Saints and Sinners 2010: New Fiction from the Festival contains a mixture of short fiction representing many genres and styles as well as a diverse number of themes and experiences. It was truly a difficult task for the judges to select a winner and two runner-ups from over a 100 entries. The completely-blind, three-tier judging process that was used yield what we think is a wonderful set of stories. The finalists for our first annual short fiction contest were Danny Bracco, Nathan Burgoine, Emily M. Danforth, James Driggers, Jack Fritscher, Wayne Lee Gay, William Holden, James Nolan, Steve Scott and Shawn Syms. There are five stories from the contest included in this volume along with works by established authors. The winning story, "Ondine" by Wayne Lee Gay (Denton, TX), is a musical tale of both longing and awakening. The two runners-ups are as different from each other as, well, as Saints & Sinners. "Dancing Pink Roses" by Danny Bracco (San Francisco, CA) is a sensual story of personal discovery both enlightening and painful. "Jesus is My BFF" by James Driggers (Asheville, NC) weaves a complex story of intolerance, self-destruction and affirmation in an unexpected way. The two remaining finalist included are "Latins on the Loose" by James Nolan (New Orleans, LA), a witty story about the hazards of 'shopping locally', and "The Kid" by Steve Scott (Rancho Mirage, CA), a dark tale of a not-so-right young man. In addition to the finalists from the First Annual Short Fiction Contest, we are honored to include stories from "Festival Favorites" some of the best GLBT authors. We have wonderful new works from Lambda Literary Award winners Rob Byrnes, Greg Herren, and Jeff Mann. The collection also includes original fiction from award-winning authors Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Peter Dube, Aaron Hamburger, and Jess Wells. We are extremely excited to include Jewelle Gomez's "Storyville 1910" which provides readers with a new adventure of the main character from her cult-classic 1991 Gilda Story winner of two Lambda Literary Awards. Saints + Sinners is an annual celebration that takes place in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans in the month of May. The Festival includes writing workshops, readings, panel discussions, as well as theater and special events. We also aim to inspire the written word through our short fiction and full-length playwriting contests. In addition to the induction of GLBT literary icons each year into the Saints and Sinners Hall of Fame, we also recognize the winners of the Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize. This cash grant is intended to reward, recognize, and promote GLBT mid-career novelist's extraordinary talent and service to the community.
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No other city is like New Orleans, and no other writers conference is like Saints & Sinners. Where else can you bring beignets and chicory coffee from Cafe Du Monde to your morning panel on creating realistic murder scenes? Where else are you going to have crawfish ètouffee while exchanging ideas with half a dozen other writers from all around the country over lunch between sessions? Where else can you take a vampire tour after the day's events are over? The magic of New Orleans enlivens everything about the conference, resulting in an atmosphere that recharges the creative batteries and reminds us why we love to write. I've been going to conferences for more than 20 years, and never have I enjoyed them as much as I do when I'm at Saints & Sinners. The conversations with other writers outside of the sessions are just as informative and inspiring as the panel discussions and workshops, and the opportunity to spend time with writers from so many different genres makes this a completely unique experience you won't get from any other conference. When I come home from Saints and Sinners I'm always more excited about my work and about the work of my fellow writers than when I left, and I immediately start counting down the days to next year's conference. --Michael Thomas Ford, Jane Bites Back
Any con that tugs a frost-covered Minnesotan away from her Swedish meatballs and plunks her in the middle of the best jazz, the most decadent cuisine, and the finest writing the LGBT community has to offer, and at the same time allows her to rub shoulders with publishers, reviewers, writers, and passionate, articulate readers, is a con to embrace. Saints & Sinners is, hands down, my favorite convention of the year. Want to know more? Read this anthology. You'll get a sense of what's in store for you in New Orleans. --Ellen Hart, Five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Ward for Best Lesbian Mystery
For eight years, the Saints and Sinners Festival has offered a welcome oasis for gay and lesbian writers from the often grueling literary world, a rare convergence of both community and creativity. Here is the proof of the success of that formula: inspiring and enriching new fiction from some of the festival's best writers, whose words dare us to think, encourage us to laugh, and recommit us to the pursuit of excellence. --William J. Mann, author of Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn
Any con that tugs a frost-covered Minnesotan away from her Swedish meatballs and plunks her in the middle of the best jazz, the most decadent cuisine, and the finest writing the LGBT community has to offer, and at the same time allows her to rub shoulders with publishers, reviewers, writers, and passionate, articulate readers, is a con to embrace. Saints & Sinners is, hands down, my favorite convention of the year. Want to know more? Read this anthology. You'll get a sense of what's in store for you in New Orleans. --Ellen Hart, Five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Ward for Best Lesbian Mystery
For eight years, the Saints and Sinners Festival has offered a welcome oasis for gay and lesbian writers from the often grueling literary world, a rare convergence of both community and creativity. Here is the proof of the success of that formula: inspiring and enriching new fiction from some of the festival's best writers, whose words dare us to think, encourage us to laugh, and recommit us to the pursuit of excellence. --William J. Mann, author of Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn
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I make no secret of my love of short stories. I love the tease of them, how streamlined they are, and how you can get many flavors from the same book when you're reading an anthology.
