In the realm of LGBTQ and civil rights politics, there are few people more experienced than the rightfully esteemed Cleve Jones. We’ve interviewed Cleve before, but in light of the upcoming election and the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation and sentiment coming from the conservative side of the political spectrum, we wanted to have Cleve back on …

Michael P. Branch discusses and reads from Rants From The Hill (Roost Books, 2017), a collection of essays about (to borrow from the book’s subtitle) packrats, bobcats, wildfires, curmudgeons, a drunken Mary Kay Lady & other encounters with the wild in Nevada’s high desert. https://michaelbranchwriter.com/ abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter: @it_a…

On Guard Cigar Salon has been producing content for more than 2 years. Often when we finish recording an episode, one of us suddenly thinks "I forgot to say this" or "I wish I had covered that." So, in this Shoulda Coulda Woulda episode we look back at the first 2 years of On Guard and critique ourselves, what did we get right, what did we get wron…

Gay leather and drag cultures have been intertwined for decades. Within gay communities, leather and drag have often formed strong alliances and been considered outsiders, mavericks, and rebels. Leather and drag community members have also often been part of the vanguard of LGBTQ activism. That's why On Guard wanted to interview Brigitte Bandit an …

Robert Aquinas McNally discusses and reads from Cast Out Of Eden: The Untold Story Of John Muir, Indigenous Peoples, And The American Wilderness (Bison Books, 2024), a selective biography examining the complex interplay between Muir’s love of the land and his troubling racial biases. https://www.ramcnally.com/ abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter/X:…

Robert Miltner discusses and reads from Horse Skull Moon (SurVision Books, 2024), a chapbook of prose poems about landscapes, the passage of time, & our place in the face of such vastness. www.pw.org/directory/writers/robert_miltner www.survisionmagazine.com abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter/X: @it_author Facebook: abookanditsauthor Instagram: a_…

Jared Stanley discusses and reads from So Tough (Saturnalia Books, 2024), a book-length poem deeply couched in the West, where landscapes & human lives, the banal & the extraordinary collide in both violence & in hopefulness. https://jaredstanleyinfo.wordpress.com/ https://saturnaliabooks.com/ abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter: @it_author Faceboo…

Jenn Windrow discusses her novel Evil’s Unlikely Assassin (Irreverent Publishing, 2018), the first volume in the urban fantasy Alexis Black series about a reluctant vampire charged with slaying other creatures of the night, a task carried out with a ragtag team of misfits and a heaping dose of snark. https://jennwindrow.com/ abookanditsauthor@gmail…

Music is such an important part of our culture and that includes queer, leather, and kink culture. The On Guard crew has had their gay and kinkster journeys influenced by music throughout the years. In this episode, each of us talks about the music that has had the most impact on us and why. Huge thank you to our sponsor: http://LeatherDaddySkin.co…

Bootblacks. What do they do, and why? What are some of the ins and outs of bootblacking itself? How do bootblacks fit into the fabric of kink and leather culture. These are just some of the questions we asked one of the country's preeminent bootblacks, Buck Harder. You'll find Buck teaching or practicing his craft on his social media channels, at l…

Russell Jones and Jason Wrubell, the authors behind the Lewis Allan pen name, discuss and read from Mouse In The Box (Stretched Studio LLC, 2023), a legal thriller in which criminal defense attorney, Mason Mitchell, finds himself taking on two high-profile cases that rattle his faith in the system and put him in very real physical peril. https://ww…

Seanan McGuire discusses the eighteenth novel in the October Daye series, The Innocent Sleep (DAW Books, 2023), in which Tybalt, King of Cats, seeks to restore a reality rewritten by Titania, Mother of Illusions. And to reforge his mostly forgotten marriage to Toby Daye. https://www.seananmcguire.com/ abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter: @it_author…

John Shirley discusses and reads from Axle Bust Creek (Pinnacle Books, 2022), the first novel in the Cleve Trewe western trilogy, in which our hero comes to the titular town, Axle Bust, to claim his uncle’s mine and finds corporate intrigue, merciless outlaws, and a charmingly free-thinking woman. Plus music by John Shirley and the Screaming Geezer…

Katya Cengel discusses and reads from Straitjackets And Lunch Money, a harrowing account of the authors time in a psychosomatic ward, viewed from the perspective of the 10-year-old child who underwent the experience and from that of the journalist that she would eventually become. https://katyacengel.com/ https://www.woodhallpress.com/ abookanditsa…

Bernard Schopen discusses and reads from his novel Drowning In The Desert (University of Nevada Press, 2023), a “Nevada noir” in which an ex-deputy sheriff, Norman “Fats” Wrangle, sifts through the lies and corruption of the Silver State while navigating his own deeply flawed character. https://unpress.nevada.edu/ https://baobabpress.com/ abookandi…

For 40 years the Tom of Finland Foundation has been dedicated to protecting, preserving, and promoting the erotic arts. The On Guard crew was lucky enough to interview Durk Dehner, Co-Founder of the TOF Foundation, while we were in Palm Springs Live at the Tool Shed bar during Palm Springs Leather Pride weekend. Durk tells us stories about Tom, his…

