260 ratings | 27 reviews | avg rating:3.83

more photos (4)

Stanley Bennett Clay’s Followers (131)

Stanley’s Bookshelves

to-read (11)
currently-reading (3)
read (261)
favorites (48)
gay-and-lesbian (50)

Stanley’s Friends (2,847)

Raquel Vega-Grieder

15,953 books | 2,707 friends

Diane Rembert

1,619 books | 955 friends

Shakira

4,196 books | 522 friends

Stacia

2,123 books | 304 friends

Georgia

37,109 books | 327 friends

Matt

5,859 books | 4,786 friends

Rena

4,707 books | 479 friends

M.J. Webb

513 books | 1,836 friends

More friends…

Stanley Bennett Clay

Goodreads Author

Born

in Chicago, The United States

Twitter

stanleybclay

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Gay & Lesbian

Influences

Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Tennessee Williams, Lorraine Hansberry, ...more

Member Since

November 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/stanleybennettclay

edit data

Stanley Bennett Clay received 3 NAACP Theatre Awards and 3 Drama-logue Awards for writing, directing and co-producing the stage play “Ritual.” He made his film writing/directorial debut with the film version, which was voted the Jury Award at the 2000 Pan African Film Festival. Recently he wrote and directed the documentary "You Are Not Alone," and examination of depression among black gay men.

He wrote the plays “Lovers” (Theatre of Arts), wrote and composed the musical “Street Nativity” (Celebrity Centre Theatre), and wrote and starred in “Armstrong’s Kid” (Roy Arias Off-Broadway Theatre/NY).

He directed the west coast premiere of the play “Jonin’” (Estelle Harmon Theatre, Drama-logue Award/Direction), produced the GLAAD award-winning “Chi Stanley Bennett Clay received 3 NAACP Theatre Awards and 3 Drama-logue Awards for writing, directing and co-producing the stage play “Ritual.” He made his film writing/directorial debut with the film version, which was voted the Jury Award at the 2000 Pan African Film Festival. Recently he wrote and directed the documentary "You Are Not Alone," and examination of depression among black gay men.

He wrote the plays “Lovers” (Theatre of Arts), wrote and composed the musical “Street Nativity” (Celebrity Centre Theatre), and wrote and starred in “Armstrong’s Kid” (Roy Arias Off-Broadway Theatre/NY).

He directed the west coast premiere of the play “Jonin’” (Estelle Harmon Theatre, Drama-logue Award/Direction), produced the GLAAD award-winning “Children of the Night” (Ebony Showcase Theatre), and produced the world premiere of “Willie & Esther” which was a Los Angeles Times Critics’ Choice and won 2 L.A. Weekly Awards, including Best Play. He most recently directed the premiere production of "B-Boy Blues: The Play" adapted from the James Earl Hardy classic novel. The production won The Audience Award at New York City's Downtown Urban Theatre Festival.

As an actor, Clay starred, guest-starred and was featured in more than fifty TV and film productions including “Good Times,” “Cheers,” “Minstrel Man,” "James Michener’s Dynasty,” “Cannonball” and “All The President’s Men.” On stage, he did leads in “Zooman and the Sign” (Drama-logue Award/NAACP Image Award Best Actor nominee) “Anna Lucasta” (NAACP Image Award Best Actor winner) and “Six Pieces of Musical Broadway” (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion). He also appeared in Albert Camus’ “Caligula” (Zodiac Theatre) Bill Duke’s “Sonata” (Theatre of Arts) and “A Hatful of Rain” (Argo Repertory Company).

He’s the author of 6 novels: “Diva” (Fleming & Sons), “In Search of Pretty Young Black Men” (Atria), “Looker” (Atria), "Aching For It" (Ellora's Cave), "Hollywood Flames" (Ellora's Cave) and "Madame Frankie" (Ellora's Cave). “Search” won the 2005 New York HOTEP Society Award for Best Gay Novel. He also co-authored “Visible Lives: Three Stories in Tribute to E. Lynn Harris.”

For ten years (1991-2001) he edited and published SBC Magazine, then the most widely distributed national monthly for the Black LGBT community. He received Genre Magazine’s Life Guard Award, The National Black Writers’ Founder’s Award, the first Black Gay and Lesbian Cultural Alliance Award, the 2008 Oakland Black Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, Blatino Oasis 2010 Award for Literature, the Indianapolis Black Pride/Brothers United Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature, and the first Better Brother Los Angeles Lifetime Achievement Award.

He lives in Manhattan, New York with his husband Reny. ...more

11 posts
Stanley Bennett Clay's Blog

Bump This is a Young Adult Masterpiece!

