books of gay interest


Lethe's gay titles include an array of gay-positive novels, poetry, erotica and literature for gay men & lesbians. In addition, Lethe has partnered with the White Crane Institute to bring out new and classic titles in gay spirituality and gay wisdom under the White Crane Books imprint. Lethe is one of the world's leading publishers of gay and lesbian spirituality, poetry, and independent fiction. Below is a list of Lethe Press's books of gay interest.




Lundoff

catherine lundoff accepting award
golden crown award finalist



LETHE PRESS CONGRATULATES CATHERINE LUNDOFF FOR HER
GOLDIE WIN
Crave won a Golden Crown Literary Award for Lesbian Erotica!
 

Crave: Tales of Lust, Love & Longing
By Catherine Lundoff

Catherine Lundoff is one of the most imaginative writers working today. Her daydreams have been published in many anthologies. Her stories combine passion with the weirdness of speculative fiction.

In Crave, Catherine has collected fifteen of her most recent tales. From the howls of lycanthropic desire offered by the "Leader of the Pack" to lust and larceny in "Heart's Thief," these stories will bewitch and entice women.


Here's Catherine at the Goldie Awards with her book and her award for Lesbian Erotica.

Lethe Press Paperback,
168 pages
ISBN 1590219003
 $13.00


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beach reading


Beach Reading
By Mark Abramson

The first book in an exciting new series!

San Francisco has never been moire romantic or adventuresome as portrayed by this debut novelist. A bit of magic and a lot of local lore makes for an exciting and fun read.

This book is getting GREAT reviews.

Read them on the author's webpage
beachreading.net


Lethe Press
Paperback
196 pages

ISBN 978-1-59021-139-7

$13

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Vintage



Vintage

A Ghost Story
By Steve Berman

In a small town, a lonely teen walking along a highway one autumn evening meets the boy of his dreams, a boy who happens to have died decades ago and haunts the road. Awkward crushes, both bitter and sweet, lead him to face not only the ghost but youthful dreams and childish fears. With its cast of offbeat friends, antiques and Ouija boards, Vintage offers readers a memorable blend of dark humor, chills and love that is not your typical teen romance.


 


Lethe Press
Paperback
204 pages
ISBN-13  978-1-59021-053-6
$13.00

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Also in Library Binding
ISBN-13 978-1-59021-130-4
$18.00




Wilde Stories


Wilde Stories 2008

 
edited by Steve Berman

Wilde Stories is a new annual anthology that offers readers the best of the prior year's speculative fiction with gay characters and themes. Editor Steve Berman, who has been a finalist for both the Lambda Literary and Andre Norton Award, has collected an engaging selection of the fantastical, the strange, the scary from such notable authors as Victor J. Banis, Jameson Currier, Hal Duncan and Lee Thomas.

GREAT review with interesting comments by Amos Lassen at eurekapride.com


Lethe Press
Paperback
240 pages
ISBN-13  978-1-59021-078-9
$15.00



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rough cut


Rough Cut

 
Vincent Diamond Collected

Diamonds can be a boy’s best friend, too.

Especially the erotic short stories of Vincent Diamond, sparkling with cut, color, and clarity. Here are sensual encounters between real men that will leave readers feverish to turn the next page. 


Lethe Press Paperback,
 280  pages
ISBN 159021109X
 $18.00

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Berman Trysts


Trysts

A Triskaidecollection Of Queer And Weird Stories
By Steve Berman

Steve Berman has assembled his most compelling stories of trysts that range from the eerie to the horrifying to the wondrous. Cut and paste a voodoo doll made of magazine clippings: watch as a ouija board spells out your deepest secret...mourn the loss of your boyfriend while awaiting his ghost... listen to the ancient whisperings of a threadbare flapper dress...gamble for more than money on a Southern riverboat...renounce your citizenship to walk through a restricted area, rife with magic. Experience passion and loss, all within the pages of this triskaide collection - thirteen stories where the supernatural is as likely to doom as to save those that are drawn to its power. Trysts offers readers dark and quirky tales from a distinctive new voice in gay fiction.

Visit the author's website



Lethe Press Paperback,
164 pages
ISBN 159021000X
 $13.00



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Periphery Lynne Jamneck


Periphery

Lesbian Erotic Futures
Edited by Lynne Jamneck

Periphery brings together a diverse blend of speculative writers to offer readers stories that delve deep into aspects of attraction and infatuation in futures both far and near. Editor Lynne Jamneck has assembled thirteen stories that are cutting edge in desire and style.

Rainbow Reviews gave Periphery 5 stars

read the review by Frost's Fancy




Lethe Press
Paperback
216 pages
ISBN-13 978-1-59021-101-4
$15.00

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Haunted

Haunted Hearths & Sapphic Shades

Lesbian Ghost Stories
Edited by Catherine Lundoff

Haunted Hearths & Sapphic Shades offers readers seventeen original lesbian ghost stories that stories that range from eerie tales of lost love to the darker side of romantic committments, relationships that linger longer than the grave.



