My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them

by
Michael Montlack

( 1 )

Hardcover (1)

$22.67

BN.com price

$24.95 List Price (Save 9%)

Eligible for FREE SHIPPING details

Usually ships within 24 hours details

Marketplace (New and Used)

from

$5.26

$24.95 List Price (Save 79%)

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

All (9)

Used (6)

New (3)

Page 1 of 1

Showing All

$5.25

(Save 79%)

pupsbks

Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(44)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Very Good

2009-04-01 Hardcover Very Good EXCELLENT EX/LIBRARY HB COPY WITH CLEAN, CRISP PAGES AND TIGHT BINDING. CLEAN, LIGHTLY RUBBED MYLAR COVER OVER VERY GOOD DJ. SOME LIBRARY ... MARKINGS. ALL OF OUR ITEMS ARE GUARANTEED. WE SHIP DAILY WITH TRACKING. Read more Show Less

Ships from: CHESTERLAND, OH

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

•Canadian
•International
•Standard, 48 States
•Standard (AK, HI)
•Express, 48 States
•Express (AK, HI)

$5.35

(Save 79%)

Last Word Books

Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(4)

Condition: Very Good

0299231208 Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 304 p. Audience: General/trade. Very good in very good dust jacket. Nice Copy, with very mild shelf and reading wear

Ships from: Olympia, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

•Canadian
•International
•Standard, 48 States
•Standard (AK, HI)
•Express, 48 States
•Express (AK, HI)

$6.95

(Save 72%)

Midtown Scholar Bookstore PA

Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(7062)

Condition: Very Good

4-1-09 Hardcover VERY GOOD Crisp, clean, unread hardcover with light shelfwear to the dust jacket and a publisher's mark to one edge-Nice! 1.25 lbs.

Ships from: Harrisburg, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

•Canadian
•International
•Standard, 48 States
•Standard (AK, HI)
•Express, 48 States
•Express (AK, HI)

$9.60

(Save 62%)

Abyssbooks CO

Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(171)

Condition: Like New

Madison, Wis 2009 Hardcover First Edition Fine in Fine jacket 8vo-over 7"-9" tall. Fine copy with a fine dj. From Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Midler, Julia Child, and Princess Leia, ... these divas have been sister, alter ego, fairy godmother, or model for survival to gay men and the closeted boys they once were. Witty and poignant short essays explore reasons for diva worship as diverse as the writers themselves. Offers both depth and glamour as it pays tri9bute with joy, intelligence, and fierce, fierce love. xvi/304pp. Desirable! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Broomfield, CO

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

•Canadian
•International
•Standard, 48 States
•Standard (AK, HI)
•Express, 48 States
•Express (AK, HI)

$10.79

(Save 57%)

Extremely_Reliable

Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(3234)

Condition: Good

Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.

Ships from: Richmond, TX

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

•Canadian
•International
•Standard, 48 States
•Standard (AK, HI)

$12.50

(Save 50%)

Kazoo Books II

Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(59)

Condition: New

"New/New, 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches 320 pages blue DJ"

Ships from: Kalamazoo, MI

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

•Canadian
•International
•Standard, 48 States
•Standard (AK, HI)
•Express, 48 States
•Express (AK, HI)

$19.48

(Save 22%)

indoo

Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(21686)

Condition: New

BRAND NEW

Ships from: Avenel, NJ

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

•Canadian
•International
•Standard, 48 States
•Standard (AK, HI)

$45.72

source media

Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(194)

Condition: New

Brand New. Money back if not happy!

Ships from: Hialeah, FL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

•Standard, 48 States

$74.98

bargainforce

Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(154)

Condition: Good

"Good condition item with wear and markings, ex-library."

