3/15/15 review of RedLine Denver's Playing With Beauty and Role Play exhibits

Here is the link to my March 15, 2015, Twitter thread on RedLine Contemporary Art Center's exhibits, Playing With Beauty and Role Play.

In this thread, I mostly give pictures of the works I liked the most from Playing With Beauty, which was a photography show. The show included pieces by Ogawa Kazumasa, Cecil Beaton, Jock Sturges, Susan Junker, Thomas Alleman, Libby Barbee, Paula Gillen, Ranluka Maharaj, and Jordin Page Wommack.

Here is the link to the RedLine Contemporary Art Center's website.

3/15/15 review of Bolshoi in Cinema performance of Swan Lake

Here is the link to my March 15, 2015 Twitter thread review of the Bolshoi Ballet's performance of Swan Lake, which was shown as an encore screening at the Sie Film Center in Denver.

In the thread, I give some background on the Bolshoi Ballet's program of performances screened in cinemas around the world. I discuss a lot of the history of Swan Lake. I discuss some of my favorite performers. And I discuss some elements of dance such as power versus poise & using dance as a sort of visual percussion.

Here is the link to the Bolshoi Ballet's website for its cinema screenings.

And here is a video for the Bolshoi's performance of Swan Lake.

3/15/15 review of the film Relatos Salvajes, by Damian Szifron

Here is the link to my March 15, 2015 Twitter thread about the film Relatos Salvajes, by Damian Szifron.

In this thread, I show how the film shows characters integrating into society by using society to stake their own claims. I think of the film as a series of stories about social experimentation. I also discuss the connection between science and savagery, and the homonymity between words like "savage" and "salvage."

Here is the trailer for the film Relatos Salvajes.

3/8/15 review of film The Duke of Burgundy

Here is the link to my March 8, 2015, Twitter thread review of the film The Duke of Burgundy, directed by Peter Strickland.

The Duke of Burgundy has remained my favorite narrative film of this decade. In this thread, I discuss the conflict between vanilla and BDSM desires. I also discuss the "power of victimhood," as well as selfishness and the desire to please in relationships. I discuss how sometimes the doms in BDSM relationships are more vulnerable than the subs. I also discuss some of my favorite scene, fetish and other, in the film.

If you haven't seen The Duke of Burgundy, I highly recommend it -- though I would also mention that it is very fetish-oriented. Here is the trailer for the film.

I would also mention that the soundtrack for The Duke of Burgundy, by Cat's Eyes, is wonderful. Here's the opening credit song.

3/8/15 review of Denver Roller Derby 2015 season opening bouts

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Denver Roller Derby's opening bouts of 2015.

The opening bouts featured the home teams for Denver Roller Derby playing against each other. In the thread I discuss my favorite home teams, my favorite player names, and my awkward and clutzy experience shotgunning some beers with the Shotgun Betties.

Here is the link to the Denver Roller Derby website.

3/1/15 Twitter thread about being bullied

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I did about being stalked and bullied in my neighborhood.

These threads pop up every now and then on my Twitter timeline. They aren't in keeping with other stuff I tweet about. But I want to put them into this blog because they have been a pretty big influence on my art and, obviously, on my life in general.

3/1/15 review of RedLine Denver exhibit Just Playing

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of RedLine Contemporary Art Center's 2015 annual resident artists' exhibit, Just Playing.

In this thread, I talk about some of the interactive artworks at the show. I also provide a lot of pictures of various works (mostly installation pieces), in full or in detail.

RedLine Contemporary Art Center is probably my favorite art space in Denver, Colorado. Here is a link to their site.

3/1/15 review of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards exhibit at History Colorado Center

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards exhibit that took place at the History Colorado Center in early 2015.

This exhibit was a statewide exhibit of work by teens. The show was enormous, with a ton of great visual art work. In this thread, I mostly highlight the works I liked. I also discuss the HCC's 1968 exhibit, which gave a snapshot of the United States in 1968. That was a fabulous show. I provide a lot of pictures in the thread. I also mention having seen Joyce Carol Oates at the Tattered Cover Book Store, where she'd been speaking about her just-released book, The Sacrifice.

