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Enjoy this week’s Sinister Snapshot, Sinister Wisdom’s biweekly newsletter with a featurette and lots of links. If you have suggestions for future editions of Sinister Snapshot, send them to info@sinisterwisdom.org.
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Answer this three minute survey to tell Sinister Wisdom what you think about Sinister Snapshot. We want to know what you like, what you love, and what you hate so that we can improve it in 2023!
DEADLINE EXTENDED: Guest editor Allison Blevins is still accepting work until December 31 for an upcoming thematic issue highlighting Lesbians with Trans-identifying partners. Sinister Wisdom accepts general submissions on a rolling basis.
Associate editor Sierra Earle is seeking a guest editor to collaborate on a future thematic issue of Sinister Wisdom platforming work by nonbinary and/or nonwoman-identified lesbians. Email sierra@sinisterwisdom.org if you're interested. They will not be nice if you send transphobic emails.
Editor Julie R. Enszer is reading Bettina Aptheker’s Communists in Closets, Couplets by Maggie Miller, and listening to Brandi Carlile.
Yeva Johnson is reading Elana Dykewomon's Risk, Ann Allen Shockley's Afro-American Women Writers 1746-1933 and Loving Her, and Michelle Obama's new memoir The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. She hopes to finish them all before they are due back at the library. She just re-read Camille T. Dungy's poetry collection, Trophic Cascade, and enjoyed it even more the second time. Yeva recently saw the film The Woman King in a matinee at a theater she had all to herself.
Please note that Sinister Snapshot will be on hiatus in the month of January 2023. Keep sending tips and stories! We will have Snapshots filled to the brim when we return in the month of February.
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In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction
as told by Marianne K. Martin and Katherine V. Forrest
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From Dorothy Allison's interview for In Her Words.
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In the words of Katherine V. Forrest, "In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction is an amazing, powerful achievement, a feature film that places into full historical context the books that changed our lives, shaped us, and in some cases, including my own, saved us. Framed with splendid narration by our great historian Lillian Faderman, it presents fascinating in-person interviews, insights, and archival footage of the legendary authors and groundbreaking books that formed our literature and led us toward community. . .”
The idea for In Her Words began when author Marianne K. Martin was given creative licensure over a keynote presentation at a speaking engagement. "I thought about so many books and how they had affected my life. My friend and fellow author, Sandra Moran, and I started talking about the impact of those books on us personally and their historical impact on the larger community. That discussion became the presentation that we did together and the impetus for In Her Words. Those stories and the bravery of the authors to tell them, when homosexuality was considered a mental illness and careers and family could be lost, touched countless lives. We wanted to put as many of those authors on film as possible, to hear in their own words how and why they wrote their stories."
The Lesbians interviewed for the project include literary luminaries like Lee Lynch, Jewelle Gomez, Ann Bannon, Elana Dykewomon, Penny Mickelbury, and Patrick Califia, among others. Their unique perspectives highlight the distinct struggles of lesbian authors and explore what lesbian literature is.
Marianne explains, "part of the impetus for filming as many of these groundbreaking authors as possible was the sudden passing of Nancy Garden, author of Annie on My Mind. Age and health became an important consideration as we felt a sense of urgency. But before we could find a filmmaker to work with and begin the interviews, Sandra [Moran] was diagnosed with cancer and passed away soon after. I would not have been able to continue our project without the help of Sandra’s widow, Cheryl Pletcher. Together with Lisa Marie Evans, a talented filmmaker, we were able to bring our vision to life. During the making of the film, our sense of urgency proved again to be well-founded. We lost four more trailblazing authors, including Sinister Wisdom's own Elana Dykewomon, a brilliant writer, fierce advocate, and courageous activist."
When Elana Dykewomon died in August of 2022, the In Her Words team dedicated a screening of the film to the pioneer who participated in the film. Marianne remarks about Elana Dykewomon, "she was brave when risks of losing jobs and family were high. She lived and wrote her truth, and we are grateful that we were able to interview her. We will cherish her words and miss her wisdom and her example. Her loss perfectly exemplifies why In Her Words is such a necessary and important film."
As a narrative of history, Marianne Martin sees the film as a vehicle to educate and empower younger lesbians. "[In Her Words] tells today’s young readers of times and challenges many of them aren’t familiar with. Like all history, knowledge of where we have been, of accomplishments and mistakes, of struggle and courage, creates an appreciation for where we are. It may also help prepare young lesbians to face the increase in hate and discrimination directed again at the LGBTQ+ community."