Ships from: Naperville, IL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

•Standard, 48 States
•Standard (AK, HI)

Page 1 of 1

Showing All

Buy Now

Buy As Gift

NOOK Book (eBook)

$8.19

BN.com price

$9.99 List Price (Save 18%)

Available on NOOK devices and apps

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$8.19

NOOK Book

——

$8.19

My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them (eBook) Pub. Date: 5/7/2009 Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
$5.26

$22.67

Hardcover

$5.26

$22.67

My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them (1) Pub. Date: 4/1/2009 Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

From Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Midler, and Diana Ross to Queen Elizabeth I, Julia Child, and Princess Leia, these divas have been sister, alter ego, fairy godmother, or model for survival to gay men and the closeted boys they once were. And anyone—straight or gay, young or old, male or female—who ever needed a muse, or found one, will see their own longing mirrored here as well.
These witty and poignant short essays explore reasons for diva-worship as diverse as the writers themselves. My Diva offers both depth and glamour as it pays tribute with joy, intelligence, and fierce, fierce love.

Finalist, Lambda Book Award for LGBT Anthology, Lambda Literary Foundation

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

In very short, very tender essays, a variety of gay male writers, from poets to playwrights to a standup comic, pay homage to an even wider variety of women who have inspired them. Peter Dubé writes how the photography of Claude Cahun suggested "a delirious world of possibilities"; Jeff Oaks recalls a childhood of wearing wristbands fashioned from paper cups to emulate his "model of power," Wonder Woman; Christopher Lee Nutter looks back on his closeted teenage years and how Sade taught him "that there was a world somewhere that suited them better than the world they'd been born into." While a few essays are disappointingly shallow ("More than smart and fabulous, Parker Posey is fall-on-the-floor ridiculous"), such standout pieces as Mark Doty on Grace Paley are elegant and affectionate tributes to how these muses have been "fairy godmothers" and "older sisters," as Montlack's introduction explains, and illustrate how complex, sustaining and lifelong are the bonds between gay men and their divas. (May)

Library Journal

A diva. Every good gay man has one, it seems, and, to paraphrase the editor, it's amazing that no one thought of this before. Montlack (English, Berkeley Coll.) has assembled essays, chiefly by up-and-coming writers, that explore the symbiotic relationship between the gay male and the diva—those beloved, larger-than-life ladies who have served as role models, muses, and even therapists. Sounds like a hoot, but this is more than a camp fest. The essays, mostly three to five pages, are touching and thoughtful as well as funny, as they lovingly detail what each author's personal diva has meant to him. Show business and popular culture icons abound, with most of the usual suspects present (Liza, Marlene, Cher, both Bettes, and Joan), as well as choices from history and politics (Elizabeth I, Eva Perón), the culinary arts (Julia Child, Jennifer Patterson), and even fictitious figures (Auntie Mame, Princess Leia, Endora). VERDICT This is one of those delightful books you can open at random and be amused, enlightened, or moved by. The concept seems too rich to be confined to one volume; don't be surprised if a sequel appears in a year or two. Highly recommended for all LGBT readers.—Richard J. Violette Special Libs. Cataloguing, Inc. & Greater Victoria P.L., Victoria, B.C.

