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Bill Brent
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"Each of us wants to hear someone shouting back as we scream into the abyss."
--profound Bill
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"Every mind needs candy."
--goofy Bill
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I don't have much formal training as a writer and it's hard for me to pinpoint my influences. These probably range from popular song lyrics (my first major "literary project" was to write a full-scale musical at age 17 -- script, music, and lyrics), to hallucinogens, to the sex zine revolution of the early '90s. In terms of specific authors in the "literary canon," I enjoy F. Scott Fitzgerald, Virginia Woolf, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, and all the dystopian stuff (Orwell, Golding, Huxley, etc.). Novels about animals are another influence (Watership Down, The Incredible Journey, Call of the Wild, Charlotte's Web, etc.). Elsewhere, that range of novels or bios about crazy women (Sybil, Three Faces of Eve, the Bell Jar, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden) warped my mind early on as well. Xaviera Hollander (the Happy Hooker) was an early influence on my sex writing and sexuality. OUT OF THE CLOSETS, INTO THE STREETS (an early gay / lesbian anthology edited by Allen Young and Karla Jay) was also seminal.
Also flannel. It would be very difficult for me to write if I couldn't wear flannel at least some of the time.
Here's an official bio, which I have placed here for anyone who needs a blurb they can select from for press or other media:
Bill Brent is the author of THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANAL SEX FOR MEN (Cleis Press, 2002; published in French as LE PLAISIR ANAL [pour lui], Editions Tabou, 2006). His fiction and essays appear in over 30 anthologies, including EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT SEX IS WRONG, THE BEST AMERICAN EROTICA 1997, BEST GAY EROTICA 2002 and 2004, BEST S/M EROTICA, TOUGH GUYS, BI GUYS, ROUGH STUFF plus its sequel, ROUGHED UP. He has an article in the upcoming volume EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT _GOD_ IS WRONG (about bowling, of all things!), and a 12,000 word sex-and-drugs memoir in ENTANGLED LIVES: MEMOIRS OF 7 TOP EROTICA WRITERS. He co-edited the BEST BISEXUAL EROTICA series with Dr. Carol Queen, the second volume a Finalist in the 14th Lambda Literary Awards. His articles have appeared in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, San Francisco Bay Times, other magazine, P.O.V., and at GoodVibes.com. He has authored several chapbooks of his poems, short prose, illustrations, and photos. For details, or to subscribe to his email newsletter, click on the "Newsletter" link in the upper right hand corner of this page. Otherwise, you can drop him a line at EmailBillBrent AT gmail.com.
Birth Place: San Francisco, CA
Accomplishments: publisher, Black Books, San Francisco CA (founded June 1992)
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author, THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANAL SEX FOR MEN, Cleis Press, 2002
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co-editor with Rob Stephenson, TOUGH GUYS, finalist for a Firecracker Alternative Book Award, "Sex" category, 2002 (Black Books)
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co-editor with Carol Queen, BEST BISEXUAL EROTICA, vol. 2., finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, "Transgender / Bisexual" category, 2002 (Black Books)
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selected contributor, BEST GAY EROTICA 2002 and BEST GAY EROTICA 2004, Cleis Press
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selected contributor, THE BEST AMERICAN EROTICA 1997, Plume (Susie Bright, editor)
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Poetry
THIS IS ONLY A LOVE SONG by Bill Brent
Been there, done that, right?
Actually, I wrote this nearly three years ago...
Rebuttal by Bill Brent
Oh, yeah?
(see:
http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/revoluti.htm
or maybe:
http://www.unsigned-records.com/RevolutionPages/images/Rev_Pepper_T.jpg )
...
Here in Acirema by Bill Brent
"Acirema" is "America" spelled backwards.
''Nuff said....
the alphabet song, redux by Bill Brent
(What, no satire category at AuthorsDen?!)
Technology marches on.
Somehow we manage.
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untitled, 2007.03.21 by Bill Brent
Today's reflection on the mind / body disconnect....
TAKE AWAY by Bill Brent
This started out as a dream I had this morning and turned into a meditation....
If I Could See from You to Me by Bill Brent
Few men have met the raging scorn.... by Bill Brent
I wrote this after reading Oscar Wilde''s *The Picture of Dorian Gray* and his epic poem *The Ballad of Reading Gaol*. It has a cadence similar to the latter, and I wanted to explore here Wilde''s sen...
