Neil Miller (writer)
Encyclopedia
Neil Miller is an American
journalist
and nonfiction writer, best known for his books on LGBT history
and culture.
. He was the news editor of the Gay Community News, the first weekly gay and lesbian newspaper in the United States, from 1975 to 1978, and also served as the paper's features and managing editor. He worked as a staff writer at the Boston Phoenix in the early 1980s.
Miller's most acclaimed book, In Search of Gay America, published in 1989, was the first book to examine gay and lesbian life outside the large metropolitan areas. Miller's subjects include the openly gay mayor of a small Missouri town, gay dairy farmers in Minnesota, a lesbian coal miner in West Virginia, and gay Native Americans in South Dakota. The book won a Lambda Literary Award in 1991 and was honored by the American Library Association. His second book, the ambitious Out in the World (1992), looked at gay and lesbian life in twelve countries around the world, including South Africa, Egypt, Thailand, Japan, Australia, and Denmark. His next book, Out of the Past, was an international survey of LGBT history beginning in 1869, the first time the word "homosexuality" appeared in print. First published in 1995, the book ranged in scope from the story of Plains Indians to the Nazi persecution of homosexuals to America in the age of AIDS. A revised, updated version appeared in 2006.
His interest in gay history led him to write Sex-Crime Panic, an investigative account of the round-up and incarceration of 20 gay men in Sioux City, Iowa, during the McCarthy period. The round-up followed the brutal, unsolved murders of two small children. Although the men were never linked to the crimes in any way, they were labeled as "sexual psychopaths" and incarcerated in a locked ward of a state mental hospital until they were deemed "cured." Sex-Crime Panic received a Lambda Literary Award in 2002, as well as the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction from the Publishing Triangle. The story was almost completely unknown until Miller discovered it, tracking down participants and victims in detective-like fashion.
In a departure, Miller's 2008 book, Kartchner Caverns was a nonfiction account of the discovery of stunning limestone caves in southern Arizona by two young men in 1974, and their 25 year quest to save them from environmental degradation. The caves are now an Arizona state park. Kartchner Caverns was the winner of the 2009 Arizona Book Award for "best book," awarded by the Arizona Publishing Association. It also received a Southwest Book Award for 2008 from the Border Regional Library Association
.
Miller's latest book, "Banned in Boston
" is an account of the New England Watch and Ward Society's 90-year role as Boston's "moral guardian," censoring books and plays and raiding places of gambling and prostitution. The powerful organization was funded by Boston's "Brahmin" elite. The book was published by Beacon Press in the fall of 2010.
Miller's freelance articles have appeared in the Boston Globe Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, CommonWealth Magazine, the Unitarian Universalist World, The Advocate, and Out. He teaches journalism and nonfiction writing at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and nonfiction writer, best known for his books on LGBT history
LGBT history
LGBT history refers to the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peoples and cultures around the world, dating back to the first recorded instances of same-sex love and sexuality of ancient civilizations. What survives of many centuries' persecution– resulting in shame, suppression,...
and culture.
Life
Miller was born in Kingston, New York, in 1945 and graduated from Kingston High School and Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. He was the news editor of the Gay Community News, the first weekly gay and lesbian newspaper in the United States, from 1975 to 1978, and also served as the paper's features and managing editor. He worked as a staff writer at the Boston Phoenix in the early 1980s.
Miller's most acclaimed book, In Search of Gay America, published in 1989, was the first book to examine gay and lesbian life outside the large metropolitan areas. Miller's subjects include the openly gay mayor of a small Missouri town, gay dairy farmers in Minnesota, a lesbian coal miner in West Virginia, and gay Native Americans in South Dakota. The book won a Lambda Literary Award in 1991 and was honored by the American Library Association. His second book, the ambitious Out in the World (1992), looked at gay and lesbian life in twelve countries around the world, including South Africa, Egypt, Thailand, Japan, Australia, and Denmark. His next book, Out of the Past, was an international survey of LGBT history beginning in 1869, the first time the word "homosexuality" appeared in print. First published in 1995, the book ranged in scope from the story of Plains Indians to the Nazi persecution of homosexuals to America in the age of AIDS. A revised, updated version appeared in 2006.
His interest in gay history led him to write Sex-Crime Panic, an investigative account of the round-up and incarceration of 20 gay men in Sioux City, Iowa, during the McCarthy period. The round-up followed the brutal, unsolved murders of two small children. Although the men were never linked to the crimes in any way, they were labeled as "sexual psychopaths" and incarcerated in a locked ward of a state mental hospital until they were deemed "cured." Sex-Crime Panic received a Lambda Literary Award in 2002, as well as the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction from the Publishing Triangle. The story was almost completely unknown until Miller discovered it, tracking down participants and victims in detective-like fashion.
In a departure, Miller's 2008 book, Kartchner Caverns was a nonfiction account of the discovery of stunning limestone caves in southern Arizona by two young men in 1974, and their 25 year quest to save them from environmental degradation. The caves are now an Arizona state park. Kartchner Caverns was the winner of the 2009 Arizona Book Award for "best book," awarded by the Arizona Publishing Association. It also received a Southwest Book Award for 2008 from the Border Regional Library Association
Border Regional Library Association
The Border Regional Library Association promotes libraries and librarianship in the tri-border region of West Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico. The non-profit organization was founded in 1966 and, as of 2009, has over 100 members including libraries, librarians, trustees,...
.
Miller's latest book, "Banned in Boston
Banned in Boston
"Banned in Boston" was a phrase employed from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century to describe a literary work, motion picture, or play prohibited from distribution or exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts, USA...
" is an account of the New England Watch and Ward Society's 90-year role as Boston's "moral guardian," censoring books and plays and raiding places of gambling and prostitution. The powerful organization was funded by Boston's "Brahmin" elite. The book was published by Beacon Press in the fall of 2010.
Miller's freelance articles have appeared in the Boston Globe Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, CommonWealth Magazine, the Unitarian Universalist World, The Advocate, and Out. He teaches journalism and nonfiction writing at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.