Lethe Press Paperback,
268 pages
ISBN 978-1-59021-162-5
$18.00



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very bloody marys



The Very Bloody Marys
M. Christian

Can San Francisco survive a marauding gang of Vespa-riding vampires? Before it's sucked dry, the city's only hope may be Valentino, who's only a trainee for the supernatural law enforcement agency, Le Counseil Carmin. Swept up in the whole blood-sucking business when his mentor goes missing, Valentino is called upon to deal with the menace of these "Bloody Marys." But Valentino soon realizes that, in order to dispose of the gang, he must go into areas he never dreamed of, deal with some very strange characters and learn the truth about the dark side of town. 

The Very Bloody Marys is a comic horror novel about vampires, ghouls, faeries, and the undead that move around after dark. Part chase, part gallows humor, and all shivery excitement, this new story from the wildly imaginative M. Christian is funny, frightening, and very entertaining.

Great Review by Amos Lassen



Lethe Press
Paperback
216 pages
ISBN-13 978-1-59021-035-2
$13.00


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seventy times seven


Seventy Times Seven

a novel
By Salvatore Sapienza


An intriguing look into current-day religious life… The story of a young Catholic teaching brother realizing the true meaning of serving others and living life, Seventy Times Seven is readable and entertaining, with just the right twists and turns to keep the reader engrossed.


Read Rainbow Review


Lethe Press Paperback,
260 pages
ISBN 978-1-59021-057-4
$15.00


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Hard Road

Hard Road, Easy Riding

Lesbian Biker Stories
Edited by Sacchi Green & Rekelle Valencia

Take a ride—on the wild side.

Sex should be  intense, joyful, and liberating—exactly as written in these edgy and uninhibited stories. While there are many anthologies of lesbian erotica available, none so far have focused on the interaction between the lifestyles and sexual adventures of lesbian bikers. What’s sexier than a hot woman, clad in form-fitting leather, fiercely in control of the Iron Horse between her legs?



Lethe Press Paperback,
216 pages
ISBN 978-1-59021-068-0
$15.00





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Getting Life in Perspective


Getting Life in Perspective

A Fastastical Romance
By Toby Johnson

Sweet, sexy, wise and thoroughly entertaining, this mytho-historical novel, featuring two lovable apparitions from the late 1800s America, interweaves a heart-warming storey of youthful romance and adventure with an ageless life-affirming and gay-positive spiritual message 
             ...along with just a touch of the Twilight Zone.

Visit the author's website

Rainbow Reviews gave 5 stars!
read the review by Matthew


Lethe Press Paperback,
244 pages
ISBN 978-1-59021-126-7
$14.95

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------
Available in Large Print
Hard Cover
ISBN 1-59021-076-X
$20

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carpenter



 
Pagan and Christian Creeds
By Edward Carpenter

A collection of essays by the English socialist poet, anthologist and early homosexual activist. The book is an attempt to make an objective comparison between the origins and practices of pagan religions and christianity.


Lethe Press Paperback,
320 pages
ISBN  1590210077
$19.95

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Clark




Someone Gay: Memoirs
By Don Clark, Ph.D.

The author of the perennially popular and life-changing book, Loving Someone Gay, recounts his own life journey from shame, failure, guilt and fear to pride, self-confidence and understanding of true feelings. Sharing how he made the transformation himself, the first officially openly gay psychologist in the U.S. and "father of gay-oriented psychotherapy" points the way for others to claim gay identity and gay pride and follow him to happiness, meaning, love and success.




Lethe Press Paperback,
360 pages
ISBN 1590210670
 $18.00


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Fox



Heterophobia
By Ragan Fox

This wonderful first collection of performance poetry is sure to make readers laugh and smirk. Discover why Books to Watch Out For writes: ñFox comes out of the world of performance poetry, where heÍs something of a star. Could be why the poems -- as punchy as prose -- in this first collection sizzle with the heat and ripple with the wit of good stories -- short on plot, of course, and character development, but packed with passionate introspection about and investigation of queer life, queer sex, and queer essence."



Lethe Press Paperback,
120 pgs
ISBN 1590210190
 $10.00


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Johnson SM


Secret Matter
By Toby Johnson

The winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Men's Science Fiction and bestselling novel, Secret Matter returns to print in a revised edition for the 21st century. With an afterword by gay theologian, social commentator Mark Jordan.

