Along with people like Kathy Acker and Robert Mapplethorpe, David Wojnarowicz worked to bring gay culture out of its campy, self-mocking state and turn it into something that could stand beside as opposed to in opposition to straight culture. His is also one of the queer and AIDS activism stories that helped open my eyes to the nature of oppression in the US. The last line of his collection of writing, Close To the Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration: “Smell the flowers while you can.” -- Jana Hunter, Lower Dens

[more Lower Dens x gorilla vs. bear takeover posts can be found here]