NEW FICTION FROM THE FESTIVAL is the first collected anthology of short fiction brought forth from the Saints and Sinners 2010 Literary Festival in New Orleans. I've been lucky enough to attend for the last three years, and every year I leave the festival charged and refreshed - and loaded down with new books to add to my already teetering mountain of books.
Born of the first Saints and Sinners short fiction contest, NEW FICTION has a loose theme suggested from the festival itself: "Saints and Sinners." For the most part, the characters fall somewhere in the middle (though a few fall to one end of the spectrum or the other more decidedly) and the mix of authors is solid: contributors include well known authors long associated with the festival, as well as three finalists/runners-up to the contest, and the winner.
"The End of Jesus," by Lucy Jane Bledsoe, opens the anthology and decisively clues you in on both the theme and the high quality of writing you're about to experience. Bledsoe's tale of a woman carrying guilt for decades is beautifully crafted, and drives the reader with an uncompromising rawness to its conclusion.
"Demon Seed," by Jeff Mann continues the theme of raw wrong-doing, with a tale of wanting someone you know you shouldn't, and the helplessness of desire. Mann has an amazing touch with the erotic, and a narrative voice that you can hear growl as you read.
"Latins on the Loose," by James Nolan is one of the finalists in the fiction contest, and a piece that vibrates with the addictive controlled chaos of the Quarter. Nolan's characters pulse with the "it could only happen here" feeling of New Orleans, and I grinned my way through his story.
"Finders Keepers," by Aaron Hamburger is the collision of some wonderful characters in New Orleans; a fading porn star, a go go boy, and "a number one fan" mixing together in a clever story just dusted with a kind of sadness that sharpens the experience.
"Jesus is my BFF," by James Driggers was the contest runner-up story, and has a delicious almost-sarcasm to it that made me chuckle. Fundamentalism grinds with compassion and family and redemption, and the end result left me with a pleased smirk on my face.
"Saint Daniel and his Demons," by Rob Byrnes has the wit I've come to expect from Byrnes. Following one man's journey to try and take the shine off his unwanted but popularly attributed "sainthood", the story of Daniel's attempt to shuck the unwanted moniker is sure to make you laugh. A favorite of the anthology.
"Dancing Pink Roses," by Danny Bracco was another contest runner-up, is fantastic - the character of Ed is so completely engaging that your empathy for him grows throughout the tale, and the plot trigger - some lovely new sheets - is brilliant. I hope to read more from Bracco.
"Storyville 1910" by Jewelle Gomez is a beautifully spun tale with a slice of the supernatural (always a favorite of mine) that revisits the genre in a fresh and interesting way. The historical setting breathes, and the main characters draw you in, with a complexity in their psyche that I found engrossing.
"Ondine," by Wayne Lee Gay was the contest winner, and is a captivating tale of the intersection between characters and music, desire and repression, and faith, all wonderfully tangled - and untangled - in the space of the story.
