Works by
Duane Simolke
(Writer)

Essays and Poems

• Holding Me Together: Essays and Poems (2005) -- Winner StoneWall Society Pride in the Arts Award
  This collection, quoted by many authors and Web masters, includes the multi-part essay Reactions to Homophobia, followed by poems and short essays on a variety of topics, such as writing, AIDS, religion, violence, family, friendship, and gay relationships. Holding Me Together counters homophobia, celebrates gay love, and promotes gay pride.
  Kindle Edition  Paperback

Fiction

• The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure (2006) with Tony Davis -- Winner Allbooks Reviewers Choice Award
  While visiting the kingdom of Jaan for seeds, the young exile Sasha Varov stumbles into adventures and becomes an accidental legend, known as “Innocence.” A year later, Sasha leaves her father and her gay brother protecting the other exiles while she returns to Jaan. She begins her journey, unaware that an old enemy has gained arcane powers, or that the Jaanians expect her to defeat that enemy. With the help of an outcast, a mutant, and an aging but heroic lesbian couple, Innocence might prevail. Campy sword and sorcery fun!
  Hardcover  Kindle Edition  Paperback

• Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure (2004) -- Winner StoneWall Society Pride in the Arts Award
  The scientist Taldra is one of the few people on the planet Valchondria who can see in color, but a police force called "the Maintainers" won’t let color sighted people reveal their ability to the public. Duane Simolke explores that "closet" metaphor more in this revised edition of Degranon; he also recreates three of the major characters as gay men. Taldra’s family becomes entangled with a violent religious fanatic from a war-torn planet called "Degranon."
  Hardcover  Kindle Edition  Paperback 

• The Acorn Stories (1999)
  Acorn: When we arrive at the fictional West Texas town of Acorn, the narrative keeps shifting between Regina and Dirk, who both seek control over their relationship.
  
  Survival: A young teacher (deaf and gay) clashes with his school's emphasis of uniformity over diversity and sports over academics.
  
  Knock: A father sees his daughter abandon her Mexican heritage, and he now fears other types of abandonment.
  
  Mirrors: A Blackmail Letter: A family values politician hides his homosexuality while lashing out against a gay man who shared a secret night with him. But some closets have mirrors.
  Kindle Edition  Paperback

Other Fiction

• The Acorn Gathering: Writers Uniting Against Cancer (2002)
  These stories range from gritty and controversial to gentle and touching. Starting with the West Texas setting from Duane Simolkes collection The Acorn Stories, this new anthology takes readers across several landscapes, during times of trouble, change, hope, and triumph.
  
  Includes works by Bill Wetzel, Duane Simolke, Huda Orfali, Jan Chandler, Shawna Chandler, and Timothy Morris Taylor.  All author and editor royalties go to funding cancer research!

Non-fiction

• Stein, Gender, Isolation, and Industrialism: New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio (1999)
  Stein, Gender, Isolation, and Industrialism: New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio re-visits the best known work of the influential American writer, Sherwood Anderson. This book served as the doctoral dissertation of Duane Simolke at Texas Tech University, December 1996.
  
  Dr. Simolke examines Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, as it relates to Gertrude Stein, gender roles, gay subtext, failed communication, and the machine in the garden. Anderson’s friendship with and admiration of Stein greatly affected the contents and writing style of Winesburg. Simolke also looks at how Winesburg reflects Anderson’s concerns about mechanization, loneliness, and the mistreatment of many people.
  Kindle Edition  Paperback

Other