Regan's POZ Blog

Thanks to Kimberly, the librarian, at the Forman School in Connecticut who created this video as a promo for my book so students will come see me speak on April 2 with my friend Courtney Sheinmel!

 http://tr.im/Noz6

It is fascinating how she distilled a 300+ page book into this quick video...so perfectly! And I love the song...Thanks Kimberly!


Regan on: My book:

Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day...and it is Superbowl XLIV in Miami.

Sadly, the fanfare of the second is overshadowing awareness of the first.

There's a big hubbub among feminists, pro-choicers, pro-lifers and the Christian Right about the Pam and Tim Tebow pro-life "I'll never have an abortion" ad scheduled to run during the 'bowl.

There is talk about how having the Saints in the 'bowl is breaking down racial barriers, uniting people of all colors in The Big Easy.

There was heated discussion on "Face the Nation" this morning with the NFL commissioner about the issue of concussions and what the NFL was doing to study the short- and long- term impacts (pardon the pun) of having a line backer knock your lights out. (The answer: they're still "studying the issue and examining equipment and rule changes" ((like no "high hits" to wide receivers)). I'm gonna say it doesn't require a massive scientific study to prove that being repeatedly knocked unconscious isn't good for brain function. Do we always need empirical evidence of the obvious?)

There is a lot of chatter about the throngs of men in dresses. Last week, thousands of men in drag wiggled and preened through the streets of New Orleans in homage to former sportscaster Buddy Diliberto who once vowed to parade through the French Quarter in a dress if the Saints ever made it to the 'bowl. Check out former New Orleans Saints' quarterback Bobby Hebert...

And so on and so on.

Is it just me, or is this year's Superbowl full of unusually great stories and spin? It is the networks' job to hype the sucker as much as possible so even people like me who typically avoid watching grown men in spandex tights body slam each other in a sport that is such a thinly veiled, modern-day version of Gladiatorhood that I normally can't watch, watch.

They got me. I am going to the local tavern and watching the whole spectacle unfurl in full color glory on their flat-screen plasma TV (because my TV at home is still 3-D. As in, the shape of the unit, not the effect of the image). I suppose by watching, I am only feeding the machine that manufactures things I don't like (like an irrepressible urge to have a cheeseburger despite its gastrointestinal perils...hey, but don't worry. You don't have to listen to your body's cries or adhere to common sense and the tenets of good health, you can just choke down a Pepcid AC and do what's bad for you anyway...and you won't feel any pain! No wonder the rest of the world wonders about American culture...we make pills to let us do comfortably what we know we shouldn't. How's that for self-indulgent, self-serving Capitalism?)

ANYWAY. While I am falling prey to Superbowl Sunday hype, I am lamenting the fact that we can't raise a similar level of hoopla around the issue of HIV/AIDS in America in general and in black America in particular.

Why can't we have some really thought provoking ads about HIV/AIDS in the Superbowl? (Attention network heads: The media is a critical component of public health. Please run some AIDS awareness ads in remnant space all year long...and consider giving us a 30 second slot during next year's 'bowl to save people's lives. Yes, yes, there are a million valid health concerns we need to discuss with our nation, but none so widespread, deadly, hidden and misunderstood as AIDS. You like to hype underdogs? Hype HIV/AIDS awareness!)

Why can't we openly discuss the racial disparities in our nation's health care system that make it more difficult for people of certain colors to access the basic human right of access to lifesaving medication and care?

Why can't we also discuss how football - and the leadership and idolatry it creates - could be leveraged to help educate America's youth about sexual health? Give us one cool player from each team mentioning the need for safe sex...and maybe a cheerleader or ten...

And how about those men in dresses! There has to something we can do with thousands of straight men in feather boas and Joan Crawford-esque silk turbans!

I guess my point is, we have a way to get the nation's attention. If only we could use that power to save lives and prevent people from getting HIV, to demolish the stigma around the disease and to encourage people to get tested and into care if they are positive...

So, please don't tell me that we can't do it. We can. We just need to employ the help of the mass media and perhaps professional sports. Winning the Superbowl would be an incredible coup for The Saints. A bigger one would be to win, and use their notoreity to save their brothers and sisters in need. And earn that name...the Saints...

