May 06, 2005  |  By: VAN GOWE  | COMMENTS     

Gay contributions to literature are well documented, and some of the best-known figures in the genre produced masterpieces in and about New Orleans. The rich literary history of the city that inspired the likes of Tennessee Williams sets the stage for the third annual “Saints & Sinners” literary festival May 13-15.

Some 250 attendees, including established authors, budding writers and avid readers, are expected to descend upon the Big Easy next weekend for the three days of workshops, discussion panels and readings. “Saints & Sinners” provides an open forum for gay literature buffs to commune with authors and editors, according to festival program director Paul Willis.

“There’s something for everyone whether they’re fans or emerging writers … who want to go to the next level,” Willis says.

Gay and gay-popular authors including Sarah Schulman, Radclyffe, Patrick Califia, Patricia Nell Warren, Poppy Z. Brite and Jim Grimsley are scheduled to be on hand to teach or participate in some 26 sessions on topics from plot and character development, writing about sex and the challenges of small-press publishing to queer mythology and the impact of mainstream morality on gay publishing.

Grimsley, the author of novels, including “Dream Boy” and “Boulevard,” teaches a class on ways authors can keep from getting bogged down during the writing process (“The Murk in the Middle of the Novel”). He says that literature as a whole benefits from the unique perspectives inherent to gay authors, regardless of the subject matter.

“Gay people and gay literature force some level of honest, open sexuality on the culture as a whole,” Grimsley says. “That’s one of the reasons our own Puritan-based culture is so afraid of us.”

MOST OF THIS YEAR’S WORKSHOP topics are fresh offerings at the festival, but “if any of the panels are repeating [from previous years], it’s all new people and new editors with fresh perspectives. It’s never the same,” Willis says.

It’s that freshness, the like-minded camaraderie among literati and the seductive setting of New Orleans that contribute to the growing word-of-mouth popularity of “Saints & Sinners,” says Willis, who was a festival organizer at its inception.

Festival registrants may purchase weekend passes or admission to individual workshops.

“SAINTS & SINNERS” IS HOSTED BY and benefits NO/AIDS Task Force, New Orleans’ largest non-profit HIV/AIDS agency that offers a variety of HIV and AIDS education, outreach and support services.

The idea of a literary festival as a fund-raiser for AIDS grew out of a desire to showcase a positive alternative to sexually driven, drug-and-alcohol laden parties that typify other gay fund-raisers, according to T.J. Rogers, NO/AIDS Task Force special events coordinator.

“There’s a lot of focus on negative images of homosexuality in the media and in culture,” Rogers says. “If we’re going to be shown that way, we tend to act that way. But it’s hardly reflective of the gay community as a whole.”

“Saints & Sinners” netted about $30,000 for the Task Force in its first two years. This year’s proceeds could be greater than in the past due to increased cash and in-kind donations from event sponsors, Rogers says.