1990s Ford began his writing career in 1992 with the publication of
100 Questions & Answers about AIDS: What You Need to Know Now (Macmillan), one of the first books about the AIDS crisis for
young adults. Named an
American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, the book became a widely used resource in
HIV education programs for young people and was translated into more than a dozen languages. The follow-up to that book,
The Voices of AIDS (William Morrow, 1995), was a collection of interviews with people whose lives have been affected by the AIDS crisis. Ford's next book, 1996's
The World Out There: Becoming Part of the Lesbian and Gay Community (
The New Press), was a handbook for people coming out and wanting to know what it means to be part of the queer world. It earned him his first
Lambda Literary Award nomination in the
YA category. 1998 saw the release of two books, the first being
Out Spoken (William Morrow), a collection of interviews with gay and lesbian people that was again aimed at young adults. Ford's second book to come out that year was ''Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me'' (
Alyson Books), the first of what has come to be known as the "Trials of My Queer Life" series. The book received a Lambda Literary Award for Best Humor Book, winning out over titles by lesbian comic
Kate Clinton, columnist
Dan Savage, and cartoonist
Alison Bechdel. In 1998 he began recording his weekly radio show for the Gay BC Radio Network.
2000s The third in the "Trials of My Queer Life" series, ''It's Not Mean If It's True'' (
Alyson Books), was published in 2000. An audio recording.
My Queer Life (Fluid Words), in which Ford read pieces from his three essay collections, was released in 2000. The recording also contained two songs from "Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me," a musical project for which Ford wrote the lyrics and performed the narration. In December 2000 Ford published
Paths of Faith: Conversations about Religion and Spirituality (Simon & Schuster). Written for ages 12 up, the book was a collection of interviews with leaders from a range of spiritual traditions.
This Queer Life, a stage production written by Ford, premiered at the
Loring Playhouse in
Minneapolis in 2002. == Works ==