October 12th, 2011

Recommended Reading #68: Pioneering, Past and Present



      “The Bold Single Bride Who Married Herself” by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Self-Love, Relationship, Self-Awareness) 9/29/11

This struck me as so lovely. The actual marriage might not be something everyone would be interested in doing, but the vowing to take care of and honor oneself strikes me as invaluable. In the specific case spotlighted, I like the way she chose to marry herself on the original day of her planned wedding rather than, as she puts it, “sulking at home all day . . . .” I find that a beautiful, novel, and, as Rachel says, inspiring idea and course of action.

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      “Tristan Taormino: The Power of Erotica” by Sinclair Sexsmith (Gender, Sexual Identity, Writing, Activism) 10/10/11

I’m very interested in the book on which this article focuses (Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica, partly because I am an admirer of Tristan Taormino and partly because I feel frankly that I don’t know very much about transgender issues or experience. It had already occurred to me to read this as a possible opportunity to learn, and after reading this, that seems even more salient. I love that she wanted to do something new/unusual (what has seemed, in my perception, characteristic of her) in erotica and devoted an entire anthology to this theme in order to do so and offer it representation. (I’m also interested in the language issue Tristan mentions; it’s one with which I’ve struggled with a bit, since I know “their” is often grammatically incorrect in places where “he”/”she” would be used. I look forward to a reconciliation as such of the desired pronouns of some and grammatical correctness…which is so important to some of us. ;))

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      “Annals of Bessie Street: From Revolution to Eviction” by Susie Bright (Memoir, Activism, Sexual Orientation/Identity) 9/27/11

This struck me as an extraordinary expose of Susie Bright’s old apartment, where she and her former partner once lived together and where her partner has been living since (as stated in the piece, ownership has just changed, necessitating her former partner’s moving out). It goes through, in text and photos, the history of Susie’s On Our Backs magazine and her life in connection with the featured apartment. Extraordinary.

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Recommended Reading posted every Wednesday

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