Ronald L. Donaghe, best-selling author of the gay novels All Over Him and Common Sons
"Duane Simolke's seminal work Holding Me Together is a gratifying mixture of scholarship, art, and personal expression."
Book Description
Long before the 1999 publication of Duane Simolkes book Holding Me Together, many of its poems and essays had appeared in publications and on Web sites. Simolke began finding readers from around the world, especially for the long essay that opens Holding Me Together, "Reactions to Homophobia."
Dann Hazel used "Reactions" as one of the resources for his book Witness: Gay and Lesbian Clergy Report from the Front. Edited by Paul Harris, the book From Our Own Lips: The Book of GLBT Quotations includes a quote from "Not Worth Dying Over," another essay from Holding. Not long after Holdings publication, StoneWall Society gave the book a Pride in the Arts Award.
Now, Simolke presents a revised, second edition. The updated version of "Reactions to Homophobia" integrates new research, from hate crimes in Canada to the ex-gay movement in the United States. With the first edition of Holding, Simolke had left out some poems he wanted to add, because he felt they needed more work; those poems appear in the second edition. He also added introductory notes that give background to some of the works.
While not all the books essays and poems focus on gay issues, the overall collection reflects gay pride, celebrates gay relationships, and embraces a more universal desire for tolerance and understanding.