Arts & Entertainment
Deck the halls
Gifts for the home make lasting, tangible treasures
Gay-ownedĀ Mitchell Gold & Bob WilliamsĀ (1526 14th St. N.W.) specializes in furniture, but the store also has an array of eye-catching accent pieces for your home, including a set of mercury glass jars. The jars come in assorted styles and range in price from $75-108. For a more affordable option, consider the decorative glass balls in various styles and sizes, ranging in value from $25-120.
Hillās KitchenĀ (713 D St. N.E.) has the perfect gift for anyone who appreciates a fine spirit. The HomeMade Gin Kit ($50) has everything you need to make gin out of your favorite vodka. It includes instructions, spices and all necessary tools. Refills of the spices can be ordered at any time atĀ homemadegin.com. Now through December, take advantage of the limited edition Christmas botanical blend, which includes cinnamon and other seasonal spices. The kit is the product of a small business based in Arlington. Complement the Gin Kit with a few D.C.-themed cocktail glasses ($9.95-10.95 each) from Hillās Kitchen, and round out your order with a sphere ice mold for $11.50.
For vintage home furnishings and accessories, look no further thanĀ Miss PixieāsĀ (1626 14th St. N.W.). The store has everything from chairs and tables to rotary phones, but art lovers should consider one of the many paintings, ranging anywhere from $150-700. OnĀ Dec. 5Ā fromĀ 6-8 p.m., Miss Pixieās is hosting a customer appreciation event, which includes a 10 percent discount throughout the store. Miss Pixieās also offers a delivery service for $35 within most of the D.C. metro area or $45 outside of D.C.
Salvage ModernĀ is an increasingly popular source for mid-century modern and vintage furniture and accessories in the greater Baltimore/D.C. area. Check out the ever-changing inventory through online store fronts, or contact the owners for an appointment. Looking for something specific? Let them know and they will source it for you. Salvage Modern offers incredibly low prices and multiple item discounts, as well as limited curb-side delivery to the metro area. They also offer some refinishing and painting services. Mention the Blade Gift Guide and get 10 percent off select items. More info is atetsy.com/shop/salvagemodern,Ā krrb.com/salvagemodernĀ orĀ facebook.com/salvageforthesoul
For a simpler, more affordable gift option, visitĀ Millennium Decorative ArtsĀ (1528 U St. N.W.). Their assorted Blenko glass paperweights come in a variety of shapes and colors and will make a lovely addition to a home office ($35 each). For someone unafraid of bold colors, consider the tri-colored laminate cubes ($110 each). They can be stacked and rearranged to fit in with the design theme of the room and make for great additional surfaces.
iPhone users may enjoy the iPhone Wood Stand fromĀ Appalachian SpringĀ (1415 Wisconsin Ave. N.W.). The product is handcrafted in the U.S. and comes in a variety of designs. Rest your phone on it overnight on your bedside table when using it as an alarm clock or as a tidy spot to place your phone when charging. The wood stand is valued at $26.
For Virginia residents,Ā Merrifield Garden CenterĀ is a great place to stop by when shopping for holiday supplies. With locations in Fairfax (12101 Lee Highway), Merrifield (8132 Lee Highway) and Gainesville (6895 Wellington Road), itās a convenient resource for anything from silk and dried flower arrangements to collectible ornaments and decorations. Merrifield Garden Center also sells fresh cut and everlasting Christmas trees as well as custom wreaths and centerpieces.
D.C. residents can get their fill of holiday decorations atĀ World MarketĀ (5335 Wisconsin Ave. N.W.). The store offers a range of options from nutcrackers and ornaments to themed kitchenware, like this four-piece Victorian Christmas Plates set for $24.99. Some nice gift ideas from World Market include the Painted Wood Desk Box, on sale for $19.99 or the beautiful wood and glass Chemex 8-cup Coffeemaker for $39.99.
Logan Home RuleĀ (1807 14th St. N.W.) has several noteworthy gift options. Corkcicles can be frozen, inserted into bottles to chill wine and reused. At $24.99, it would be a welcome addition to any kitchen. They also carry models for beer bottles designed to let you drink as it chills your beverage. For something a little more personal, coffee drinkers will appreciate a horoscope mug ($12.99 each).
tabletopĀ (1608 20th St. N.W.) offers several gift options great for anyone who knows their way around a kitchen. The Copenhagen carafes come in a variety of sizes, and their simple design will complement almost any serving set at a dinner party ($34-40). One of their more popular products, however, is their piggy cutting board, which is only $24. Spice up your dinner prep work by having a cute piggy to look at as you chop.
