Category: LGBT

Rheta Grimsley Johnson speaks truth to power in her newest column, published in the Daily Corinthian among other newspapers. In the wake of the tragic shooting in Orlando, Johnson notes the particular danger that LGBT Southerners face being out in the South, both from hate groups and from legislation that targets LGBT citizens. In a column entitled “Coming out in the South is no walk in the park” Johnson cites the anthology Crooked Letter i: Coming out in the South, recently published by NewSouth Books, saying, “The true stories in Crooked Letter i have one thing in common: They all are heart-rending. Edited by Connie Griffin, they deal with the moment — or, in some cases, moments — these Southern members of the LGBT community first told kin, friends or the world the truth about themselves” …

NewSouth Books is pleased to announce that Crooked Letter i has been recognized as a finalist in the 18th annual Foreword Reviews' INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards …

Chapter 16, the online literary review of Humanities Tennessee, continues the stream of praise for Crooked Letter i: Coming Out in the South with an exemplary review from Beth Waltemath. The review notes that the book’s title reflects the fact that “words are merely symbols for a reality more complex than we can write down,” and praises the contributors to the book for elucidating their personal experiences of coming to terms with their identities …

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” …

An essay by bestselling author Dorothy Allison, which serves as a foreword to Crooked Letter i, has won the attention of the Huffington Post. The essay frames a smart and moving anthology of LGBT stories about coming out in the South, edited by Connie Griffin and newly published by NewSouth Books. In recalling the days before “this new wondrous age with Supreme Court decisions affirming gay and lesbian marriage,” Allison reminds us of the courage it took to self-identify as LGBT …

Crooked Letter i had its public launch at the Decatur Book Festival, where book contributor and festival panelists Susan Benton, Christina Holzhauser, B. Andrew Plant, Ed Madden, and James Villanueva participated in a lively and thought-provoking discussion about coming out in the South. Thanks to the Decatur Book Festival organizers for arranging for such a great kick-off event …

Concluding our series of responses to a recent Human Rights Campaign survey of LGBT Alabamians, with contributors to NewSouth’s forthcoming anthology Crooked Letter I: Coming Out in the South. From Elizabeth Craven: “Kith and kin, faith and family, loyalty to the land, the culture and the lifestyle marks a Southerner. Yet all the institutions that defines a life: home, work, worship, these are the very places where Southern gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people feel most threatened” …

Continuing our series of responses to a recent Human Rights Campaign survey of LGBT Alabamians, with contributors to NewSouth’s forthcoming anthology Crooked Letter I: Coming Out in the South. From B. Andrew Plant: “Surveys like this are important because they underscore that, no matter how far we have come in terms of LGBTQ acceptance, many people live every day with discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity” …

In 2015, NewSouth plans to release a book of Southern-themed LGBT coming-out stories, titled Crooked Letter I. Contributors to the anthology have sent their thoughts on a recent Human Rights Campaign in Alabama survey of LGBT Alabamians. Today’s thoughts are from Susan Benton: “We have made great progress, but in Alabama, I still have reason to be afraid. I am married to an Australian. When we visit my parents in Alabama, my spouse must always carry her documentation showing she has a right to be in the country. We must have copies of our marriage certificate, and our Medical Power of Attorney in case she must be admitted to a hospital, so that I am considered next-of-kin. Since Alabama does not recognize our marriage, we cannot and will not consider moving to Alabama …”

Publishers Weekly quoted NewSouth publisher Suzanne La Rosa in a recent article about the South Carolina state house’s controversial decision to cut funding to two schools that assign books with gay and lesbian characters to their freshmen. The University of South Carolina Upstate assigns their students Out Low: The Best of Rainbow Radio, edited by Ed Madden and Candace Chellew-Hodge, and the College of Charleston assigns their students the novel Fun Home by Alison Bechdel …