Here is a link to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards website.

Here is a link to the History Colorado Center's website.

3/1/15 review of book The Tolerance Trap, by Suzanna Danuta Walters

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of Suzanna Danuta Walters's book The Tolerance Trap: How God, Genes, and Good Intentions are Sabotaging Gay Equality.

In my thread, I explore how the book compares tolerance, inclusion, and equality. I explore Walters's arguments against clinging too closely to genetics as a justification for gayness. I also explore how Walters's work examines patriarchy, heteronormativity, and bigotry.

Here is a link to the NYU Press edition of The Tolerance Trap.

Also, I bought this book at the Tattered Cover Book Store, a bookstore chain in the Denver metro area.

2/8/15 review of San Fran (Yerba Buena, Cartoon Art Museum, CJM, MoAD SF, GLBT Historical Society, Asian Art Museum, and Japantown)

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I did that is... mostly... about a February 2015 trip I took to San Francisco.

The thread discusses trips I took to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Cartoon Art Museum, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Museum of the African Disapora, the GLBT Historical Society, and the Asian Art Museum. It also talks about the time I spent at Japantown, which is a fabulous mall-like fantasy land full of delicious Japanese restaurants. It also has one tweet about the Anne Carson book Nox, which I'd just read, and a couple tweets on the first Colorado General Assembly meeting I ever attended.

Here is a link to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Here is a link to the Cartoon Art Museum.

Here is a link to the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Here is a link to the Museum of the African Diaspora.

Here is a link to the GLBT Historical Society.

Here is a link to the Asian Art Museum.

5/11/14 review of book The Sadeian Woman, by Angela Carter

Here is the link to a Twitter thread review of the book The Sadeian Woman, by Angela Carter.

This is a quick review of Angela Carter's book on the works of the Marquis de Sade. Carter's book has influenced a lot of my own creative work, mostly from the way Carter connects, through Sade, politics and pornography. However, I would say my work is still more influenced by the works of Sade himself.

This is another Twitter thread I didn't find right off. But I was reminded of it from another thread. I did a deeper search and found it.

1/31/15 Twitter thread about politics and pornography

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I did on politics and pornography in January of 2015.

The basic idea of this quick thread was to show how people interested in pornography could also be interested in politics. It's sort of naive. And it's hard to believe I thought this was an actually new thought in 2015. But it still lays out some ideas that have guided a lot of my creative and political philosophy over the past few years. There are also some references to Sade, Camille Paglia, and Angela Carter.

1/31/15 review of Denver community hearing on race, policing, and justice

Here is the link to a Twitter thread on Denver's January 2015 community hearing on race, policing, and justice.

This event was held by Denver's Shorter AME Church and Brother Jeff's Cultural Center. The meeting was held after the police shot and killed an unarmed LGBTQ girl, Jessie Hernandez. The meeting brought together the police, politicians, and residents from all around Denver. The hope was to create a place of discussion and a start for reconciliation.

I'm really disappointed in myself, because I did not mention Jessie Hernandez's name in the entire thread. Strange. Here is a link to one Denver Post article about her.

Brother Jeff is one of Denver's best community leaders. Here's a link to his website.

1/25/15 Twitter thread about scary living situations

Here is the link to a Twitter thread that's not in line with a lot of other threads here. It's about scary living conditions I was facing in 2015.

I've dealt a lot with stalking in my life. Twitter eventually became a place where I could discuss some of my feelings about being stalked, targeted, bullied, etc. This is one of the threads in which I discussed that.

12/19/14 review of L.A., Little Tokyo, Wiseman's National Gallery, Taschen's Rolling Stones show

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I did on a trip I took to Los Angeles in December of 2014.

