Gay men communicate in many ways, sometimes a glance, sometimes a smile, and sometimes a whistle. In How to Whistle, Gregg Shapiro brings us men of all types sometimes seeking to be with each other and sometimes looking for themselves. They dance, they indulge, they camp, and they enjoy life. Shapiro employs his deft poetic voice to bring you men that will stay with you, men you’ll find yourself thinking about for a long time.

Here’s What They’re Saying About How to Whistle:

“The stories in Gregg Shapiro’s How to Whistle are so perfectly pitched in tone and execution, so novelistic in their differing densities and delightful variety, that they form a sure portrait of a time and place in gay life that is both specific and universal.” —Felice Picano, author of Songs & Poems

“You don’t have to be queer, or from Chicagoland, to fall hard for Gregg Shapiro’s marvelous second collection, How to Whistle. These stories – tart, tender, sexed-up, and terribly wise on the subjects of love and memory – are a lesson for everyone” —James Magruder, author of Love Slaves of Helen Hadley Hall

“Gregg Shapiro’s stories hum with sex, longing, and electric detail. How to Whistle journeys from the bathhouse to smoky concert venues, and through the confused mind of a culture-hungry teenage brain. This collection goes so many places, yet stays anchored, always, in the heart.” —Brendan Walsh, author of Go and fort lauderdale

“Gregg Shapiro’s How to Whistle brings to vibrant life young gay men’s casual/intimate/kinky explorations of Boston, D.C., and Chicago in the 1980’s. Deadpan humor alternates with delicious dish and quiet introspection in this witty collection of stories about sex, relationship, (in)fidelity, vengeance, and the meaning of friendship in a sometimes dangerous world. An entertaining, deeply insightful, and warmly nostalgic portrait of the way we were.” —Daniel M. Jaffe, author of Foreign Affairs: Male Tales of Lust & Love

“Shapiro’s How to Whistle documents the 1980s with sharp observation, humor, and keen insights. A decadent decade when urban tastes and desires “lit in a faint orange glow” knew no boundaries, friends and lovers being rushed to the hospital was a typical lunchtime conversation, and pop icons went from tragic to martyred saints of the bullied. This short story collection is also an homage to 1980s Boston and Chicago, as hip as Tama Janowitz’ Manhattan in Slaves of New York, and as raw and sexy as Bret Easton Ellis’ L.A. in Less Than Zero.” —R. Zamora Linmark, author of The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart

“Shapiro’s stories capture the breadth and variety of human relationships – friends, lovers and family; casual and deep; social and sexual. Funny, sad, tragic, and full of surprises, they will keep you reading to the very end and wanting more.” —John D’Emilio, author of Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago’s LGBTQ Archives

“Gregg Shapiro writes with sincerity and verve about the greatness of our human joys and quandaries – love, sex, fear, friendship families of origin and families of choice. His love of narrative is always apparent in these stories, and his love of poetry lingers in every small facet of experience he takes the time to enlarge and lovingly render. For instance: “He crouched and touched the word Zenith, the Z like a lightning bolt underlining the rest of the letters. For instance, “I don’t just hail any cab, I wait for one of those new ones that look like whales on wheels.” And” “He is still wearing his white socks which seem to glow fluorescent against his black sheets.” The power and beauty of How to Whistle resides in the details.” —Julie Marie Wade, author of Just an Ordinary Woman Breathing and Same-Sexy Marriage: A Novella in Poems

“In How to Whistle, Gregg Shapiro’s stories bring together a whole kaleidoscope of gay life – from tricks to lovers, passionate romances to bitter breakups, gentle tenderness to raw lust – with voice of singular and simple honesty.” —Wayne Hoffman, author of An Older Man, Hard and Sweet Like Sugar

“Candid, sexy, confiding – in How to Whistle, Gregg Shapiro takes us deep into the velvet-lined rooms of the heart. His insights into the human tragicomedy are remarkable; these stories resonate with truth and wit.” —Christine Sneed, author of Little Known Facts, and The Virginity of Famous Men

“Full of lost lovers, recovered artifacts and subtle obsessions, the stories of How to Whistle create a sensation of intimacy that can only be compared to a longtime friend confessing their darkest secrets. Gregg Shapiro is an amazing writer who will make you feel nostalgic for a time and place you did not experience yourself.” —Jonathan Harper, author of Daydreamers