Editorial Photoessays Best Gay Erotica 2008 (Cleis Press)
| Best Gay Erotica 2008 (Cleis Press) |
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| Reviews - Books | ||||
| Written by Anastasia Mavromatis | ||||
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The erotic potpourri within erotic anthologies is undisputed. Anthologies are the sexy equivalent of Forest Gump's chocolate box – sans calories. What better way to indulge, with an ideal bulge? Where erotica is concerned, Cleis Press stands on the shoulders of giants. This independent publishing company has maintained the erotic journey for writers and readers alike. Currently the largest independent queer publishing company in the United States, it celebrated its twenty-five years in 2005. Its anthologies cater to all sexual orientations, and have introduced many erotica writers to the world. Best Gay Erotica 2008 presents – without doubt – an eclectic selection of erotic stories that confidentally explore the gay spectrum with verve, passion, and sexual abandon. Eroticism knows no boundaries. This is what I think: I like sex, I read it, and publish writing that explores the warm nascent tide of sexual arousal, I briefly read Emanuel Xavier's introduction, and a five-page introduction can interfere with the erotic anticipation to jump into the stories, and inside the character's minds, but Xavier poignantly states the importance of erotica as a means to animate desires that seemingly appear dormant, and its connection to love: The prose within Best Gay Erotica 2008 is of a high standard and adequately explores the sexual spectrum. Tighter than a well-honed gluteus maximus, the vocabulary grips the reader from the beginning. Each active voice paints a vivid, three-dimensional, sexual vista; limbs, torsos, ejaculate spurting toward ceilings, engorged cocks and creamed ass are visible tokens of sexual abandon, as is sexual tension. The intimacy or sex fluctuates, as it does in most relationships; there are sexual highs, stasis and ruminations – everything that belongs within the natural order of sexuality. Arden Hill's My Boy Tuesday sets the pace, introducing the reader to the narrator, a Grande satyr with an uncanny sexual sense, and his intended - Tuesday. The first person narrative makes for a strong, confronting first story that entices the reader from its first paragraph. The narrator feeds off of his intended's sexual aura, guzzling down Tuesday's submissive potential; downcast eyes speak volumes, and revive the narrator's sexual milestones at the age of nineteen, in the form of domination flavored with leather, whips, and silk underpants. The latter are simple tools. The efficacy relies on the narrator's will and hedonism. He is strong, decisive and uncompromising. His acute self-awareness and confidence has seen him wrestle and devour hetero Double-Dutch, in the form of football jocks that love to suck, slurp and receive, within their padded closets. The first story often sets the pace, and Xavier's first selection wets the appetite, but the initial intensity is broken by a romantic quest in Capturing the King (Wayne Courtois); the staggered sexual tension is effective, evoking empathy, relief and elation for the character of Brian. The sex is playful and affectionate, providing a softer contrast to the visions in My Boy Tuesday. Horehound Stillpoint's Donuts to Demons begins with the character Greg narrating online dating shenanigans, and the quest for intimacy where Craigslist is familiar territory or the mirror that reflects the loneliness that exists in our technical era. The action shifts to Master J's Leather Store and helpful store assistant Dimitri – the donuts here aren't the Dunkin' kind. Greg's shopping couldn't be any harder, what with, cum, cock rings, blowjobs and ass play. He takes a detour, visits a gay bar and returns home. Home isn't limited to the four walls within an apartment or possessions. A spiritual dwelling, or home is based on companionship, intimacy, redemption, belonging and love. These themes appear in stories like Capturing the King (Wayne Courtois), Breeding Season (Taylor Siluwe) and Orange (Lee Houk). All three stories illustrate romantic nostalgia, yearning, and tenderness. Emotional separation is a common theme in erotica; relationships do evolve, and some don't make it through. Interests and motivations diverge, and what you have is a person who rummages through their mental repository in an effort to gain perspective. Funerary Clothes (Tom Cardamone) and Minimum Damage, Maximum Pain (Jason Shults) explore the emotional distance that arrives as relationships reach a natural end-point. The latter story is a tad more extreme than the former; Minimum Damage, Maximum Pain takes the masochistic ball and runs with it, to highlight the natural limits within relationships. The above stories I've highlighted represent the few that appear in Best Gay Erotica. It's impossible to segregate stories or grade them using an erotic scale or to review each story in detail, and besides, it defeats the suspense. The seventeen stories within Best Gay Erotica 2008 define world-class erotica, and work together to represent the universal highs and lows within all relationships. *** © 2008 A. Mavromatis Event: Best Gay Erotica 2008 Reading – New York Emanuel Xavier is a poet, spoken word artist, producer, and writer with television credits that include PBS's In The Life and HBO's Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry. His extensive work includes poetry, anthologies, and novels. Since his 1996 premier arrival onto the New York spoken word scene, Emanuel has received the Marsha A Gomez Heritage Award for his contribution to gay and Latino culture, as well as a City Council citation for his contributions to the gay and lesbian community of New York City. Richard Labonté has edited the Best Gay Erotica series since 1997.His other editorial credits include: Hot Erotica, Country Boys, Best Gay Romance 2008 and Where the Boys Are. As a co-editor (with Lawrence Schimel), his credits include The Future is Queer (editor at large) and First Person Queer. He writes the syndicated column Book Marks for Q Syndicate, and the Gay Men's Edition of Books to Watch Out For. Add your comment
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abandon, penetration and resolution (with or without accessories); emotion and/or the inner voyage is the fulcrum and the body is the lever. Voyeuristic elements do exist; every one enjoying erotica (even in secret) yields to one's inner voyeur. Writers guide readers through a character's emotions, urges and desires. I'll confess that I don't spend a lot of time reading the editorial introduction. I often skip it. Diving into the stories is like dipping one's hands into a treasure chest. All that glistens may be gold, but quite often one will experience twists and turns that reflect copper, yellow and orange. The ultimate short story is one that seeds a reader's mind. 
