Food for Thought Books will continue its “Reading Series” this week with two more lectures. The talks this week will focus on gay and lesbian issues.

Author Bill Storandt will give a reading from his recent book, Outbound: Finding a Man, Sailing an Ocean, on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 7p.m.

The book is an autobiographical work that weaves a transatlantic sailing voyage, issues of gay identity, and the search for a long-term loving relationship together. According to the Food For Thought press release, Storandt undertook these journeys to find meaning in life after growing tired of leading a “listing, drifting life…in the 1970’s and 80’s as he struggled to make a livelihood as a percussionist while living in a handmade geodesic dome in Vermont.”

According to Booklist, “Storandt excels at both writing and sailing, and the story of his courageous voyage across the Atlantic is artfully interspersed with that of his courageous coming to terms with his sexuality…one needn’t be a sailor or gay to understand and enjoy Storandt’s well-told tale of adventure on the high seas of water, self-discovery, and love.”

Bill Mann will read from his recent book, Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910-1969 on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. According to a Food For Thought press release, “Mann offers the first serious, thoughtful, non-sensational look at gay Hollywood, revealing just where and how three generations of gay film artists shaped American Cinema.”

According to an Mann in an article published in Brill’s Content magazine in April, “Too often, when the words gay and Hollywood have been paired, the traditional association has been scandal…reaching a more serious and thoughtful examination of the gay experience in American cinema therefore necessitated looking beyond traditional published sources.

“My intent was…to consider the gay experience as other populations have in American film history have been considered…[several books] have documented the experiences and contributions of women to American film…I determined that finally the same would be done for gay men and lesbians.”

The talk will be aimed toward dispelling sensationalistic myths about gays and lesbians in early American film, Food For Thought press releases stated. “For every Rock Hudson or Tony Perkins forced to pretend to be straight, there were dozens of behind the scenes writers, designers and directors creating the magic for America’s Dream Factory-and doing so openly and without charade.”

The series is part of a regular program of readings and lectures sponsored and hosted by Food For Thought. The GLBT-themed talks at the store also coincide with the first installments of the UMass GLBT lecture series on campus.

On the Net: Food for Thought Books www.foodforthoughtbooks.com The Stonewall Center http://www.umass.edu/stonewall.