Lesbian Werewolves

Belo Cipriani — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 05:00:56 +0000

As a fan of Octavia Butler, Mary Shelly, H. G. Wells, Bram Stoker and Ray Bradbury, I sought shelter in science-fiction and gothic novels that made it easier to fantasize outside the hetero world. These authors made it possible for me to write stories that challenged science and society with gay characters. Most of my writings as a teenager were a bit Frankenstein-ish – the story I remembered most is about a guy named R.I.P., made out of the DNA from the three hottest guys at my high school; each letter taken from their first name to make up the gay zombie’s name. Like most of the stories I wrote in adolescence, R.I.P. never made it outside my head.

One of the fun aspects of being a writer is meeting other writers. This past August while at Lambda, I met Allison Moon whose novel Lunatic Fringe about lesbian werewolves is being released today, September 29th 2011. She read excerpts while at Lambda and I have been eager to read the book ever since. Growing up in San Jose, I never imagined I would be attending a release party for a book that combined two of my favorite topics – queer life and werewolves. It is so cool to know the writers behind all the new kinds of literature that is surfacing today.

***Belo Cipriani is a freelance writer, speaker, and the author of Blind: A Memoir. Learn more at belocipriani.com.
NOTE: This article is available for reprint in magazines, periodicals, newsletters, newspapers, eZINEs, on the Internet or on your own website. To obtain permission and details contact info@belocipriani.com

Queer Lyrics

Belo Cipriani — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 05:00:02 +0000

Before Queer as Folk, The L Word, and Will & Grace introduced queer culture to the masses, I would spend hours rewriting songs, movies, and shows; tweaking lyrics from popular titles became a hobby — soon “American Woman” became “American Bottom Boy.” The gender bending eventually lead to a series of short stories about a gay college called Unique University where Lil’ Kim ruled as president, Mario Lopez instructed weight training, and buildings were named after fragrances like Emporio Armani Hall and The Chanel Nº 5 Center. Friends and family loved the vignettes that chronicled the lives of Nina and Nick – a set of queer twins. Compliments were plentiful, yet I was never encouraged to publish my stories. Marcos, a gray haired gay man I often chatted with via Instant Message from Boston suggested I should give up on writing gay fiction because no one would buy it. At seventeen, his comment seemed like the truth. One frosty and quiet evening, a meteor hit and destroyed Unique U.

I abandoned fiction, but was unable to break up with writing. Blogging about current events allowed me to disguise my words for journalism which I noticed everyone in my circle urged me to consider. I majored in Communication and enjoyed the writing process for the media curriculum, yet I still yearned for a creative outlet.

I was finally able to feed my craving in my graduate program. Workshopping felt familiar and I was inspired by all my classmates and teachers. However, the safety umbrella that served as a catalyst for my memoir was no longer there after I completed my masters. Unsure if there was a second book in me, I sought writing conferences and residencies. When I learned I was awarded the Lambda Literary Fellowship for emerging GLBT voices, a tiny heart beat began to ring in my ear. Ellery Washington who will be instructing the non-fiction cohort at the Lambda retreat asked the eight fellows to do some writing before arriving at the UCLA campus. Within a week of his email, I had started the skeleton for my second book

Madge and I will be heading out to the Oakland Airport to meet up with July Westhale, a Lambda Fellow in poetry. I have never been in the presence of so many talented GLBT writers before and for once, I will be a student at Unique U.

***Belo Cipriani is a freelance writer, speaker, and the author of Blind: A Memoir. Learn more at belocipriani.com.

NOTE: This article is available for reprint in magazines, periodicals, newsletters, newspapers, eZINEs, on the Internet or on your own website. To obtain permission and details contact info@belocipriani.com

Lambda Literary Fellowship | Belo Miguel Cipriani Ed.D.

Lesbian Werewolves

Queer Lyrics