Genre Bender

New York at Night, 1955We normally shy away from genre fiction, but The Dying Nude, a novel-in-progress by Allan Converse, is something special.

A historian by profession, Converse carefully researched the lives of gay women in 1950s New York and produced a work that draws equally from the tradition of American crime fiction and the lesbian pulp novel. We’re excited to be featuring a selection from the manuscript in the Fall issue of PDR.

You can find an interview with Allan and hear him reading his work at the site for the Champs Not Chumps podcast. The page also features image galleries of 1950s New York and covers from crime and lesbian pulp novels. You’ll also find plenty of resources for learning more about burlesque, crime fiction, and other topics relevant to the novel.