"The Last Excursion," by Jess Wells was another story that put a grin on my face, the tale of a man looking forward to the freedom that comes with turning 70 and being done with raising children and being the family figurehead. I loved it.
"Blazon" by Peter Dubé almost evokes stream of consciousness in places, and brings a second trace of the supernatural to the anthology. The battle of repression and passion that pops up in many of the stories is here, central and with a devastating twist.
"The Kid," by Steve Scott was a contest finalist, and definitely the most chilling of all the tales. Dark and disturbing, the story will stay with you after you are done, and likely bring a shiver or two to your skin.
"Mr. Lonely," by Greg Herren finishes the anthology with a story that suckered me in and left me moved on behalf of the protagonist. There's a gentle touch to this story that breaks down your defenses before the final turn.
Suffice it to say, I enjoyed the anthology. The theme was loose enough that nothing felt forced, and the sheer variety of the tales was superb. Editors Amie M. Evans and Paul J. Willis should be proud - but then again, how could something that came from Saints and Sinners be anything other than this good?
NEW FICTION FROM THE FESTIVAL is the first collected anthology of short fiction brought forth from the Saints and Sinners 2010 Literary Festival in New Orleans. I've been lucky enough to attend for the last three years, and every year I leave the festival charged and refreshed - and loaded down with new books to add to my already teetering mountain of books.
Born of the first Saints and Sinners short fiction contest, NEW FICTION has a loose theme suggested from the festival itself: "Saints and Sinners." For the most part, the characters fall somewhere in the middle (though a few fall to one end of the spectrum or the other more decidedly) and the mix of authors is solid: contributors include well known authors long associated with the festival, as well as three finalists/runners-up to the contest, and the winner.
"The End of Jesus," by Lucy Jane Bledsoe, opens the anthology and decisively clues you in on both the theme and the high quality of writing you're about to experience. Bledsoe's tale of a woman carrying guilt for decades is beautifully crafted, and drives the reader with an uncompromising rawness to its conclusion.
"Demon Seed," by Jeff Mann continues the theme of raw wrong-doing, with a tale of wanting someone you know you shouldn't, and the helplessness of desire. Mann has an amazing touch with the erotic, and a narrative voice that you can hear growl as you read.
"Latins on the Loose," by James Nolan is one of the finalists in the fiction contest, and a piece that vibrates with the addictive controlled chaos of the Quarter. Nolan's characters pulse with the "it could only happen here" feeling of New Orleans, and I grinned my way through his story.
"Finders Keepers," by Aaron Hamburger is the collision of some wonderful characters in New Orleans; a fading porn star, a go go boy, and "a number one fan" mixing together in a clever story just dusted with a kind of sadness that sharpens the experience.
"Jesus is my BFF," by James Driggers was the contest runner-up story, and has a delicious almost-sarcasm to it that made me chuckle. Fundamentalism grinds with compassion and family and redemption, and the end result left me with a pleased smirk on my face.
"Saint Daniel and his Demons," by Rob Byrnes has the wit I've come to expect from Byrnes. Following one man's journey to try and take the shine off his unwanted but popularly attributed "sainthood", the story of Daniel's attempt to shuck the unwanted moniker is sure to make you laugh. A favorite of the anthology.
"Dancing Pink Roses," by Danny Bracco was another contest runner-up, is fantastic - the character of Ed is so completely engaging that your empathy for him grows throughout the tale, and the plot trigger - some lovely new sheets - is brilliant. I hope to read more from Bracco.
"Storyville 1910" by Jewelle Gomez is a beautifully spun tale with a slice of the supernatural (always a favorite of mine) that revisits the genre in a fresh and interesting way. The historical setting breathes, and the main characters draw you in, with a complexity in their psyche that I found engrossing.
"Ondine," by Wayne Lee Gay was the contest winner, and is a captivating tale of the intersection between characters and music, desire and repression, and faith, all wonderfully tangled - and untangled - in the space of the story.
"The Last Excursion," by Jess Wells was another story that put a grin on my face, the tale of a man looking forward to the freedom that comes with turning 70 and being done with raising children and being the family figurehead. I loved it.
