I'm working on a review of Sarah Schulman's new novel, _The Child_, as well as an interview
with the author for Lambda Book Report. The book is fascinating -- focused on the emotional and physical violence that results from familial homophobia. Equally fascinating to me, however, is a second plot strand, exploring how difficult it is for lesbian artists to find venues (mainstream or marginal) for their work. This is something Sarah has commented on for years, and something I've experienced over and over again. If it's got a lesbian in it, it's not literature. Therefore, if you write about lesbians, you aren't writing literature. You're writing -- cereal box copy? Genre fiction? Softcore porn?
The protagonist must always be named Joshua.
Preferably Joshua Joshua.
And so this is the name of my imaginary band: The Joshua Joshuas.
I play tambourine.
with the author for Lambda Book Report. The book is fascinating -- focused on the emotional and physical violence that results from familial homophobia. Equally fascinating to me, however, is a second plot strand, exploring how difficult it is for lesbian artists to find venues (mainstream or marginal) for their work. This is something Sarah has commented on for years, and something I've experienced over and over again. If it's got a lesbian in it, it's not literature. Therefore, if you write about lesbians, you aren't writing literature. You're writing -- cereal box copy? Genre fiction? Softcore porn?
The protagonist must always be named Joshua.
Preferably Joshua Joshua.
And so this is the name of my imaginary band: The Joshua Joshuas.
I play tambourine.
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