Heather Rose Jones (born May 12, 1958)

Heather Rose Jones is the author of the “Skin Singer” stories in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress anthology series, as well as non-fiction publications on topics ranging from biotech to historic costume to naming practices. She has a PhD from U.C. Berkeley in Linguistics, specializing in the semantics of Medieval Welsh prepositions, and works as an industrial discrepancy investigator for a major Bay Area pharmaceutical company.

Daughter of Mystery won a 2014 Rainbow Award as Best Lesbian Fantasy Romance.

Further Readings:

Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones
Series: Novel of Alpennia
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Bella Books (February 18, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1594933804
ISBN-13: 978-1594933806
Amazon: Daughter of Mystery
Amazon Kindle: Daughter of Mystery

Margerit Sovitre did not expect to inherit the Baron Saveze’s fortunes—and even less his bodyguard. The formidable Barbara, of unknown parentage and tied to the barony for secretive reasons, is a feared duelist, capable of defending her charges with efficient, deadly force.

Equally perplexing is that while she is now a highly eligible heiress, Margerit did not also inherit the Saveze title, and the new baron eyes the fortunes he lost with open envy. Barbara, bitter that her servitude is to continue, may be the only force that stands between Margerit and the new Baron’s greed—and the ever deeper layers of intrigue that surround the ill-health of Alpennia’s prince and the divine power from rituals known only as The Mysteries of the Saints.

At first Margerit protests the need for Barbara’s services, but soon she cannot imagine sending Barbara away—for reasons of state and reasons of the heart.
Heather Rose Jone debuts with a sweeping story rich in intrigue and the clash of loyalties and love.

More Rainbow Awards at my website: elisarolle.com, Rainbow Awards/2014

Charles Fowler & Kenneth Dresser

Charles B. (Bruner) Fowler (May 12, 1931 - June 11, 1995), American writer and consultant in the arts, was noted for his activity and commentary in the field of arts education. A prolific author, he wrote more than two hundred articles as well as books, reports and other works. Fowler frequently spoke at arts and arts education gatherings, providing insightful views on the state of the arts nationally. For fifteen years (1974-1989) he served as Education Editor of Musical America Magazine, reporting "On Education" across the country. From 1966 to 1971 he was editor of Music Educators Journal. His last publications were Sing!, a textbook for secondary school choral classes (Hinshaw, 1988), the widely acclaimed sequel to Coming to Our Senses: Can We Rescue the Arts for America's Children (American Council for the Arts, 1988) and Music! Its Role and Importance in Our Lives, a textbook appropriate for high school and introductory college courses (Glencoe/ Macmillan/McGraw Hill, 1992). From 1989 until 1993, Dr. Fowler served as director of National Cultural Resources, Inc.

As a practitioner of several arts and with an extensive background in teaching on every level, Dr. Fowler championed the cause of arts education as an essential part of every person's education. He was a guest professor at a number of American universities, participated in numerous educational projects and symposia, and lectured on the subject of arts education throughout the United States and abroad. His degrees included a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the Crane School of Music, SUNY at Potsdam, a Master of Music from Northwestern University and a Doctor of Musical Arts (with a minor in fine arts) from Boston University. He was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University in 1990 and an honorary doctorate from the Crane School of Music in 1995. Dr. Fowler wrote educational materials for the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He was the writer for the grand opening of Epcot Center for Walt Disney Productions, the grand opening of Knoxville World's Fair, the annual Christmas pageant at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, and several National Public Radio programs. He prepared scripts for Jose Ferrer, Richard Thomas, Gregory Peck, President Gerald Ford, and Dinah Shore, among others.


Charles Fowler (May 12, 1931 - June 11, 1995) & his partner Kenneth Dresser (August 21, 1938 - September 8, 1995) are buried together at Congressional Cemetery, Washington, District of Columbia, District Of Columbia, USA The tombstone reads: Charles Fowler, Writer educator spokesman and advocate for arts education - Kenneth Dresser, Art Director and creative Designer, whose artistry enchanted millions.

