Today, after some phone tag, I met wih the editor of LGNY, to discuss the newspaper and what sort of things I might be able to write for them. I had written to him a while back with some of my ideas and some of my writing, and I figured he wouldn't call me for a meeting if he thought I was a hack or a nutcase.
In the current spate of free gay papers, The Blade and LGNY are the two that are truest to journalism and real newspaperdom. Read, they are not bar rags. LGNY has been around for four years. The Blade arrived last year. LGNY is more opinionated and has and editorial stance, whereas The Blade has no editorials at all. The appearance of The Blade spurred a bit of a feud. Frankly, I like the idea of competition. It is the cornerstone of this country (which is not necessarily good) and the cornerstone of every prime time soap opera to come out of Lorimar Productions. Plus, I usually go with the underdog. The Blade is a sister to the older, more established Washington Blade, and is backed by more money. It also comes out every week.
Meanwhile, LGNY is fortnightly and from the makers of OutWeek, NYQ, and QW. In the end, I like the idea of opionation, controversy, and scrappiness. It's like backing or Sammy Jo Dean, rather than Angela Channing.
So, sometime next year my name will be in print as an author. Now I have to go out there and prove m'self.