The reading last night for the LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD anthology was a fine event. Editor Michael Taeckens introduced the host, Russ Marshalek, who in turn introduced each of us with an excerpt from “Love Secrets from Delilah.” Nice. Then Josh Kilmer-Purcell read from “Twenty-five to One Odds,” I read from “Trans,” and Dan Kennedy finished off with “Excactly Like Liz Phair, Except Older. And with Hypochondra.” We signed books and then snuck off into the Upper West Side night to have a pitcher of blue margaritas, and share more stories of breakups, bad relationships, and broken hearts.
Penguin says that hits for the book on their site have gone through the roof. I’ve been asked to contriubte a blog post about relationships and the book for the site next week, and I’ll post up a link there when the time comes. In the meantime, you could check out what’s on the site right now; Dan Kennedy had a “soundtrack for heartache” posting sure to bring a tear to the eye.
It was great to see so many readers last night and I appreciate everyone who came out. I note that we only had two or three people storm up and out of the reading angrily, which is a new low for me,; most of these catapulted themselves after Josh started talkin’ dirty.
Collection Editor Michael Taeckens, standing, and l to r, Josh Kilmer Purcell, Dan Kennedy, and Jennifer Finney Boylan, Barnes & Noble, 82nd & Broadway, July 30, 2009. (Missing here: host Russell Marshalek).
Finally, I’ll note how this anthology is full of gay relationships, and the fact that this is unexceptional and mundane strikes me as a sign of great progress. There’s only one trans narrative– but it is a good thing for trans lives to be represented in this mainstream publication–and that’s progress too.
