In the 1970s, while communes bloomed like wildflowers across the land, most had no room for queer members. The so-called counterculture still clung to heterosexual norms, even as it preached freedom from traditional gender roles and the nuclear family. Juda Bennett's engrossing memoir follows his escape from suburbia into the back-to-the-land movement-and chronicles the efforts it took for him to "drop back in" to mainstream society and the ways in which he and his compatriots continued to honor their communal vision. After enduring the hollow promises of "progressive" communes, Bennett finally found what he didn't know he was looking for at Lavender Hill, a rural queer commune of visionaries carving out a life beyond heteronormativity, beyond capitalism, beyond shame. They didn't just survive; they built something messy, luminous, and defiantly alive. And when the commune began to unravel, they didn't vanish. They evolved. Qtopia is a story of chosen family and radical transformation. It is a reminder that queer utopia isn't behind us-it's still out there on the horizon, singing its song of joy, defiance, and fabulousness.
Juda Bennett, a professor emeritus of English at the College of New Jersey, is the author of four academic books and numerous essays, short stories, and poems. He is a co-author of the group memoir The Toni Morrison Book Club.
Preface Part One: Before I Could Dream of Lavender Hill On Hippies and Boot Camp In Walks the Mummy Leaving Home Walking to the Mountain Too Much Flesh in the Afternoon Sun Culture Shock Back in the Diamond State One Thousand Communes Living in a Coal Bin Everything Was an Experiment, Even Sexuality Before Leaving, the Rats Came What It's Like to Die RFD, or How a Magazine Can Save Your Life How Freaky Can You Get? Part Two: Lavender Hill The Road to Utopia I Need to Believe in This Place A House Out of a Fairy Tale First Love In Search of Michael Too Much Love What Is Home to Queer People? Pilgrimage to San Francisco How I Got My Hippie Name Locating Utopia on a Map Jerry Becomes Ruby, and Ruby Becomes Green Man House on Wheels Too Poor Not to Be Educated Fires Everywhere How Many People Make a Commune In Walks Allen Ginsberg Insert Myth Here How to Build Family with Only Two People Empty and Naked Interlude of the House That Was Not a House Part Three: Where Are They Now? Talking to Ghosts A Virtual Gathering Jeff, the Preservationist
"An achingly tender memoir that is, at its heart, the story of how many gay men must leave behind loved ones in search of their chosen family. Bennett carefully deconstructs memoir as a form and then constructs a compelling narrative that is uniquely his own." - Steve Majors, author of Man Made: Searching for Dads, Daddies, Father Figures, and Fatherhood "As much about the future as the past, this memoir is a battle cry disguised as a love letter to anyone in search of queer utopia." - Ned Asta, illustrator of The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions, and former Lavender Hill resident "Bennett's beautiful memoir is as much about a fascinating time and place as it is about one charming, idealistic, fragile, brave young queer soul trying to find a chosen family-and himself. I'd follow this beguiling narrator anywhere!" - Elizabeth Graver, author of Kantika "The 1960s-70s era was a time of social upheaval and transformation in the US and beyond. Bennett's memoir, focusing on his ventures into communal living and coming out as gay, among other things, provides a personal and intimate exploration of those tumultuous times." - Timothy Miller, author of The 60s Communes: Hippies and Beyond "Takes us back to an era when ragtag groups of queer folks had the courage to be their true selves-together. With buoyant earnestness and self-deprecating charm, Bennett vividly retraces his path from virginal teenage hitchhiker to long-haired communard to slowed-down but still fabulous elder. A story about finding family in the least expected places and a testament to the power of feeling needed, Bennett's tale reminds us, in our current hopelessness, that the heart of any true revolution is optimism. Qtopia is a tonic for our times." - Michael Lowenthal, author of Place Envy "Bennett's triumph here comes from placing his past in the service of the now: Qtopia informs and invigorates current interests in how we live with intention and protect LGBTQ rights and families. His captivating story offers both inspiration and cautionary wisdom." - Patrick Davis, National Book Critics Circle lifetime voting member
