Boys in Bed.
I wrote a book.
Boys in Bed: A Recollection Of Almost Everything is a poetic memoir that speaks to anyone who has ever felt desire, loneliness, and nostalgia. It is for anyone who wants to believe in the power of forgiveness.
Over the course of thirty-five chapters, I chronicle what it was like growing up gay in the 70s and 80s and maturing through the 90s and 2000s. The pieces are funny, dark, and poignant. They explore the unreliability of memory, the way personal stories are shaped by the strange alchemical mix of what happened to us, and how we choose to respond to our histories. The depths desire can take us in search of meaning.
Boys in Bed delves into the complexities of memory, identity, and sexual awakening. The narrative weaves together the true and the remembered, acknowledging the fluidity and reconstruction inherent in recalling the past.
Each chapter is anchored on a sexual encounter with the boys and men I desired - both those who returned my affection and those that did not. From the innocence of sleepovers transformed by emerging sexuality to the nuanced dynamics of power and consent. These encounters unfold as the echoes of my life unravel around them. The family dysfunction at the center of my childhood. The sounds and style of New Wave music of the 80s and 90s. My life in theater and video games and traveling the world. The AIDS crisis. These poems weave together a drama of longing for others with a desire to be someone, to do something, to matter.
Complete at 46,845 words, Boys in Bed: A Recollection Of Almost Everything is an introspective journey, an homage to the act of memory itself, and a poignant search for understanding what it means to be alive and to have lived. It’s a mosaic of life stories that resonate with authenticity and emotional depth, likely to appeal to readers interested in LGBTQ experiences, coming-of-age tales, and the ever-evolving narrative of personal history.
Each chapter is a Polaroid between the folds of sheets and time. Me, the protagonist, on a New Wave journey, growing up gay, and searching for understanding of what it means to be alive and to have been alive in a moment in time.
