Novelist and Storyteller
Recently, I have been anxious, fearful and angry. How about you? While Covid-19 brought these feelings to the forefront, I realized the cause was something else, old traumas being re-triggered, the trauma of the pandemic—HIV/AIDS—that killed virtually every person affected in its early years. The deaths and illnesses affecting family members and beloved friends. The …
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The musical Hamilton ends with the Finale, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.” Our view of history has always been shaped not by the specific events themselves, but by who records and who remembers.Queer people are certainly not the only ones that have been eliminated from history or seen its history distorted by others. Straight white …
Continue reading "The Importance of Novels in Preserving Queer History"
Interview in My Queer Art ALAN LESSIK, SAN FRANCISCO WRITER, INTERVIEW What is your name? Alan Lessik Where are you from? San Francisco What kind of work do you create? Novels and commentaries What do you define yourself as? Or do you not? Why/Why not? Novelist, storyteller and alan of all trades How long have …
This was one of the last pieces that Dave Robb wrote before his death in November 2016. He was a fantastic editor. A Conversation with Alan Lessik Interview by Dave Robb. On a foggy summer morning in San Francisco, Dave Robb sat down with Alan Lessik over a plate of homemade waffles. Lessik’s debut novel, …
Babalú Ayé and Apollo the gods of disease and its cure in The Troubleseeker.
Narrated by the ancient Roman Emperor and demigod Hadriano, The Troubleseeker weaves Cuban-Santería traditions with classical Greek mythology to depict the hero Antinio and his quest for freedom, identity, and love. Santería is the religion and the set of beliefs that the slaves from Yorubaland in present day Nigeria brought with them as they were …
Continue reading "The Troubleseeker-A Guide to the Characters"
Alan Lessik 