Provincetown Stories by Russ Lopez

East End Books Boston Seaport presents: Provincetown Stories with Russ Lopez. April 11th @ 6pm - Boston.

Provincetown Stories captures the eccentric charm of Ptown and the stunning beauty of Cape Cod. Set in a densely packed, three-block-wide, three-mile-long seaside town, these stories unfold across its vibrant clubs, sun-soaked beaches, bustling streets, and sparkling waters-where drama, humor, and heart are always in full supply.

From longtime locals to fleeting visitors, unforgettable characters bring Provincetown to life: Aurora, the town's gentle healer of broken hearts; Jackson, a self-absorbed demon twink; Cee, a quiet soul searching for a place free from judgment; and Luna the immortal, who holds the town's chaos at bay.

Some stories will make you laugh, others will move you or highlight deeper social truths. But at the heart of them all is the town itself-its natural beauty and the extraordinary people who call it home regardless of whether it is for a lifetime, a season, or just a night or weekend.

This was a fun read. It captures many of the things I love about life in Provincetown.

Jon Richardson, composer/lyricist, The Jack of Hearts Club

Russ López's stories lovingly portray the idiosyncratic and contradictory nature of my beloved Provincetown. His stories are written with an insider's familiarity into the diverse subcultures that populate this town - straights, gays, drunks, teetotalers, artists and outcasts from the outside world. The subtle undercurrents of living the joyous vibrant life that is Provincetown are revealed with humor and compassion.

Jane Paradise, author/photographer, Dune Shacks of Provincetown

In the 1970s, when I was in my twenties and first heard of Provincetown, Ptown sounded like a fantasy-sex, romance, love, queer folk-lesbians!-artists and eccentrics, all crowded into a setting of breathtaking natural beauty. The fantasy didn't dissipate when I started going there; if anything, it was confirmed and strengthened. Russ López's delightful Ptown Stories captures the atmosphere and even the realities of that fantastical Ptown.

Amy Hoffman, author, The Off Season

Has the gentrification of Provincetown come at the expense of its literary and artistic traditions (and soul)? Russ López, inspired by the possibilities of Ptown past and present, has written a collection of short stories that carries that tradition of possibilities further on. Bravo!

David Kaplan, author, Tennessee Williams in Provincetown

While Provincetown's towering dunes and magical light have fired the creative instincts of countless artists and poets, author Russ Lopez turns his attention to the tiny sliver of space between the sand and sea where the party never stops and the natives never conform. Like the tides moving in and out, his characters hook up, break up, mess up, and clean up, somehow managing to keep going despite the loss of love and ridiculously overpriced rental units. Whether this spit of sand is your home, home away from home or favorite day trip, Lopez reminds you why Provincetown stole your heart and will never give it back.

Katy Abel, author/journalist

Provincetown Stories is a love letter not only to a beloved place, but to its singular sensibility: irreverent, beautiful, community-minded, inclusive, and sexually free. Russ López is one of Ptown's most devoted and observant raconteurs, and these indelible tales of our friends, neighbors, and washashores are a cause for celebration.

Christopher Castellani, author, Leading Men

With Provincetown Stories, Russ Lopez has written a gorgeous, hilarious love letter to the gayest place on Earth. Lopez is the perfect guide. His fierce, unflinching love and razor-sharp wit shine through these pages. Provincetown Stories offers readers a thrilling tribute to queerness and community.

Edgar Gomez, author, Alligator Tears: A Memoir in Essays

In Ptown Stories Russ Lopez spins the sensual fabric of Provincetown into yarns and characters so real I expect to see it all when I walk the streets of my own hometown. One of my favorites is the Feast of St. Bonaventure, an imaginary saint and holiday so vivid in detail I had to wonder if I'd been missing out on the annual festivity. Be it a twink on a sex romp vacation, a 150-year-old enchantress, or a tender first kiss for a Jamaican teen, they are intoxicating fairy tales of the colorful inhabitants of this magical town.

Fermin Rojas, Partner/Creative Director, DKR Films

Russ López is a writer, editor, publisher, and historian whose work explores the deep connections between people, place, and identity. He is the author of six nonfiction books, including The Hub of the Gay Universe: An LGBTQ History of Boston, Provincetown, and Beyond, and the founder and editor of LatineLit, an online literary magazine dedicated to publishing fiction by and about Latine people and expanding the range of stories available in contemporary literature.

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His most recent book, Provincetown Stories, brings to life the joy, contradictions, and irresistible pull of Ptown through characters who exist proudly outside the mainstream. His fiction has appeared in The Fictional Café, Somos en escrito, Northeast Atlantic, Discretionary Love, Night Picnic, and numerous other literary magazines, and he is currently at work on a novelized reimagining of The Importance of Being Earnest.

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In addition to his writing and editorial work, López is the founder of Shawmut Peninsula Press, a mission-driven independent press publishing fiction, history, and social commentary. Across his roles as writer, editor, publisher, and teacher, he champions work that rejects stereotypes and illuminates the complexity of underrepresented communities.

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Born and raised in San Jose, California, López attended Stanford University and Harvard University before earning a doctorate from Boston University. Before turning full-time to literary work, he served as a community organizer, political aide, environmental advocate, and university lecturer—experiences that continue to shape the social and geographic worlds he writes about. He divides his time between Boston and Provincetown with his husband, Andrew Sherman.

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