"Oz Books, The Movie, Gay Men, Oh My!"
The exhibit “Oz Books, The Movie, Gay Men, Oh My!” from the collection of Dee Michel is on display through November 2, 2005 on the Main Floor of the Du Bois Library. The exhibit consists of books, cards, musical recordings, ads, web pages, and collectibles from The Wizard of Oz. It highlights books by L. Frank Baum and his successors, the 1939 MGM movie, print, stage and film adaptations, the connection between the movie and gay male culture, and a celebration of Oz by fans, critics, and entrepreneurs.
On Wednesday, October 5th, the Library will host a reception from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to celebrate the exhibit and the Stonewall Center’s 20th Anniversary. The reception will be held on Floor 2. Dee Michael will speak from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the appeal of The Wizard of Oz for gay males.
A Northampton resident, Dee Michel has a Ph.D. in library and information science. He helped organize the first March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979 and was the first elected male co-chair of the American Library Association. Michel has been collecting Oz memorabilia since childhood and has given presentations on the topic at conventions, academic conferences, and at the Library of Congress. He is currently writing a book on the appeal of The Wizard of Oz for gay men and boys. Michel is co-chair of the International Wizard of Oz Club symposium to be held at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art next fall, in conjunction with their “Wonderful Art of Oz” exhibit. In January 2005, an article about Michel and his Oz collection, “Following the Yellow Brick Road—all the way to Northampton,” appeared in The Daily Hampshire Gazette.
The exhibit is sponsored by the Library’s Committee on Community, Diversity and Social Justice in conjunction with GLBT History Month in October.
