The Fire in Moonlight: Stories from the Radical Faeries 1975-2010
Mark Thompson's latest anthology,The Fire in Moonlight(White Crane), is a collection of first person accounts of the Harry Hay-inspired Radical Faerie movement. Hay, a co-founder of the Mattachine Society, joined forces with Don Kilhefner and Mitch Walker to start the Faerie movement in order to add a spiritual dimension to the (often dry) nuts and bolts world of emerging gay politics.Inspired in part by the writings of Edward Carpenter and the Calamus poems of Walt Whitman, Hay saw the homosexual as much more than a creature fighting for rights in a hostile society. The homosexual, according to Hay, was a multidimensional being with roots in the mythic, a sort of alien spirit with special healing gifts for the world. --Lambda Literary ReviewThirty-five years after Harry Hay and the founding of the Radical Faeries comes this part-history, part-anthology collection of stories by current and past members of the group. With homage to Walt Whitman and his Calamus poems, the history part of the book is interesting and gives multiple perspectives of the rocky road to its current incarnation.The personal stories include first-time gathering experiences, sexual encounters, participating in the heart circle and mysticism of finding one's self. Philadelphia's own Chris Bartlett (The Lady Bartlett) writes an insightful short regarding the difference between joining and belonging in the Radical Faeries. Other contributors engage the reader with poetry, historic personal narratives, humorous incidents and tales of unrequited love.The Fire in Moonlightis an excellent reference for anyone who has little or no knowledge of the faerie background and will delight anyone familiar with the group or a current participant. But don't expect the book to give you insight into who the members of the Radical Faeries are, what the collective consciousness means to them or any member's reason for belonging; that answer lies within the individual and must be found through the experience. --The Philadelphia Gay News