Folsom Street Fair is the world's biggest fetish and kink fair of its kind. People from all over the globe descend on San Francisco every year to revel with other like-minded kinksters at the Fair itself plus an ever-growing assortment of surrounding parties and events catering to those who live and play on the outskirts of conventional sexuality. …

These are just some of the topics covered in this lively conversation with well-known leatherman and kinkster, Mike Hernandez. And there’s some very funny stories told that had the entire On Guard crew laughing a lot.Huge thank you to our sponsors: http://LeatherDaddySkin.com Use offer code: ONGUARD for 10% OFF and Mr-S- Leather WARDROBE: http://On…

The On Guard Cigar Salon crew delves into the topic of play parties and weekend events in front of a live GearUp Weekend audience. What are some tips on how to navigate such events? What are some of the common rules and guidelines that most play party environments enforce? In what ways are men's kink play and erotic spaces different today than in t…

Casey Bell discusses and reads from Little Fury (Metatron Press, 2023), a collection of short stories wherein the naturalistic and the surreal blend to tell the tales of women seeking a sense of place, self-care, and social justice in a less-than-welcoming world. Plus music by Fine Motor. “Mother’s Lungs” by Fine Motor comes from the Exotic Fever R…

Mark Arnold discusses and reads from Stars Of Walt Disney Productions (BearManor Media, 2022), a reference book detailing hundreds of performers, household names and vaguely familiar faces alike, who appeared in the studio’s movies and TV shows from 1929 to 1983. https://bearmanor-digital.myshopify.com// abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter: @it_aut…

John Mulhouse discusses and reads from Still Lives, New Mexico: Unmarked Graves In The Land Of Enchantment, a collection of photographs by Richard Baron (& text by Mulhouse), evoking uncertain lives and unknown stories of those who lived and died in the sparse landscapes on New Mexico. https://cityofdust.com/still-lives/ https://cityofdust.blogspot…

Marc Laidlaw discusses and reads from his novel, Underneath The Oversea, the culmination of the Gorlen Vizenfirthe stories, about a gargoyle-handed bard, a human-handed gargoyle, and the family that they’ve built in the fantastical world of Ique. “Sombre Hombre” by Marc Laidlaw comes from the independently released EP, Sombre Hombre. Used with perm…

Huckleberry Rahr discusses and reads from Wolf Healer, the first book in the Jade Stone Chronicles, which explores the struggles of self-definition, community, & acceptance associated with teenage, LGBTQ identity, & living with a werewolf pack. https://huckleberryauthor.com abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter: @it_author Facebook: abookanditsauthor…

In honor of Pride Month, the On Guard crew discusses their coming out experiences. We came out gay. We came out kinky. We came out poly. We have stories. It's by queer and kinky people telling their coming out stories that we empower those who might be struggling with that process.Από τον On Guard Cigar Salon

Every year a growing group of gay men with an interest in cigars gather in Las Vegas to socialize and play. The event is called Smokeout and our crew was honored that the Smokeout organizers invited us to record an episode live during this year's event. Smokeout is unique. It attracts certain types of maverick and rebel gay men who often differ fro…

For decades Sister Roma has helped raise incalculable amounts of money for worthy nonprofits and important causes, engaged in activism for LGBTQ rights, and hosted or emceed too many fundraising and community events to count. There are few people on the planet who know as much as Sister Roma about volunteering.…

Jill Creech Bauer discusses & reads from The Soul’s Echo: Thirteen Pieces Of Short Fiction (Jill Creech Bauer, 2021), a collection of stories, some speculative, some literary, all steeped in deep empathy for those struggling to face the challenges of life & human connections. abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter: @it_author Facebook: abookanditsauth…

Danny Nielsen discusses and reads from Straight Flossin’ And Other Stories Of The American West (Whistling Rabbit Press, 2022), a collection of essays about the author’s wanderings through landscapes filled with punishing heat, ornery skunks, menacing wildfires, and strange stewards of the desert. https://www.whistlingrabbitpress.com/ abookanditsau…

Robert Aquinas McNally discusses and reads from The Modoc War: A Story Of Genocide At The Dawn Of America’s Gilded Age (Bison Books, 2017), which tells of the U. S. government’s violent 1872-1873 campaign to at first remove and then to extinguish the indigenous Modoc people in what would become California’s only full-blown Indian war. www.ramcnally…

We take a look at Leather Contests and Titleholders. Are they fairly judged and are they necessary for our community today? WHO WINS HERE?Από τον On Guard Cigar Salon

Claire Stanford discusses and reads from Happy For You, a novel which follows Evelyn Kominsky Kumamoto as she struggles to navigate what it means to be happy in regards to relationships, ethnicity, and working for the third-most popular internet company to develop an app to define, quantify, and augment…happiness. www.clairestanford.com abookandits…

Sholeh Wolpé discusses and reads from Abacus Of Loss: A Memoir In Verse (The University Of Arkansas Press, 2022), which blends forms to explore the nature of memory and examine the author’s tumultuous life, its losses & gains, its downfalls & windfalls, its subtractions & additions. www.sholehwolpe.com www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/videos/2022/10/…

