The OUTShine LGBTQ+ Film Festival Spring Edition returns to South Florida April 23 – May 3. Acclaimed as one of the largest LGBTQ cultural festivals in the world, included are four international, nine North American, and six East Coast premieres from 20 countries. This year’s Centerpiece Film screening at the Koubek Center Theater, on April 30, will be Maspalomas (Spain, 2025), an intimate story of homosexuality in old age. Post-screening, the audience is invited for light bites, entertainment, and complimentary cocktails.

Check out what inspired AdriAnne May to write "Divine Descent" down below.

Ever wondered what happened to the “Heathers” or the Plastics from “Mean Girls” right after high school? In its own way, “Forbidden Fruits” (IFC/Shudder), directed and co-written by Meredith Alloway, offers some clues.

Check out our interview with Avery Curran, the author of "Spoiled Milk."

More than 45 years after the first newspaper article about AIDS appeared in the New York Times, gay poet Steven Reigns continues to write about it; a literary reminder that the health crisis is far from over. As with his previous collection, “A Quilt For David,” the subject is front and center in his new book, “Outliving Michael” (Moon Tide Press, 2025). A far more personal effort, “Outliving Michael” is a devastating poetic tribute to Reigns’ late friend Jon Michael Church, who passed away at the age of 42 in 2000.

Spring always feels like the right time to shake up your reading list, and this month’s new releases are filled with heart, adventure, identity, and the kinds of stories that stay with you long after the final page.