Saints and Sinners Day 1, Part 2

Ambush Magazine hosted the much anticipated opening night reception.
Just a bit down Bourbon Street from Oz and the Bourbon Pub and Parade, this two story townhouse is the perfect spot for an intimate party.

While Saints and Sinners is writer-centric, it’s also great for those of us who are fans of a lot of GBLT writers. Everyone is approachable. A lot of people do readings, which is especially nice if you like poetry.

The downstairs atrium was shoulder to shoulder, so I spent some time out on the sidewalk with Trebor Healey discussing the possible origins of his fab shirt. (I think we settled on the rare Velourian Blue Leopard.) Amie Evans was resplendent in her outfit (Does she know how to dress for a cocktail party or what? And look at those shoes!)










Once the upstairs was open, the pack downstairs thinned out a bit, so we headed inside. The upstairs of Ambush’s headquarters has a beautiful parlor and a dining room that opens onto a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. I saw Jim McDonough of Queerwriters.Com, a great source for queer writers, but simply couldn’t work my way through the crowd on the balcony to say hi.

I chatted with Sean Meriwether for a bit. He’s the man behind Velvet Mafia, which features some of the best online boy smut around.

I just heard about Scott & Scott’s line of books a couple months ago, but after talking with those charming gentleman, I’ll have to give one of their books a read.

My real aim for the night was hooking up with Jolie du Pre. I've known her through ERWA, and now GLBT promo, for years, but it was the first time we met. She is a joy - smart, outspoken, beautiful, and so energetic. It was a great pleasure to introduce her to the few people I knew.

We went upstairs and said hi to Michelle Tea, Ian Philips, Radclyffe, and Paul Willis. Paul organizes Saints and Sinners and what a fantastic job he does. I don’t know where he gets the energy to run the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival and then turn around and do Saints and Sinners a couple weeks later, and still be so gracious. I asked him how the turn-out was this year, and he said despite Katrina, attendance had grown.

Fantastic party, fantastic crowd. Put this on your schedule next year so you won't miss out.