Though the film was screened at various film festivals, when asked about the future of In Her Words, Marianne seeks to increase its visibility. "One of our goals is to make the film available to colleges and universities both in the United States and internationally. . .We have already received a number of requests from school personnel to include it in their curriculums. We are also planning to make it available for rent or purchase by study groups, book clubs, and for individual viewing."
Both the participants and the production team of In Her Words have high hopes for the impact of the film. Katherine V. Forrest declares, “So luminous, so valuable is In Her Words, it’s destined to take its place among such classics as Before Stonewall as one of our most vital historical records."
This interview was edited for length. Visit www.inherwordsthefilm.com to learn more about the film.
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Spinnboden is hosting monthly book clubs in English. On December 28, the book club will discuss The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith (a classic!). Email beratung@spinnboden.de to register.
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Mark your (Sinister Wisdom) calendars! The Sinister Wisdom 127: On Transfer launch event is on January 17! Curated by Susannah Magers, this issue assembles a vital collection of interviews and creative work that ponders transference: what we give to and receive from one another in lesbian communities. Register here.
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Sinister Wisdom is saddened to learn of the death of Marijane Meaker in early December. Some of her most recognizable titles are Highsmith, a memoir of her two-year affair with the psychological crime thriller writer Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Read an obituary.
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Lesbian News published an excerpt of Carolyn D' Cruz's introduction to A Sturdy Yes of a People. Read about butch-fem relationships, kinship, and the beauty of Joan Nestle's writing in "In Bed with Joan Nestle!"
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Brittney Griner was released from Russian custody on December 8. “Here’s What’s Next.”
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“Women’s Music is a phrase coined by lesbian-feminist singer/guitarist Meg Christian in the early seventies.” View the “Because of a Song” archival gallery, which includes a TON of photos by familiar names like JEB as well as oral histories, short films, and archival documents. This photo is of a Latin jazz ensemble shot by Bob Henry.
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Also, read about The Klezbians in heyalma. Their name is a mashup of their Queer Jewish pride. “The Klezbians still perform together at the feminist seder where it all began.”
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The Journal of Lesbian Studies “seek[s] to examine the current challenges to reproductive justice across the globe…” Abstracts are due January 10, 2023. Full manuscripts are due May 30, 2023. Read more.
The Journal also seeks proposals for “a special issue on the subject of Central and Eastern European (CEE) lesbian studies.” Abstracts are due February 1, 2023. Full manuscripts are due June 30, 2023. Read more.
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Outpost19 seeks tree-themed submissions for Rooted Two: Best New Arboreal Nonfiction. The deadline is February 1, 2023.
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Adela Zamudio: Selected Poetry & Prose, translated from Spanish by Lynette Yetter, showcases the life and writings of Adela Zamudio. Self-taught, Zamudio was the mother of feminism and women's education in Bolivia and was an activist for Indigenous People's rights. Her celebration of lesbian love and ironic cultural critiques continue to resonate today.
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Haymarket Books hosted Cherríe Moraga and Martha Gonzalez for a conversation celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Moraga’s classic Waiting in the Wings: Portrait of a Queer Motherhood. Watch here.
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Read about Claire Waldoff, Die Freundin, and other bits of “Queer Cultures That the Nazis Destroyed” in the New York Times. View To Be Seen: Queer Lives 1900-1950.
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The Centre Audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir hosted a screening about the French Canadian radical Lesbian magazine called Amazones d’Hier, Lesbiennes d’Aujourd’hui. Listen to iconic Lesbian activists such as Louise Turcotte, Suzette Robichon, and others discuss the magazine and Lesbian publishing here.
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If you would like to support Sinister Wisdom's thriving Lesbian community, please consider donating or subscribing. Your support is vital to our mission of profiling, supporting, and nurturing Lesbian culture as well as providing educational resources to women and Lesbians. Thank you to our sustainers for supporting the advancement of Lesbian art and culture!
Curated with community, history, and an understanding that every present moment is a nexus of many pasts. May these stories of Queer culture inspire, enthuse, and rouse you to Lesbian actions. We hope you've enjoyed this installment of Sinister Snapshot! Have a lovely weekend.
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