The “artistry [that] enchanted millions” referred to the Electric Light Parade at Disneyland, the Electric Water Pageant at Epcot, and the Fantasy of Lights at Callaway Gardens, Georgia, all designed by Dresser. Charles Fowler was an arts educator and writer, director of National Cultural Resources, Inc., and a guest professor at several American universities.

Charles Macaulay & Leland Hickman

Leland Hickman (September 15, 1934 – May 12, 1991) was an American poet, editor, actor, and literary magazine publisher. During his lifetime, Hickman was best known as the publisher and editor of the influential magazine Temblor which was noted for the publication of many east and west coast language-related poets. His editorial and publishing activities brought the work of many established and emerging poets into the public view. Hickman has steadily gained posthumous recognition and fame for his poetry.

Hickman was born in Santa Barbara, California. He lived with his family in Bakersfield from 1937 to 1945. He attended Santa Barbara College, now University of California, Santa Barbara, and later studied at the University of California, Berkeley, where he played with the Berkeley Drama Guild.

After a tour in the Army, Hickman moved to New York City to continue his career in theater. In 1960 he returned to California to play at the Equity Library Theatre West in Los Angeles. After stints in New York City and San Francisco, Hickman settled permanently in Los Angeles in 1969 with his partner, the actor Charles Macaulay.

Charles Macaulay was born on September 26, 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He was an actor, known for Splash (1984), The Big Red One (1980) and Blacula (1972). He died on August 13, 1999 in Healdsburg, California, USA.

( Read more... )

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Hickman

( Further Readings )

More Real Life Romances at my website: www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Real Life Romance

Florence Nightingale & Mary Clarke

Florence Nightingale OM, RRC (12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night. Nightingale laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment, in 1860, of her nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital in London, the first secular nursing school in the world, now part of King's College London. The Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses was named in her honour, and the annual International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday. (P: ©Charles Staal, engraved by G. H. Mote. Florence Nightingale. From Mary Cowden Clarke, World-Noted Women. (©4))

Florence Nightingale was born into a rich, upper-class, well-connected British family at the Villa Colombaia, near the Porta Romana at Bellosguardo in Florence, Italy, and was named after the city of her birth. Florence's older sister Frances Parthenope had similarly been named after her place of birth, Parthenopolis, a Greek settlement now part of the city of Naples.

Her parents were William Edward Nightingale, born William Edward Shore (1794–1874) and Frances ("Fanny") Nightingale née Smith (1789–1880). William's mother Mary née Evans was the niece of one Peter Nightingale, under the terms of whose will William inherited his estate Lea Hurst in Derbyshire, and assumed the name and arms of Nightingale. Fanny's father (Florence's maternal grandfather) was the abolitionist and Unitarian William Smith.

( Read more... )

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale

Further Readings:

Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time by Elisa Rolle
Paperback: 760 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1500563323
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
Amazon: Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time

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

Michael Bronski & Walta Borawski

Michael Bronski (born May 12, 1949) is senior lecturer in the Women's and Gender Studies Program and in the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College. He has written extensively on LGBT issues for four decades, in both mainstream and queer publications.

A Boston native, Bronski made several contributions to the gay liberation movement of the 60s participating in activities and contributing writing to a variety of gay and lesbian publications.

In 1984 he published the pioneering and oft referenced book Culture Clash: The Making of Gay Sensibility which traced gay sensibility from Walt Whitman to the onset of AIDS. His writing reflected the changing face of the gay male subculture in writings he published in the anthology Flashpoint: Gay Male Sexual Writing in 1996.

Bronski's lover was Walta Borawski from the mid 70s until Borawski's death from complications of AIDS in 1995.

His book Pulp Friction: Uncovering the Golden Age of Gay Male Pulps won a Lambda Literary Award in 2003.

He has received a 2012 Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association for his nonfiction work, A Queer History of the United States (2011). Bronski says he’s been thinking about the topic for 40 years, and it took him two summers of “intensive writing” to produce A Queer History of the United States. “It’s 500 years of American history, from 1492 to 1992, and it is in essence about how people who are now identified as LGBT have shaped America and how America has shaped them,” says Bronski, who is also the author of Culture Clash: The Making of Gay Sensibility (1984) and The Pleasure Principle: Sex, Backlash and the Struggle for Gay Freedom (1998), among others.


