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From A Burning House: The Aids Project Los Angeles Writers Workshop Collection (Silhouette Special Edition)

Product ID : 34778216


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About From A Burning House: The Aids Project Los Angeles

Product description A powerful collection of stories, poems, and excerpts gives voice to HIV-positive individuals and their caregivers from the front lines of the AIDS epidemic and offers a poignant look into the effects of AIDS on human life. From Publishers Weekly This anthology of writing by people with AIDS has the sad distinction of having the most wrenching Contributors' Notes imaginable. Since the workshop began in 1990, 44 members have died. The writing here ranges from the extremely professional to short fragments that carry very little weight, but most of it settles in the middle, with specific and personal autobiography. There is a sense, however, that showing off skills is not the point. Alan Erenberg recalls how his father arranged a "secret signal" (humming loudly) to warn his young son when the boy was engaging in what his father saw as girlish behavior. Frank Wang recalls sending home the body parts of a lover and fellow soldier from Vietnam. Much of the value here lies in the insiders' view of daily life with HIV and AIDS. "I want to rest/No/I want to eat/No/I want a Cola," is the opening of Dave Knight's edgy poem. Doug Bender describes how he insists on wearing a Hickman catheter (through which medications are infused) to the gym, even in the shower. In one of several stories about friends arranging their own deaths, Steve Smith details the painful complications of carrying out such a pact. John D'Amico provides a dry list of the things a friend has left behind, followed by footnotes that reveal the personal history of even the smallest object. Tony Kushner contributes a thoughtful introduction, and Borger both tracks the history of the group and provides instructions for starting other workshops. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Recently, the Los Angeles AIDS project had the courage to apply for and receive grants to employ a coordinator, editor Borger, to facilitate the writings of a diverse group of men with AIDS. The results, collected here, show that with AIDS in its second decade, those with the disease are conscious as never before of their ability to shape the world. Empowerment is the underlying motive behind this collection. Not all of it is great literature, but none of it is sentimental tripe either. There is a raw, honest feeling to the writing that will make it a necessary addition to serious collections of modern American literature. With the proliferation of courses in AIDS and literature, it is to be hoped that this work will be used as a text to supplement the more usual elite voices heard on the topic.?David S. Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From the Publisher As the AIDS epidemic continues unabated, people living with AIDS are in danger of being overshadowed by AIDS "the issue"-- a topic for movies, political wrangling, and opinion polls. This powerful collection gives voice to the people-- those with HIV, as well as their caregivers-- who do battle at the front line of the epidemic. It is an intense celebration of life led at the precipice. The themes explored in From a Burning House are simple and universal: love, fear, friendship, loss. But these works possess a unique quality, as they describe a world on fire, a world where lives are quickened by the reality of AIDS. For the writers in the workshop, the creative process can be healing. For the reader, the result is profoundly moving; a tapestry of writings that is at once witty, wise and a painfully vibrant connection to the way we live now. A portion of the editor's and writers' proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to AIDS Project Los Angeles. About the Author Irene Borger is a journalist, fiction writer and teacher. Her work has appeared in many national magazines and newspapers, including Vogue, Mirabella, Architectural Digest, the Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. She has been Artist-in-Residence at AIDS Project Los Angeles since 1990, the same year she founded the Writers Workshop.