James Villanueva’s essay “The Gathering” from Crooked Letter i: Coming Out in the South, an anthology recently published by NewSouth Books, was excerpted in the “Personal Journeys” section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this Sunday. “Personal Journeys” features “stories that define” the Southern region and “connect our community.”
The chapter from Crooked Letter i recounts Villanueva’s Texas childhood memory of visiting an uncle dying of AIDS to celebrate his life, and his later experience coming out to his family. Editor Suzanne Van Atten called “The Gathering” “a touching story about how much strength it takes to be true to oneself and the riches to be gained as a result.”
Crooked Letter i is available from NewSouth Books or your favorite bookstore.