With its twelve sharply observed stories filled with memorable characters and dialogue imbued with the pop music of the day, Gregg Shapiro reflects on what it meant to grow up gay in Chicago during the 1970s and 1980s. Relationships-family, boyfriends, and otherwise-are explored in stories such as "Lunch with a Porn Star," "Marilyn, My Mother, Myself," and "Your Father's Car." Only a gay Chicago native with a keen eye could give us such an insider's view of the Windy City from a more innocent time not too long ago.

Lincoln Avenue: Chicago Stories

Literature & Fiction

Shapiro, Gregg

Literary

Squares & Rebels

GREGG SHAPIRO: 77

Poetry

lulu.com

Whistling has long been used to entertain and to communicate; the short stories of Gregg Shapiro also entertain and convey his skilled recollections of the past. The gay men found in these pages are unrepentantly sardonic: they drink, they indulge, they offer wry comments on friends, family and life. In other words, they are a joy to read.

How To Whistle: Stories

Short Stories & Anthologies

Lethe Press

Gay men communicate in many ways, sometimes a glance, sometimes a smile, and sometimes a whistle. In How to Whistle, Gregg Shapiro brings us men of all types sometimes seeking to be with each other and sometimes looking for themselves. They dance, they indulge, they camp, and they enjoy life. Shapiro employs his deft poetic voice to bring you men that will stay with you, men you'll find yourself thinking about for a long time. Praise for How to Whistle: Expanded Edition 
"The stories in Gregg Shapiro's How to Whistle are so perfectly pitched in tone and execution, so novelistic in their differing densities and delightful variety, that they form a sure portrait of a time and place in gay life that is both specific and universal.” — Felice Picano, author of Songs & Poems 
"You don't have to be queer, or from Chicagoland, to fall hard for Gregg Shapiro's marvelous second collection, How to Whistle. These stories – tart, tender, sexed-up, and terribly wise on the subjects of love and memory – are a lesson for everyone” — James Magruder, author of Love Slaves of Helen Hadley Hall 
"Gregg Shapiro’s stories hum with sex, longing, and electric detail. How to Whistle journeys from the bathhouse to smoky concert venues, and through the confused mind of a culture-hungry teenage brain. This collection goes so many places, yet stays anchored, always, in the heart.” — Brendan Walsh, author of Go and fort lauderdale 
"Shapiro’s How to Whistle brings to vibrant life young gay men's casual/intimate/kinky explorations of Boston, D.C., and Chicago in the 1980's. Deadpan humor alternates with delicious dish and quiet introspection in this witty collection of stories about sex, relationship, (in)fidelity, vengeance, and the meaning of friendship in a sometimes dangerous world. An entertaining, deeply insightful, and warmly nostalgic portrait of the way we were.” — Daniel M. Jaffe, author of Foreign Affairs: Male Tales of Lust & Love 
"Shapiro’s Shapiro’s stories capture the breadth and variety of human relationships – friends, lovers and family; casual and deep; social and sexual. Funny, sad, tragic, and full of surprises, they will keep you reading to the very end and wanting more.” — John D’Emilio, author of Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago's LGBTQ Archives 
"Gregg Shapiro’s How to Whistle documents the 1980s with sharp observation, humor, and keen insights. A decadent decade when urban tastes and desires “lit in a faint orange glow” knew no boundaries, friends and lovers being rushed to the hospital was a typical lunchtime conversation, and pop icons went from tragic to martyred saints of the bullied. This short story collection is also an homage to 1980s Boston and Chicago, as hip as Tama Janowitz’ Manhattan in Slaves of New York, and as raw and sexy as Bret Easton Ellis’ L.A. in Less Than Zero.” — R. Zamora Linmark, author of The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart 
"How to Whistle Gregg Shapiro’s stories bring together a whole kaleidoscope of gay life – from tricks to lovers, passionate romances to bitter breakups, gentle tenderness to raw lust – with voice of singular and simple honesty.” — Christine Sneed, author of Little Known Facts

How to Whistle: Expanded Edition

Rattling Good Yarns Press

"Gregg Shapiro's stunning debut marks the arrival of a new master poet on the scene. His work blows me away."-Greg Herren, author of Mardi Gras Mambo

Protection

Gival Press, LLC

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Shapiro, Gregg. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Shapiro, Gregg