Getting Gay In New York
- New York, New York: New York, New York, 1976
New York, New York: New York, New York, 1976. Very good -. 10¼” x 3½”. Stapled thin card wrappers. Pp. [30]. Very good minus: center bifolium detached with a moderate crease; wrappers lightly toned, creased and soiled; one corner with a tiny dogear and several with a dash of stray ink.
This is a book of deeply moving poetry written by a noted AIDS and LGBTQ+ advocate and writer, George Whitmore.
George Whitmore was born in Denver in 1945. A conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, he worked at New York City's Planned Parenthood in lieu of military service, coordinating its national abortion referral unit. In the 1970s he worked for a non-profit focused on low-income housing, and also served as contributing editor and literary critic for the LGBTQ+ magazine The Advocate. The author of three plays, three novels and two books of poetry, all focused on homosexuality and the impact of AIDS on society, Whitmore is perhaps best known for his article in The New York Times Magazine, “Reaching Out to Someone With AIDS.” That article led to his nonfiction work Someone Was Here: Profiles in the AIDS Epidemic, published by New American Library in 1988. Whitmore died of AIDS in 1989. He was 43.
This long, slim volume, reminiscent of the image of the Empire State Building adorning its cover, contains 22 poignant poems in two parts. Subtle and moving, the poems include titles like “Tricking,” “Boys In Swimming Pools” and “Roller Queen.” One was dedicated “To A Boy In Kentucky (Who wrote a letter to a magazine about his frustrated attempts to come out)”, and the title poem conveyed a sad, impersonal social life in the gay New York scene: “They've made a career / out of making a travesty / out of your life story / by the river / with a dozen / beautifully dressed men.” The final, heart-rending poem told a tale of a “Raw Adventure In The North Woods”: “The next day he drove me into town / to catch the bus for New York. / I always knew what I was, he said, / since I was old enough to know / . . . I'm only a person, he said, / who wanted some charm in my life.”
A deeply moving and fairly scarce collection of LGBTQ+ themed poetry. OCLC shows 22 holdings over three entries.
This is a book of deeply moving poetry written by a noted AIDS and LGBTQ+ advocate and writer, George Whitmore.
George Whitmore was born in Denver in 1945. A conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, he worked at New York City's Planned Parenthood in lieu of military service, coordinating its national abortion referral unit. In the 1970s he worked for a non-profit focused on low-income housing, and also served as contributing editor and literary critic for the LGBTQ+ magazine The Advocate. The author of three plays, three novels and two books of poetry, all focused on homosexuality and the impact of AIDS on society, Whitmore is perhaps best known for his article in The New York Times Magazine, “Reaching Out to Someone With AIDS.” That article led to his nonfiction work Someone Was Here: Profiles in the AIDS Epidemic, published by New American Library in 1988. Whitmore died of AIDS in 1989. He was 43.
This long, slim volume, reminiscent of the image of the Empire State Building adorning its cover, contains 22 poignant poems in two parts. Subtle and moving, the poems include titles like “Tricking,” “Boys In Swimming Pools” and “Roller Queen.” One was dedicated “To A Boy In Kentucky (Who wrote a letter to a magazine about his frustrated attempts to come out)”, and the title poem conveyed a sad, impersonal social life in the gay New York scene: “They've made a career / out of making a travesty / out of your life story / by the river / with a dozen / beautifully dressed men.” The final, heart-rending poem told a tale of a “Raw Adventure In The North Woods”: “The next day he drove me into town / to catch the bus for New York. / I always knew what I was, he said, / since I was old enough to know / . . . I'm only a person, he said, / who wanted some charm in my life.”
A deeply moving and fairly scarce collection of LGBTQ+ themed poetry. OCLC shows 22 holdings over three entries.
Details
Title
Getting Gay In New York
Author
Whitmore, George
Condition
Very Good
Publisher
New York, New York: New York, New York
Date
1976