I wanted to also share some pictures I took in New Orleans, one year after Katrina. I haven't been back since because I was so disturbed at the lack of national attention to the problem. It has gotten better,  I hear. But it will be a long time before the city is fully healed, even if the Saints win tonight and the burst of cash that must be coming into the city is well-appropriated. So, I post them as reminders that in the midst of celebration, we still have some very critical work to do to protect the people of our country, especially African-Americans who have been hardest hit by the economy--and AIDS.

It's always a good time for the Saints to go marching in.

Some pictures, from post-Katrina NOLA:







Regan on: My book:

This past Tuesday, I was in Washington, DC to cover the announcement and swearing in of the 24 new members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). Headed by Dr. Helene Gayle, the council of experts represents a diverse group of researchers, service providers and community leaders from around the United States. Several members of PACHA are living with HIV. The council also includes people who work in community based organizations that address the medical, legal or mental health issues of HIV-positive people.

The goal of the council is to advise President Obama, through the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Kathleen Sebelius) on domestic and global issues pertaining to HIV/AIDS. It is also designed to support the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP, headed by Jeffrey Crowley) achieve their policy goals. It will also help in the development (and implementation) of the National AIDS Strategy. (For the full skinny on PACHA click here or here). For POZ's coverage and for links to POZ stories of PACHA members, click here.

Okay, so, I have to confess: I'm still getting the press drill down at the White House. After getting up at 4:30 am to catch the Acela out of Trenton, and watching the sun rise hotly pink over a silver, flat body of water somewhere between Philly and Baltimore (and managing not to spill my tea all over me while navigating the aisles of a train moving at nearly 200 mph), I was very proud to be early for the press conference. I marched up to the gate at the corner of the OEOB (Old Executive Office Building) where the press conference was being held and where the VP and much of the executive branch of the federal government has their offices. But alas, I was in the wrong place. The last time I'd visited OEOB was to attend a meeting of "Women and Girls" gathered to help inform the folks developing the National AIDS Strategy about the needs of those of us of the female persuasion. On that day, I was an invitee to a meeting. Last Tuesday, I was wearing my journalist's hat and therefore, was supposed to go to another entrance.

To this New Yorker, an uptown/downtown block can be covered in 30 seconds of brisk walking. A crosstown block can happen in a New York minute. But rounding the horn of the OEOB (in heels) takes nearly ten minutes. And it's uphill. On a sidewalk not made for stilettos. So, I arrived at the right gate, breathing loudly into the speaker that is answered inside the bullet-proof hut at the edge of the White House driveway. Especially in this post-Salahi era, getting inside the White House gates - even after you've provided credentials, photo ID and probably nuked all your unborn kids by passing through the metal detectors - is not easy. After you get your pass and are released inside, you still have to travel a good ways to get to your meeting. But it is such an honor to walk freely down the driveway toward the White House and each time, I still move slowly, enjoying the view. I've only been several times, but each time, I can't quite believe that I am allowed to walk that close to our President's home without Secret Service flanking me. Of course, I know they are everywhere around the grounds. I can't see them, but they can certainly see me! I always wonder what would happen if I touched a toe to the White House lawn (or pulled out a single blade of grass for my scrapbook). But not wanting to tempt fate and wanting to respect protocol, I walk straight to the press area near the West Wing and await direction for where we are to gather.

It's quite a scene inside the press area. Journalists from all over sit and chat waiting for their escorts to the room where their respective press conference is being held. The last time I visited the White House was to watch President Obama sign the re-authorization of the Ryan White Care Act and to mention that the travel ban on HIV-positive people coming to the United States was to be lifted. On that day, we were escorted into a room where we stood behind velvet ropes until the President and group of politicians and AIDS advocates came in for the signing.


