Queer writer John
Rechy to receive Culture Hero Award

Author John Rechy has been chosen as the recipient of the 2006 One Culture Hero Award. The award, which will be presented by the One National Gay and Lesbian Archives on October 28 in Los Angeles, recognizes Rechy's work as a writer, teacher, and LGBT activist. The program for the award, titled "An Outlaw at One," will take place at One's annual fund-raiser and will include remarks from Rechy himself.

Rechy has penned 17 volumes of fiction, documentary, drama, and essays during his career. His first novel was City of Night (1963), a best-selling multifaceted look at gay life in numerous American cities, particularly Los Angeles. 1974's The Sexual Outlaw further delved into the queer sexual subculture of the 1970s and won praise from the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. His latest work, Beneath the Skin: The Collected Essays of John Rechy, was published in 2004. He currently lives in Los Angeles and teaches literature and film courses for graduate school writers at the University of Southern California.

One National Gay and Lesbian Archives is the world's largest research library on LGBT heritage. Its collections include historical documents, printed records, photographs, and other assorted significant objects relating to LGBT culture and history. One is affiliated with, though not governed by, the University of Southern California. For more information visit www.onearchives.org. (The Advocate)