Kevin Anderson is moving along through his life, finishing up college, and getting ready to leave New York for an internship rebuilding San Francisco after an immense earthquake. Then the Visitors arrive; a race of human-like aliens touch down in several cities around the globe, including SF, and nothing will ever be the same. When Kevin's company is given a contract to build a facility for the Visitors, he forms a friendship with ïBel, one of their number. But is 'Bel so alien after all? They seem so human, but they possess some odd characteristics and seem to be hiding something. What secrets do they carry, and where, exactly, are they from?

Visit the author's website



Lethe Press Paperback,
248 pages
ISBN 1590210174
 $13.00


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the author




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Lundoff

golden crown award finalist

Crave: Tales of Lust, Love & Longing
By Catherine Lundoff

Catherine Lundoff is one of the most imaginative writers working today. Her daydreams have been published in many anthologies. Her stories combine passion with the weirdness of speculative fiction.

In Crave, Catherine has collected fifteen of her most recent tales. From the howls of lycanthropic desire offered by the "Leader of the Pack" to lust and larceny in "Heart's Thief," these stories will bewitch and entice women.



Lethe Press Paperback,
168 pages
ISBN 1590219003
 $13.00


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Michaelson




Another Word for Sky: Poems
By Jay Michaelson

"Jay Michaelson knows too well that our life is a wedding and a funeral, at the same time, in any given moment. The erotic on these pages comes hand in hand with the devotional."
- Ilya Kaminsky, author of Dancing in Odessa

" If you are comfortable in your pew, these may not be the poems for you. But if you want fully embodied poems of outrage and love -- and if you want to "make a religion of flaw," read Another Word for Sky. You wonÍt regret it."
- Richard Chess, author of Third Temple

Jay Michaelson is the executive director of Nehirim: GLBT Jewish Culture and Spirituality, and a leading figure in the gay spirituality movement. Visitors to Easton Mountain, Burning Man, Body Electric, and many other places have thrilled to his ecstatic, erotic performances of visionary queer mystical poetry -- and now his first book of poems is out from Lethe Press. At times reflective, at times outrageous, Another Word for Sky stakes Michaelson's claim to be the James Broughton, even the Allen Ginsberg, of his generation.

Visit the author's website




Lethe Press Paperback
104 pages
ISBN-13 978-1-59021-061-4
$14.95



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Williams







Two Spirits:  A Story of Life With the Navajo

By Walter L. Williams  & Toby Johnson

Twenty years after publishing his ground-breaking The Spirit and the Flesh, anthropologist Walter L. Williams breaks his silence and writes another book on Native Americans. Together with award-winning writer Toby Johnson, he has produced a work of historical fiction striking in its evocation of Navajo philosophy and spirituality. Set in the Civil War era of the 1860s, this novel tells the story of a young Virginian who finds himself captivated by a Navajo Two-Spirit male. This book illuminates the truth of what the United States did to the largest indigenous people of this nation. A novel full of suspense, plot twists, and endearing romance.

Visit the author's website 

back to top



Lethe Press Paperback,
332 pgs
ISBN1590210603
 $18.00


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the author



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chemistry

Chemistry
a novel
By Lewis DeSimone

When first they meet, Neil and Zach discovered a sexual and emotional chemistry that could not be denied. Then, as mental illness consumes one, each must grow, repair himself, and work to become stronger and more independent to ultimately conquer the life-crushing consequences wrought by mental illness and emotional dependency. Chemistry is the story of attraction between lovers, the brain chemistry that determines personality and mood, the medications needed for regaining mental health, and the relationships between people who care for one another. DeSimone debut is an enthralling novel of courage, liberation, and self-realization.



Lethe Press Paperback,
260 pgs
ISBN159021157X
 $18.00






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Readers of Lethe Press titles will also find books by Circlet Press of interest
Circlet Press, Inc.
Celebrating the Erotic Imagination
www.circlet.com















white crane books logo








White Crane Books


White Crane Books is an imprint of Lethe Press, affiliated with the White Crane Institute, a nonprofit organization which promotes the study of the role of gay men, queer sexualities and gender variation and orientation in the evolution, psychology, sociology, and practice of spirituality, ritual, and religion. The White Crane Institute's goal, and the purpose of White Crane Books, is to foster the gathering and dissemination of information about the critical role sexuality and gender has played and continues to play in the development of cultural, spiritual and religious traditions and to provide a nurturing environment for the continuation and expansion of those explorations for the greater good of all society.



beautiful tendons
The Beautiful Tendons
Uncollected Queer Poems 1969-2007

By Jeffery Beam

The Beautiful Tendons is a collection of more than three decades of lyrical, metaphysical work. James Broughton called Beam’s poetry “sensual epiphanies, lightning flashes of the dramatic heart of event, memories from the crux of dream.”






