GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

DECEMBER 25, 1998

Evenings Out

Men portrayed well

Anthology series' seventh outing

aims for diversity beyond HIV

MEN ON MEN

BEST NEW GAY FICTION

7

Men on Men 7

Anthology

Plume, $13.95 trade paperback

Reviewed by Bob Findle

Obviously, men are the subjects of Men on Men 7. The question is: How well are these men portrayed? The answer is: pretty well. The 20-story collection is the latest in the anthology series that started in 1986 to present the "best new gay fiction." That inaugural effort included major gay writers (or writers that are gay; the debate does go on) Dennis Cooper, Andrew Holleran, Ethan Mordden, Felice Picano and Edmund White.

Volume seven presents new stories by "old masters" Holleran and Picano, plus new names that could be the masters of the future. Holleran's "The Married Man" finds the author continuing to examine being older gay man trying to make sense of a life as someone who escaped the HIV bomb that fell on New York City.

Holleran's classic 1977 book Dancer From the Dance detailed a crazy life before AIDS. His story here concerns two friends, one who is carrying on an affair with a married man, the other who has given up sex altogether. Holleran writes with his usual rich prose, subtle observations and sparse dialogue.

Picano's story "The Geology of Southern California," placed at Black's Beach in San Diego, concerns itself with the dynamics between three men, two currently seeing each other; the third, HIV positive and starting to decline, is a past lover of one, the narrator. The story is a bit dry and starts off unclear as to who is who and what are the relationships between characters.

C. Bard Cole's "Anniversary" takes on the touchy question of when is it okay for a couple to stop using condoms, when one refuses to get tested. At the threeyear mark, bottom Edgar is ready to go natural, but Marty is not so sure.

The book's other stories take us to places beyond AIDS and HIV-a good move, as so much has already been done on it. HIV appears in some of the other stories, but not as the main plot line. This collection aims for diversity and provides it.

Keith Banner's "Holding Hands for Safety" is a good example of what a writer who is gay, as opposed to a gay writer, can do. The story, about the

Keith Basner

Allen Ellenzweig Andrew Holleran

Alex Jeffers

Greg Johnson

Kevin Killian

Felice Picano

Imanuel Xavier

and 12 others

Edited and with an Introduction by DAVID BERGMAN

killing of a retarded child, could just have well had straight protago-

nists; that they are gay is secondary to the story.

"My Senior Senior Year," by Michael Carroll, is about a young man's bisexuality and the choices he made. Bisexuality is also a theme in "The Athena Galleria,” by Allen Ellenzweig, as a young Greek waiter is the object of desire for a gay man and a straight woman.

Cross-dressers take on street bullies and bar attitude in Aaron Jason's "Grace Under Lashes." In "The Strait," by Alex Jeffers, the action takes place in Turkey, when a gay man living in the U.S. returns to his native country because of his mother's illness. The story is full of cultural references that are a relief from the usual New York-Los Angeles trappings often employed in gay writing, film and theater. Working on getting further out of the closet is the theme of Christopher Lord's "Graffiti."

Two of the book's outstanding stories concern families. In "The Death of Jackie Kennedy," by Greg Johnson, a man who has recently come out to his family (the news not well accepted) deals with, along with his mother and sister, his father's illness and subsequent death. Johnson paints the tension, the words unsaid, the anger and the reviewed history in detailed passages.

"Frankie's Wedding" by Ernest McLeod has a gay man at his brother's wedding. McLeod focuses on the wedding, the guests and the family relationships, giving us an overall picture that the gay character inhabits, but is not the sole focus of.

"Sex With Teenagers" by Brian Sloan deserves a mention. It is a breezy, funny Hollywood industry tale that is bold enough to explore the mutual interest between a 23-year-old and a 16-year-old. Something in our heads says we shouldn't let such things be written about, especially in a collection that purports to represent the community. But reality is reality, and Sloan writes it well.

Bob Findle is a freelance writer living in San Diego, California.

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