Personal and reported essays that begin with lived experience and open outward toward culture, history, and public life.
In his one-man play Edward, Ed Schmidt assembles an everyman’s life out of the ordinary objects he left behind. (The Village Star-Revue)
Decoding the story the clothes in Woody Allen’s Another Woman tell about turning fifty. (Critical Influences)
A reflection on chosen family and the objects we keep. (The New York Times)
A look back at the history of 1990s anarchist bookstores on the Lower East Side. (The Village Star-Revue)
How years of collecting—from thrift stores to John Derian—shaped my style over time. (Critical Influences)
Learning from a master: how the reclusive pornographer’s filthy film criticism shaped my understanding of gay desire. (The Gay & Lesbian Review)
A closer look at one of New York’s oldest bookstores. (The Village Star-Revue)
Learning to talk about money in a later-in-life relationship. (Next Avenue)
A fashion career begins with a personal uniform, a lucky break—and a quick cover-up. (The Sun)
A gay American learns the language from his partner's family, one feeling at a time. (Next Avenue)
On the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust, Anne Frank’s story continues to invite deep reflection on the nature of hope and suffering. (The Red Hook Star-Revue)
A ceiling collapse forces a vintage collector to reconsider what really matters. (The Sun)
A concise look at the costumes from the 1988 film, Mystic Pizza. (The Drift)
Italian fashion meets same-sex love in 1990s New York. (The Gay & Lesbian Review)
Sleeping single in a single bed (The 92Y Unterberg Poetry Center’s literary magazine Podium)
Struggling to find the right way to mourn a dead ex-boyfriend (Finalist for the 2021 Brooklyn Film & Arts Nonfiction Prize)
Storytellers’ True Stories About Love, Volume Two, edited by Judi Lee Goshen and Anne E. Beall, PhD
My contribution to this anthology began as a performance piece at New York City’s legendary experimental theater Dixon Place. Learn more.
I grew up shopping at thrift stores and church rummage sales, cultivating an eye for beautiful old things. These two books feature my vintage collections and my thoughts about them:
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