I kick off my December blogging challenge which will focus on reviewing some of my favourite queer YA fiction with a review of David Levithan's 2013 'Two Boys Kissing.'

I wanted to start with this, both as 1 December marks World AIDS Day and also because this book remains one of my favourite pieces of YA fiction with its unique narrative voice, its roots in politics and oppression of the past and the way it brings two different generations together in a poetic, powerful and poignant way.

Review can be found HERE

Neil Armfield directs Holding the Man which tells the story of Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo’s 15 year romance through the 1970s and into the 1980s, when AIDS tore them apart.  The film is based on a novel of the same name, penned by Connigrave (a writer, actor and activist) which was first published in 1995 shortly after his death.  

Holding the Man remains one of the most important and well-known works of Australian LGBT fiction and it later became a successful play directed by Tommy Murphy, first shown in 2006.  Murphy also wrote the script for the film, which was released in 2015. 

Read the full review HERE 

Review of documentary The Mask You Live In which considers the issues created by instilling a culture of hyper masculinity in America's young boys.

An excellent, thought-provoking watch.  Review can be found ​HERE

A review of the documentary She's Beautiful When She's Angry which charts the rise of the Women's Lib movement and focuses on the era of second wave feminism, featuring a number of dIverse voices from feminist, civil rights and gay liberation movements of the 1960s - 1970s.

READ THE REVIEW HERE

A queer reading of Netflix original series Stranger Things.  

The article contains MULTIPLE SPOILERS FOR SEASON ONE.

Strangest of the Strange: Queering Stranger Things can be found HERE

Over the last couple of months when I wasn't tearing my hair out over the state of British politics or getting ready for my move to Yorkshire in early June, I was working on a number of panels and a paper for Leviosa 2016. For those of you who don't live and breathe Harry Potter fandom like I do, Leviosa is a fan convention with lots of academic and fannish content which took place in Las Vegas this July.  Together with focusing on Harry Potter canon, the programming schedule also included plenty of fannish content, talks by YA authors and discussions about the contemporary YA market. The schedule featured a number of multi-fandom panels and meet-ups - Marvel, Sherlock, Inception were all popular alternatives. I was fortunate enough to have a number of proposals accepted as part of the programming. So, on 5 July I flew into LA and on 6 July I embarked on the four plus hour drive to Las Vegas and The Green Valley Ranch, where the convention was held.

In anticipation of Looking: The Movie which seeks to wrap up the series where season 2 left off, I discuss why I am a big fan of the HBO series and my thoughts on the upcoming film. I also discuss the inevitable comparisons with Queer as Folk and touch briefly on the burden of responsibility which critics and fans place on LGBTQ+ television.

The film premiers at 10pm on 23 July 2016 ​on HBO.

READ DISCUSSION HERE

Last week I packed up my bags and made the final part of my move from London based lawyer to Postgraduate Contemporary Literature student at the University of York.  As a result of the move, I’ve had lots of people ask about my academic focus over the last few months.  I always respond by saying my primary interest lies in contemporary LGBTQ+ literature.  Combined with discussing my studies, in recent times I have made no attempt to hide my own identity and I have become more active in organisations and charities with an LGBTQ+ focus.

I review Tom Ford's directorial debut based on Isherwood's 1964 novel, A Single Man.

READ REVIEW HERE