Ruth Perkinson's blog

Ruth Perkinson, a really wonderful author, posted on her blog today about the fact that she is going blind. This is the link for the blog Going blind . . .

			Going blind . . . What it means to be going blind… It seems like a terrible trick when one’s eyesight begins to diminish and fail. And in truth, it is. I can’t think of any ...
			View on ruthperkinson.com	Preview by Yahoo

Ruth is a friend. We've known each other a number of years and, since she lives in Virginia, we've met up a couple of times and at the GCLS conference. Her books and our shared experiences with teaching brought us together. If you haven't read her work, you should. Ruth was one of the first lesbian authors, in our current crop, to veer off from the thin romances, mysteries and other types of stories to write what I guess we would call "literature." Her books have depth and complexity and require you to think.

I'm not trying to insult anyone, but, when Ruth showed up, too many lesbian "novels" were still stuck in the Xena fan fic arena (I swore if I read one more book with a tall, stoic dark haired woman and her spunky, shorter blond girlfriend that I would start a bon fire and burn them all) or suffered from the belief that 120 pages was a long book. I was constantly posting on here, the GCLS site and anywhere else I could rant that we needed to do better. I would use Ruth as my example. Fortunately, we're moving more and more in that direction, but I hate the thought that we may lose Ruth from this community because she can't read to write anymore.

If you do a search, you'll find her books. My personal favorites are Piper's Someday (dog lovers will have a special interest in this) and The Mystic Market. I have reviews of them posted here. If you're looking for good reading with some real substance and texture to it, give Ruth a try.

Legacies of Lesbian Literature Project

Those of you who attended the Golden Crown Literary Society conference last year may have attended a presentation done by Sandra Moran and Marianne K. Martin about a project they were starting. Many of us have realized that some of our heritage is beginning to disappear and it needs to be preserved so that people, not just lesbians, will know how our literature has developed and the women who have played a part in it. Marianne and Sandra came up with a project to do something about this......and then we lost Sandra. Fortunately, Sandra's wife, Cheryl Pletcher, has stepped forward and is determined to finish this as part of Sandra's legacy.

This is going to be no small undertaking, folks. It's not just a matter of writing a paper or making a PowerPoint. The plan is to do video interviews of some of our pioneers while they're still here to tell us our history. Marianne has already started with these and the list includes Dorothy Allison, Ann Bannon, Rita Mae Brown, Emma Donoghue, Rita Mae Brown, Katherine V. Forrest, Jewell Gomez, Jenifer Levin, Lee Lynch, Alice Walker and Jeanette Winterson. Others will be added as the project progresses. They intend to produce a documentary and DVDs so that this information can be stored and shared with people for years to come (assuming we don't blow the world up first.)

I've uploaded a picture of the project logo, designed by Ann McMan. It's really striking.

They need help. Eventually, they're going to need people to help them with script writing, research, production, editing, graphics, promotion, distribution....you name it and they'll be asking for people who can participate. What can you do right now?

All of the royalties from Sandra's books are going to fund the project, but more is needed. You can make a contribution by going to https://www.crowdrise.com/legacies-of-lesbian-literature-project. Contributions aren't tax deductible yet, but they're working on getting that status filed. The site only takes credit cards at the moment, but they're going to work on getting a PayPal link. Cheryl says, if you don't want to donate online, you can send donations to her at 9951 Fountain Circle, Lenexa, KS 66220.

You can also friend the project on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LegLesLit. You can link to the site so that other people will see it and you will receive updates about how the project is progressing.

Maybe it's the history teacher in me, but I was excited about this project when I heard about it last year. I'm impressed with how far they've gotten already in the planning and will be giving them some of my time. A lot of my time if you listen to Marianne.

If you want to contact them, their email addresses are mkmbywater@aol.com or cpletcher54@gmail.com.

They will be happy to have the smallest contribution, time or whatever you can do to support the project. This is OUR history and literature. I hope some of you will be inclined to help in some way.

Lynne  

Double Exposure by Bridget Birdsall

Publisher:       Sky Pony Press

Double Exposure addresses an issue that is not often seen in novels, people who are intersex. Intersex people are those who are born with the gender characteristics of both male and female. This occurs more often than most people are aware because doctors and parents usually prefer to alter a baby to one sex soon after birth and then keep the situation secret. Bridget Birdsall has chosen as her character Alyx Atlas, a fifteen year old whose parents decided to wait for the procedure until their child was older.

Alyx spends the first fourteen years of his life defined as a boy, but life is not easy. He has just enough questionable characteristics to make other boys wonder about him and he is coming to identify himself as a female. After a vicious beating, Alyx’s mother moves him across country to be with her family and to start Alyx’s life over as a girl. Being a teenager is difficult enough, but Alyx’s life is almost unbearable. Her refuge from everything is basketball. She’s very good at that and uses it as the way to make a life for herself in a new high school and community. As the team moves higher in the standings and seems headed for a state title, Alyx begins to feel good about herself for the first time. Nothing stays secret forever though, especially when a jealous teammate begins digging into Alyx’s past. Learning to cope has a whole different meaning when it’s applied to her situation.

Birdsall’s book is an interesting look into what it feels like to be “different” in society. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have much depth. According to the author and the way the book is listed, it’s meant to be for young adults, but there isn’t anything here to help them if they happen to be intersex or to make a person more emphathetic towards people who are different. The book is a good look into girls’ basketball and how a team works. It also gives a view of what it is to be a child living in a family where everyone is just a little “different.” Alyx could be any teenager though. What she deals with at school and on the basketball team could apply to any teenager. The fact that she feels alienated from her family is certainly not unique. The problem with the book is, if you take away the fact that Alyx is intersex, then this is nothing more than a story about a teenager trying to come into her own sense of identity. Then Alyx spends too much time whining about her family and how everyone is unfair to her to be really sympathetic.

Perhaps Birdsall meant to show that intersex youth are no different than other people. In that case, the book is successful. If you are searching for a book that will help you or someone you know learn how to deal with being intersex, this one won’t help much.

Review by Lynne Pierce