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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

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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

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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 »

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Published on September 03, 2016 08:41

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Stanley Bennett Clay’s books

Average rating: 3.92 · 420 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 4.05 avg rating — 195 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
	Paradise All-Inclusive it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 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

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Series by Stanley Bennett Clay

Dominican Heat (3 books)
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Stanley Bennett Clay (Goodreads Author)

3.86 avg rating — 21 ratings

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Paradise All-Inclusive

by Stanley Bennett Clay (Goodreads Author)

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Dramatists Sourcebook 26th Edition

by Theatre Communications Group

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Whisper Me This

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Stanley’s Recent Updates

Stanley Clay is now friends with DaVante Robinson
Jan 15, 2026 04:59PM · like

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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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

113 likes

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

tags: art

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

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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

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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

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message 16: by Eliott

Nov 12, 2012 12:34PM

Thank you for the invite, Stanley!

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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!

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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!

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message 12: by Valjeanne

Jun 16, 2012 08:51AM

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

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message 11: by Tara

Jun 07, 2012 08:50AM

Thanks for the request, I'm honored!

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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!!! :)

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message 9: by Tamara

May 24, 2012 09:16AM

HI Stanley... thanks for your friendship =)

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message 8: by Andra

May 19, 2012 09:58AM

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

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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!

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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 :-)

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message 5: by Savannah

Mar 28, 2012 06:22PM