Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights

An A-to-Z Guide

Emmanuel S. Nelson

• Publisher: Greenwood
• Year: 2003
• Print ISBN:
  9780313322327
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780313017094
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Gay presence is nothing new to American verse and theater. Homoerotic themes are discernible in American poetry as early as the 19th century, and identifiably gay characters appeared on the American stage more than 70 years ago. But aside from a few notable exceptions, gay artists of earlier generations felt compelled to avoid sexual candor in their writings. Conversely, most contemporary gay poets and playwrights are free from such constraints and have created a remarkable body of work. This reference is a guide to their creative achievements. Alphabetically arranged entries present 62 contemporary gay American poets and dramatists.

While the majority of included writers are younger artists who came of age in the post-Stonewall U.S., some are older authors whose work has continued or persisted into recent decades. A number of these writers are well known, including Edward Albee, Harvey Fierstein, and Allen Ginsberg. Others, such as Alan Bowne, Timothy Liu, and Robert O'Hara, merit wider recognition. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and includes a biography, a discussion of major works and themes, an overview of the author's critical reception, and primary and secondary bibliographies.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Edward Albee (1928– )
• Jeff Baron (1952– )
• Jeffery Beam (1953– )
• David Bergman (1950– )
• Alan Bowne (1945–1989)
• Donald Britton (1951–1994)
• James Broughton (1913–1999)
• Victor Bumbalo (1946– )
• Charles Busch (1954– )
• Leo F. Cabranes-Grant (1960– )
• Robert Chesley (1943–1990)
• Justin Chin (1969– )
• Alfred Corn (1943– )
• Mart Crowley (1935– )
• Melvin Dixon (1950–1992)
• Tim Dlugos (1950–1990)
• Mark Doty (1953– )
• David Drake (1963– )
• Robert Duncan (1919–1988)
• Christopher Durang (1949– )
• Edward Field (1924– )
• Harvey Fierstein (1954– )
• William Finn (1952– )
• Kenny Fries (1960– )
• Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997)
• Thorn Gunn (1929– )
• Essex Hemphill (1957–1995)
• William M. Hoffman (1939– )
• Richard Howard (1929– )
• Maurice Kenny (1929– )
• Rudy Kikel (1943– )
• Harry Kondoleon (1955–1994)
• Larry Kramer (1935– )
• Tony Kushner (1956– )
• Michael Lassell (1947– )
• Timothy Liu (1965– )
• Craig Lucas (1951– )
• Charles Ludlam (1943–1987)
• J.D. McClatchy (1945– )
• Terrence McNally (1939– )
• Scott McPherson (1959–1992)
• James Merrill (1926–1995)
• Paul Monette (1945–1995)
• Frank O'Hara (1926–1966)
• Robert O’Hara (1970– )
• Peter Parnell (1953– )
• Carl Phillips (1959– )
• Kenneth Pobo (1954– )
• D.A. Powell (1963– )
• Guillermo Reyes (1962– )
• Assotto Saint (Yves Francois Lubin) (1957–1994)
• F. Allen Sawyer (1957– )
• James Schuyler (1923–1991)
• Reginald Shepherd (1963– )
• Martin Sherman (1938– )
• Aaron Shurin (1947– )
• David Trinidad (1953– )
• Gore Vidal (1925– )
• Jonathan Williams (1929– )
• Doric Wilson (1939– )
• Lanford Wilson (1937– )
• Chay Yew (1966– )
• Selected Bibliography
• Index
• About the Contributors