—Richard J. Violette

More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Gay male writers-including Mark Doty, Wayne Koestenbaum, Cyrus Cassells and others-pay homage to their divas. In the introduction to this revealing study of secular devotion, fanatic fandom, heroine-worship-call it what you will-poet Montlack (English/Berkeley Coll.) says that within two weeks of announcing his idea, more than 40 contributors had signed on. The list is quite a cornucopia of female cultural icons, ranging from Sappho to Princess Leia. "[T]here seems still to be a particular type of fandom, or devotion, that only gay guys can deliver," writes the author. "[W]e show up for the ladies like no one else and usually stick with them for life." Such fervor and steadfast loyalty blaze through these diverse accounts, whether in depicting an icon, admitting what she means to the devotee or exploring the nature of devotion itself. Poignant and colorful description dominates: Queen Elizabeth I, "undeniably a nerd's diva," that "crusty, white-faced Gloriana"; Nina Simone, with her "velvety voice" so "slow, so full, so processional it could pull a ship of lonely sailors to shore"; Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, whose "disheveled hair falling onto her bloated face and into those famed eyes physically transformed her to a gorgon"; Julia Child, "crowned everlastingly in a brown helmet of bedroom hair." Such splendid portraiture traces the outlines of the writer's immediate, breathless relation to his diva, for whom she may have paved a route out of repression or a confining home life (Joan Sutherland, Auntie Mame), acted as a tangential, sympathetic witness to the author's budding sexuality or take-no-prisoners attitude (Kate Bush, Sade, Bjork) or continues to serve asa catalyst for an evolving sense of self (Lucille Ball, Mahalia Jackson). A delightful essay collection.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780299231200
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Publication date: 4/1/2009
Edition description: 1
Pages: 320
Sales rank: 1,184,251
Product dimensions: 6.30 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 1.20 (d)

Meet the Author

Michael Montlack is professor of English at Berkeley College in New York City. He has published two chapbooks of poetry, Girls, Girls, Girls and Cover Charge. This book was inspired by his love for Stevie Nicks.

Read an Excerpt

“Part flapper, she could wrap her lovely figure up in her long brown mink or coat of lynx. Her cigarette was always held at bay from the tangerine or pink gloss of her lips by the dark span of a cigarette holder.”—Scott Hightower, on Aurora de Albornoz

“There is something about these larger-than-life stars that represents our yearnings for vindication, in which we see ourselves transcending the difficulties a gay man faces in this world.”—Edward Field, on Gloria Swanson

