Ted A. Richard reads from his book, "The 16th Second" for the Louisiana Words Tour at Cavalier House Books in Lafayette, LA. Get an up-close-and-personal look into the life of Ted A Richard - Author/Activist, who survived homophobia, addiction, abuse, and HIV/AIDS, in THE 16th SECOND: https://bit.ly/3VEpsLV. Why readers are raving: “THE 16TH SECOND is well worth reading for its portrayal of 40 tumultuous years in LGBTQ history, as told by a funny, flawed, and human man.” ~ IndieReader “The gay community has few elders because of the AIDS epidemic, and with this memoir, Richard steps into that role. He provides an insider's social history of gay men in the American South during the 1980s and 1990s. Though there are many solemn and heartbreaking moments, Richard also writes with great humor and cheer. The most delightful part of this book is the author's conversational tone. It reads like oral history, with chatty (and sometimes catty) asides throughout the narrati...

  Lance Wise reads his poem, "Uncle" for the Louisiana Words Tour at George's Place in Baton Rouge, LA.

These chains and whips hurt Where has my sanity gone? I'm sitting here eating your dirt Hoping that it will soon be dawn  This sonnet is third in my misery  You don't even care about us  Oh, how love has become dreary Humiliation seeping out like puss You bit off my hand as I fed you   I hunger and thirst for any love  Because you ate my cake too Our love has become sour love The bondage of my soul to yours  Has me down praying on all fours 

  This whole world is a pageant!! We live our lives in a constant state of judgment, which is why so many of us often feel like we just don’t “measure up”.   “Are we pretty enough?” “Are we smart enough?” “Where do we fit in on that scale from one to ten?” Yes, our life is a pageant, and everyone is trying to win!!! But why do we allow others to judge us? Who the heck entered us in this pageant? They don’t know us? They don’t know who we are? All “the judges” know are what they SEE, and that’s only half of who we ARE !! It seems like we are always trying to win this pageant in which no one ever gets the crown. Yes, we all WANT the crown! But why does no one ever GET the crown? Truth is, anyone can have the crown… But is it really that important? Is a little bit of sparkle on your head really worth all the trouble we went through to get it? We have allowed ourselves to be culturalized into a society in which the basics of our beliefs and the content of our character are constan...