Let's make this birthday one to remember.

74 years old (Born on May 29, 1950)

Happy birthday, Melvin! May your celebration be filled with joy brighter than the wit found within "Vanishing Rooms" and laughter even louder than applause after a perfect poetry reading. Let's hope this year brings no trouble to your water—just plenty of cake frosting to sweeten life’s literary adventures.

You've gifted us powerful stories illuminating lives often unseen: beautifully exploring gay African-American identities through both tender prose and profound verse. Today, we're celebrating you—not just for making our libraries richer, but because there's truly nothing novel about how incredibly wonderful you are! Cheers to a timeless humor rivaled only by great translations (and maybe good puns).