RID at the beginning level.)

The event is FREE. Hope to see you there!

Friday, January 4th, 2008 — 7 to 9 p.m.
The Loft Literary Center
1011 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55415
612-215-2571 (voice)

The launch party for EYES OF DESIRE 2 . . . announced!

For those of you who haven't "heard" already, the very first book launch party for my newest book has been announced. If you're local to the Twin Cities, please come on over to Blue Moon Coffee Cafe (3822 East Lake Street, Minneapolis 55406) on Friday, November 2nd from 7 to 9 p.m. If you want to look at just who the eleven Minnesotans are in the book, please look no further than http://www.handtype.com/media/EOD2BookLaunch.pdf!

I want to thank Lou for taking pictures of my new book from a variety of angles. The one above is probably my favorite shot of all.

Hope to see ya all at the party! Can't wait to meet and greet everyone.

My new book is in . . . my hands!

Hello everyone--

Very few people have seen this blog but I did want to let out a tiny peep of joy that my seventh book, EYES OF DESIRE 2: A DEAF GLBT READER, is finally out. I'm just shocked by how good it really looks. I guess I had low expectations or something, but wow! I'm just very happy about the fact that my three-year journey is actually over.

You would think that I can finally go to bed and rest. (Hah! I'm giving a short presentation in White Bear Lake tomorrow evening.)

And of course, I'm now waiting for a shipment of padded bubble envelopes so I can ship those lovely babies to their new parents who can't wait to read all about the Deaf GLBT community from all over the world! (Sorry about that, but we're all just gonna have to wait.)

Hugs,

Raymond