- David Toussaint
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David Toussaint Born David Toussaint
April 23, 1964
Walnut Creek, California, U.S.Residence Manhattan Nationality American Occupation Writer, Commentator, Theater Critic, Playwright David Toussaint (born April 23, 1964) is an American writer, commentator, theater critic and playwright.
Contents
Biography
Born on April 23, 1964 to Maynard and Leona Toussaint in Walnut Creek, California, Toussaint is the youngest of five children including Beth Toussaint. Toussaint's first poem was published in a Contra Costa County elementary school competition when he was in second grade. While in high school, he was an intern for the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek and eventually was hired as an assistant to the real estate editor. From 1977 to 1979, Toussaint attended the American Conservatory Theater and toured as an actor throughout California with the Theater's Young Conservatory group. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles with a major in English literature. Toussaint now lives in Manhattan.
Career
Since 1997, Toussaint has written articles for Brides magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Working Woman, Instinct, RealJack.com, Gay Financial Network, Outsider Ink, OurWeddingDay.com, Caribbean Travel and Life and Diversion magazine. He has been an editor at Conde Nast and a three-time Guest Editor for Francis Ford Coppola's ASME-award-winning online magazine Zoetrope - All Story Extra.[1] Currently he writes a weekly column and is a theater critic for EDGE magazine [1].
In 2003, Toussaint wrote an article entitled Outward Bound[2] on same-sex weddings for Brides magazine. It was the first article on gay and lesbian weddings ever published by any of the five major, top-selling bridal magazines and its publication created a significant controversy when reported by the New York Times.[3] Toussaint's article opened the door to mainstream cultural acceptance of same-sex weddings.
Because of his work, Danielle Durkin of Random House approached Toussaint to write Gay and Lesbian Weddings: Planning the Perfect Same-Sex Ceremony[4] which was published by Ballantine Books in 2004. Evan Wolfson, Executive Director, Freedom to Marry commented about Toussaint's book: "While gay people's struggle to win the right to marry continues, weddings are already happening -- and gay couples, their families, and friends planning their celebration will benefit from the advice..."[5] And, Rita Mae Brown wrote: "If you’re going to tie the knot (so long as it’s not around your partner’s neck), this is the book for you."[6]
Toussaint's original one-act play, Backstage Bitches,[7] was produced and directed by him and ran for two consecutive summers in New York City (1998–1999). The play starred a young Jake Robards,[8] son of Jason Robards, in his professional acting debut and whose career now includes many movies and television roles.
TOUSSAINT! by David Toussaint, was published by Stay Thirsty Press, a division of Stay Thirsty Media, Inc., in May 2009, first as an eBook on the Amazon Kindle Platform for the Kindle, the iPhone and the iPod touch. Drawn from thirty-six columns Toussaint wrote mostly for EDGE, he uses current events, pop culture and politics to tell his personal story.
Works
Non-fiction
TOUSSAINT!, Stay Thirsty Press, 2009
Gay and Lesbian Weddings: Planning the Perfect Same-Sex Ceremony, Ballantine, 2004
Short fiction
Fire, Literary Potpourri, 2003[9]
The Dream of the Rabbits, Snow Monkey, 2002[10]
Queer Window - A Chelsea "Horror" Story, Outsider Ink, 1999[11]
References
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=FdJZAAAAMAAJ&q=zoetrope+magazine&dq=zoetrope+magazine&pgis=1
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=fqg7rL6fgKoC&pg=PA286&dq=brides+toussaint
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/28/business/media/28BRID.html
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345475747
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345475747
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345475747
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=X1K_2uvK--IC&pg=PA179&dq=backstage+bitches
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1102160/
- ^ http://www.literarypotpourri.com/003_07/ss_02.html
- ^ http://www.ravennapress.com/snowmonkey/volume.php?volume=4&issue=3
- ^ http://outsiderink.com/99/fall/toussaint.html
External links
Categories:- American writers
- 1964 births
- Living people
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