Remembering John Stahle

Goodbye, John

matthewhittinger — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 01:04:24 +0000

One last post to summarize the past month, and to say goodbye.

If you missed it, click here to read Matthew’s tribute to John posted at LambdaLiterary.org, with which he opened the memorial program.

If you missed the memorial, here is a scan of the program from that day:

You can read Bryan Borland’s reflections about the memorial HERE.

You can read Matthew Hittinger’s reflections about the memorial HERE.

And you can purchase copies of Ganymede Unfinished HERE. Be sure to check out the new journal Assaracus, which will carry Ganymede‘s torch into the future.

We want to leave you with what was, in essence, the benediction to the memorial; remarks from John’s lifelong friend Irma Jaffe which she asked that we read and share:

“When I think of John I always think of what fun it was to be with him. He was so up-to-date on what was going on in New York. And he knew New York–especially who was who, past and present. He knew so much about well-known people–where they lived, and when–even in the 19th century–and it was so interesting to hear what he had to say about them.

“He was my “Going to the movies” partner–our typical date was a movie and something to eat after. Conversation ranged from the movie we had just seen to what’s the solution to Israel and the Mid-East. I know I will never be near 2nd Avenue and 62nd Street without having a sharp, clear memory of my evenings with John Stahle. They were always important to me but now that he’s gone I realize how precious those evenings were. I am 94 years old–I could never have thought that I would be saying goodbye to him! It’s such a terrible shock! Goodbye, John? Oh how could this be! But it is. So, Goodbye, John Stahle, my dear, dear friend. Goodbye from Irma Jaffe–You left the party much too early!”

Update on the Memorial and Ganymede Unfinished

matthewhittinger — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:13:50 +0000

Since we are about a month away from the memorial tribute, a quick update and reminder:

WHEN: Saturday, September 18th, 2:30 p.m.

WHERE: The Lerner Auditorium (Room 301) at The LGBT Center, 208 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011

If you are on Facebook, here is the event page. Please let us know if you plan to attend. If you can’t make it, but would like to send along a tribute to be read or displayed, let me know. And if you can make it and are interested in participating in the memorial, please be in touch with me at m@matthewhittinger.com.

The event will include tributes and readings from: Bryan Borland, Philip Clark, Charlie Vasquez, Ocean Vuong, and me; a eulogy from The Rev. Bob C. Neville; and musical contributions from singer Robert Maril and pianist Lorna Krier. The seven issues of Ganymede, the Ganymede anthologies, and John’s books will be on display along with posters featuring some of the cover art. We will also be selling copies of Ganymede Unfinished, the tribute issue to John and the journal, and all sales that day will go to the cost of the memorial.

Speaking of Ganymede Unfinished, you can preview and order a copy at Sibling Rivalry Press. Kudos to Bryan Borland for all his labor editing and assembling this homage. If you are interested in reviewing this special issue, please contact Bryan Borland at SiblingRivalryPress@gmail.com.

Ganymede Unfinished includes work by Perry Brass, Jee Leong Koh, Matthew Hittinger, Alexander Grafy Gale, Sergio Ortiz, Ocean Vuong, Jeff Mann, Eric Norris, Steven Cordova, Stephen S. Mills, Joseph Harker, Michael Cluff, Walter Holland, Brian Brown, BR Belletryst, Matthew Loney, Seth Ruggles Hiler, Amos Lassen, Jørgen Lien, Philip F. Clark, Scott Hess, Eric Davis, Charlie Vázquez, Garrett Graham, and Nico Corvalán. It also includes John Stahle’s final designs for Ganymede, which feature Digby Mackworth Dolben, Geer Austin, Evan J. Peterson, Derrick Austin, Kevin Simmonds, Bryan Borland, Rickey Laurentiis, Brooks Peters, and Mark Milazzo.

The Memorial Tribute for John Stahle

matthewhittinger — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:08:58 +0000

Mark your calendars! I’ve been busy organizing the memorial tribute for John Stahle and have some details to share:

WHEN: Saturday, September 18th, 2:30 p.m.

WHERE: The Lerner Auditorium (Room 301) at The LGBT Center, 208 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011

We’ve had a suggestion that Schubert’s “Ganymed D544″ be performed. The song is based on the Goethe poem (click here for the original German text and a translation; the audio posted below). If a pianist and singer would like to volunteer to perform, let me know.

As for the program, if you have other ideas, or are interested in participating, please email me: m@matthewhittinger.com.

Welcome to Remembering John Stahle

matthewhittinger — Sat, 29 May 2010 22:57:17 +0000

John Stahle (d. April, 2010) was a writer, graphic designer and the editor of the journal Ganymede, a journal devoted to gay men’s literature based in New York City. John helped promote the work of many up-and-coming queer writers both in the pages of his journal and through his knowledge of self-publishing and design.

We made this site to remember all John did for our community. If you have stories, memories, or other tributes you’d like to post here, just let us know. You can send them to us and we’ll post them, or you can add them as comments.

In Memory of John Stahle

Bryan Borland — Sat, 29 May 2010 20:43:17 +0000

…and the angels, as they passed / whispered to me, “Loved at last. ”

- from “Gay at Eton: Digby Mackworth Dolben,” a piece by John Stahle which would have appeared in Ganymede #9.

John, you will be missed, but the beauty you put into this world is immortal. You’ve been swooped up by the talons of Zeus and have taken your place as cup-bearer to the gods… Ginsberg, Whitman, Wilde, Norse… I can’t help but picture you smiling.