One-Night Stand and Other Poems

About the Book

“I’m a big fan of Arnold Schwab’s poems -- devilishly clever, and revealing, to say the least! As a ninety year old myself who hangs on to his sexuality, I give a cheer to another ninety year old who refuses to allow himself to be neutered by society’s ageist prejudices and writes about his sexuality. I can’t praise enough these skilful, entertaining poems that invite us to peer in through his bedroom window -- and there’s plenty going on there!” -Edward Field “I love reading Arnold Schwab’s poetry, and you will too. Witty, bracing, sexy, elegant, self-deprecating, but always honest, his verse covers a full range of human experience with a kind eye and understanding heart. As a craftsman in the art of poetry, he’s stingy with words, choosing only the fittest. Lucky reader, see for yourself.” -Leslie B. Mittleman Emeritus Professor of English, CSULB “If A. E. Housman were alive in the past three decades, he would have welcomed Arnold Schwab’s keenly crafted and frank observations on life as an aging gay man. Literate, ironic, humorous, and at times poignant, these poems are a welcome addition to the canon of 21st-century poetry. Readers of any sexual orientation will find something in them to cherish and relate to.” -Clifton Snider “While most writers are past their creative momentum in their eighties, Arnold Schwab’s pen does not run dry. Well into his nineties he continues to write poems with news that stays news, contemplating among other themes loves that might have been, and recording underexplored frontiers of gay experience in old age. Saturated with ever present irony and humor paired with self-knowledge and expert skills, Schwab’s use of vocabulary, rhyme, and meter creates a generous legacy that contributes to our knowledge of the gay human condition from youth to advanced old age. The range of themes in this collection is as impressive as the span of decades and the cultural changes it addresses.” -James Benedict, PhD

About the Author

Arnold T. Schwab, born in Los Angeles in 1922, a Naval officer during WW II and a Harvard Ph.D., taught English at UCLA, University of Michigan, and, for twenty years, at California State University, Long Beach. He has published four scholarly books, including a prize-winning biography of critic James Gibbons Huneker, and many articles on music, drama, and American and English literature. A former tennis player, he enjoys watching tennis tournaments and Dodger games on TV and is a veteran bridge player and film-watcher. He contributes to many charities and has been a strong supporter of the gay movement for more than sixty years.