A twink-death-forward review of my memoir AFTERLIFE OF A KEPT BOY appears in Issue 005 of The Whitney Review of New Writing. I also appear in the issue as a contributor, reviewing a memoir by the late Felice Picano, whose death in March came while we were actively corresponding. Despite health challenges, Felice was gracious enough to provide me with a blurb for my memoir:
Afterlife of a Kept Boy is a sensational read, immediate, engrossing, frank and at times way out there. Corvino’s detailing in at least the first part is so intricate and accurate one could reproduce the upper-upper’s lunch and dining boîtes down to the wallpaper. His portrait of the 1990’s East Side Bohemian life that seems so far away now is fresh and his character sketches often affectionately rounded.”
Not only did he blurb my book, he served up some delicious chisme in his emails: “In the 60’s early 70’s I was being “dated” by these guys and going to these places. But mine were pretty sober and I was a young writer and ice princess–untouchable.”
I offered to review AMBIDEXTROUS because I was so struck by its history– first released in 1985, it was soon after declared obscene, the first shipment to Great Britain seized and burned on the London docks. It was re-released in 2024 by Beautiful Dreamer Press. I admire it greatly as a memoir and for taking on the topic of childhood sexuality. A bite from the review:
Across three novella-length sections collected in a single volume, Picano recounts explorations with forward tween sisters, homosexual initiations with teen gang members, and running a mimeographed smut racket with his fellow gifted classmates.
Especially in the recollection of his glue-sniffing first love, the author’s sharp phrasing cuts through emotions and landscapes like a feat of engineering.”
My gratitude to Felice for his support of my work and I wish I’d been able to share my review of AMBIDEXTROUS with him.
