Lambda Book Report: Fat and the Word!

[susanstinson]

Wow.

I just got the latest issue of Lambda Book Report. (It's Vol. 13.04-05). The cover story is "Critical Mass: A New Generation of Gay Poets."

And on the upper left cover, there's a little picture that my friend James took of me in front of the radiator in his old apartment. The issue includes an article I wrote about fat, queer women writers: "No Longer Vigilant: Fat and the Word." The phrase "no longer vigilant" comes from a moving and powerful essay that amarama wrote as an lj entry, which is also quoted in the piece. Lots of other writers and artists with ljs are mentioned: technodyke, charlottecooper, misia, fattest, and there are photos of me, amarama (sticking doll arms into cake! credit: gordonzola), charlottecooper, and fattest too. There's also a bit of discussion of lj as a phenom.

The article opens with a description of reading at last year's Nolose and the way I experienced the reading that followed at Giovanni's Room in Philadelphia. (waves at ericaceous, plasticsturgeon and kayisgay.)

There's a copy of "Drink," a short story I wrote. I experimented with gender a little in the process of this piece, but ended up here with "she," which is how I originally wrote it. It's dedicated for everyone of every gender who has ever gotten even a little wet at a Nolose conference.

Then, on page 35, there's "Mortal Softness," which I love as a title for a very warm review of Venus of Chalk by Elisabeth Flynn, whose bio says she lives and writes in Philadelphia.

And on the next page, there's a review I wrote of the wonderful Life Mask, by Emma Donoghue, which is also a finalist for a Lambda Literary award.

There's a review of final_girl's most recent book of poetry in there, too.

Again, wow. If ever I should start complaining about having my work ignored by the queer press, would somebody please remind me of this? And wow!! A whole range of fat writers are a bit more visible on the queer literary landscape. And I got a chance to say publicly that Charlotte Cooper's site includes "some of the most witty, observant and passionate travel writing I've seen." Yay.

Check it out!

Comments

[postmaudlin.livejournal.com]

hmph. what does the review say?

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

It's by Reginald Harris, and it's a full page, so I can't give you the whole thing, but he calls it "a terrific sequence of poems about reel and real horrors," "a serious, challenging work to be reckoned with." "Sexy and smart-assed, at times both dizzying and disturbing, humourous and harrowing..." Ends -- "This is daring, heady, energetic stuff."

[postmaudlin.livejournal.com]

thank you SO much for showing me!!! YAY!

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[francita.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, Susan! Hmmm, I seem to be saying that to you a lot lately. Goody. :)

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Francita. Yeah, things have been going well for the book lately, which is a pleasure and a relief, especially if it means that more folks will buy it. And helping to get fat writers on the map as a force to be considered feels like a way to build both literary and other kinds of community for me in ways that have been a long time coming -- or have come in waves and eddies.

[anarqueso.livejournal.com]

Yay! Good for you. Good for everybody.

Oh, recently, I came home from work and found Eak the Geek sitting in my livingroom, talking carny talk with Formaldehyde. We immediately put him on the phone with amarama. He was thrilled to pieces that he'd made a difference to an audience member. Very small world.

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Wait, is Eak the Geek the very same strong man from amarama's experience at Coney Island? AMAZING!! ASTOUNDING! ZOUNDS! ZOWIE!! I've been reading comic books,hence, perhaps, all the exclamations, but that really *is* wild. I love that piece of amarama's.

[little_star]

"It's dedicated for everyone of every gender who has ever gotten even a little wet at a Nolose conference."

hot!!!
that's got to be put on the nolose website!!!

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

xoxo

Hey, if you see fattest or amarama, will you suggest to them that they might want to check out a gay bookstore to see if they can find copies, since I've only got one, and I know they'll want to see it, with their photos and all?

[purejuice.livejournal.com]

congratulations, that is really nice.
there is a sidewalk paris cafe of the 20s feel around here sometimes, and there was especially around Nolose last year and ama's essay. thanks for making something of it.

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Thanks, juice. Yeah, sometimes there is such good writing going on here --anarqueso is somebody else who had been on a roll lately, says me. And it's visible to me that there are a lot of folks doing interesting things with fat as an element in a wide range of writing and other art -- with or without a political consciousness about it -- in a way that absolutely wasn't visible to me when I was in my early twenties. It's not that I want my work -- or any art -- defined in relation to fatness, but that I want the whole context of the ways body and world and writing and art can be and are discussed and read and incorporated into the culture to shift.

[purejuice.livejournal.com]

shift!!!!
i was just thinking the other day that the people who are really inhabiting their lives here are the self-defined "queers", along with those of us straight people (filthy work, someone's got to do it) who are attempting to live "authentic" or "artist's" lives.
yeah, there's real stuff happening here, and i'm so glad you're paying attention!!!!! thank you.

[purejuice.livejournal.com]

that didn't come out quite right. Paying Attention is my religion, practically, and i'm always thrilled to see others who really are doing it. that's how i meant that. is there an emoticon for sincerity???

/=\
. .
-

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean, I think, by paying attention -- it is, it's a hugely powerful thing. Don't ask me about emoticons, though -- I don't understand even the most basic ones. Like, for instance, at the end of your message? Do those marks mean something? Except for the winking semicolons, it's all pretty much code to me!

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Really being present for a life as it's being lived strikes me as a fundamental -- what? -- effort that almost everybody's trying to make, and it's so much harder than it would seem to be -- I know you know this. I don't myself think that queers or artists are better at it than anybody else, but that the more we recognize it in ourselves and each other when we see it or experience it -- amarama's piece (and so many of her posts) being a case in point, the better off we all are.

[purejuice.livejournal.com]

i don't think queers or artists are better at it; i think perhaps a few more of them capice. capice?
i know lots of squares who are very very good at it; i do think what is called het privilege can/may create a universe of entitlement and ungratitude. not that this universe doesn't have its serpents....

[charlottecooper.livejournal.com]

Super! Great news and many thanks for the kind words.

Is there any way I can get a copy of the mag here in the UK? Could someone post me a copy please? I'm happy to reimburse/swap.

xxx

[ericaceous.livejournal.com]

I'll get one for you, Charlotte, if no one else has volunteered yet. email me with your address: ericaceous (at) hotmail (dot) com

Susan! This is great!

[charlottecooper.livejournal.com]

Thanks! You have mail.

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot, ericaceous. I'm hoping that they'll post the article online, too. They don't link to all of their articles, but I think (but don't know) that they might to this one. The issue itself isn't up yet, though.

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

I do hope you like it. Glad that ericaceous is sending you a copy. Don't know if it's out in bookstores yet or not.