Bodies that tell stories.

Julián Hernández’s talks about his film I Am Happiness On Earth, which utilises its character’s bodies as a way of story-telling.

“The characters in I Am Happiness On Earth communicate using their bodies; when they’re being intimate with one another, they’re incapable of lying, unlike their everyday lives, when they lie through words.”

Polari August Bona-nza: The Sound of Porn.

How do you get the right soundtrack to a porn film? Marcus Reeves writes about how he scored an Ashley Ryder film, and found a new direction for his own music.

“Writing the music itself was fairly difficult, as it had to be rhythmic and repetitive without being too distracting – writing catchy melodies is great for pop songs but most people aren’t watching porn to be left with a song to hum along to in the shower.”

Queer Words.

Age of Consent tells the story of London sex club The Hoist. Director Charles Lum talks about how the it grew into a wide-ranging piece of queer social history.

“I have to say that if you’re gonna talk on and on about history it gets a little dry, so you have to add a little spice to that to grease the hard facts with a little liquid enjoyment!”

Polari’s August Bona-nza: Naked Books.

The founders of Naked Boys Reading talk about how it mixes body and mind, and how a naked reading can change the meaning of a work in unexpected ways.

“It’s always interesting to see how the nakedness, which many people think would overshadow the literature, actually takes a step back as soon as the readers start reading and the audience gets involved in the text rather than the body reading it.”

Porn Star Teacher.

Conner Habib went from academic to porn star. He talks about upcoming book on how people learn to understand sex, and how his two career paths crossed.

“People in power use sex to get themselves more power. People can create legislations and social rules around sex. It’s been purposely divided in a calculated way to divide it from the rest of our lives.”

WIN tickets, books and art zine!

WIN tickets to Comics Unmasked, a book and art zine.

Polari’s August Bona-nza: It’s a sexy world!

The work of Portuguese artist Alexandre Sequeira Lima is interested in queering the political and politicising the queer.

“I could call myself a ‘shy happening’. Shy because I must contain myself sometimes, because you can’t always play yourself twenty-four hours a day.”

Cartoon Strips of David Shenton.

This gallery celebrates 35 years of David Shenton’s cartoon strips, which tell a snap-shot story of gay life in the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s.

Polari’s August Bona-nza: Against the Grain.

Paul Smith considers the art of Aubrey Beardsley, who delighted in a sense of demonic mischief and dared to push against the boundaries of Victorian England.

“It was his bold interpretation of Oscar Wilde’s Salome that brought him huge acclaim with naked demonic hermaphrodites, deformed dwarfs and malevolent women with evil smeared on their lips.”

Polari August Bona-nza: Comic Possibilities.

Grae Hancock writes about how comic books offered role models, challenges and windows into alternative lives as she came to terms with her sexuality.

“It is possible to become a fan of a much-loved series or discover a new indie writer on your own and slowly but surely LGBT voices are making themselves heard and hopefully creating new communities to support those discovering their sexuality.”