Every Time I Think of You - a novel (2011)
(with a blog)
Published review excerpts for Every Time I Think of You:
“[Every Time I Think of You] opens readers' eyes, minds and hearts to corners of the world they may never have realized existed. Everett's paralysis is less metaphoric, more an opportunity to explore the effect of disability on two growing boys who just happen to be gay. It's not easy to write a novel about sports, gay teenagers and sex in (and out of) wheelchairs. Jim Provenzano has done it, with grace and power.” – Dan Woog, syndicated columnist, The Outfield
“With Reid and Everett, the author has created two counterparts that complement each other beautifully. Their romance, simple and pure, yet heated and passionate, is strikingly genuine. Furthermore, they’re both likable, so much so that the reader can’t help but cheer for them. Even the most jaded among us will experience a renewed faith in love and romance after reading it.” – Christopher Verleger, Edge on the Net
“There are so many levels of nuance to Provenzano's story. But reading about the clever ways in which they find to spend time together is inspiring and touching. It's an exciting voyage of discovery, for them and for readers alike. When the story takes its more serious turn, Every Time I Think of You becomes a tale of heartbreak, courage, and healing. It's a remarkable, uplifting story.” – David Elijah Nahmod, Bay Area Reporter
“A beautiful story of friendship, devotion and love, as well as a practical lesson on dealing with physically challenged individuals.” – Eric Lind, Echo Magazine
“Sweet, and tender, with the right feeling for a teenage love story.” – Elisa Rolle, Elisa Reviews
“Provenzano’s characters are rich and complex. Provenzano’s sense of pace and plotting are dead on, so things never drag, and his prose is straightforward and never showy. It’s a well-told tale whose aim to inform as well as entertain certainly hits the mark.” – Terry Wheeler, Out in Print
“This is a unique coming of age story replete with the surprise one feels when he realizes that he is in love. I love the way the writer brought opposites together here—heartbreak and peace, familiar and unknown, humor and near tragedy.” – Amos Lassen Reviews
Cyclizen - a novel (2007)
(with a blog)
Advance praise for Cyclizen:
"From the ashes of office temp arises a courier on two wheels in search of the man who got away. As he whizzes up and down the thoroughfares of Manhattan, fleeing his past, sizing up his future, he careens headlong into lust's pothole. Watch our hero as he falls under the spell of a dashing and dastardly inside trader. How far will the seduction go? Only the Cyclizen knows."
- Ian Philips, author, See Dick Deconstruct
" Juggling AIDS activism, corporate and individual greed, all through the travails of a bike messenger in search of love and belonging, Cyclizen is noteworthy for its fine characterization and poignant lyricism. Provenzano explores love and friendship with insight and nuance, marking his work as unique, vital and significant."
- Trebor Healey, author of Through It Came Bright Colors
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Sporting Life
GLBT Athletics and Cultural Change
From the 1960s to Today
through Dec. 2006 at the GLBT Historical Society
"An Emerald City version of a school gym's trophy cabinet, illustrating the community's inclusive reputation, and surpassing straight sports culture." - Bay Area Reporter
"The rich and colorful exhibit... documents the thriving gay athletic scene ... The exhibit is filled with rare items, gleaming under lights and organized by sport from track and field to bowling. In one case are original medals from the first Gay Games." - San Jose Mercury News
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Monkey Suits, a novel (2003)
"A nostalgic Manhattan-set novel about unfocused youth, mercurial boyfriends, and the early days of ACT UP anger - part sneering and part servile, a nervy imbalance gives it subversive, comic clout." - Richard LaBonte, Bookmarks
"Jim Provenzano's brilliant new novel Monkey Suits captures perfectly the Reagan Age as it examines the lives of gay cater-waiters working the Metropolitan Museum's swank parties, while getting politicized by ACT-UP." - Author David Ehrenstein
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Wrestling Team, the German translation of PINS (Amazon.de). "Der 15-jahrige Joe eifert im Ringerteam seiner neuen Schule den 3 Radelsfuhrern nach. Auf einen davon fahrt Joe besonders ab, aber der ist bestimmt nicht schwul - und sich zu outen ist fur Joe einfach nicht drin - schlieblich will er nicht so enden wie Anthony aus dem Team, der wegen seines Andersseins ganz unten in der Hackordnung der Sportler steht. Die Hanseleien fuhren schlieblich zu einem Mord."
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PINS the play (2002 San Francisco and 2006 Chicago productions)
"Jim Provenzano's play, based on his novel, is a coming-of-age narrative about a high school wrestler grappling with being gay. Few of the plot developments are surprising: there's bullying, crying, parental bafflement, innocence lost, self-knowledge won.
But Provenzano shows a deep fondness for his characters and a sure understanding of the wrestling milieu. He's particularly adept at handling the crosscurrents of fear and lust produced by the conflict between the sport's potential homoeroticism and the team members' homophobia. ... nicely captures the tender ache of adolescence; Eddie Bennett is particularly endearing as the conflicted young wrestler." - Zac Thompson, Chicago Reader
"PINS is a good choice for Bailiwick's Pride Series. It presents gay issues that are mostly neglected in stage work and it ends on a hopeful note." - Chicago Free Press
MORE REVIEWS
PINS the play (2002)
"Played with quietly moving intensity ... beautifully written passages" - San Francisco Chronicle
"A strong, well-staged world premiere production. Provenzano shows great skill with naturalistic dialogue and a healthy dose of wry humor. Nick Tagas inhabits the demanding role with total conviction, great physicality and a puckish charm. - SF Examiner
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PINS, a novel (1999)
"A full-fledged miracle of writing." - New York Blade News
"A brooding chronicle of Catholic guilt, faith, family and sexuality in a New Jersey of intolerance. The characters here are real and loaded with depth, making the action and uncertain ending that much more vivid and ultimately poignant.
PINS is an auspicious debut, sort of a Catcher in the Rye about disillusioned gay jocks. It firmly establishes Jim Provenzano as an important new voice in early 21st-century fiction." - Torso Magazine
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Every Time I Think of You
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Cyclizen
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Monkey Suits
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PINS
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Short Fiction
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Contact
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