Michael Bronski and Walta Borawski, 1987, by Robert Giard
Michael Bronski's lover was Walta Borawski from mid 70s until Borawski's death from complications of AIDS in 1994. Walta Borawski was the author of several poetry books including "Sexually Dangerous Poet" and "Lingering in a Silk Shirt". "Walta loved Pride. Pride was music, balloons, drag queens, cute men, and spectacle. Today, gay people fight to get into the army. And drag queens are a mainstay in movies and television. It is still hard for me to think about going to Pride." --Michael Bronski.

( Read more... )

Source: http://now.dartmouth.edu/2012/02/professor-michael-bronski-wins-prestigious-stonewall-book-award/

( Michael Bronski by Robert Giard )

Walta Borawski (1947 - February 9, 1994), a poet, was the author of several books of poetry including "Sexually Dangerous Poet" and "Lingering in a Silk Shirt". He died of complications from AIDS, in his home in Cambridge. He was 46.

Mr. Borawski was born in Patchogue, N.Y. He attended the State University of New York at New Paltz before becoming the first arts editor of the Poughkeepsie Journal, a job he held for several years before moving to Boston in 1975.

"Why had I stopped going to Boston’s Pride?The causes are both personal and political, threads so interwoven in my life that they seem not simply inseparable, but indistinguishable from one another. The most significant factor was this: Walta Borawski, my lover since 1975, became too ill and too weary to attend. Walta began exhibiting symptoms of AIDS-related illnesses in the late 1980s. By 1992, our yearly Pride outings were beyond his physical capabilities. Even if he used a wheelchair, the heat, crowds, and excitement took more out of him in fatigue than they gave him in emotional sustenance and pleasure. This was extremely painful, because Walta loved Pride. It was a time to dress up (well, more like dress less), to see people he had not seen for the past year, and to get lost in a cyclonic whirl of queerness that had been unimaginable to him growing up as a queer-bashed kid on Long Island. Pride was music, balloons, drag queens, cute men, and spectacle. A time to be out and outlandish. It was a carnival time — what medieval society would call “misrule,” or the world turned upside down. As a poet (who also read at Pride every year), Walta was entranced with the sheer otherworldly fantasy — not just the bar floats, marching bands, and fabulous drag, but the deeply subversive, antisocial, anarchistic side of Pride. Where the radical right would claim that Pride presented a portrait of the lunatics taking over the asylum, Walta saw it as the prisoners taking over — and dismantling — the prison.

( Read more... )

Source: http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/supplements/pride/documents/01666835.htm

( Read more... )

Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time by Elisa Rolle
Paperback: 760 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1500563323
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
Amazon: Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time

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

Jared Polis & Marlon Reis

Jared Schutz Polis (born May 12, 1975) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician. A Democrat, Polis is the member of the United States House of Representatives for Colorado's 2nd congressional district, serving since 2009. He is a former member of the Colorado State Board of Education. Polis and his partner since 2004, Marlon Reis, have one son, Caspian Julius, born on September 30, 2011. Polis is one of the few openly gay people elected to the House as a freshman and the first gay parent in Congress.

Polis is the son of Stephen Schutz and Susan Polis Schutz. He attended the La Jolla Country Day School in San Diego, California and went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts in political science from Princeton University.

Polis along with his parents founded bluemountainarts.com, an online greeting card website, which he sold to Excite@Home three years later in a deal worth $780 million. In 1998, he launched the online florist company ProFlowers that expanded to become Provide Commerce, Inc., acquired in 2006 by Liberty Media Corporation. (Picture: Marlon Reis)

In 2000, Polis founded the Jared Polis Foundation, whose mission is to "create opportunities for success by supporting educators, increasing access to technology, and strengthening our community." Its main programs are the annual "Teacher Recognition Awards"; the "Community Computer Connection" program, which refurbishes and donates more than 3,500 computers a year to schools and non-profit organizations; and the semi-annual "Jared Polis Foundation Education Report". Polis has also founded two charter schools for at-risk students. In 2004, he established the "New America School", which primarily serves older immigrant youth ages 16–21 and has three campuses in the Denver Metro area and one in New Mexico. In 2005, Polis co-founded with Urban Peak the Academy of Urban Learning in Denver to help youth at risk of becoming homeless or living in unstable living conditions.


