Love, Castro Street: Reflections of San Francisco (Paperback)

~ Katherine V. Forrest (Editor), Jim Van Buskirk (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Recognized as perhaps the world's most queer destination, San Francisco has a long, storied history of embracing-and influencing-gay and lesbian culture. Now, Michael Nava, Elana Dykewoman, Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Jim Tushinski, Michele Tea, K.M. Soehnlein, and many others offer up essays and stories about why they love Castro Street.

Katherine V. Forrest is the Lambda Award-winning author of Curious Wine, Daughters of the Emerald Dusk, and the Kate Delafield mystery series.

Jim Van Buskirk, the director of the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Library, co-authored Gay by the Bay.

About the Author

Katherine V. Forrest is twice winner of the Lambda Literary Award for best mystery, and has been recently honored with the Pioneer Award from the Lambda Literary Foundation.

Jim Van Buskirk has been, since 1991, responsible for the development of the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Library and the co-author of "Gay by the Bay."

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555839975
• ISBN-13: 978-1555839970
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,267,335 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "California Dreaming", May 10, 2007

By	Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Forrest, Katherine V. and Jim Van Buskirk, editors. "Love, Castro Street: Reflections of San Francisco", Alyson, 2007.

"California Dreaming"

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

After publishing "Love, Bourbon Street" with tales of gay New Orleans, Alyson Publishers evidently realized they had a hit on their hands and followed it up with San Francisco tales in "Love, Castro Street". It was a smart move as we have a rich literary tradition in California. The editors, Katherine Forrest and Jim Van Buskirk have carefully selected a wonderful cross section of authors who have written about the city by the bay. Being from New Orleans myself, I am more partial to the earlier volume but the quality of this one is excellent.
Because San Francisco has seemingly always been a leading city for both cultural and societal change, it s only natural that there is good literature about the gay scene there. Castro Street has always played a major role in the shaping of gay identity--it is as mythological as it is real. Castro Street has always been a home--both ideological and realistically for those who have felt to be different and homeless. The legendary heart of the Castro where Castro and Market streets meet is the focal point of the neighborhood that we as gays have christened "the Castro" and it is here that so much of our history has taken place. Many have stories about the Castro and this volume is a book of stories.
Many of the authors represented here are familiar names. Jim Tushinski, Mark Thompson, Michael Nava, Victor Banis, Elana Dykeswomon, Carla Trujillo are all here to name a few. Each has a story to tell and this collection is marked by beautiful writing. They represent the rich diversity of the Castro and the city of San Francisco itself. Aside from the stories, there are beautiful essays as well. "Love, Castro Street" gives you a chance to not only read about the area but also about yourself. All of us will something personal and true to our own lives here whether we live in Little Rock, New Orleans or Boise, Idaho. Being gay is not unique to any one place but the atmosphere of each place is unique to building an identity.
If you haven't been to the Castro on a visit or to live, you can go there through the words of these writers. Even if the Castro, itself, is destroyed by earthquake or fire or whatever, the editors have seen to it that the literature of one of the great world gay hubs will live on.