Author John Rechy
has been chosen as the recipient of the 2006 One
Culture Hero Award. The award, which will be presented by
the One National Gay and Lesbian Archives on October
28 in Los Angeles, recognizes Rechy's work as a
writer, teacher, and LGBT activist. The program
for the award, titled "An Outlaw at One," will
take place at One's annual fund-raiser and will
include remarks from Rechy himself.
Rechy has penned
17 volumes of fiction, documentary, drama, and essays
during his career. His first novel was City of
Night (1963), a best-selling multifaceted look at gay
life in numerous American cities, particularly Los
Angeles. 1974's The Sexual Outlaw further
delved into the queer sexual subculture of
the 1970s and won praise from the Los Angeles
Times and The New York Times. His latest
work, Beneath the Skin: The Collected Essays of
John Rechy, was published in 2004. He
currently lives in Los Angeles and teaches literature and
film courses for graduate school writers at the
University of Southern California.
One National Gay
and Lesbian Archives is the world's largest research
library on LGBT heritage. Its collections include historical
documents, printed records, photographs, and other
assorted significant objects relating to LGBT culture
and history. One is affiliated with, though not
governed by, the University of Southern California. For more
information visit www.onearchives.org.
(The Advocate)