I didn't see this thread as I was going through the December 2014 threads. But I had a feeling I'd find it. So I did some deeper searching. And here it is.

This thread discusses a lot of my experiences on that trip. I discuss my trip to Little Tokyo -- Kinokuniya, Orochon Ramen, and Cafe Demitasse. It discusses my trip to Book Off. It gives a review of the Frederick Wiseman documentary National Gallery. It gives a review of the Taschen Gallery's Rolling Stones photography exhibit. And it talks about some other stuff I was about to do on the trip.

I'll come back and provide links for some of the stuff discussed here. There's a lot.

1/12/15 review of the book Birth of the Pill, by Jonathan Eig

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of The Birth of the Pill, by Jonathan Eig.

My Twitter thread review sees The Birth of the Pill, the story of the invention of the birth control pill, as a story of scientific teamwork. It discusses the importance of the pill to women's rights. It discusses some key figures in the work. It discusses some of the book's interesting biological and engineering insights. And it points to some other interesting works worth reading.

Here is a link to Jonathan Eig's book The Birth of the Pill, on the W.W. Norton website.

Also, I bought this book from the Tattered Cover Book Store, a bookstore chain in the Denver metro area.

1/10/15 review of MSU Center for Visual Art show Greater Than the Sum

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Metropolitan State University Center for Visual Art's show Greater Than the Sum.

Greater Than the Sum was the 2014 juried exhibit of the National Collage Society. In my Twitter thread, I discussed the way the exhibit showcased means of expression through collage. I discussed how I liked works that explored body image issues and landscapes. I also gave a lot of pictures of works I liked.

Here is a link to the Metropolitan State University's Center for Visual Art. Probably one of the best galleries in the Denver metro area.

And here is a link to the National Collage Society's web page about the Greater Than the Sum exhibit.

1/10/15 review of the film Mr. Turner, by Mike Leigh

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of Mike Leigh's film Mr. Turner.

In my Twitter thread I discuss how the film is a portrait of 1800s society. I discuss how the film addresses communication: human communication and communication about art. I discuss some contrasting aspects of Turner's personality. I also discuss how the film explores the tension between the private and the public.

Here is the trailer for the film Mr. Turner.

12/27/14 review of the novel Sanshirou, by Natsume Souseki

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of Natsume Souseki's novel Sanshirou.

In this Twitter thread I say how Sanshirou is my favorite of the Souseki books I've read. I discuss the characters of Sanshirou and Bocchan. I discuss the philosophy and the Joycean feel of the book. And I discuss a possible influence in this novel on Kenzaburo Oe.

The edition of Sanshirou I read was from Penguin Random House. You can find it here.

I bought the book Sanshirou from Kinokuniya in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. Here is their website.

12/27/14 review of the film Wild

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Wild.

My Twitter thread discusses my emotional connections to the film; the film's theme of redemption; the phenomenon of Cheryl Strayed's reputation going viral on the PCT; and the interesting characters of the film.

Here is the trailer for the film Wild.

The film Wild is based on a novel by Cheryl Strayed. Here is a link to the novel on Cheryl Strayed's website.

12/27/14 review of the film The Imitation Game

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film The Imitation Game.

In my Twitter review, I discuss Benedict Cumberbatch's fashion; the work done at Bletchley Park; comparing Turing's WWII work with other people's work; LGBTQ people's contributions to STEM; the story's structure; and the actors' performances.

Here is the trailer for The Imitation Game.

12/27/14 review of film Big Eyes by Tim Burton

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Tim Burton film Big Eyes.

In my Twitter thread I discuss how the film's colors are like those of William Eggleston's photos; how the visuals, as well as the form and pacing, are similar to and different from those of other Burton films; the relationship of Walter and Margaret Keane; and the film's view of San Francisco.

Here is the trailer for Big Eyes.

Here is a link to William Eggleston's website, since I mentioned the colors of his photos in my review.

12/2/14 review of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of Armistead Maupin's novel Tales of the City.