White Crane Books Trade Paperback
328  pages
ISBN 1590210409
$14.95



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prophet in his own land
A Prophet In His Own Land
A Malcolm Boyd Reader
Edited by Bo Young and Dan Vera


For over sixty years, Malcolm Boyd has written truthfully about his own journey to fullness.  From theologian to civil rights pioneer to coffee house troubadour to gay rights icon, Boyd has courageously and whole-heartedly shown the way to a deeper, more honest examination of all our lives, leading by example. Bo Young and Dan Vera interview Malcolm and his partner Mark Thompson about their years together. Many of Boyd's previously unavailable articles are reprinted here.





White Crane Books Hardcover,
328  pages
ISBN 1590210115
$30.00


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Take Off the Masks
By Malcolm Boyd


White Crane Books is proud to re-release Boyd's classic spiritual biography and coming out story, Take Off  the Masks, for a new generation of readers hungry for its insight, honesty and soulful perception.  With a new introduction by BoydÍs life partner, Mark Thompson, and a newly added postscript by Rev. Canon Boyd himself.

White Crane Books Paperback,
160 pages
ISBN 1590210654
$20.00


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Broughton




ALL: A James Broughton Reader
Edited by Jack Foley

In a life that stretched from 1913 to 1999 James Broughton witnessed and commented on the twentieth century from the point of view of an outsider. In a time aghast at its own horrors, Broughton championed laughter. He was a poet, not of the ivory tower but of the innovative street, a playful, urban voice with the notion that a poet could change the world. In a rational century, he asserted mystery. All: A James Broughton Reader collects the range of this acclaimed poet and filmmaker.





White Crane Books Paperback,
272 pages
ISBN 1590210212
 $20.00






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charmed lives


Lammy Award Nominee 2007
for Best Anthology


Charmed Lives:  Gay Spirit in Storytelling
Edited by Toby Johnson & Steve Berman

Storytelling can be a way of spinning straw into gold, of showing ourselves we have drawn a long straw in this life. Charmed Lives offers readers a collection of fiction and personal essays as an alternative to the stories that society often tells about gay men. Some are whimsical with a touch of enchantment, some profoundly spiritual, others romantic--all offer insight into modern gay life that will inspire and shed light on the grace of being gay with tales of hope against adversity and love over loneliness.

Visit the authors' website

Purchase from the author


White Crane Books Paperback,
308 pgs
ISBN 1590210166
 $18.00


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the author





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Johnson GS
Lambda Literary Award Winner
Gay Spirituality   
By Toby Johnson

In this Lambda Literary award-winning title, Toby Johnson explores how the rise of gay identity has become an important part of contemporary religious development. This dramatic transformation has resulted due to the perspective of gay men with their ability to step outside the assumptions and conventions of culture and see things from a different point of view. This book will reward readers seeking new insight into faith as well as culture, myth and traditions.

JohnsonÍs vision of a life-affirming, sex-positive spirituality of love, cooperation, mutual respect and acceptance is in sync with modern scientific knowledge, and does not ask the reader to suspend logic or critical thinking. Gay Christians who are struggling with their sexual orientation will especially appreciate JohnsonÍs convincing refutation of common ñbiblical" anti-gay arguments. A powerful book for personal change and a great gift to a gay friend who is unhappy with his life or suffering from low self-esteem.

Visit the author's website

See also Toby Johnson's beloved soft sci-fi novel SECRET MATTER





White Crane Books Paperback,
296 pgs
ISBN 1590210220
 $20.00


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the author





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Ramer



Two Flutes Playing
By Andrew Ramer

A classic of gay mythopoesis. Michael Bails (Seattle WA) writing an unsolicited review on the amazon.com site says: "I was recommended this book after having taken a Body Electric workshop a few weeks before. From the first page I began to re-live the entire bonding rituals that we had experienced over that weekend. How to connect, how to communicate, and how to intimately bond on a higher plane! ... A definite "must have" book for the gay tribe who would like to interact spiritually and emotionally!"




White Crane Books Paperback,
168 pgs
ISBN 1590210239
 $15.00




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Thompson GS



Gay Spirit: Myth & Meaning
By Mark Thompson

Arguably the book that started the Gay Spirituality Movement. Publishers Weekly wrote: Cultural editor of the Advocate, Thompson here collects previously published articles and book excerpts from the magazine, each an attempt to define the status of gay men. In an introduction he distinguishes between homosexual (a form of sexuality) and gay: "A social identity and consciousness actively chosen." The text discusses the gay's role in politics, religion, culture, identity. Among the contributors are Judy Grahn, author of lesbian/feminist works; Malcolm Boyd, activist Episcopal priest; Harry Hay, a founder of the Mattachine Society; writer William S. Burroughs; and Geoff Mains's presenting an approving, detailed description of sadomasochism.



White Crane Books Paperback,
352 pgs,
ISBN 1590210247
 $19.95






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