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Gary Berger & Ulysses G. Dietz
Oct. 21st, 2014 09:26 am
Ulysses Grant Dietz (born July 22, 1955) grew up in Syracuse, New York, where his Leave it to Beaver life was enlivened by his fascination with vampires, from Bela Lugosi to Barnabas Collins. He studied French at Yale, and was trained to be a museum curator at the University of Delaware. A curator for thirty-two years, Ulysses has never stopped writing fiction for the sheer pleasure of it. He created the character of Desmond Beckwith in 1988 as his personal response to Anne Rice's landmark novels. Alyson Books released his first novel, Desmond, in 1998. Vampire in Suburbia is his second novel.Ulysses lives in Maplewood, suburban New Jersey with his partner of 37 years (as of 2013), software engineer Gary Berger (born September 11), and their two teenaged children. His ideal house is a mid-nineteenth century Italianate villa, but he and Berger, settled for a 1930s Tudor—decorated “in 1920s Grandma,” Dietz says. The living area is beautifully appointed with a passed-down parlor grand piano, R.E. Dietz fixtures, and family portraiture. (“Gary gets a little creeped out by all my dead relatives,” he admits.)
Despite the formality, it’s not a museum—it’s an active household where no one blinks when a drink splashes on the Oriental rug. The couple’s children—Grace (b. 1995) and Alexander (b. 1994)—chatter as they sprawl on the furniture and feed biscuits to the dog.
Ulysses G. Dietz & Gary Berger, NY Pride, 1993. "Our first NY pride was 1976. First march on Washington was 1979 (we got tear-gassed outside the national gallery). Our last NY pride as marchers was 1995 - by 1996 we had two babies and were overwhelmed. Still overwhelmed."
Ulysses G. Dietz, a museum curator for 32 years, created the character of Desmond Beckwith in 1988 as his personal response to Anne Rice's landmark novels. Alyson Books released his first novel, Desmond, in 1998. Vampire in Suburbia is his second novel. Ulysses lives in Maplewood, suburban New Jersey with his partner since 1976, software engineer Gary Berger, and their 2 children. He is a great-great grandson of Ulysses S. Grant, and his mother was the President's last living great-grandchild.
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Source: http://www.amazon.com/Ulysses-G.-Dietz/e/B001K83788
Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time by Elisa RollePaperback: 760 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1500563323
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon (Paperback): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?tag=e
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?tag=e
Days of Love chronicles more than 700 LGBT couples throughout history, spanning 2000 years from Alexander the Great to the most recent winner of a Lambda Literary Award. Many of the contemporary couples share their stories on how they met and fell in love, as well as photos from when they married or of their families. Included are professional portraits by Robert Giard and Stathis Orphanos, paintings by John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini, and photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnson, Arnold Genthe, and Carl Van Vechten among others. “It's wonderful. Laying it out chronologically is inspired, offering a solid GLBT history. I kept learning things. I love the decision to include couples broken by death. It makes clear how important love is, as well as showing what people have been through. The layout and photos look terrific.” Christopher Bram “I couldn’t resist clicking through every page. I never realized the scope of the book would cover centuries! I know that it will be hugely validating to young, newly-emerging LGBT kids and be reassured that they really can have a secure, respected place in the world as their futures unfold.” Howard Cruse “This international history-and-photo book, featuring 100s of detailed bios of some of the most forward-moving gay persons in history, is sure to be one of those bestsellers that gay folk will enjoy for years to come as reference and research that is filled with facts and fun.” Jack Fritscher
Hi, I’m JL Merrow, and I’m delighted to be here today as part of the 
JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy.