Waiting for Manilow: A Reading and Talkback at Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum

It’s August 17, 1997 and Nick, a 17-year-old gay boy, is sitting in an all-night diner outside Indianapolis, Indiana waiting for the possible appearance of his musical idol Barry Manilow who is performing down the street. As he waits with his best friend, Courtney, the two ponder the changing world around them, their troubling relationships with their parents, and their possible futures. When an unexpected classmate also arrives at the diner, Nick is faced with the possibility of a different kind of story. Waiting for Manilow questions queer narratives and our connection to icons. It explores that pivotal time between teen and adulthood that is both exciting and terrifying especially for a generation in the midst of the rise of the Internet.