It was an incredible day - and being that close to President Obama and watching his eyes carefully as he spoke about his commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS overseas and in the U.S. was incredible. I believe he understands and cares about the issues impacting people with HIV. I believe he knows how disproportionately hard hit the African American community is by HIV. I'll never forget watching him embrace Jeannie White as she burst into tears after he signed the bill into life again. It's easy to get swept up into the feeling that this time, things will be different and that finally we have leadership in Washington that truly cares about HIV not only internationally but domestically. But even as I see the barriers to care fall (e.g. the passing of legislation that allows for needle exchange), I know too well that saying we'll do something and being able to pay for - and effectively implement - it is a whole other thing. As I stood there that day relieved that many people's link to lifesaving treatment was perpetuated by President Obama's pen, I couldn't help but think also of the people who lay sick in their beds watching the hands of a clock spin, terrified, while they desperately hoped that there will be enough money to enable the AIDS Drug Assistance Program to help them get lifesaving meds. (According to the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, the average monthly growth for ADAPs in 2009 was 1,271 clients - an 80 percent increase versus year ago.) ADAP is funded by the Ryan White Program. As more people with HIV lose their jobs and can't afford health insurance, and as more people become positive, more people will depend on the same limited resources to save their lives. It's gonna get Darwinian. According to the AIDS Institute, we need an additional $126 million in FY10 funds to support ADAP. And that's based on the current estimations of the total number of people living with HIV in America. And if you ask many of the experts, they'll tell you that HIV surveillance efforts have been underfunded at the CDC and that therefore, we really truly don't know how many Americans are living with HIV. We estimate that about 21 percent of people with the virus don't know they have it. The absolute count of people, and therefore the percent who are unaware of their status could be mich higher.

We've had several celebratory moments in AIDS history in the last several months. And the administration should be applauded for the steps they've taken to improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS in America. I was proud to be an American when we elected President Obama, and I was proud to be an American woman living with HIV when we said to the world, "You may come visit us, even if you bring your HIV with you." In 2012, for the first time in more than 20 years, the United States will again host the International AIDS Society's International AIDS Conference. That's amazing. It's also horrifying that we were one of the last nations to eliminate the deeply stigmatizing HIV travel ban.

The fact that the administration has reinstated the Office of National AIDS Policy, that there is dedication to developing a National AIDS Strategy and that PACHA has been re-upped with an incredible roster of people with remarkable track records fighting HIV/AIDS is all good. And I remain very hopeful that these steps indicate a recognition of and dedication to solving the problem of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

But all of this good intent will only be as good as the ability of the people tasked with running ONAP, developing the National AIDS Strategy and serving on PACHA to implement the brilliant ideas they hatch. And that will take their relentless pressure. Political capital. A lot of money. And some help from us.

The federal government has said it will not spend in one area unless it can save in another. I think the AIDS community should also look hard at realizing efficiencies and I hope that part of ONAP and PACHA's focus will be on flushing out redundancies and inefficiencies in the AIDS world. If the National AIDS Strategy does one thing, it should be able to evaluate those groups that are getting it done, and those groups that aren't, and reallocate funds to the people who are making the greatest impact most efficiently. We have no shortage of talent, will and insight. In many of the meetings I've attended intended to help those who are shaping policy understand what's happening on a grass roots level in the community, it is said over and over that people living with HIV must be at the table. And we now have HIV positive people assigned to tell Secretary Sebelius and in turn, our President, what they need to know to stop AIDS and to save and improve the lives of those of us living with the virus. But we can't rely solely on them to do our work for us. Many of you have spoken up in the town halls-style meetings hosted by ONAP. Many of you voiced comments on the POZ.com advocacy hub. Many of you posted comments on AIDS.gov's website.

We need to keep it up.

The process has just begun and for any of the current efforts to work, they will need the support of and feedback from the community.

As I walked away from the White House this week, I contemplated the duality that I face every day. I am a journalist, reporting on HIV/AIDS. But I am also a woman, fighting for my life against the very virus I write about daily. And it is this reality that fuels me with a vengeance to use the power of my pen to help ensure that the needs of the HIV community are heard by those who need to hear them.

The president changes history and saves lives when he lays down ink on a bill.

We at POZ hope to do the same. So please continue to share your stories, concerns, dreams and insights with us and we will be sure that they make their way inside the gate, down the driveway and into the hallowed halls of the White House - one way, or another.

Below, some pictures from DC - the group shot is of PACHA plus Secretary Sebelius. That's Dr. Gayle and Chris Bates, PACHA's Executive Director, at the podium.
 



Regan on: My book:

I did this for World AIDS Day...please check it out.



Also for World AIDS Day, I wrote an entry for Kenneth Cole's 'Awearness' blog.

Here's an excerpt:

"I have come to understand that HIV isn't something that happens only to certain kinds of people who engage in certain types of behavior. The truth is, HIV can happen to anyone. And anyone who ever has unprotected sex is at risk for contracting HIV."

