Remembering E. Lynn Harris

Today is the 1-year anniversary of E. Lynn Harris‘ death. For those who don’t know, he has been one of the most successful writers in the genre of African American gay fiction. He has written 11 books and 10 of them have become New York Times bestsellers. While many of us mourn his death today, it’s so great to know how immortalized one can become through the power of the written word.

Particularly moving is a gesture three of his best friends made in the months following his death:

Terrance Dean, James Earl Hardy, and Stanley Bennett Clay, have contributed to a “tribute” book to Harris. It’s comprised of an essay from each author exploring Harris’s influence on their own work as well as a novella written in styles reminiscent of Harris’s: basically, breezy, accessible gay romance. The gimmick is that Harris himself actually appears as an actual (minor) character in all three stories.

Along with this, Harris’ last book debuted just last month; In My Father’s House is a story that follows a man whose father won’t let him come home because he is gay. And then there is the wonderful world wide web that allows his fans to peer at old videos such as, In the Life’s take on E. Lynn Harris. Today, let us remember him together and celebrate how is writing not only enabled his own immortality, but how it made visible the lives of gay African Americans in the US.