Jesse Monteagudo: This review was originally published in Gay Today (Vol. VII Issue 147). It is reprinted with permission from www.gaytoday.com online. Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and gay book lover who lives in South Florida with his life partner. jessemonteagudo@aol.com
The Harris Guide “is the ONLY comprehensive directory of the world's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered press available in print.” Harris, the book's namesake, editor and publisher, has been around the gay press block a few times and knows what a volatile profession GLBT journalism is. This latest edition of The Harris Guide is a valuable resource for those who read and collect the gay press, as well as for the prospective writer who wants to contribute to that medium.
Harris did his best to keep up with all the revolutions that constantly agitate the queer press, though not even he can avoid a certain degree of obsolescence. In addition to its in-depth lists of national publications, local publications, international journals and HIV-related publications, this latest edition also includes GLBT and AIDS-oriented radio and television. On the other hand, The Harris Guide leaves out online publications; a major omission in this increasingly wired community.
In addition to all the directories, The Harris Guide includes Paul Varnell's excellent essay, “I Don't Read the Gay Rags”; a spirited defense of a medium that Varnell and Harris (and I) are greatly involved in. It also has a good chapter, “Writing a Press Release”, which Harris wrote for those well-meaning activists who haven't got a clue. This edition of The Harris Guide is rightly dedicated to Rex Wockner; the globe-trotting journalist and author of The Wockner Wire who has probably contributed more to the gay press than any other individual today. The Harris Guide, if nothing else, should inspire a new generation of Rex Wockners (and Paul Harrises).
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