Drugs! How prevalent are they in our queer community and should we tolerate or just cope with them? What do we do when we see someone struggling with addiction or wanting to play while high? Our guest Stephan Ferris (AKA: Blue Bailey) talks with us about his own personal struggles and the book he wrote about them: BLUE MOVIE Stephan Ferris Twitter:…

Since our Gear Up Q&A went so well - we thought we would answer some more this month. We took questions from our viewers and answered them the only way we knew how. Hilarity ensues... Huge thank you to our sponsor: http://LeatherDaddySkin.com Use offer code: ONGUARD for 10% OFF WARDROBE: http://SafewordShop.com Huge thank you to our sponsor Mr. S L…

Uniformally, I'm surprised we didn't talk about this sooner. Today's talk titularly teeters on all things Uniform. From costumes to leather cops to our tenacious guest Thib, it's a convo that gets deep into leather roots, while asking what leather uniforms mean and can look like in today's scene. Huge thank you to our sponsor: http://LeatherDaddySk…

Jacci Turner discusses and reads from her new YA novel, Tree Singer (Lucky Bat Books, 2021), which tells the story of fifteen-year-old Mayten, sent on an unexpected quest to confront an unnatural blight on the forests, a journey that also reveals secrets about her world and herself. www.jacciturner.com www.luckybatbooks.com abookanditsauthor@gmail.…

The On Guard guys took questions about what it means to be a Leather Daddy from the attendees of GearUpWeekend.com Anything you ask is fair game. Huge thank you to our sponsor Mr. S Leather and http://LeatherDaddySkin.com Use offer code: ONGUARD for 10% OFF Photos by Robert from the GearUp Committee Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xrAJLd7Ur…

Shwa Laytart discusses and reads from F*d-Up Poetry For F*d-Up People In F*d-Up Times (AvantPop Publishing, 2021), a collection of verse that weaves comedy and activism to reflect upon environmentalism, family, music, food, social justice, and more. www.avantpopbooks.com shwalaytart.contently.com abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter: @it_author Face…

Suzanne Roberts discusses and reads from Animal Bodies: On Death, Desire, And Other Difficulties (University of Nebraska Press, 2022), a collection of essays that explore, in deeply personal ways, how we deal with the distresses of loss, illness, relationships, travel, and the limitations of our physical beings. https://www.suzanneroberts.net/ aboo…

Mark Maynard discusses and reads from Grind (Torrey House Press, 2012), a collection of stories based in and around Reno, Nevada, depicting the unique relationship of the city with an array of characters seeking to come to terms with their place, geographically and personally. https://www.markmaynard.info/ abookanditsauthor@gmail.com Twitter: @it_a…

Katya Cengel discusses and reads from Bluegrass Baseball: A Year In The Minor League Life (University of Nebraska Press, 2012), which introduces us to the uncertain life – the hopes, dreams, triumphs, & disappointments – of minor league players, staff, fans and families. https://katyacengel.com/ Katya Cengel on Ukraine: https://lithub.com/when-stor…

Cleve Jones is an LGBT+ activist who initiated the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, an endeavor that brought attention to the AIDS epidemic in the 80s through 90s. This history is not taught in our schools so we are very honored to talk about it with the man who was a true pioneer in bringing us all together. We remember the Aids Memorial Quilt a…

Cleve Jones is an LGBT+ activist who initiated the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, an endeavor that brought attention to the AIDS epidemic in the 80s through 90s. This history is not taught in our schools so we are very honored to talk about it with the man who was a true pioneer in bringing us all together. We remember the Aids Memorial Quilt a…

Donna Sachet has been applauded for her fun-loving spirit, quick wit, hosting abilities, and musical talent. As co-anchor of the SF PRIDE PARADE she has seen more than her fair share or PRIDE so what better person to talk to about PRIDE - what it means, where it came from and do Kinksters belong?Από τον On Guard Cigar Salon

Από τον On Guard Cigar Salon

John M. Mulhouse discusses and reads from Abandoned New Mexico: Ghost Towns, Endangered Architecture, And Hidden History (America Through Time, 2020), which explores the land of enchantment’s forgotten corners and the stories that they tell. Plus music by Naked Raygun. “Living In The Good Times” by Naked Raygun comes from the Wax Trax! Release, Ove…

What is toxic masculinity and why is the older generation accused of it so much? Let's take a look at our Leather history to find out and see what needs to change for today.Από τον On Guard Cigar Salon

Leslie Cook discusses and reads from her debut novel, Ethereal’s Call (Cook/Fulton Books, 2021), about a young, headstrong woman, raised by witches and swept into a world of fae, where she faces all manner of fantastic creatures and begins to learn secrets about her own past and family history. https://www.etherealscall.com/ abookanditsauthor@gmail…

Jill Creech Bauer discusses and reads from The Nine Lives Of John Aslin (Jill Creech Bauer, 2020), a non-fiction novel about a man sentenced to life in prison for an accidental death, and about the personal and family history underlying the incident and its repercussions. Plus, an interview with John Eric Aslin. https://jillcreechbauer.com/ abookan…