This week: A Unique Coming-of-age Story Edited by: ~Minja~  
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"Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the truth, maybe I didn't want things to turn abstract, but I felt I should say it, because this was the moment to say it, because it suddenly dawned on me that this was why I had come, to tell him 'You are the only person I'd like to say goodbye to when I die, because only then will this thing I call my life make any sense. And if I should hear that you died, my life as I know it, the me who is speaking with you now, will cease to exist." ~ 'Call Me By Your Name', André Aciman
"Everyone goes through a period of Traviamento - when we take, say, a different turn in life, the other via. Dante himself did. Some recover, some pretend to recover, some never come back, some chicken out before even starting, and some, for fear of taking any turns, find themselves leading the wrong life all life long." ~ 'Call Me By Your Name, André Aciman
"We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!" ~ 'Call Me By Your Name, André Aciman
"People who read are hiders. They hide who they are. People who hide don’t always like who they are." ~ 'Call Me By Your Name, André Aciman
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few weeks ago I had the pleasure of reading, in my opinion, the best coming-of-age story so far and because this precious little story was so special to me, because it changed me in some unusual way, I wanted to share it with you. Call Me By Your Name is a novel, written by the American writer André Aciman, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux publishing company in 2007. It tells the story of the romantic relationship between curious and intellectually precocious, 17 years old, American-Italian Jewish boy Elio Perlman and a 24 years old American-Jewish scholar Oliver in the summer of 1983, Italy. The New York Times literary critics called the novel 'an exceptionally beautiful book' and I couldn't agree more. In it, the writer shows the exceptional skill for making you feel homesick over first love you probably forgot by now, or the first love you never forgot, or love you've yet to experience, and all this waved into little pieces of wisdom that you'll remember and quote ten years from now. I know what you think; this is probably another summer romance gay book that you read that one time on the beach and left it behind to whatever booklover finds it first. But it's not. This is a book that, actually, deserves its place in your private library, a book that you'll gladly come back to many times later in your life if nothing else then to rediscover how beautiful and intoxicating it is. But, for the most part of it, you'll want to experience that raw love that makes you completely exposed and vulnerable to another human being, love that you hide so well from the others in order to protect yourself from being hurt or misunderstood, love whose existence you deny yet can't help but acknowledge when your basic human instinct tells you it's safe just so it doesn't die completely. Whether through music, poetry, or other forms of art, you'll find the way of keeping it alive.
Call Me By Your Name won't give you warm fuzzies of summer love and youth but it will remind you of infatuation and obsession you once had over another person's existence, feelings you don't feel proud of now as a fully grown-up person. It will make you yearn for the time you lived your life so boldly, so miserably that now, when memories hit so close, it feels like it was only then you actually lived. And Elio Perlman will become the only drama queen you'd want to hang out with all the time. And, at some point, you will realize that his youthful emotions and frustrations were once yours; you were Elio Perlman, you ARE Elio Perlman.
This novel is a eulogy for yearning, for the youthful memories you keep preserved in a shabby box under the bed, for all dramatic parts every human being is made of, for all the little things that grew bigger and shaped us into a person we are today. It's not the strength of the characters you will admire forever but vulnerability and the truthfulness of one's heart which was your heart once, which is your heart now.
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You had a beautiful friendship. Maybe more than a friendship. And I envy you. In my place, most parents would hope the whole thing goes away, or pray that their sons land on their feet soon enough. But I am not such a parent. In your place, if there is pain, nurse it, and if there is a flame, don’t snuff it out, don’t be brutal with it. Withdrawal can be a terrible thing when it keeps us awake at night, and watching others forget us sooner than we’d want to be forgotten is no better. We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!
"Have I spoken out of turn?" he asked.
I shook my head.
Then let me say one more thing. It will clear the air. I may have come close, but I never had what you had. Something always held me back or stood in the way. How you live your life is your business. But remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. Most of us can’t help but live as though we’ve got two lives to live, one is the mockup, the other the finished version, and then there are all those versions in between. But there’s only one, and before you know it, your heart is worn out, and, as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it. Right now there’s sorrow. I don’t envy the pain. But I envy you the pain.
the words of wisdom: Professor Perlman to his son, Elio
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Call Me By Your Name is a poetic, obsessive, attractive, lustful, intelligent novel that will make you want to hug the main character like he's a little abandoned kitten, like you would want to hug a 17 years-old-self and let both know that shattered youthful dreams of love will slowly burn into the ground and life will become more bearable as the time goes by. But then again, will it though?
Until next time, or should I say Later,
~Minja~
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Excerpt: As she grew older she kept notes. All the while, the endless rhythmic sound of the wheels passing over the breaks in the rails and the occasional bells as they crossed roads often comforted her and lulled her to sleep as each night approached. During the day, she’d paste her face to the window every time the train would screech around tight turns just to see the head and back of the train as it snaked around. And when the conductor wasn’t watching she’d stand for a moment between cars to feel the rush of air cool or warm as the train steadily pursued its destination. Sixteen now, she had been a faithful summer passenger on the Silver Flyer for at least the last twelve years she could remember. For Deja, summers always began and ended with, the train ride. For Deja, the train was summer.
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Excerpt: Friends the way you are to me-- faded;
the old blue jeans you wore
fifteen times too often,
all the stains you'll never forget.
Grass veins imprinted on aging knees;
trembling lips of angry people
make you forget those things
you were about to say.
wait for it wait for it
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#2060601 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: I wish I could give the
words a simple meaning that would
explain all the things I never told you-
never could, or maybe didn't want to
as your legs bounced in my peripheral.
I was too scared to meet your gaze,
stuck inside my own mind where I
felt safe and smooth, all the while my
frame was rough like crumbling
brick you could dig your nails into
and come back with a free margin
full of ash.
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Excerpt: This is a wonderful bi-monthly contest where you submit poetry and/or stories involving gay/lesbian characters.
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|  | Drama Forum (13+)
For those of us drama queens and kings, a forum to swap writing ideas and post questions
#1394242 by Joy  |
Excerpt: Here, we'll talk about writing in general and drama in particular. Feel free to post your questions, suggestions, or anything drama-writing related. Make sure to follow other forum rules before posting.
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Drama: February 26, 2020 Issue [#10038]
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