Consider this scene in Boston: "Stopping and looking around him, he saw that snow was falling again. He was on an unfamiliar street where the neon signs of theatres and shops threw transparent splotches of color upon the descending flakes. In the milky air, the traffic light looked blue. Beyond the intersection, an alley ran off into the dark, dotted with the signs of bars, cheap hotels and a turkish bath." (Yes, Frankie went into that turkish bath.)

I wonder if a woman writer can describe the erotic aspects of a man the way that a gay male writer can? Windham's erotic observation of a man, even though it may be through the eyes of a woman character, seems to contain the keen yet subtle sensuality that only one man can see in another. Just as magazine artist J.C. Leyendecker was specially qualified to paint in oils and water colors, in somewhat muted style, the virile qualities of men posing for his pictures so is Donald Windham

specially qualified to paint in words, in somewhat muted style, the virile qualities of the men in his fiction. And would a woman writer conceive of Beau Drinker, a heterosexual seaman with an anchor tatooed on the head of his cock? No, Windham is specially qualified, and the result is provocative description.

Windham has a superb ear for dialogue, particularly for the sophisticated, sometimes catty, dialogue of New York City's artfashion world. When a free-living Russian artist makes a derogative comment about lesbians, Page the bisexual remarks, "People who live in canals shouldn't throw stones at dikes." Perhaps this epigram has made the rounds of various Manhattan gatherings, but by recording it, or perhaps he coined it, Windham has given the reader a gem which should become a classic. He also is excellent with the lower-key dialogue between Tanaquil and Frankie.

HIGH GEAR/JUNE 1978

novel is an intriguing one: "To the chance encounter of October 31, 1942." Apparently Windham once met a Tanaquil, a Frankie or another person -who inspired this novel many years later. Actually this is irrelevant, except that we must realize that fact and fiction are so entwined, both in our own lives and in literature, that it is sometimes difficult to separate them. Good novels and short stories must be a blend of both, with fact and fiction combining to mirror life and to help us understand it. Without fact the novel and short story would be vacuous; without fiction it would be mere case history. In TANAQUIL Windham creates a mirror of quality, and while it reflects somewhat of a secluded corner of life, geographically and socially, it is universal in scope. Any person, heterosexual or homosexual, who has experienced a close romanticerotic relationship will find himself and his partner in some

The author's dedication of the aspect of the pages of this highly readable novel.

CASCADE COMMUNITY

CHURCH

The Cascade Community Church was formed in January, 1978 to give expression, within a "community of faith" for those persons who seek a total sharing.

It is a church where lines and class distinctions do not exist. There is no differentiation between economic levels or racial barriers, nor is there a separation of sexes or sexuality. It is a group of people of all ages, all credal traditions, all educational and economic backgrounds who have come together seeking the positive affirmation of human worth, believing all persons to be a part of the "Family of God."

We are aware of the social in justices existing in our world today; loneliness, depersonalization, poverty, racism, sexism, and discrimination against the elderly. We respond to these concerns by consciously seeking to involve our selves in the world in order that change might take place in society, in the Christian Community, and in the individual lives we touch. We recognize the ingredients of failure and success as part of our learning process, and as a "community of believers" we understand the risk of loving.

Although we are located in Akron, we are not just an Akron church. Our membership is open to any and all who wish to participate regardless of race, creed, age, sex, or sexual and affectional preference. We are endeavoring to understand who we are in our relationship to God and each other, what we have to share with one another and the community as a whole,

and how in that sharing we can more positively share God with others.

The extent of the individual's participation is entirely voluntary. There is no list of "do's" and "don'ts", and the authority of the church is vested in its membership. You become amember simply by attending and desiring to share with us. Your membership exists as long as you wish it to with the freedom to come and go as your needs dictate.

The committment of each person's awareness, acceptance, and response is discovered as they participate individually or in community areas of the following nature:

involvement in a creative opportunity leading toward selfdiscovery and growth, e.g., rap discussions on sexuality, relationships and interpersonal communications; workshops on the relevance of the Bible, the church and Christianity in the 20th century; social gatherings allowing for sharing to take place in a more relaxed atmosphere as we seek to know each other better as people.

4. Financial Support A monetary commitment enabling the church to fulfill its ministry. A form of giving which is left entirely to the individual to decide.

Cascade Community Church accepts the traditional doctrines of the historical Christian faith as understood and interpreted through modern reason and understanding. No precise doctrinal statement will be made. because doctrine is only achieved through continuing study and interpretation.

Cascade Community Church has no desire to be in competition with any church or denomination. If there are those who can benefit from parAnticipation with us and yet remain

1. Celebration a joyful response in which we celebrate the gift of life. We do this through a variety of forms, e.g., traditional and contemporary worship, the expression of our total personhood, the freedom to be vulnerable and to accept the vulnerability of others, the affirmation of our worth in each others eyes and in God's eyes. 2. Community Action outreach of the church through which we express and act upon our concerns for the world of which we are a part. Each person is free to choose their own particular course of action, being assured that though others in the group may disagree, the freedom of the individual to respond in their own way is upheld by the membership. In this attitude of concern for the world we affirm our support for Gay Rights, Women's Rights, the removal of all prejudicial barriers which deny any human being equality under the law, and the freedom to express their total presonhood.

3. Educational Experience Ah

with other organizations, they are welcome to share with us. We accept the responsibility of assisting persons of organizations of other traditions in the spirit of unity and renewal by utilizing all possible means in the establishment of the free exchange of ideas and activities between itself and others. We are committed to sharing with all persons who feel alienated from God and community. We are committed to sharing with all persons who seek a larger understanding of themselves, their relationship with God, and their relationship with other people, and the universe of which we are a part

Page 13

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