LookOut

by Tim Brookover

HAVING WORDS. On July 2, Mike Bolin (Mourning Contagious Beauty and Running From the Light) hosted the first Poetry Night at the Center. Michael Locke (see page 54), Howard Michael, and Joe Watts joined Bolin in reading works for an appreciative crowd. Howard Michael might not have been as known as the other writers on the bill, but his very funny "The Ballad of the Fat and the Femme" should be required reading for all gay boys. Bolin hosts Poetry Night on the first Friday evening of every month at the Houston Lesbian & Gay Community Center, joined by a changing lineup of other poets.

James Hall, one of the local talents who participates in Poetry Night, had a work, "Abandon," in the summer issue of the James White Review, the D.C.-based gay literary journal.

GOOD WORKS. For more than two decades, the Miss Camp America extravaganza has remained the more glittering and entertaining alternative to that drab little pageant out of Atlantic City. The 2002 edition of Miss Camp, "All Abroad," bows on September 21 in the Art Deco-esque splendor of Cullen Performance Hall at the University of Houston. Bernadette, Miss Camp America 2001 (Glen Barley), will sashay down the runway one last time. Ted Roundtree is pageant director. Beneficiaries from the event are the Assistance Fund, Bering Omega Community Services, Casa de Esperanza de los Ninos, Montrose Clinic-Frost Eye Clinic, and PWA Holiday Charities.

On to drag of a different color: That fun-loving, leathery bunch The Misfits of Houston hosts the Misfits Ball IV "Lockdown" on Sunday, September 22, at Rehab. Proceeds support The Buyers Club and the Houston Lesbian & Gay Community Center. President Scott Kenyon is the head Misfit.

Gary Teixeira will receive the AIDS Service Humanitarian of the Year award at the inaugural Partners in Caring cocktail reception on September 19. The Assistance Fund, Montrose Clinic, and the People With AIDS Coalition Houston have banded together to host this fundraiser at the home of Mary and Tony Gracely.

Start your forks: Prepare now for two upcoming delectable and charitable events. The AssistHers Decadent Dessert Extravaganza on October 6 at Meteor will feature sweet treats from DaCapo's, Oscar's Creamery, and other restaurants. On October 12, the Houston Black Tie Dinner takes over the swank new Hotel Intercontinental. Proceeds benefit Bering-Omega Community Services, H.A.T.C.H., Lesbian Health Initiative, Montrose Counseling Center, Montrose Clinic, People With AIDS Coalition-Houston, and Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church.

Troy Ham and Kat Zemanek organized the Post-4th of July Barbeque hosted by STAG (Some Transgenders Are Guys) at the Community Center on July 6. The two cooks, Carl and Sandy, proved themselves to be true grill masters, toiling over flames all afternoon in punishing heat. The hungry crowd donated cash for the center, and at the end of the event, STAG gave extra food to individuals visiting from the Community Awareness for Transgender Support shelter in Galveston.

Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays-Houston and H.A.T.C.H. awarded scholarships to 19 collegians at a reception on July 7 at Christ Church Cathedral. The recipients are Robert Allen, Todd Amdor, Daryl Banner, Juan Cavazos, Kurt Fanslow, Justin Frazier, Yolanda Gains, Liz Gechman, Michelle Kilgore, Raia Eke Odura, Jenna Randall, Brian Richardson, and Tiffany Wade.

PARTY ON. Houston-based USA HIV Socials will host a weekend for HIV-positive men in New Orleans from September 20-22. "These events are social gatherings for HIV+ gay men. No boring lectures, seminars, or speakers," promises USA HIV Socials chief Paul Luccia. Activities of the weekend include Friday-night reception, Saturday poolside barbecue, and Sunday brunch. Check out details at http://hometown.aol.com/usahivsocial.

Fans of either millinery or the classically grim True Hollywood Story on Halston should rush over to the Museum of Fine Arts before September 8 to see the designer's witty chapeaux in the exhibition Haute Hats. Though probably remembered by many as a notorious Studio 57 habitué, along with Liza and Andy, the late, great Roy Halston Frowick was also an astounding craftsman. Nobody made feathers funny like Halston.

The Artist Formerly Known As John: Popular, and newly monikered, painter J. Palmer launches the season with a one-man exhibition, Escape the Artist, at Betz Gallery. A 6-9 p.m. artist's reception on Friday, September 6, opens the show, which continues through October 5. His painting, above, is Movement of Tunnels. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibition will benefit the Houston Lesbian & Gay Community Center. Check out Betz Gallery at www.betzgallery.com.

STILL PROUD. One more highlight from Pride week: John Nechman and the Gulf Coast GLBT Immigration Project hosted "Love Knows No Borders: A Discussion on GLBT Immigration" on June 27 at Bering Memorial United Methodist Church. Among those joining Nechman were Lesbian & Gay Immigration Rights Task Force chairs Chris Rigdon and Shelby Robinson and board members Sergio Sarmiento and Norma Villareal.