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A Playful Prompt and a VERY Gay Post in honor of Pride Month

Quentin Crisp by Angus McBean, 1941

Hello, dear writers and readers.

It’s June, Pride month. And during a time when the backlash against human rights seems to be a daily news item, I felt it was important to get a little queerer than usual with my post. My own writing below is about the weird and not so wonderful queer online dating world. And I’m highlighting two queer artists in this post as well: Quentin Crisp (an out, proud, eccentric icon), and Aaron Smith (a funny, smart poet and teacher). You can learn more about each of these men in the live links connected to their names below.

The prompt this time is called “Absurd Modifiers.” It falls under the category of word play, and is a good example of some silly, playful prompts that help us to loosen up, laugh a little, and also surprise us with the results.

First, let’s begin with the quote from Quentin Crisp, who was unabashedly queer and feminine in a time when it could land you in jail (or a mental institution):

. . .long before I ever had the opportunity to pluck my eyebrows. . .the other boys said, "Do you really have to stand like that? Couldn't you keep your hands down? Do you have to say things are lovely?" So sometimes I would go back to being a schoolboy, and then I would think no, no, I must go back to being my old self.

The Prompt: Absurd modifiers