To read more, click here.



xo

r


Regan on: My book:

That is the $100,000 question of the day. It's similar to the one posed by the British Red Cross in their newly released World AIDS Day (tomorrow! December 1st!) video that shows sexy Konnie Huq being repeatedly shut down whilst angling for a smooch...all due to her temporarily-assumed- just-for-this-video-HIV-positive-status. She asks, conditionally: If I had HIV, would you kiss me?

See the video here: .

I think the video does an excellent job of showcasing how while people's knowledge about how HIV is--and isn't--transmitted has evolved for the better (85 percent of people polled know you can't get HIV from kissing an HIV-positive person), the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS prevails--causing even rational people to recoil and squirm (69 percent of the people polled said they wouldn't kiss someone with HIV even though they KNOW it's safe).

It's awesome to see a public health campaign focus on fighting stigma. At POZ, we are so convinced that the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS has become as deadly as the virus itself that we dedicated our entire December issue to examining its fatal power. In short, stigma keeps people from being educated about HIV/AIDS, from believing they can contract it, from getting tested for it, from disclosing their status if they have it and from seeking lifesaving medical care and emotional support. The stigma around HIV/AIDS also makes it harder to secure the financial and political capital we need to end the pandemic. Not to mention how stigma can undermine the strength and mental stability of those of us fighting for our lives against the virus!



Read Dec POZ here.











To further help the general public debunk the dangerous myths around HIV/AIDS, POZ, with our friends at Media Planet. also created a special World AIDS Day supplement for The Washington Post. It hit the streets today and hopefully will cause hundreds of thousands of readers to get tested for HIV. Because anyone who has ever had unprotected sex or shared drug injection equipment could have been exposed to HIV!



Read The Washington Post supplement here.










The supplement is an inside look at the myths and mispercetions that perpetuate our inability to crush the epidemic. It's a really good primer for anyone who wants to know the truth about HIV/AIDS. Think: Cliff Notes, for AIDS.

Finally, on poz.com/world, there is a list of all the events that POZ staff is attending this World AIDS Day (week). For example, tomorrow POZ Deputy Editor Oriol Gutierrez, POZ Art Production Manager Michael Halliday and I will be at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia for an all-day symposium on HIV/AIDS. Former President Clinton will address the group at lunch. Then, it's downtown to Washington Square Park to meet up with the folks at the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), including amfAR's Chairman of the Board, Kenneth Cole; Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon; actress and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Naomi Watts and others for the launch of the "Light for Rights" campaign (a joint effort between amfAR, UNAIDS, the World AIDS Campaign and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS). Watch for the lights on Broadway, Madison Square Garden, the Brooklyn Bridge and other NYC landmarks to dim. (For more info: lightforrights.com.) THEN, it's on to the red carpet for AID for AIDS' "My Hero Gala"--their big swanky fundraiser hosted by fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez and Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez. (Thank heavens Oriol speaks Spanish perfectly!). (For more info: aidforaids.org.)

On second thought, perhaps the $100,000 question of the day is not "Would you still kiss me even though I have HIV?" but rather "Will all of our World AIDS Day activities, whether studious or glam, petite or grand, effect the way the world sees people living with HIV--for the better?" Let's hope so!

What are you doing for World AIDS Day? Do tell...

Regan on: My book:

VIV mag rocks...and not just because they wrote nice things about me! ; )  I was unaware of them until I saw this piece they did on the book two days ago. But after checking out their site, I wanted to highlight this cool, digital-only mag for women.

(also, please click on the link above and post a comment at the end of the entry!)

Are we loving this fall weather? The foliage is ablaze, the geese are flying in honking "v"s across the sky - and I've busted out the boot and tights...holding my breath (that is visible now in the early mornings) until I can add gloves to the mix...I love a cool weather wardrobe.

I do NOT love walking out to feed the barn kitties in the freezing air in the early morning, especially since they have now turned the grass alley in between the barns into the display arena for their latest kills. I've dubbed that stretch of turf "death row." Today, the (headless) count was 3 mice and one small rat. Life is full of surprises. Some not so nice - like stepping on a chilly, decapitated mouse at 6 am - and some nicer, like seeing the press (VIV) grab hold of the the AIDS issue and make women aware of their risks. I say, Viva VIV!


Regan on: My book:

First, I want to pay tribute to all the gay men we have lost to this disease, many of whom are responsible for the fact that many of us are alive today. I never had the honor of meeting some of the gay men who were legendary HIV activists and community leaders, doctors, health care workers, research scientists, nurses, government workers, lawyers, politicians and just wonderful people unaffiliated with the community. But as a woman openly living with HIV, I am deeply indebted to all of them for what they did and wish to honor them today.