Jared Polis is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician. A Democrat, Polis is the member of the United States House of Representatives for Colorado's 2nd congressional district, serving since 2009. He is a former member of the Colorado State Board of Education. Polis and his partner since 2004, Marlon Reis, have one son, Caspian Julius, born on September 30, 2011. Polis is one of the few openly gay people elected to the House as a freshman and the first gay parent in Congress.

( Read more... )

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Polis

( Further Readings )

More LGBT Couples at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Real Life Romance

Joan Nestle (born May 12, 1940)

Joan Nestle (born May 12, 1940) is a Lambda Award winning writer and editor and the co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives. (Picture: Lesbian Herstory Archives co-founder Joan Nestle, right, with filmmaker Joyce Warshow, who captured Nestle’s life in the documentary "Hand on the Pulse.")

Nestle's father died before she was born, and she was raised by her widowed mother Regina Nestle, a bookkeeper in New York City's garment district, whom she credits with inspiring her "belief in a woman's undeniable right to enjoy sex". She attended Martin Van Buren High School in Queens and received her B.A. from Queens College in 1963. During the mid-1960s she became involved in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, travelling to the Southern United States to join the Selma to Montgomery march and to participate in voter registration drives. She earned a Master's degree in English from New York University in 1968 and worked toward a doctorate for two years before returning to Queens College to teach.

( Read more... )

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Nestle

( Joan Nestle, 1987, by Robert Giard  )

( Further Readings )

More Particular Voices at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Particular Voices

Blog Tour: Coffee Cake by Michaela Grey

Coffee Cake by Michaela Grey
Paperback: 220 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (May 11, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1632168472
ISBN-13: 978-1632168474
Amazon: Coffee Cake
Amazon Kindle: Coffee Cake

Bran Kendrick never expected to fall in love. He’s asexual, after all. What chance does he have of finding someone who’ll see past that? So when Malachi Warren catches his eye, Bran tells himself his crush will pass. Malachi disagrees. He has been attracted to Bran for some time, something he is delighted to find Bran reciprocating. They begin to date and feel their way through an intimate relationship that meets both their needs.

Suddenly Bran finds himself juggling a new boyfriend, a demanding job, and a college degree he’s not sure he wants, but he couldn’t be happier—until a series of seemingly random accidents befall Malachi. When they escalate, Bran realizes someone is trying to take away the best thing that ever happened to him, and he must scramble to keep Malachi safe while they search for the would-be killer.

( Excerpt )

About the author: Michaela Grey told stories to put herself to sleep since she was old enough to hold a conversation in her head. When she learned to write, she began putting those stories down on paper. She and her family reside in the Texas hill country with their cats, and she is perpetually on the hunt for peaceful writing time, which her four children make difficult to find.
When she’s not writing, she’s knitting while watching TV or avoiding responsibilities on Tumblr, where she shamelessly ogles pretty people and tries to keep her cat off the keyboard.
Tumblr: http://greymichaela.tumblr.com
Twitter: @GreyMichaela
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GreyMichaela
Email: greymichaela@gmail.com

Tour Schedule:
May 11: Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents || Andrew Q. Gordon
May 12: Elisa - My reviews and Ramblings || Carly’s Book Reviews
May 13: The Purple Rose Tea House || Molly Lolly: Reader, Reviewer, Lover of Words
May 14: Divine Magazine || Wicked Faeries Tales & Reviews
May 15: My Fiction Nook || Drops of Ink
May 18: Nessa’s Book Reviews || A Celebration of Books
May 19: Prism Book Alliance || MM Good Book Reviews
May 20: Lynley Wayne – Wordsmith Wednesday || Hearts on Fire
May 21: Because Two Men Are Better Than One || Love Bytes Reviews
May 22: BFD Book Blog || Diverse Reader

Get a chance to win a signed PAPERBACK of Coffee Cake by Michaela Grey!
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