AnthropologieĀ (950 F St. N.W.) has a set of Cholet hollow vases in the shape of a goose, a doe and a hare. The individual vases sell for $24-38 and make a quirky gift perfect for anyone with a casual design sense.
WhileĀ Design Within ReachĀ (3306 M St. N.W.) sells many high-end products, they also offer affordable, practical gifts Consider the Kaleido Trays, which sell for $16. The multi-colored trays come in a variety of sizes and abstract shapes and are perfect for organizing anything from keys and mail to jewelry.
Books
Thom Gunn bio explores joys, complexities of modern gay life
āA Cool Queer Lifeā presents authorās humanity, poetic genius
āThom Gunn: A Cool Queer Lifeā
By Michael Nott
c.2024, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
$40/720 pages
A confession: Until reading āThom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life,ā I hadnāt known much about the accomplished, controversial gay poetās life or read many of his poems. But this first biography makes me feel like I know him and his large body of work intimately. Michael Nott, coeditor of āThe Letters of Thom Gunn,ā draws on interviews with friends and family, as well as Gunnās letters, notebooks, and diaries, to tell the triumphs and tragedies of his life.
Born in England in 1929 to journalist parents, when he was 15, he and his younger brother Ander found their mother dead from suicide. He would not discuss this tragic event in his poetry for years, including one of his last poems āMy Motherās Pride.ā He published his first book of poems, āFighting Terms,ā while still an undergraduate at Cambridge University.
At Cambridge, Gunn met his life-long partner, Mike Kitay, an American studying theater. Gunn followed Kitay to America, studying poetry under Yvor Winters at Stanford University. At one point, Kitay, doing his military service, was investigated as part of suspicion of homosexuality among his unit. Gunn wrote to friends of his worry both of what might happen to Kitay as well as to himself. While nothing happened, the event reminds us of the precarious state in which gay men lived until recently.
Eventually, they settled in San Francisco, which Gunn loved. Even when he became worldwide famous, he enjoyed the anonymity of the cityās gay bars, where he could pick up men. He taught at UC Berkeley for 40 years, one term every year so he could concentrate on his poetry. His and Kitayās home was filled with friends and sex partners, usually of Gunn. This arrangement seems common for many gay men of the time, reminiscent of Dan Savageās idea of āmonogamish,ā where committed gay couples might have other side partners.
In San Francisco, Gunn discovered leather and drugs, both of which he took to readily. He caused a stir by appearing in his British publisherās conservative club in leather gear. Toward the end of his life, he became a crystal meth addict, frequently using with other addicts whom he also slept with. In 2004, his housemates found him dead from substance abuse.
He explored leather, drugs, and gay sexuality frequently in his poems. His collection āMolyā (named after the drug in The Odyssey protecting from the witch Circeās magic), looked at the appeal and downfall of drugs. The Man with Night Sweats, perhaps his most famous collection, dealt with the AIDS epidemic, the painful death of so many friends and lovers. He won the MacArthur Foundation āGeniusā grant afterwards.
The biography presents Gunn in all his humanity, from his poetic genius to his insecurities. After each book came out, he struggled with writerās block, which led to hookups and drug use. As he aged, he worried about finding āgerontophilesā who would sleep with him. I hope this book encourages readers to discover or revisit his work, filled with the joys and complexities of modern gay life.
Out & About
Blade to mark 55 years, celebrate Best Of LGBTQ DC
The Washington Blade will celebrate 55 years of delivering LGBTQ news and also the best LGBTQ things in the city on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at Crush Bar.
First drink courtesy of Absolut. Must be 21 to attend and the eventās sponsors are ABSOLUT, Crush, and Infinite Legacy.
Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at bestoflgbtqdc.com.
The Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride Foundation is hosting a series of October events, starting with a free documentary, āThe New Black,ā on Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Branch Towson University in Bel Air, Md. Admission is free; visit ucbpride.com for details and to reserve a spot. There will also be a family-friendly Sunday stroll on Oct. 20, 5-6 p.m. at North Park Loop Trail; meet at the Lock House at 817 Conesteo St. in Havre de Grace, Md.Ā