On this day of national awareness specifically for gay men, all of us living with and affected by HIV/AIDS should take a moment to remind our friends, families, neighbors and acquaintances to know their HIV status by getting tested. Early detection can increase your chances of survival! Yes, it's scary to get tested for HIV, but isn't it scarier to think you might be living with a disease that can be deadly if left untreated and that can be survived, if fought with treatment?

As a straight woman, I don't know what it feels like to be gay. But as a person living with HIV who has battled the stigma around the disease for years, I have an inkling of what it feels like to be marginalized by society (hint: not good). While each circumstance that makes someone feel tossed to the edges of normalcy differs, and the experience is different for each person each time, there are some universal truths shared by all people who fight for their civil rights, their human rights and their dignity. Which is why I plan to go to the HIV/AIDS Rally on the Ellipse in front of the White House on the evening of Saturday, October 10th--and why I will stay for the National Equality March the following day.

Yesterday, I attended the commitment ceremony for Marjorie Hill, executive director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, and Stacey Bridgeman, Marjorie's long time partner. It was a beautiful ceremony and at the end, Marjorie and Stacey held hands and jumped the broom. I had heard of the tradition that is common at African American weddings, but had never been present to watch two people leap into the air over the broom--defying society's desire to keep some people from the love they deserve to openly share.

For those of you unfamiliar with the tradition, here is an explanatory excerpt from Marjorie and Stacey's wedding program:

"This tradition [of jumping the broom] stems back to the time when our slave ancestors were prevented from marrying. They developed this community ritual as a way to show that a couple was united and to indicate their desire to make a home together. As it was with our ancestors brought to America in bondage, our years of love and commitment will not be recognized by society at large. We jump the broom in recognition of our slave ancestors who not only believed in love, but also believed in freedom. We jump in defiance of unjust and un-holy laws that would deny our right to be together!"

It amazes me that society continues to fail to see the link between intolerance and suffering. All people who sit in righteous judgement of others must be reminded that their act of judging hurts and sometimes even kills other people and that is not noble, no matter what the reason, belief or justification for their judgement. Homophobia makes it difficult for people to not only live the lives they have every right to live, but it also, in the case of HIV/AIDS aids and abets (pardon the pun) the ability of the virus to kill more people. When people fear coming forward for any reason they are less likely to gain the medical knowledge and care that can save their lives. So, for anyone who is homophobic, consider this: is it right to keep another human being from good health because of your personal belief or particular view of the world? I happen to think not. And I think that anyone whose belief causes others physical and emotional harm should not feel smug sitting in judgement of others.

This was a crazy, hectic week (we shipped the November issue of POZ to the printer, my book came out, I attended the General Assembly Meeting at the United Nations and the National Minority AIDS Council's benefit "An Evening Without Politics"). I was exhausted by Saturday. But I am so grateful for finding the energy to be present when Marjorie and Stacey shared their vows and made their leap of faith. My wish for the world on this day is one of greater acceptance and openness and I hope that all people, especially, today, gay men, find a way to lively freely and in good health, despite some people's desire to keep you from that to which you are entitled.


Regan on: My book:

Please check it out here! ; )




Regan on: My book:

Well, in fifty-five  minutes, on September 22, 2009, I will officially be a published author. I can not believe I wrote a book.

More than that, I can't believe you are all reading it. And being so kind and encouraging. What's so amazing is how you all see different things in the book. Different parts resonate with different people and in a way, it is fascinating to me as it's a window through which I see you all better. (Don't cry Sly! I know, I know!)

I wrote a piece about the book that appeared in Sunday's NY Post. See it here (don't know if it will show up on your computer but there was a rock climber repelling down the face of the article on my computer. Which was strangely appropriate as that's kind of how I feel. I reached my goal of writing the book, and am now sliding down, swinging slowly back to earth after struggling to summit.) A word about the picture. I look totally haggard partially because my local watering hole had the best retro tunes on on Friday night and I was allowed to stay with friends way past closing. And partially because the NY Post photographer took the pic on Saturday afternoon in my bright sunlit-strewn hayfield. Minutes after stepping into the sun, my face was encased in a tiny tornado of gnats, hence, the half-closed eyes to avoid them landing on my eyeballs. I accidentally swallowed a few while laughing, thinking about what my neighbor's cows (named Hamburger and Steak) must have thought of me alternately swatting wildly at the bugs and trying to smile. The must have felt sorry for me for not having a tail to swish the flies off my face as they do.

