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April Showers Bring May Workshops! Fiction Writing Essentials at the Grundy Library (Bristol, PA) – May 3
May 3 is just around the corner! It’s a busy workshop month for me, kicking off with Fiction Writing Essentials in Bristol, PA. Support your lo
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Health Beat: Bifocals Versus Progressive Lenses – Understanding Your Options for Vision Correction
Health Beat is a feature at LGBTSr highlighting health and wellness.
I recently had a regular eye exam. I knew my vision was getting slightly blurrier. It was impossible not to notice, since I spend a good three hours or more at my desk every day, between writing fiction, maintaining websites, and all the other things I’m doing in front of a computer screen. However, I’m also aware of being on a semi-fixed income: Social Security is about 80 percent of my income, with the rest coming from book royalties and writing workshops.
The question for me this time was: bifocals (the kind with a line across the lens), or another pair of progressives. The price difference is significant. My eye insurance covers some of it, and I knew bifocals were the more affordable option. So that’s what I got!
I don’t know yet if I regret not getting progressive lenses. Having spent $200 out of pocket for the bifocals, I’m determined to get used to them, but the difference is pronounced. Here are some things to think about.
What Are Bifocals?
Bifocal lenses have been a staple in vision correction for years. They feature two distinct optical zones: the upper portion for distance vision and the lower part for reading. This clear division is usually marked by a visible line separating the two segments, which is why bifocals are often referred to as “line bifocals.” Mine are for reading only, so the upper portion is set for reading a computer screen at somewhat of a distance, and the lower portion is for reading close-up text, such as a smart phone or book
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Book Review: Books On Current Events (Various Authors)
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SexBooks on Current Events by various authors
c.2025, various publishers $28 – $30 various page countsThe world seems to be moving at lightning speed.
You can hardly keep up with work and family, so current events sometimes goes on the back burner – which is why you need these great books on things that are relevant to your life now, today…
So you say that you simply cannot understand the politics of those on the other side of the debate. In “What We Value” The Neuroscience of Choice & Change” by Emily Falk (W.W. Norton, $29.99), you’ll see what goes into our thinking.
How can we know what choice is right? And if we pick wrong, why is it so darn hard to change? Read this fascinating book and see how your brain and your experiences affect who you are and how you make decisions, which will also offer insight on others’ thought processes. This is a gentle book with a path to compassion.
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Survey Says! Coming Soon to LGBTSr
Let us know if you like The Weekly Readlines arriving in your virtual mailbox every week. Our imaginary reporters and one tireless editor would like to know.
I’ll be adding more surveys in the coming weeks and even having some fun with them! It will go out with the weekly email and hopefully make opening it a bit of a surprise. And they’ll get more complicated as time goes on. For now I’ll be coming up with some simple multiple-choicers.
Joan Crawford or Bette Davis?
– Joan
– Bette
– An impossible choice
– Before my timeEventually I’ll make my way up to the 12st century. – Mark
I’ll also include these with my weekly Substack, Mark McNease on Topic. SUBSCRIBE HERE.
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A New Goodreads Giveaway! ‘Night Flight to Murder Town: A Marshall James Thriller’, Runs April 9 – 30
For U.S. residents only, per Goodreads
Win 1 of 100 copies of ‘Night Flight to Murder Town: A Marshall James Thriller.’
Marshall James returns for one more walk down murder’s memory lane in ‘Night Flight to Murder Town, Book 4’. Marshall is thinking of leaving New York City with his husband for a new life away from the hectic pace of the nation’s largest city. But how did he get here in the first place? After three stories detailing his harrowing Hollywood past, where lovers, losers, and a serial killer or two nearly ended his life before he could make something of it, he finally tells us how and why he left LaLa Land for Gotham.
It was 1991 and a Christmas card showed up in the mail. An old flame was inviting him to make the move. L.A. had become a ghost town for Marshall and he was ready to get as far away as he could, as fast as a plane would take him. He caught a night flight to New York, and he soon found himself on a new and deadly path to a future he never saw coming.
Money laundering, drug dealing, murder, and high stakes crimes by high-profile people all welcome him with a lethal embrace. It’s an origin story like no How did he end up here? Why did he stay? And is love possible after all that death and destruction? Find out in Night Flight to Murder Town. You’ll need to fasten your seat belts for this one. -
New Workshop Coming in July: They’re Alive! Creating Characters With Lives of Their Own
Character Creation: They’re Alive!Join us on Wednesday, July 30 from 10:00 am – 11:30 am eastern via Zoom ($30)- Limit 6This 90 minute workshop focuses on creating characters with lives of their own, from the protagonist and antagonist to the casual passerby.
Writing is Listening
It Takes a Village
Motive, Means, and Opportunity: No Character Wasted
Who was that masked woman?
Without Conflict There Is No Drama
The Character Biography
AND MUCH MORE!Lean how to welcome a character into your mind and onto the page, with award-winning author and workshop instructor Mark McNease, from the comfort of your desk. This is an online workshop with a 6-person limit.
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Book Review: Poetry Picks for Poetry Month
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezPoetry Books by various authors
c.2025, Penguin $18.99 – $20 various page countsA, B, B, A.
