Guest columists
“Roscoe Lee Browne: A Master Class in Cerebral Eloquence” Guest Writer: Bishop Hartsel Clifton Shirley Roscoe Lee Browne was born in Woodbury, New Jersey. Conflicting reports have stated 1922 and 1925, but in an interview with Camille Cosby, he stated, “I was born, Camille, so they say, May 2, 1922, in Woodbury, New Jersey." The fourth son [...]
“Reunion and Remembrance” Over this past weekend, my high school class celebrated our 50th reunion, which was delayed due to COVID. Yep, 50. At the time we graduated, turning 70 was such a foreign concept. But now that we’re here, well… I missed so many of my reunions, mainly because I moved out of state. [...]
“Billy Wright: Prince of the Blues” Guest Writer: Bishop Hartsel Clifton Shirley In nature, we often hear the thunder before the lightning strikes, yet both can be powerful--and even frightening. Such was the case with Little Richard, the iconic and influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. The forerunner to that very well-known entertainer was the [...]
“To Thine Own Self: It’s in His Kiss” Hey, Pride Month is here. Darrell Edwards and Cesare Morelli-Montgomery, the main characters in my upcoming male/male romance novel, To Thine Own Self, have been nudging me to share a little more spice in their story before the book is released. For those of us of a certain age, [...]
“School Daze” Recently, a group of my classmates was in a meeting, planning for our 50th high school class reunion. As we reminisced, the subject turned to high school crushes. For the first time, without naming names, I shared my own crush. To a certain extent, times have changed due to the greater visibility of [...]
“Piano in the Background” Guest Writer: Bishop Hartsel Clifton Shirley Aaron Bridgers was once called one of the “last remaining links with the sophisticated, elegant musical world of Duke Ellington and his collaborator Billy Strayhorn.” Sophisticated and elegant he was. Born January 10, 1918, in Winston-Salem, Bridgers grew up studying classical piano, having an affinity for French [...]
“To Thine Own Self: Darrell Lives His Truth” For all of you who have been following my column, you have seen both the book cover and read an excerpt of To Thine Own Self, to be released later this year. As we LGBT/SGL brothas know, coming out isn’t a finite event. It is an ongoing process, as [...]
“Still in Love with You” What we give is what we receive. As those of you who check out my column know, I am all about Black Love, and my favorite recreational reading is romance novels. It thrilled my heart when I came across love stories written by LGBT/SGL authors such as E. Lynn Harris, [...]
“Boscoe Holder, Renaissance Man” Guest Writer: Bishop Hartsel Clifton Shirley An artistic ball of energy, creativity, passion, and fire sums up Arthur Aldwyn Boscoe Holder. Trinidad’s and Tobago's leading contemporary painter, he also had a celebrated international career spanning six decades as a designer and visual artist, dancer, choreographer , and musician. Geoffrey, his well-known younger brother, traveled a [...]
“With a Smile” Yes, I am getting older, as my mind and body are telling me. Later this year, I will be the first of my numerous cousins to cross the threshold of 70! I have my “senior moments” where I go into a room and forget what I went in there for. My sleep [...]
Tall and imposing. Standing 6'3”, fluent in Italian and French, James Arthur Johnson (stage name of Raymond St. Jacques) was a man who recreated himself into an actor of distinction--when it was rare for Black actors to get more than bit parts in movies and plays. Johnson was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1930; shortly [...]
“What a Difference One Voice Makes” These days, many people consider December 1 as World AIDS Day; I acknowledge that this does have its place, given how it has impacted the lives of the LGBT community and beyond. However, I remember this day in history for a different reason. I was three years old on December 1, [...]