Anyway, for those of you who saw the piece in the Post...how hilarious was the juxtaposition of the "Weird But True" headline on the column to the left with the headline for my story: "HIV Fighter Lives to Tell Tale"? I love the Post. And I love that all my most well-educated friends admit to reading it religiously, even if they have to admit that it's a "guilty pleasure" in the same sentence. I was very grateful for the way the editors handled it. What a lovely editor I had. And, not that I'm a diva but as I live miles from the nearest country store, I asked if the photographer would bring me a Diet Coke as I'd been at my desk all day and was out of caffeine. He did! I'll try to post the photo... 

Saturday, in between edits on the NY Post piece, I did the Mary Jones radio show in CT. There was a lovely guest host who said, in one of my all-time-favorite media moments: Now, I'm going to ask you a question, but you don't have to answer..how did you get HIV? Think I paused for a second? Nope. I'll post the audio clip when I get it.

Tomorrow is the POZ annual get together...Wednesday I am filming a TV show with Kenneth Cole, interviewing Dr. Eric Goosby, the new head of the President's Emergency AIDS Plan for Relief and then heading over to the United Nations where the Millennium Foundation is making a special announcement in front of several heads of state about an innovative AIDS funding concept. Then, it's off to the Congressional Black Caucus in DC to support the National Minority AIDS Council...then a wedding. Thank heavens Sundays are days of rest!

Speaking of which, I'm off to dream of being a bestseller...Thank you so much for all of your support. I always wanted to be a writer. But I never imagined that the best part of being one was not holding the book in your hands, but rather seeing the impact it has on people you love, respect, and, in some cases, are just getting to know.

Regan on: My book:

For some reason, I forgot that memoirs get reviewed. I think that's because I didn't make up "I Have Something to Tell You"--it's all true! Regardless, I am so grateful that blogger Melody Simpson (also a Jersey Girl, I discovered) liked it. So far, the book (which comes out Tuesday! Holy smokes!) has only been read by a handful of people who care enough to be honest with me, but who I suspect would be encouraging no matter what. After all, what is someone REALLY going to say? It's one thing to weigh in on a rough draft...another to remark on a fait accompli. Well, here's the link. Can't wait to hear what the rest of you think!

I am eating brownies from God's Love We Deliver, an amazing organization based on Spring Street in downtown Manhattan that feeds people in the Tri-State area who are too ill to go out and food shop and cook for themselves or to go out to eat. God's Love started feeding people who were dying from AIDS in the mid '80s and the organization has evolved to give nutritional support to people with many types of illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. But, the cool thing is that though they once fed HIV-positive people carb-rich meals to try to help them combat wasting disease and comfort food, as they were dying, today God's Love is feeding more and more positive people diets low in fat and high in protein; diets meant to bolster the immune system and support people nutritionally so they can get back on their feet and back out into the world. I've recently agreed to participate in God's Love Leadership Council and last night they had a dinner for a wonderful group of people who support the organization philanthropically. I co-hosted the dinner with a dear friend of mine, Michael Sennott, who is co-chair of the God's Love We Deliver board. And I got a chance to chat with long-time supporter of God's Love--Blaine Trump. What a lovely woman she is. Funny, whip-smart, gracious, so pretty and elegant. And totally devoted to helping those in need. The CEO of God's Love, Karen Pearl, was one of POZ Magazine's "35 Ones to Watch" three years ago and to see how she has expanded the capacity of the organization is a testament to her character--a character that led us to include her on the list. They serve thousands of meals a day, prepared by an army of about 1,400 volunteers. They save lives, and man, can they make a mean brownie.

I am now working on the feature story for POZ and an article that will appear in the New York Post this sunday. Before leaving Manhattan tonight, I interviewed Bernard Salome, Managing Director of an amazing organization based in Geneva called the Millennium Foundation that has clever, innovative, global solutions to raising more money to fight AIDS. Stay tuned for a web exclusive that I will post on POZ.com next week after I see the launch of Millennium's new Big Idea at the United Nations' General Assembly.

Okay, back to the brownies, and to writing!


Regan on: My book: