Our Deep Gossip: Conversations with Gay Writers on Poetry and Desire

Hennessy (editor, The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide; Outside the Lines: Talking with Contemporary Gay Poets) interviews eight very different leading poets—Edward Field, John Ashbery, Richard Howard, Aaron Shurin, Dennis Cooper, Cyrus Cassells, Wayne Koestenbaum, and Kazim Ali—to explore the deep associations, commonalities, and divergences among them. The interviews, each a chapter long, cover the men's histories, what motivates their writing, who has influenced them, how sex and sexual orientation intersect with their writing, their current projects, and many more free-ranging topics. Hennessy approaches these conversations with a deep understanding of each of the poets and their body of work, allowing him to ask poignant questions and extract the maximum information from each writer. The interviews have an easygoing and comfortable style, giving the reader an intimate feeling of being present to share in and listen to their conversations.