Author Frederick Smith explores gay L.A. in his debut novel, Down for Whatever.

By Noel Alumit

In the fall of 2001, Frederick Smith, an animated, easy-going young man, was going through a lull -- something he was not used to. "All my life I have pretty much risen pretty fast," he said. "I finished undergrad and grad school pretty quickly. I was always a pretty high achiever academically. And for so long, I was feeling stagnant." So, he decided to pursue his dream of becoming a writer. "A lot of people say they want to write, but never do it," he said. Smith did not want to be one of those people. He signed up for a writing class at UCLA Extension Writers Program. He began work on funny and moving tales of gay and bisexual African-American men and Latinos -- stories inspired by friends and family.

Smith's work immediately made an impression. His writing teacher Kerry Madden said, "I found his humor and sensitivity all over his pages. It's always such a joy when you come across a student who will make you laugh and give you insight into a whole other world. I did find a real spark in his work right from the start."

Smith was working on a fast and hilarious portrait of gay Los Angeles life, something that had never been captured before. The story would revolve around Keith Hemmings, Marco Antonio Vega, Rafael Dominguez, and Tommie Jordan: men more likely to dance at Club Tempo or Catch One than at Rage or Micky's. They would be more familiar with Boyle Heights than Brentwood and party in Baldwin Hills rather than the Hollywood Hills. They would rather date "cholos" and "brothas," not pretty boys (unless he looks like an R&B singer). They would be smart men in their own ways: two of them educated at Stanford, two of them educated at the school of hard knocks. They would also be men rarely read about.

When it came time to try to find an agent for this wonderful concept, a book he would title Down For Whatever, he found that others were not so enthused about this kind of gay Los Angeles life. Thirty or 40 agents rejected the book, stating it wouldn't be "the right fit."

Madden introduced Smith to writer Denise Hamilton, who offered to read the book. According to Hamilton, "I read it and was wowed by the fresh voice, the humor, the characters. Fred was also writing about an L.A. we don't see much in fiction these days -- on many levels. First, it wasn't the rich white Westside; it was set pretty much east of downtown. Secondly, it wove through the club world. Thirdly, it dealt almost exclusively with young black and brown people. Fourthly, it was set in the gay world. So it was like a quadruple threat, in terms of the power and punch that it packed for me."

Hamilton said she did something that she had never done before and may never do again: She contacted an editor she'd worked with at Kensington, and asked him to take a look at it. According to Hamilton, "I think Fred is taking on some really challenging topics and doing an admirable job -- never preachy and always keeping his snarky sense of humor intact while managing to write very poignantly about our universal search for love."

After so many rejections, Smith wasn't expecting much, but decided to send the manuscript anyway. He said, "What the heck. What will it hurt? I'll just get ready for another rejection." Lo and behold, Kensington wanted the manuscript, which, of course, made Smith very happy. "I'm realizing and appreciating the fact that not everyone gets published. And it is an accomplishment. It's something to be grateful for and thankful for."

It's really about time. Not just for Smith, but for the reading public. "I think that there's a desire for new gay black fiction," he said. "It's been a while. E. Lynn Harris and James Earl Hardy started their series over 10 years ago. I don't think there has been any new sets of characters, in terms of being published by mainstream publishers, in almost 10 or 15 years."

Down For Whatever is mighty fun, with snappier than snappy dialogue and wit, like when Keith, the main voice of the novel, describes himself as "negative HIV, positive credit record." Or when the "wetback slut" Rafael talks about "mediocre dick and some get-me-by-in-the-meantime dick."

With all the fun, the book does address more serious issues. This is, after all, the story of same-gender-loving black and Latino men in Los Angeles, a city described in the book as the "headquarters for self-hating, internally oppressed men of color." Smith raises important issues including identity, class, HIV, and the downlow community, but never sounds heavy handed.

"I wanted to show that there's diversity in the community," Smith said. "There is some young kid growing up thinking, 'the only images I know are Will and Grace or Queer Eye.' I just wanted to contribute one small part to some young kid's development and say that there are gay people of color who are proud of who they are. And don't have to feel they have to aspire to be anything, anyone other than themselves."

Some themes he was trying to explore were "love of self as a cultural being, as a human being. Valuing the people around you, family or friends, or the families we create as gay and lesbians is a theme within the book. Being responsible for yourself and those around you is a theme."

The book is being marketed as Queer As Folk meets Sex and the City meets Waiting to Exhale. It really is none of those things. Down For Whatever is its own entity and will make its own mark. Frederick Smith will be compared to E. Lynn Harris and James Earl Hardy, but Smith will certainly make a name for himself and become known for his own voice. He has a definite future in this business and will surely develop the kind of readership that will carry a career.

Smith will sign copies of his book on July 21, 7 p.m., at A Different Light Bookstore, 8853 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, and on July 23, 6 p.m. at Matais Books, 3202 E. Broadway, Long Beach.