“Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys”
Tom Dolby, whom I interviewed back when he was a debut novelist and I was a newbie blogger, was nice enough to leave me on the press list. So when his latest came out, an anthology co-edited with Melissa de la Cruz titled “Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys” (complete with a hen and a pair of cocks on the cover), Penguin shipped me a proof and a hardback, and Tom invited me to a book release party at his family’s home in Pacific Heights.
Thankfully, it worked out that I was graciously chaperoned by self-admitted fag hag Min Jung Kim, who bitched like a queen all night about how it wasn’t nearly gay enough for her taste. Lest you think that her assessment was half-baked, Christopher Turner’s hubby Armistead Maupin lightheartedly agreed.
Me, I was nervous to the point of frightened by the glory of it all — it felt a long way from my Grandma’s backyard in Wenatchee. I nearly hid behind Catherine Bigelow, and never did introduce myself to the generous hosts, Ray and Dagmar Dolby. Though I did note that the home theater setup included a new Blu-Ray player, but didn’t see an HD-DVD player. Yes, I’m a geek.
Oh, the book? The book is a lot of fun, often poignant. I haven’t read Maupin’s introduction yet, as it wasn’t in the proof, but Lizzie Spiers wrote a fun piece. The optimistically cynical realism of Philip Himberg was refreshing. Melissa herself didn’t disappoint, her actual mien and literary voice a perfect match (I wouldn’t know anything about that). I can’t say I’m a Cindy Chupak fan, but the minutae of orthodox Jewish marriage ritual confronting the reality of modern relationships was fascinating.
Tom was endearingly vulnerable falling under a psychic’s spell in his “Future Perfect.” Ayelet Waldeman’s story about her dyke dude ™ son also rang more than a bit true, as does K.M. Soenhlein’s ode to womanhood. The job of an anthology editor is to have a unified vision for a project that serves a specific audience, and the contacts to put together the team — Dolby and de la Cruz have pulled it off with panache.
None of these stories are the best one – or should I say, my favorite – which is a secret you’ll have to discover for yourself at an independently owned bookstore near you. Meanwhile, Tom and Melissa will be doing readings around the Bay Area, kicking off a left coast swing at Books Inc. tomorrow starting at 6pm, and then continuing through Danville, Corte Madera and on to LA.
“Where are my people? Where are the fag hags?”
Heard a few snippets from the book at a reading and asked why the editors hadn’t considered including the voice of a gay “girl who likes boys who likes boys.” The editors responded that they thought that would be a different book and someone quipped ‘well, then which way would the roosters and hen face?’ Made me think the book is another media play on the much too hyped up relationship between gay men and straight women. If we’re really looking to explore the friendships that gay men have with women why do we limit it to straight women? The inherent prejudice in that seems a little ironic and sad.
I have to agree, am, though now I feel guilty for not making that clear from the get-go. The thing is, I treat these compilations as pretty naked commercial appeals in general. I mean, why not let some writers cash in on the Sex in The City phenom? It’s not like you or I have to watch the show, or buy the book. But so many millions or whatevs want in on the game, and why not let them?
Maybe I give my tiny readership too much, or more likely too little, credit. Yes, some friends might feel left out by this compilation, but it’s not like I don’t depend on said friends for literary recommendations beyond the ones that garner me boojie party invites. My only hope is that in the balance, after years of writing, I prove to have given everyone a chance, even the mercenaries.
We all put words to the public.
[...] gracefully the San Francisco way. It’s a love story at heart, and based on my brief meeting with Maupin and husband Christopher Turner, probably a tad autobiographical. Maupin’s tone is as witty and style as cleanly devoid of [...]