Monday Meme: Wild Thing
Born today in 1914, writer and dancer Jack Dunphy once said, “I never wanted fame.” His lover of more than 3 decades, Truman Capote was quite the opposite. They are pictured here in today’s Monday Meme in Italy where they lived together in the 1950’s. The unlikely pair, Dunphy the quiet introvert and Capote the outspoken, controversial icon, first met in 1948. Although they drifted in and out of one other’s lives the couple remained close until Capote’s death until 1984. Dunphy was named chief beneficiary of Capote’s estate. Dunphy wrote about his relationship with Capote in a book entitled, Dear Genius which was published before his own death in 1992.
Monday Meme: Andy
Had he survived a routine operation in 1987, Andy Warhol would have turned 88 on August 6. The bold artist, the shrewd business person and the mythological creature that was Andy Warhol was unlike anything the world had ever seen. Warhol changed the way we think about art, commerce and celebrity. An openly gay man, Warhol had a 12 year relationship with interior designer Jed Johnson. Warhol famously captured gay icons like Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland but now is undoubtedly a gay icon himself.
Monday Meme: Bacon
Love– part of a balanced breakfast! Today’s Monday meme features gay icon Rock Hudson and a quote from underrated but important LGBT author Patricia Nell Warren. Talk about delicious. Warren wrote The Front Runner, the first gay novel to make the New York Times bestseller list way back in 1974. The book chronicled the story of a gay track coach’s struggle to get an openly gay runner on the US Olympic team. Controversial, funny and ahead of its time, The Front Runner is now considered a classic in gay fiction. Warren later became an advocate for LGBT youth and even ran for City Council in West Hollywood in 2006.
Monday Meme: Moonlight
An LGBT icon, a literary powerhouse and a vital part of the Beat poet movement, Allen Ginsburg was an American original. His legacy of bold thoughts and wonderful words make him a natural pick for today’s Monday Meme. Most famous for his epic poem “Howl”, he also wrote articles, short stories and songs. Ginsburg was out and proud way before it was considered fashionable and he lived with his partner Peter Orlovsky from 1954 until his death. The poet is once again making headlines as a reissued recording of his spoken words is set to be released this May. The album, The Last Word on First Blues, recorded in the 1980’s, features all-star talent like Bob Dylan. According to Omnivore recordings, the label releasing the album, “The release includes a full color 28-page booklet of rare photos, writings and drawings from Ginsberg’s archives and an essay from set producer Pat Thomas featuring interviews with original participants. Longtime Ginsberg-music aficionado Thomas was given full access to the poet’s tape archive at Stanford University and spent several years pouring over hundreds of hours of recordings.” So here’s to Ginsburg, a godfather of gay rights and champion of self-expression. Now get out there and make Monday howl!
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Monday Meme: Cracks
Happy birthday Dorothy Allison! This literary powerhouse turns 67 today! Author of the award-winning novel Bastard Out Of Carolina, Allison is an open lesbian, a proud advocate of independent authors and small presses and a winner of several Lambda Literary Awards. Allison writes openly about her own physical and sexual abuse as a child as well as tackling the topics of gender, feminism and poverty. Hugely influential, Bastard Out of Carolina continues to be a much-discussed and beloved novel for both book clubs and literature students around the globe.
Monday Meme: Rainbow
Had she lived, Maya Angelou would be 88 years old today! Angelou was a poet, writer and civil rights activist. She also turned the contemporary autobiography on its head with the release of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings in 1969. She’s also remembered for reading her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. Around these parts, however, we love Maya Angelou for providing a treasure trove of quotes like the one in today’s Monday Meme!
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Monday Meme: Langston Hughes
Born today in 1902, Langston Hughes was poet, playwright and novelist. Hughes was also a godfather of the Harlem renaissance as well as a nurturing force among other black writers like Alice Walker. Works like Montage of a Dream Deferred, The Weary Blues and Mule Bone were born in the jazz era yet remain well-studied and performed classics today. Hughes’ sexuality has been debated by many a biographer for decades but his contributions to literature and social activism stand on their own. We honor him as well as Black History Month with today’s meme!
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Monday Meme: Eyes
Born in Austria-Hungary in 1868, writer Norman Douglas was once described as a “pagan to the core” thanks in part to his scandalous gay relationships and devil-may-care attitude. He wrote several works including multiple travel books, the novel South Wind and a naughty book of limericks which personifies Douglas’ penchant for bawdy humor. Douglas died in 1952 in Capri, Italy the place he loved and served as an inspiration for many of his books.
Our Monday meme uses Douglas’ witty words to ponder friendship. And speaking of friends, hop on over to our card gallery to find the perfect card for one of your friends!
Monday Meme: Giving
Happy Monday! Happy holidays! Today’s meme celebrates giving and it is an ideal sentiment during this time of year. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the season and forget that the rest of life is still happening. Birthdays, anniversaries or even just reaching out to tell someone how much you love them are important too. Our full line of beautiful cards are great for celebrating all of life’s occasions. Check them out here!
Monday Meme: Information
In the era of bizarre headlines, terrifying tales from the campaign trail and downright depressing world news, keeping the words of Gertrude Stein in mind sounds like a great idea. Out, proud and take-no-prisoners, Stein is often remembered as the champion of great artists like Cezanne and Hemingway. But her own contributions to the worlds of art and literature are nothing to sneeze at. Stein essentially created queer fiction with Q.E.D. published in 1903 and raised eyebrows until her death at age 72 in 1946.
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