That’s not only how you spell the name of a popular music group. That’s also how a poem might be structured, if it rhymes, or it might be created in other ways. That’s the thing about poetry: it’s all how you perceive it when creating it and reading it. So why not think about putting these great poetry books on your shelf this month…?
When you spend time with poetry, you expect a certain kind of relationship between author and reader. That’s only part of what you get in “The Space Between Men” by Mia S. Willis (Penguin Poets, $20). It might also change the way you feel.
Here, Willis – a poet, historian, and educator – explores culture, Black history, and what it’s like to be Black, Southern, and queer. When those various experiences come together in poetry here, it invites readers to consider the width and depth of the spaces, and their mere existence.
If short but image-fueled poetry appeals to you, this book is worth a good look.
Poetry can take your thoughts in many directions, including thoughts about yourself. If you’re hungry for soul-searching, then try “Is This My Final Form?” by Amy Gerstler (Penguin Poets, $20).
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The Weekly Readlines April 6
From the Editor’s Desk: I attended a ’50 in 50’ protest on Saturday in Frenchtown, NJ (small town, big voice), and a Zoom call on Sunday to revive ACT UP, spearheaded by the Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Ft. Lauderdale. It’s become very clear that we will have to save ourselves and salvage what we can of our many-cultured country as Project 2025 barrels ahead with its destruction. Mediocrity continues to triumph with the obliteration of so many things we care about (libraries, museums, diversity, inclusion, civil rights). It may not be our last stand, but it’s getting pretty close. However … do not despair! Our spirits will never be conquered. – Mark
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S STOP STORIES
Trump Torpedoed The American Economy Before Another Round of Golf
The patient is now in hospiceTrump Blew Off 4 Dead American Soldiers To Hang with the Saudis
He still considers them losersTrump Kills Institute of Museum and Library Services
Making America Illiterate AgainLGBTQ
Heartland Pride Behind On Sponsors Amid Midwest Decline, A Dozen Have Yet To Return
The Government Is Abandoning The Fight Against HIV
‘I Had No Choice’: Tennis Star Kasatkina Leaves Russia Over LGBTQ Rights and War Stance – MSN
Children Of American Service Members Defend Pentagon DEI Policies – Washington Blade
The Global Scientific Community Must Keep Studying LGBT+ Health – Nature
Russia Escalates Attacks On ‘Internal Enemy’ LGBT As It Expands War In Ukraine – Inews
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Hands Off Frenchtown, NJ: Small Town, Big Voice
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The Twist Podcast #290: Corey Kills It, Wisconsin Wins It, and the Fall of the Cadbury Egg
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we salute Corey Booker and the voters of Wisconsin for showing us the way, and grieve the loss of Cadbury Egg’s royal warrant after 170 years. Beyond sad.
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Meet the Members: Author Mark McNease (from the MWA-NY Website)
Mark McNease is the author of the Kyle Callahan Mysteries, three of which have been best sellers on Kindle. His Linda Sikorsky Mystery, Last Room at the Cliff’s Edge, was called a winner by Publishers Weekly. He has released four Marshall James Thrillers, two Maggie Dahl Mysteries, and three books in the horror/supernatural genre under the name M.A. McNease.
Mark has won two Emmys for Outstanding Children’s Program for Into the Outdoors, a television show he co-created that is now in its 23rd year.
Along with being a current MWA-NY board member, Mark is a Certified Guided Autobiography Instructor, guiding small-group participants through the process of thematic journaling. He also conducts workshops in fiction writing and self-publishing. He leads two adult writers’ groups at two libraries (NJ and PA), and a monthly journaling group for New Hope Celebrates, a local LGBTQ community organization
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Mark Goldstein Launches Unlonely LGBTQ Seniors, A Welcoming Community Space
If you haven’t listened to one of Mark Goldstein’s ‘Where Do Gays Retire?’ podcasts (YouTube / everywhere), fasten your headphones! He has a rich archive of conversations with LGBTQ people from around the world … and next door. Learn about the places we live, love and retire.
And now … Mark is launching an online community near and dear to our hearts here at LGBTSr. Community is more important than ever. Check it out, watch the introductory video, and sign up! You’ll also find me, your editor and LGBTSr founder Mark McNease, in the “Buy Curious” section where you’ll see my books and a link to my writing workshops. Mark reminds us we are not alone!
Discover a community where friendship, connection, and belonging come first. Unlonely LGBTQ Seniors is your safe, welcoming space to build meaningful relationships with like-minded LGBTQ+ individuals from around the world. Whether you’re looking for vibrant conversation or heartfelt support, you’ll find it here through our engaging discussion forums, private chat, and live Zoom events that bring our community together face-to-face. It’s more than just a website—it’s a place to share stories, make friends, and feel truly connected. Join us and rediscover the joy of community, every step of the way.
LGBTQSeniors
LGBTQ+ Seniors: You Are Not Alone
Our mission is simple—help LGBTQ+ seniors find companionship, support, and a sense of belonging. Through community forums, private chats, and engaging events, we make it easy to stay connected and thrive at every stage of life.
