Memoirs, photo essays, and interviews that comb relationships for clues.
I use storytelling to unravel the mysteries of relationships, explore the complexities of mourning, and seek light in the darkest of times. This quest for understanding takes various forms. Through my memoirs, essays, and interviews, I strive to uncover the “why” and make unexpected connections.
I frequently contribute to The Gay & Lesbian Review, where I once wrote about Italian fashion and same-sex love in 1990s New York.
My memoir, “Boo,” about struggling to find the right way to mourn a dead ex-boyfriend, was a finalist for the 2021 Brooklyn Film & Arts Nonfiction Prize.
Storytellers’ True Stories About Love, Volume Two, a 2023 anthology edited by Judi Lee Goshen and Anne E. Beall, PhD, includes my memoir, “My Valentine.” I’d previously staged this as a performance piece at New York City’s legendary experimental theater, Dixon Place, in 2016.
Books
Storytellers’ True Stories About Love, Volume Two, edited by Judi Lee Goshen and Anne E. Beall, PhD
This 2023 book of 30 love stories includes one I wrote, “My Valentine,” about two gay strangers united by a paper heart. Order now.
I grew up shopping at thrift stores and church rummage sales, cultivating an eye for beautiful old things. These two books featured my vintage collections and my thoughts about them:
Memoirs
A ceiling collapse causes a vintage collector to reconsider what really matters (“Readers Write” in The Sun)
Italian fashion meets same-sex love in 1990s New York (“My Story” in The Gay & Lesbian Review)
“Boo”
Struggling to find the right way to mourn a dead ex-boyfriend (Finalist for the 2021 Brooklyn Film & Arts Nonfiction Prize)
Photo Essays
Design*Sponge
Sneak Peek
"This glimpse into Michael Quinn's Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn apartment showcases a true generosity of spirit."
—Amy Azzarito, Editor
Zandl Slant
"A day in the life of Master Michael Quinn—artist/event designer extraordinaire!"
—Irma Zandl, editor
I worked for a mannequin company for ten years—seven of them in a Brooklyn factory! Depesha, a now-defunct Russian fashion magazine, asked me to share what I learned.
For the opening of the Center for Brooklyn History, I contributed this springtime view of Green-Wood for the exhibition “Brooklyn Is…”
“Brooklyn is all about its neighborhoods. Every one of them is unique and has something different to offer. The thing I like about mine is its tree-lined streets and its proximity to Green-Wood Cemetery, which connects the living to the dead, our past to our future, and urban dwellers to the joys and wonders of the natural world.”
Interviews
For The Red Hook Star-Revue, I interviewed New York Times-bestselling author and bookseller Emma Straub about her novel, This Time Tomorrow, and her Brooklyn bookstore Books Are Magic—I took all the photographs, too!
For Publishers Weekly, I interviewed authors Walt Odets and Svenja O’Donnell.
Memoir Melodies