In the typical world of urban fiction so often the lead characters’ socio-economic realities are usually bleak, raw, violent, hopeless, and psychologically; even irreparably damaged. Much of that is true in author LT Ville’s literary universe. But Keith, the 18-year-old black high school senior and narrator, is a refreshing enigma in this exceptionally well-written, funny, romantic, heart-breaking Read more of this blog post »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 03, 2016 08:41

View all 11 posts »

Combine Editions
Stanley Bennett Clay’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 417 ratings · 60 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	Visible Lives: Three Stories in Tribute To E. Lynn Harris by Stanley Bennett Clay (Goodreads Author), Terrance Dean, James Earl Hardy 4.04 avg rating — 193 ratings — published 2010 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Looker 3.75 avg rating — 93 ratings — published 2007 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In Search of Pretty Young Black Men 3.70 avg rating — 64 ratings — published 2004 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Aching For It (Dominican Heat, Book 1) 3.53 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	DIVA 4.50 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 1988 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hollywood Flames (Dominican Heat, #2) 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dominican Heat it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Madame Frankie (Dominican Heat #3) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ritual: a play in two acts 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Paradise All-Inclusive 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Stanley Bennett Clay…

Series by Stanley Bennett Clay

Dominican Heat (3 books)
by

Stanley Bennett Clay (Goodreads Author)

3.86 avg rating — 21 ratings

Stanley is Currently Reading

Stanley Clay is currently reading

Paradise All-Inclusive

by Stanley Bennett Clay (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

May 26, 2024 10:38PM

Stanley Clay is currently reading

Dramatists Sourcebook 26th Edition

by Theatre Communications Group

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Aug 11, 2020 09:46AM

Stanley Clay is currently reading

Whisper Me This

by Kerry Anne King (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jun 26, 2019 11:56AM

rss
Stanley’s Recent Updates

Stanley Clay is now friends with Rasheed
Apr 18, 2025 06:56AM · like
Stanley Clay is currently reading Paradise All-Inclusive by Stanley Bennett Clay (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 26, 2024 10:38PM · 1 like · like

More of Stanley's books…

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Literary Fiction ...: LGBT lit. by people of color	92	516	Sep 22, 2015 03:55PM

Stanley’s Quotes

“What's the world for you if you can't make it up the way you want it?”
― Toni Morrison, Jazz

108 likes

“Like any artist without an art form, she became dangerous.”
― Toni Morrison, Sula

tags: art

865 likes

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
― Oscar Wilde

tags: attributed-no-source, be-yourself, gilbert-perreira, honesty, inspirational, misattributed-oscar-wilde, quote-investigator

176827 likes

Stanley’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-22) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 22: by Jan

Oct 29, 2015 09:19AM

Thanks for the invite Stanley, look forward to chatting books with you!

reply | flag

message 21: by Robert

Jul 06, 2013 12:11PM

Thanks for the friend request, Stanley.

reply | flag

message 20: by Stanley

Feb 08, 2013 12:43PM

Same to you, Blak

reply | flag

message 19: by Blak

Feb 07, 2013 01:33PM

Nice to meet you, Stanley! All the best. :D

reply | flag

message 18: by Susie

Jan 01, 2013 03:12PM

thanks for the add!

reply | flag

message 17: by Christine

Nov 24, 2012 02:06PM

Thanks for being my friend

reply | flag

message 16: by Eliott

Nov 12, 2012 12:34PM

Thank you for the invite, Stanley!

reply | flag

message 15: by Stanley

Aug 20, 2012 04:35PM

At 7:20 pm today, August 20, 2012, I finished the re-write of book one of my five-book series "Dominican Heat" for Ellora's Cave Publishers. Just emailed it to my editor. Now I'm going to celebrate with a good cheap bottle of brandy!

reply | flag

message 14: by Indie Reviews

Aug 04, 2012 06:53AM

Hi Stanley,

Thanks for the friendship.

reply | flag

message 13: by Stanley

Jun 23, 2012 05:59AM

My 4-book "Dominican Heat" series just got picked up by Elorra's Cave. First book should be oput in December. I am one blessed dude!

reply | flag

message 12: by Valjeanne

Jun 16, 2012 08:51AM

Hi Stanley, thanks for the add :)! Have a beautiful weekend.

reply | flag

message 11: by Tara

Jun 07, 2012 08:50AM

Thanks for the request, I'm honored!

reply | flag

message 10: by Lorian

May 30, 2012 07:56PM

hey thank for the add can u comment my new pics i need ur true opinions bout them i want 2 kno wat u see and wat is saying 2 u
and also pleaz have ur friends may leave a comments on my pics

Thanx u!!! :)

reply | flag

message 9: by Tamara

May 24, 2012 09:16AM

HI Stanley... thanks for your friendship =)

reply | flag

message 8: by Andra

May 19, 2012 09:58AM

Thank you very much for the friend request! Congrats for your new novel! :D

reply | flag

message 7: by Stanley

Apr 29, 2012 07:38PM

I completed my new novel, HOUSE OF JOHN II, at 10:19 PM Sunday night, April 29th. I ship it off to my publisher in the morning after I sober up from a brandy celebration!

reply | flag

message 6: by SassyMama

Apr 15, 2012 05:27PM

Hi, Stanley...thanks for the invite into your circle of friends...looking forward to sharing chats, reviews and any/all recommendations...Happy Reading :-)

reply | flag

message 5: by Savannah

Mar 28, 2012 06:22PM