One Summer Day in 79 by Bill Brent
open fire by Bill Brent
THE PROBLEM WITH THINKING VERSUS KNOWING by Bill Brent
How can you categorize this, really? Is it "Poetry?" Sure. Is it about "Relationships"? Certainly. But I chose "Psychology" as my AuthorsDen category because I wanted to see who was attracted into was...
EX GREX by Bill Brent
We all have our crosses to bear.
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RETURN by Bill Brent
My summary statement on my years spent doing sex and drugs. No regrets here, yet a strong strain of hypocrisy imbues this work, as I employ an array of judgment-loaded adjectives (insane, inhumane, et...
tramping, scrawling, scratching by Bill Brent
Today just a few lines I might incorporate into a song someday. Morbid me. But isn''t the intense always a bit of that?...
I tramp the parching earth by Bill Brent
(Take 2 of my previous poem "tramping, scrawling, scratching." Usually, I don''t unveil works in progress, but I decided to leave both versions posted since it''s kind of like the sketch that leads to...
KICK THAT HABIT by Bill Brent
This is from my upcoming chapbook titled GIVE UP WITHOUT A FIGHT (email verbose AT comcast.net for details). Actually, these are lyrics to a protest song I am writing in the heavily syncopated Pop - S...
Ukiah Hills by Bill Brent
permanence vs. impermanence
(note: "Ukiah" is a town in northern California (coastal valley Mendocino County) that is surrounded by rolling hills and lush forests.)
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On the Future of Our Society by Bill Brent
Give up without a Fight by Bill Brent
This week, a friend read my chapbooks and called my style "DEEP." :-)
About half of my poems are actually lyrics for songs in various stages of birth.
This one fits both description...
Dirty Old Men (Now, Truly) by Bill Brent
some job by Bill Brent
I''ve been self-employed since 1991. This rhyming rant / manifesto sums up "why?"...
Make new words by Bill Brent
Illness and the daily demands of life intervene, as so often they do.
Thus, as of Xmas Eve, I am still at work on my second chapbook, "This Is Only A Test."
Still, progress continues...
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Articles
Review of HELLO CRUEL WORLD: 101 Alternatives to Suicide, by Kate Bornstein by Bill Brent
book review (full title): Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws: Books: Kate Bornstein, foreword by Sara Quin
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Summary, January 2007 by Bill Brent
For the folks who follow me on AuthorsDen, here is a redirect to my new blog. Lots of brand-new material! I am sure you will find something you like....
Smart Things I Said in 2006: The Brief Bloviations of Bill Brent by Bill Brent
Thoughts of a pompous blowhard, from the ridiculous to the sublime, with a touch of the profane. I write these down throughout the year, making a note of the date and time, mostly to use as .sig. line...
Total Time: 55:03 (my homage to James Brown) by Bill Brent
My review of "The CD of JB", a James Brown compilation, and a meditation on his influence in my life and on popular music in general....
Christmas, uh, Music (or, I'm Dreaming of a Silent Night) by Bill Brent
My proposed remedy for bad Christmas music. Make January 3 your annual Trash Bad Xmas Music Bash!...
Do Appearances Deceive? Reveal? Yes. by Bill Brent
Ironic Musings on Countercultural Culture...
Review of DORA LIVES, by C. R. Stecyk by Bill Brent
A Balanced Portrait of Pioneering Surfer Miki Dora...
Review of THE FUTURIST, by James Othmer (novel) by Bill Brent
NOTE: As of September 2006, I am moving my book reviews from My Blog to My Articles. If you wish to peruse my previous reviews (about eight), you can find them there. --Bill Brent...
Omens? by Bill Brent
Welcome to my morning's hour-long core-dump. Halfway through, I realize it is 9/11 today. While this is not as polished as I would like, I am trying to put more stuff up on this site! Comments welcome...
The Inner God by Bill Brent
A very brief meditation on the nature of God...
Uncomplicate My Life by Bill Brent
How to find success and happiness in life...
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News
Review of my story/essay, "Wounded," which appears in Best Gay Erotica 2004 by Bill Brent
Gay-lit reviewer David R. Gillespie singles out "Wounded" for praise.
[NOTE: The entire review was slated to run in _Lambda Book Report,_ which ceased publication in mid-2005 before it could ...
