Email Author Lisa Gray

2000 Stories by Lisa Gray

• Life in the Abstract

  published December 21, 2000

  Some painters care only about color, form and technique. Dorothy Hood was emphatically not one of them; such bloodless art, she wrote, "is hardly... More >>

• The Art of Seduction

  published December 14, 2000

  "This play is about eroticism and humor," director Ed Muth told the auditioning actors. "It's about sex and fun. There should be banter between... More >>

• In Ali's Corner

  published November 30, 2000

  In his house's big front room, Lloyd Wells reclines on the unmade king-size bed like a raja, and you pull up a wooden stool beside him. It's... More >>

• Street Scenes

  published November 23, 2000

  The Urban Jungle Challenge Are you a survivor? Can you handle the real life experience of living in the "urban jungle" of Houston... More >>

• Leaning on Caduceus

  published November 16, 2000

  On the morning after the election, as I drove Ben to the hospital, the radio news described a world of uncertainty: Had Bush won Florida, or had... More >>

• Not Your Standard Issue

  published November 9, 2000

  "This was our old building," said Mardie Oakes. She was driving down Lyons Avenue, where weedy lots alternate with tumble-down buildings, and she... More >>

• Dog's Day Out

  published November 2, 2000

  Once upon a time, dogs had jobs. They herded sheep, protected the house from intruders, and dragged sleds across the Arctic. They retrieved bloody... More >>

• The Olympic Bid

  published October 26, 2000

  First of all, Dan Morse wants you to know that Texas is home to more than its share of world-class bridge players. In September Texans dominated... More >>

• The Connection

  published October 12, 2000

  As a mentor to high school kids, Susan Lieberman dispensed the standard good advice: Take tough classes. Study hard. Go to college. Education... More >>

• Ant-icipation

  published October 5, 2000

  A Barbie hung like a loincloth over Curtis Schreier's genitals, and the rest of his naked, round, middle-aged body was painted, ceremonially, with... More >>

• Grave Importance

  published September 28, 2000

  "HARRISBURG CEMETARY," announced the sign on the chain-link fence. "NO DUMPING," said another. I parked on the crunchy grass outside the gate and... More >>

• XX Marks the Spot

  published September 14, 2000

  On the steps of the Bexar County courthouse, the happy lesbian couple brandished their new marriage license for the TV cameras, and their lawyer,... More >>

• Come On, Get Happy!

  published September 7, 2000

  If Pam Johnson was disappointed, she didn't show it. She'd expected her book-signing to look like a party, with balloons and kids' games at the... More >>

• CEO Mom

  published August 31, 2000

  Last week my boss forwarded a press release touting Monday, August 21, as Stay Home with Your Kids Day. Under normal circumstances, I ignore... More >>

• Memory Lanes

  published August 24, 2000

  "Toinaments," Monica Chieco says. She bowls in regional "toinaments." She lugs around heavy "bohls." Sometimes she throws strikes, and sometimes... More >>

• Mission: Impossible?

  published August 17, 2000

  Don Hall usually wears a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, and after he's been out a few sweaty hours in August, he looks a lot like his homeless... More >>

• Out of the Closets

  published August 3, 2000

  The idea, explains Judy Reeves, came from Rainbo de Klown. His real name is Rick Hurt, Judy explains, but in the GLBT community, everybody... More >>

• Hawaiian at Heart

  published July 20, 2000

  That Texas halau," the Hawaiians called Keli'i Chang's hula school. Everyone knew about the group: First, simply because they were Texan,... More >>

• Getting Sauza-ed

  published July 13, 2000

  The Rules On June 30, Jody Hughes won a Sauza "Stay Pure" Award in the "Performing Arts" category. Jody is a tall, gawky guy with hair... More >>

• Revolution in Chrome

  published July 6, 2000

  "It's a funny little museum, isn't it?" asks big, white-haired Jim Harithas, surveying his domain. The answer -- oh, yes -- is too obvious... More >>

• Tea and Strumpets

  published June 22, 2000

  I was feeling guilty. Last time, I'd made Wendy meet me at the Pig Stand No. 2, a diner with terrible food but a gajillion goofy little pig... More >>

• Pushing the Envelope

  published June 15, 2000

  Early on overcast mornings, Beth Jacobs bundles up and drives to the West University post office on Weslayan, the most broad-minded one in town.... More >>

• Hell Just Froze Over

  published June 8, 2000

  The Houston Harpies play hockey year-round, a fact that surprises Canadians and other northern immigrants. Canadians believe that hockey is a... More >>

• Telling Stories

  published May 25, 2000

  iana Strassmann learned a lot at graduate school, though not always what her professors intended. In one seminar, an eminent economist claimed... More >>

• God's a Joke

  published May 11, 2000

  The Sunday-morning hymns have been sung, the body and blood consumed, and the prayers offered for the sick and the shut-ins. Now it's time for the... More >>