Author Steven Rowley: "This Book Is About an F-Bomb Dropping Gay"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Release Date: 09/12/2016
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
This is a special crossover episode with the film podcast Linoleum Knife Presents More Linoleum Knife hosting by husbands and film critics Dave White and Alonso Duralde who Dennis has been friends with since the 1990s. They invited Dennis on to talk about one of his favorite movies ever, Xanadu starring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly and Michael Beck. Dennis shares a slew of memories related to the film, like when he watched it in his hometown of Holbrook, AZ and the power went out during the screening, that time he got to be a paid to dance in front of the screen while the movie was playing...
info_outline Author Abdi Nazemian Part 2 ("Only This Beautiful Moment"): "My Books Aren't About The Fact That They've Been Banned. My Books Are About What They're About"DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Part 2 of Dennis's conversation with author Abdi Nazemian focuses on his latest book Only This Beautiful Moment, which recently won the Stonewall Award from Young Adult Literature. Abdi talks about drawing inspiration for the multigenerational story from his own family, how he was able to write scenes set in Iran despite having left there when he was a child and the longing he feels for the country and it's people. He also talks about what it feels like to have his two most recent books banned in many schools, how that affects his bottom line and how he learned the hard way not to engage...
info_outline Author Abdi Nazemian ("Like A Love Story"): "The Opposite of Shame Is Madonna"DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by author Abdi Nazemian (Only This Beautiful Moment) to discuss his previous book Like A Love Story, which is about three high schoolers in the late 1980's who are obsessed with Madonna. Dennis first met Abdi at a queer writers mixer and commented on Abdi's Madonna T-shirt. They discovered they were both big fans of Madge so it made sense to talk for the podcast after they had both seen Madonna's current Celebration Tour. Abdi and Dennis compare notes about the tour and share the moments they found most inspiring and moving. Abdi also talks about how his Madonna...
info_outline ACMT WORKSHOP REUNION w/ Kristin Dahl, Sherri Fleming, Karole Forman, Dennis Osborne and Jon ThomasDENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this special episode of Dennis Anyone, Dennis is joined by five friends he's known since 1986 when he moved from Arizona to Los Angeles to take part in a 12-week long performing workshop put on by American Center for Musical Theater at held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles. This reunion meal happened in 2017 and was held at the Moorpark, CA home of Kristin Dahl and her husband Eric and the other attendees are Sherri Fleming, Karole Forman, Dennis Osborne and Jon Thomas. The group talks about what that intensive workshop meant for them in their lives and share what...
info_outline TCM Host and Author Dave Karger (50 Oscar Nights): "Oprah Roses Don't Die"DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by TCM host Dave Karger to discuss his new book, 50 Oscar Nights: Iconic Stars and Filmmakers On Their Career Defining Wins, which features delicious new interviews with icons like Nicole Kidman, Jane Fonda, Martin Scorsese and Mel Brooks as well as lesser-known winners like Precious screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher, documentarian Jessica Yu and sound mixer Kevin O'Connell who was nominated 20 times before finally taking home the gold for Heartbreak Ridge. Dave talks about how some winners revealed to him that they were going through tough times in their personal lives...
info_outline THE YEAR IN MOVIES 2023 Part 2 w/ film critic Glenn Gaylord and actor-writer Drew DroegeDENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic at The Queer Review, and actor-writer-film enthusiast Drew Droege to talk about the movies of last year; their favorites, the moments that have stuck with them and the movies they just weren’t that into. The films discussed include Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, Dicks: The Musical, A Good Person, Cassandro, Oppenheimer, NYAD, Poor Things, Origin, Passages, The Iron Claw, Past Lives, 80 For Brady, Book Club 2, Rustin, Ferrari, The Teacher’s Lounge, Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?, Problemista, Kokomo City, You Hurt My...
info_outline THE YEAR IN MOVIES 2023 Part 1 w/ film critic Glenn Gaylord and actor-writer-film lover Drew DroegeDENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic at The Queer Review, and actor-writer-film enthusiast Drew Droege to talk about the movies of last year; their favorites, the moments that have stuck with them and the movies they just weren’t that into. The films discussed include The Zone of Interest, American Fiction, M3GAN, Bottoms, All of Us Strangers, Somewhere In Queens, May December, The Holdovers, Fast X, Fallen Leaves and Monster. They also talk about what a great year it was for cinema generally and Dennis shares a story involving a fan of the short film he...
info_outline Playwright & Director Luke Yankee ("Marilyn, Mom & Me"): "My Mother Was Famous For Going 'Fire, Ready, Aim'!"DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by playwright and director Luke Yankee whose new play Marilyn, Mom, and Me will have its World Premier on February 16th at the International City Theatre in Long Beach, CA. The play is about Luke's mother, Oscar-winning actress Eileen Heckart and her close friendship Marilyn Monroe while they were shooting the movie Bus Stop together in the mid-1950's and how that relationship affected Luke's own feelings about his mother. Luke recalls that whenever he would mention Marilyn to his mother, she would burst into tears and how that ultimately inspired him to...
info_outline Author Curtis Chin ("Everything I Learned, I Learned In A Chinese Restaurant"): "I Live My Life As A Chinese Waiter"DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by author Curtis Chin to discuss his new memoir Everything I Learned, I Learned In A Chinese Restaurant, which is about his upbringing as one of six kids raised by parents who owned a Chinese restaurant in downtown Detroit called Chung's. Curtis talks about what a magical place Chung's was and what it was like to visit it recently when it was sealed up and abandoned. He also recalls how his parents encouraged him to talk to and befriend everyone who came to Chung's and how that openness has helped him in his life. He also talks about his deep love for his...
info_outline Author Tim Murphy ("Speech Team"): "I Don't Even Think I Knew What Mincing Meant"DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by novelist Tim Murphy to discuss his latest novel Speech Team, which he describes as a book about "small T trauma." The book is about four friends in their 40's who were on their high school speech team who reunite and decide to confront the teacher who led the group and said some f-ed up things to each of them back in the 80's. Tim talks about how this is his most autobiographical novel yet and how he actually prefers to write about characters who are less close to home. Dennis, who was also on his high school speech team in Arizona, compares notes and memories...
info_outlineDennis visits the L.A. apartment of best-selling author Steven Rowley to talk about his debut novel "Lilly and the Octopus," about a gay and his dog. Steven talks about the real-life inspiration for the book, how his boyfriend encouraged him to make it more than a short story and how he went from thinking he's going to self-publish it to scoring a reported $1 million advance from Simon and Schuster. Steven and Dennis compare notes about yelling at their dogs, working with publisher-turned-agent Rob Weisbach, how tattoos are sexy and how honored Steve feels when readers open up to him about their dogs. Other topics include: underwear night at the long-gone Apache gay bar in Studio City, Steven randomly being at the launch party for Dennis's book "Misadventures in the (213)" day jobs, The Sound of Music and riding in an elevator with Arthur Miller. www.stevenrowley.com