Book Talk: Morris Kight by Mary Ann Cherry

An afternoon in honor of the Morris Kight biography "Morris Kight: Humanist, Liberationist, Fantabulist: A Story of Gay Rights and Gay Wrongs" with writer Mary Ann Cherry. 

The afternoon will include a conversation that was pre-recorded specifically for this event between Cherry and Rev. Troy Perry, comparing Perry's 1970s activism with what is going on today. Cherry will also talk with Dr. Jon Platania, original co-founder and board member of the Gay Community Services Center. Cherry will share videos of Morris, headlines and details not-in-the-book. There will be a reading and a special live performance by favorite American Songstress, Jolie Holland and a pre-COVID recording from Los Angeles based singing trio, "The Boyfriend."

In the great tradition of Kight's famous McCadden Place happenings, this event will include musical entertainment, laughs, and fun. You'll have to bring your own snacks and sips. Cherry will share her journey of making the book and answer questions from the audience.

About the author: 

Mary Ann Cherry is a Los Angeles based writer with a diverse background in network and syndicated television and independent documentary films. Cherry has worked with non-profit organizations, most recently created the historical archive for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. She enjoys a second career as an in-demand specialized yoga therapist.
      
Praise for the book:

"Morris Kight was a great teacher. He told me if you ever get a standing ovation don't say 'oh sit down, sit down,' - just take it in and let it was over you. Morris didn't ask permission and he didn't ask for forgiveness either. He was the walking clichÇ about how one person can make a difference. There was only one Morris Kight and this book keeps his memory and his incredibly activism alive for generations that will never know anyone quite like him. He was worth knowing and is certainly worth being remembered." ~Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles County Supervisor

"Mary Ann Cherry has given us a portrait of Morris Kight that jumps - or should I say sashays? - off the page with her subject's characteristic brio. But Cherry does not fawn, she does not castigate; she depicts the complexities that comprise a giant of a man who is, after all, mortal."  ~Michael Kearns, Artist - Activist

"This story can be wrapped up in the simple words of Los Angeles City Mayor James Haln: 'There won't be another Morris Kight.' Kight was a man of exquisite simplicity and almost perplexing complexity. This book takes us through both-from his hardscrabble beginnings in very bigoted rural Comanche County, Texas, to his triumphant though still economically marginalized years as a gay icon and organizer in Los Angeles and West Hollywood. Mary Ann Cherry has done an excellent job of bringing Kight not only to life, but to that place of fitting glory where he belongs.  ~Perry Brass, Author, Journalist, Activist

Image: (top) Henning von Berg, The Last Sitting, 2002.