via ZOOM Book Discussion: "Queer," by William S. Burroughs

We moved our monthly book discussion online in April, and it’s looking like we’ll be doing that for many months to come. Once you RSVP, you'll get instructions on how to connect to ZOOM. If you're not used to using ZOOM, we encourage you to start trying to connect at 6:15. From 6:30 to about 6:45, we chat and see how everyone is doing. The book discussion starts at 6:45.

This month we may select books for September and beyond: the books are selected from a list distributed Sunday morning: contact Kevin, the event organizer, for information about how to “nominate” books and receive the list via email.

This month's book: originally written in 1952 but not published until 1985, "Queer" is an unflinching autobiographical self-portrait, a coruscatingly political novel, and a montage of comic-grotesque fantasies that paved the way for his masterpiece, Naked Lunch. Set in Mexico City during the early fifties, it follows William Lee's hopeless pursuit of desire from bar to bar in the American expatriate scene. As Lee breaks down, the trademark Burroughsian voice emerges, a maniacal mix of self- lacerating humor and the ugly American at his ugliest. The 25th-anniversary edition, published in 2010, reveals the novel’s history of secrets.

Our group is a casual gathering of gay men on the second Sunday of the month: we have fun and stimulating discussions about quality gay literature. When shelter-in-place orders are fully lifted, we'll resume meeting in person and discussing the book over a potluck meal. Books are selected by participants several months in advance, and the only requirements for participating via ZOOM are to RSVP and to have read a substantial part of what’s being discussed. Once we resume in-person meetings, attendees are expected to bring food and/or a beverage to share.

You'll get a ZOOM link when you RSVP: if you want to connect in another manner (e.g. voice-only call via telephone), contact Kevin, the event organizer at least 2 days before the event.

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Note to all Discovery Community members: Want to host an event? Please fill out this google form with all the pertinent info and submit to the event committee, or one of the Meetup organizers. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PirJszAEoQFI-K_8yVtQYYc7uQ8ts6fwZrCOLKJ3Y2Q/edit?usp=sharing