"Blazon" by Peter Dubé almost evokes stream of consciousness in places, and brings a second trace of the supernatural to the anthology. The battle of repression and passion that pops up in many of the stories is here, central and with a devastating twist.
"The Kid," by Steve Scott was a contest finalist, and definitely the most chilling of all the tales. Dark and disturbing, the story will stay with you after you are done, and likely bring a shiver or two to your skin.
"Mr. Lonely," by Greg Herren finishes the anthology with a story that suckered me in and left me moved on behalf of the protagonist. There's a gentle touch to this story that breaks down your defenses before the final turn.
Suffice it to say, I enjoyed the anthology. The theme was loose enough that nothing felt forced, and the sheer variety of the tales was superb. Editors Amie M. Evans and Paul J. Willis should be proud - but then again, how could something that came from Saints and Sinners be anything other than this good?
I had the pleasure of attending Saints & Sinners this year and the opening night was lucky to listen to 5 of the authors read their stories from this collection. All were excellent and I was so glad we purchased copies of the book in advance so I could take it home and read them again plus the other 6 stories.
The collection includes five stories from the Saints & Sinners New Fiction contest.
The winning story, "Ondine" was beautifully read for the attendees by the author Wayne Lee Gay (Denton, TX), "a musical tale of both longing and awakening."
My favorite (and runner-up in the contest) "Jesus is My BFF" was read by author James Driggers (Asheville, NC) to the entertainment of everyone in the room, the story "weaves a complex story of intolerance, self-destruction and affirmation in an unexpected way." The other runner-up "Dancing Pink Roses" by Danny Bracco (San Francisco, CA) is "a sensual story of personal discovery both enlightening and painful."
The two remaining finalists included are "Latins on the Loose" by James Nolan (New Orleans, LA), who read deliciously from his excellent story set in the French Quarter "a witty story about the hazards of 'shopping locally'," and "The Kid" by Steve Scott (Rancho Mirage, CA), "a dark tale of a not-so-right young man."
The other stories are from Lambda Literary Award winners Rob Byrnes, "Saint Daniel and his Demons", Greg Herren "Mr. Lonely", and Jeff Mann "Demon Seed". Original fiction from award-winning authors Lucy Jane Bledsoe, she read from her entry "The End of Jesus", Peter Dube "Blazon", Aaron Hamburger "Finders Keepers", and Jess Wells "The Last Excursion".
Jewelle Gomez's "Storyville 1910" is "a new adventure of the main character from her cult-classic 1991 Gilda Story winner of two Lambda Literary Awards".
The collection includes five stories from the Saints & Sinners New Fiction contest.
The winning story, "Ondine" was beautifully read for the attendees by the author Wayne Lee Gay (Denton, TX), "a musical tale of both longing and awakening."
My favorite (and runner-up in the contest) "Jesus is My BFF" was read by author James Driggers (Asheville, NC) to the entertainment of everyone in the room, the story "weaves a complex story of intolerance, self-destruction and affirmation in an unexpected way." The other runner-up "Dancing Pink Roses" by Danny Bracco (San Francisco, CA) is "a sensual story of personal discovery both enlightening and painful."
The two remaining finalists included are "Latins on the Loose" by James Nolan (New Orleans, LA), who read deliciously from his excellent story set in the French Quarter "a witty story about the hazards of 'shopping locally'," and "The Kid" by Steve Scott (Rancho Mirage, CA), "a dark tale of a not-so-right young man."
The other stories are from Lambda Literary Award winners Rob Byrnes, "Saint Daniel and his Demons", Greg Herren "Mr. Lonely", and Jeff Mann "Demon Seed". Original fiction from award-winning authors Lucy Jane Bledsoe, she read from her entry "The End of Jesus", Peter Dube "Blazon", Aaron Hamburger "Finders Keepers", and Jess Wells "The Last Excursion".
Jewelle Gomez's "Storyville 1910" is "a new adventure of the main character from her cult-classic 1991 Gilda Story winner of two Lambda Literary Awards".
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