This is Only a Test now available! by Bill Brent
THIS IS ONLY A TEST is Bill Brent’s sequel to his first volume of collected work, apathy is a dangerous drug (July 2004)....
apathy* gets reviewed on a big e-zine by a renowned gay-lit critic! by Bill Brent
Gay-lit reviewer waxes enthusiastic over *apathy*! (an inspirational chapbook of poems and short verse by prolific bisexual writer Bill Brent, currently in recovery from apathy, LOL)...
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Events
Perverts Put Out, The Wank Edition! 5/25/2007
[Hey, readers, PPO is a regularly held erotic spoken word performance event I started curating back in 1993. I won't be in California this time around, but the cast is fantastic! So I am passing the word along, for anyone in the San Francisco area. T...
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Links
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| Bill Brent, c'est moi!
Welcome to my blog! Beautiful Hawaii in pictures, simplistic explanations for human insanity, and more! 'Tis fun.
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Diversity, Shmersity!
This is rather a fun rant of mine on sexual diversity, from about 1998, during my six-year run as property manager at a sex party house. Originally I wrote this as the lead editorial for the second of two issues on those "Damn Bisexuals!" for my long-running zine, BLACK SHEETS.
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The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Men
Cleis Press' descriptive page about my sex guide, originally released in 2002 and now available in French! You can order the English language version from Cleis Press at this site, or get an autographed copy from me, postage included, by sending a $16 PayPal payment to TakeItFromBill AT comcast.net . Please note ''ULTIMATE GUIDE'' on your PayPal payment.
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Support An Artist -- Buy My Stuff!
This is the store on my blog, where I sell dozens of items with a particular emphasis on vintage bowling goods such as bags, shirts, and shoes. Support an artist -- buy my stuff!
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Additional information
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| FRESH MEAT!
(10/8/06) My memoir, ''This Insane Allure,'' appears in ENTANGLED LIVES: Memoirs of 7 Top Erotica Writers, from Alyson Books. It will be in stores in Spring 2007, and there will be various readings on the east and west coasts to promote it. You can sign up for my newsletter (see the top of this page) to stay tuned.
(8/1/06) I have a THIRD chapbook available now, GIVE UP WITHOUT A FIGHT. Over forty pages of my poems, essays, sketches, and thoughts on life, it is $8 postpaid. Send a PayPal payment to TakeItFromBill AT comcast.net, or email me at the same address for details.
(1/15/05) I have a new chapbook out on Feb. 10, THIS IS ONLY A TEST.
Email me at "TakeItFromBill AT comcast.net" for details.
(1/16/05) I also have a story, "September Shower," which originally appeared in BEST BISEXUAL EROTICA, vol. 1, re-appearing in a new anthology, BI GUYS (Haworth Press, Fall 2006).
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I have a monthly email newsletter list!
Just fill in the form at the top right corner of this page to receive the newsletter.
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For information on what my publishing company is up to, you can check: http://www.blackbooks.com
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"While you are not political in the sense of taking a political position in so many words, I see your expression as inherently political because of the strength of voice in it -- the unapologetic queerness of it. You are not so much processing your identity, as displaying your identity which is stable and there for the taking or the leaving by the audience. That is powerful and (to me) political."
--Sara Moore of SFInX.org, writing about me, reprinted with permission
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"I like the playful use of words in handling heavy topics."
--Lisa Carver, author, writing about my collection, *apathy is a dangerous drug*, reprinted with permission
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"Bill Brent is passionately dedicated to spreading the good news about great sex in innovative ways. He's a wonderful writer, thinker, and life artist. Long may Bill reign."
--Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D., Prostitute/porn star turned artist/sexologist
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"You always say such profound stuff."
--unsolicited comment from a friend in personal email, 7/25/2006
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"You are the funnest person I know."
--unsolicited comment from a friend in personal email (someone else), 5/9/2007
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YOU BLOW ME AWAY
"Hi Bill, I am still new around here and just wandering into, for me, strange places. I suppose that my world view is very much different from yours, but possibly that is why your site intrigues me. Opposites can learn from each other, I suppose. Anyway, it was fascinating to visit your den and to have the opportunity to expand my universe."
--unsolicited feedback from another member here upon first browsing my pages here (July 2006)
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Contact
Information
PO Box 1353
Pahoa
HI
96778-1353
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Fax: 808.965.6342
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