Introduction—Michael Montlack

Sappho (630 BC): Love, I Implore You in Polyester Lapels—Michael Broder
Queen Elizabeth I (1533): Heart of a King—Patrick Letellier
Virginia Woolf (1882): This Perpetual Revision of Thought—Brian Teare
Margaret Dumont (1882): Duchess of Dignity—Christopher Murray
Bessie Smith (1892): Empty Bed Blues—Sam J. Miller
Claude Cahun (1894): Masks, Makeup, Meaning—Peter Dubé
Gracie Allen (1895): Comic Muse—Lloyd Schwartz
Lotte Lenya (1898): Divine Weltschmerz—David Bergman
Gloria Swanson (1899): Sunset Boulevard—Edward Field
Agnes Moorehead (1900): Afternoons as Endora—Richard Blanco
Marlene Dietrich (1901): Falling in Love Again—Walter Holland
Joan Crawford (1905) and Bette Davis (1908): "But ya AHHH, Blanche!"—David Trinidad
Lucille Ball (1911): Flaming Redhead—Lawrence Applebaum
Mahalia Jackson (1911): Divine One—Forrest Hamer
Julia Child (1912): Life's Ingredients—Bill Fogle
Billie Holiday (1915): Lady Day—Alfred Corn
Edith Piaf (1915): A Share of Pain—Gregory Woods
Evita Perón (1919): Santa with a Soundtrack—Guillermo Castro
Grace Paley (1922): O Stone! O Steel!—Mark Doty
Ava Gardner (1922): Small Town Girl—Chris Cleo Creech
Aurora de Albornoz (1926): Tia Divina—Scott Hightower
Joan Sutherland (1926): Dame Joan and I—Gary Ljungquist
Eartha Kitt (1927): Purrrfectly Detached—D. A. Powell
Betty Berzon (1928): Dinners with the Diminutive Diva—Jim Van Buskirk
Jeanne Moreau (1928): Living Dangerously with Jeanne—Collin Kelley
Two Fat Ladies (Jennifer Paterson) (1928): Cocktails with Jennifer—Jack Lynch
Audrey Hepburn (1929): Adoration and the Icon—Joseph Campana
Elizabeth Taylor (1932): The Über-Diva—Scott F. Stoddart
Anna Moffo (1932): Her Funeral—Wayne Koestenbaum
Ms. Kiki Durane (Depression Era): Her Sound and Fury—Christopher Schmidt
Nina Simone (1933): I Got It Bad for Bangles & Diamonds—Regie Cabico
Julie Andrews (1935): My First Maria—Mark Wunderlich
Tina Turner (1939): Tina & I—Jim Elledge
Karen Black (1939): Diva of the Deranged—Michael Schiavi
Raquel Welch (1940): As My Mother—Ron Palmer
Julie Christie (1941): The Cocteau Girl—Cyrus Cassells
Helen Reddy (1941): Before Anarchy—Richard Tayson
Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) (1942): Exploring the Amazon—Jeff Oaks
Diana Ross (1944): How to Reign Supreme—Jericho Brown
Rocío Dúrcal (1944): The Day She Died—Rigoberto González
Bette Midler (1945): First Loves—Steven Cordova
Jessye Norman (1945): Als Ob Ich Säuseln Hörte—Dante Micheaux
Liza Minnelli (1946): Everybody Loves a Winner: Five Lessons from Liza—Jason Schneiderman
Cher (1946): History (1987-2)—Aaron Smith
Laura Nyro (1947): All She Asked of Living—Michael Klein
Stevie Nicks (1948): "And Wouldn't You Love to Love Her?"—Michael Montlack
Jessica Lange (1949): Isn't It a Laugh?—Allen Smith
Patti Lupone (1949): Patti's Turn, In the Key of Diva—Jonathan Howle
Wendy Waldman (1950): Seeds and Orphans—Paul Lisicky
Cyndi Lauper (1953): The Sadness in Her Rasp—Steven Riel
Rickie Lee Jones (1954): The Duchess of Coolsville—Timothy Liu
Annie Lenox (1954): Desire, Despair, Desire: Some Notes on Annie Lennox & Tension—RJ Gibson
Siouxsie Sioux (1957): Black Eyeliner and Dark Dreams—Benjamin Harper
Auntie Mame (Rosalind Russell) (1958): "I'm Going to Open Doors for You, Doors You Never Even Dreamed Existed"—Lewis DeSimone
Kate Bush (1958): The Invisible Diva—Reginald Shepherd
Jamie Lee Curtis (1958): When the Artist Met His Muse—Vince A. Liaguno
Sade (1959): The Other Material Girl—Christopher Lee Nutter
Taylor Dayne (1962): "Tell It to My Heart"—Peter Covino
Björk (1965): With Regards to Ms. Gudmundsdottir—John Dimes
Kristin Hersh (1966): "Is Sticky Ever Blue?"—Mark Bibbins
Céline Dion (1968): Cirque du Céline—Jim Nason
Parker Posey (1968): A Pocket Full of Posey—Michael J. Andrews
Margaret Cho (1968): How to Break Every Oriental Stereotype in the Book—Kenji Oshima
Mary J. Blige (1971): I Take Shallowness Seriously—Jeffery Conway
Princess Leia (1977): Leia's Kiss—Christopher Hennessy

Contributors

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5

( 1 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(1)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

Langara

Posted May 6, 2009

A well-organized, inspiring, & touching collection of stories.....

Everyone can point to that one famous person in time that inspired them when they were lost, lifted their spirits when they were sad, or gave them the strength to struggle through some hardship or challenge. That's what this book is about; a collection of wonderfully poignant stories about women throughout time who have served as an inspiration, a source of strength, or a guiding light. It's an arrangement of sweet and touching stories that expose the true heart of the authors and reveal the lifeline between the gay man and his diva. I loved it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble

My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them

Available on NOOK devices and apps

All Available Formats + Editions

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview

Related Subjects

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

Meet the Author

Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Customer Reviews

Rating Distribution

5 Star

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

What to exclude from your review:

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

Reminder:

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

A well-organized, inspiring, & touching collection of stories.....