GAY PAPER "ON HIATUS"

The website of Queer Life News announced today that Don Hoffman, its editor and part owner, has resigned to pursue a "book deal from a major educational publisher." The deal, "in addition to the attention required by his business enterprises has brought him to the difficult decision to resign from his post."
Hoffman is the author of "Billy is a Big Boy," "Abigail is a Big Girl," "Billy and Abigail's Counting Adventure," and "Good Morning, Good Night Billy and Abigail," all published by Dalmatian press. In the first book, we learn that "Billy can say his ABCs, can use the family bathtub instead of the baby bath tub and can now eat with a fork as well as a spoon." Kind of makes me long for my potty-training days!
A website with a photo of Hoffman (and Dalmatian) informs us that Hoffman is an "award-winning television reporter, former director of communications in one of the nation's largest urban school districts and a sought after children's acting coach." He will also come to your children's school to lecture at $450 a pop.
There are also those of us who remember Hoffman's remarkable television series with Bo Black, whether we would like to or not.
According to the Queer Life website, fellow owners Nancy Beutner Meeks and Carole Wehner "fully support" Hoffman's departure. (Neither could be reached for comment this morning.) The answering machine for the newspaper says the publication is on summer hiatus and will return in October.
However, a source familiar with the publication tells milwaukeeworld a different story, claiming the paper is "kaput," adding that Hoffman's departure (he has moved out of state, it is claimed) left the publishers in a lurch, that the September issue was cancelled, that the paper is up for sale and that it is saddled with debt. (Given my experience with alternative newspapers in Milwaukee, this seems to be a very likely scenario.)
Meeks, a successful real estate agent, said at the time of the publication's founding that she started the paper largely as a means to market property to gays, since there was no gay publication in town. Looks like we're back to square one.
--Michael Horne

[[Update -- November 10th, 2006 The paper came out with two issues since this posting. Yesterday Chris Aveni, contractor for Hoffman's Intermezzo Cafe, (now defunct) said Hoffman skipped town owing him $5,000. He says Hoffman is believed to be in Providence, Rhode Island, operating a juice bar or some damned thing. -- Michael Horne]]