My Twitter thread discusses the novel's interesting form, Maupin's great talent at storytelling, the novel's stylistic mash-up feel, and how I felt San Francisco 2014 compared with the San Francisco of Maupin's novel. I was pretty naive.

Here is a link to Tales of the City on Maupin's website.

I also bought this book from the Tattered Cover Book Store, a bookstore chain in the Denver metro area.

11/29/14 review of One Colorado's report Transparent: The State of Transgender Health in Colorado

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of One Colorado's report Transparent: The State of Transgender Health in Colorado.

One Colorado is Colorado's leading advocacy group for LGBTQ Coloradans and their families. Their Transparent report was the first report of its kind in the United States. It was a study of the quality of healthcare for transgender people in Colorado. Incredible report. My thread basically gives some of the highlights.

For some strange reason, my thread also gives a two-tweet review of the film The Theory of Everything.

The most recent version of One Colorado's Transparent report is at this link.

You can also learn more about One Colorado by visiting this link.

And for anybody who would like it, here's the trailer for the film The Theory of Everything.

11/27/14 review of The Secret History of Wonder Woman, by Jill Lepore

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of The Secret History of Wonder Woman, by Jill Lepore.

Jill Lepore's book discusses the creator of Wonder Woman, William Moulton Marston. My thread discusses the connection between WM Marston and feminist leader Margaret Sanger; Marston's lovers and creative partners, Elizabeth Holloway and Olive Byrne; and the influence of fetish on the Wonder Woman stories.

Jill Lepore's book The Secret History of Wonder Woman was published by Penguin Random House. You can find the book here.

Also, I bought The Secret History of Wonder Woman at the Tattered Cover Book Store, a bookstore chain in the Denver metro area.

11/11/14 review of The Peripheral, by William Gibson

Here is a link to my Twitter thread review of the novel The Peripheral by William Gibson.

In my review, I compare The Peripheral to the film Blow-Up and The Matrix. I discuss some of the time travel and body-switching elements. I also wonder if sci-fi apocalypses are social corollaries for the crisis that precedes an individual's "hero's journey." This review also discusses Gibson's visit to the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver to promote The Peripheral.

Here is a link to The Peripheral on William Gibson's website.

Also, I bought The Peripheral at the Tattered Cover Book Store, a bookstore chain in the Denver metro area.

11/9/14 review of MCA Denver show Myopia, by Mark Mothersbaugh

Here is a link to my Twitter thread review of the Museum of Contemporary Art show Myopia, by Mark Mothersbaugh.

This thread compares the MCA Denver's show to a previous show they'd done by Bruce Conner. It talks a bit about how DEVO influenced me. And it gives a bit of insight into my own fetish-based opinions about Mothersbaugh's works.

The MCA Denver has a page documenting the 2014 Myopia exhibit. You can find it here.

Also, you can see Mothersbaugh's visual art at his Mutato Visual website.

10/21/14 review of The Neon Jungle, by John D. MacDonald

Here is a link to my Twitter thread review of the novel The Neon Jungle, by John D. MacDonald.

My review thread gives a little context on MacDonald's novel. It also talks about the novel's relation to the Korean War and its themes of addiction. It also gives a little comparison to later MacDonald novels.

The edition of The Neon Jungle that I bought was from Penguin Random House. You can find it here.

I also bought MacDonald's book The Neon Jungle from the Tattered Cover Book Store, a bookstore chain in the Denver metro area.

10/19/2014 review of the novel Borderline, by Lawrence Block

Here is a link to my Twitter review of the Lawrence Block novel Borderline, which I posted on October 19, 2014.

In the review, I discuss Lawrence Block's story structure, his characters, the sexuality of some of the characters, the sex scenes of the book, some of my past Lawrence Block reads, and some of the influences Block has had on my own writing.

The edition of Borderline I read was from Hard Case Crime. You can find it here.

Also, I bought this book from the Tattered Cover Book Store, a great bookstore chain in the Denver, Colorado area.