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The Lambda Book Report and College
Feb. 1st, 2005 02:05 pmBack after the SCCLA's 2005 contest, I was waiting at Sisterspirit (the bookstore attached to our local LGBT center, the Billy deFrank, and came across the summer issue of the Lambda Book Report. It grabbed me because featured on the cover was my favorite bearded chipmunk, Samuel R. Delany (I have nearly worshipped him as a writer some days, and been completely frustrated with him others). So, I got the rag.
I've just read it in the past week. The interview with "Chip" was really good, four pages of timeline and contemplation. Worth the price of admission for me.I skimmed through the rest of the mag, and was interested to see a couple of trans-focused books reviewed. At the end, I broke down and read the article on Christopher Isherwood (a new bio is out). I had resisted because I had had a whole lot of talk about Isherwood crammed down my throat in college by a teacher who was enamored of him (and even more of his buddy, Auden). Yes, I had enjoyed the Berlin stories and appreciated the mostly hidden gay experience, but... enough.
The article really reopened my eyes to Isherwood, and made some connections (such as with the Baghvad Gita and Hollywood) I hadn't really seen before. The guy lived a dynamite life, and wrote and loved hard, what more could one ask for?
And I had an insight... my teacher was something of a fag hag. Who knew?! Certainly the photos she had shown were as much of herself and her girl friends as Isherwood and Auden... but there had always been something about how she spoke of him that I didn't quite get. Thinking back over the years now, I get it. LOL Good for her, to have that bit of obvious magic in her own interesting life.
Funny what time can show.
I've just read it in the past week. The interview with "Chip" was really good, four pages of timeline and contemplation. Worth the price of admission for me.I skimmed through the rest of the mag, and was interested to see a couple of trans-focused books reviewed. At the end, I broke down and read the article on Christopher Isherwood (a new bio is out). I had resisted because I had had a whole lot of talk about Isherwood crammed down my throat in college by a teacher who was enamored of him (and even more of his buddy, Auden). Yes, I had enjoyed the Berlin stories and appreciated the mostly hidden gay experience, but... enough.
The article really reopened my eyes to Isherwood, and made some connections (such as with the Baghvad Gita and Hollywood) I hadn't really seen before. The guy lived a dynamite life, and wrote and loved hard, what more could one ask for?
And I had an insight... my teacher was something of a fag hag. Who knew?! Certainly the photos she had shown were as much of herself and her girl friends as Isherwood and Auden... but there had always been something about how she spoke of him that I didn't quite get. Thinking back over the years now, I get it. LOL Good for her, to have that bit of obvious magic in her own interesting life.
Funny what time can show.
