The Gay Men's Book Group dates back about 20 years, to the Gerber/Hart Library & Archives.
But for almost three years, the peer-group has called the Center on Halsted its now—with two-hour meetings held on the fourth Tuesday of every month, starting at 7 pm.
"We're a group of guys who enjoy coming together for stimulating discussions once a month, revolving around a book that, we as a group, have chosen to take on," said Jeff Fayerman, who serves as the group's facilitator. He has been attending the group's meeting since August 2009, and often attends with his partner ( Dave York, 77 ).
There is no formal signup to attend, though attendees must be male-identified. Meetings average around 15 attendees, predominantly 40 and older, though the group's members range in age from their 20s to their 70s.
"The diversity of the books [chosen to be discussed] gets me reading books that, on my own, I might not have chosen [to read,]" said Fayerman, 64, who is originally from New Jersey and has lived in Chicago since 2006. He is retired and lives in Lincoln Park.
All books are gay-themed books or ones that will appeal to gay men, Fayerman said.
"There are no rules for the discussion; there are no right or wrong opinions. We just request that everyone respects the diversity of the group because we come from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds, which really lend themselves to good discussions," Fayerman said.
The March book was Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers, while April was The Glass Menagerie and Vieux Carre from Tennessee Williams.
Past books discussed by the group include The Hunger of Money ( by Richard Rodriguez ), Howl and Other Stories ( Allen Ginsberg ), Me ( Ricky Martin ), Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star ( Tab Hunter ) and The Picture of Dorian Gray ( Oscar Wilde ), among others.
The group even tackled the 643-page At Swim, Two Boys ( Jamie O'Neill ).
"Our most important criteria for choosing a book is, will it lead to good, stimulating conversation—and not all books will, even if they are good books," Fayerman said. "At times, we've read books that not many people like; some [members] even said [the book] was bad. But the reality is, you can still have really good discussions about a book that is not good. I don't think we've ever had a situation where everyone thought a book was bad."
The group is open to repeating books from the past, but seldom does it go that route, Fayerman said.
For more information about the Gay Men's Book Group, contact the Center of Halsted.
