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15 Check Out what’s Trending on the Cat-Walk

from OUT AFRICA MAGAZINE Issue 43

by Keith Coventry

from OUT AFRICA MAGAZINE Issue 43, page 22

Article from: OUT AFRICA MAGAZINE Issue 43

The March

DRESSING THE PART

With so many of us out of work it is important that when you go for that all important, life-changing interview that you are looking professional - as - sartorial elegance is the key ...

Photo by Jacob Blankenship on Unsplash

DRESSING THE PART

With so many of us out of work it is important that when you go for that all important, life-changing interview that you are looking professional - as first impressions are crucial - sartorial elegance is the key ...

Photo by David Lezcano on Unsplash

Photo by Taylor Grote on Unsplash

DRESSING THE PART

A good quality suit, shirt, good shoes, belt & tie and if you need them top accessories such as great eye wear, neck wear, watches etc all combine to create an unforgettable and favour able first impression - so get out there and show the world you

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

Photo by AndriyKo Podilnyk on Unsplash

DRESSING THE PART

A good quality suit, shirt, good shoes, belt & tie and if you need them top accessories such as great eye wear, neck wear, watches etc all combine to create an unforgettable and favourable first impression - so get out there and show the world you have what it takes!!!

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

CELEBRATING NEW LIFE BLACK GAY WRITERS ARE WINNERS BLACK GAY WRITERS ARE WINNERS

Out CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who in his earlier journalism days worked in South Africa for a short while, celebrated the birth of his son, Wyatt, on April 27.

He tweeted: “I want to share with you some joyful news. On Monday, I became a father. This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He is named after my father, who died when I was ten. I hope I can be as good a dad as he was. ... As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I’m grateful for all those who have paved the way, and for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in my son’s birth.”

But, surprising to many viewers, along with the ‘proud dad’ announcement, Cooper has publicly shared that his exboyfriend, Benjamin Maisani, (pictured above) will co-parent Wyatt.

“I don’t really have a family, so my friends become my family,” said the 52-year-old journalist. “And this is somebody that I was involved with for 10 years. He’s a great guy.”

Cooper’s mother was acclaimed artist, fashion designer and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, who passed away last summer at the age of 95. His father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, died in 1978 when Anderson was just 10-years-old.

“And so I thought, if something happens to me – or even if something doesn’t happen to me – if more people love my son and are in his life, I’m all for that,” he said. “My ex is a great guy and it’s good to have two parents if you can.”

Black gay writers have walked away with the most prestigious honours at this year’s Pulitzer Prize awards.

The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry has been won by Jericho Brown for his recent collection The Tradition, while the Pulitzer Prize for Drama was awarded to Michael R. Jackson for his acclaimed 2019 play A Strange Loop.

The Pulitzer Prize awards - which honour US writers and journalists and were first held over a century ago, in 1917 - took place digitally on Monday (4 May) after initially being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jericho Brown’s winning poetry collection offers personal and political dissections of modern terrors including mass shootings and the murder of unarmed citizens by police.

The 44-year-old poet’s previous collection, 2014’s The New Testament, addressed what it mean to be a black gay man living in the United States.

In an interview, Brown, who lives with HIV, explained how his identity was a conduit for expression rather than something that constrained him.

Meanwhile, Michael R. Jackson helped make it a historic night for queer black writers after taking home the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The Detroit-born writer’s winning play is a semi-autobiographical work which follows a young artist battling his inner demons. It debuted Off-Broadway in May last year.

The protagonist - named ‘Usher’ after his day job as an usher for The Lion King on Broadway - is an overweight, gay, black writer attempting to make it in a heteronormative white world.

Jackson, who like his protagonist has been carving out his own success despite being the namesake of a world-famous musician, was previously named one of the ‘Black Male Writers for our Time’ by The New York Times in 2018.

Taking to Twitter after his Pulitzer Prize win was announced, Jackson wrote: “Never in my wildest dreams. NEVER. IN MY. WILDEST. DREAMS. Thank you to everyone who has supported me on my journey to such an incredible honour. I’m sure I’ll have more to say once I’ve caught my breath and looked at all these text messages and emails but for now, THANK YOU. “

I am sure we will hear more from both these talented, remarkable gay men as they face the challenges that black people face but also the issues facing gay people today. We honour trailblazers in the LGBTI community