She Looks Just Like You is a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, otherwise known as a Lammy, so in late May I’ll go to New York for the awards ceremony. It’s billed as the “most glamorous LGBT literary event in the country.” More than 400 people show up to celebrate LGBT literature, which is pretty awesome, really. But what to wear?
Saturday night in Saint Paul: more than 700 people turned out for the Minnesota Book Awards ceremony. It was a great event and an amazing celebration of the (it-ain’t-dead-yet) book. She Looks Just Like You was a finalist in the Memoir category. The award went to Bonnie Rough, author of Carrier, which is a beautifully written book. But it is, as they say, an honor to be nominated. On my next-to-read list is Split, a novel by Swati Avasthi that was a finalist in the Young People’s Literature category. There are lots of other great books that made it to the finalist list; I look forward to checking them out.
You can vote for She Looks Just Like You in the Minnesota Book Awards Readers’ Choice poll. Just go to TwinCities.com to cast your vote.
If you’d like to meet the finalists, please come to the Readers’ Choice event at The Loft on Friday, March 18 (7:00 p.m.). I’ll be reading from She Looks Just Like You and many other authors will be reading from their books. It’s free and should be a fun event!
I’ll be reading from She Looks Just Like You on March 21 as part of an event featuring Minnesota Book Award finalists in Memoir and Creative Non-fiction.
Event Details:
Monday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Hamline-Midway Library
1558 West Minnehaha Avenue
St. Paul
I’ll be reading from She Looks Just Like You on Friday, March 11, at Open Book as part of the Minnesota Book Award Reader’s Choice Event, presented with The Loft Literary Center and the Pioneer Press. Many of the finalists will be there. A reception will follow the event.
Event Details:
Friday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Open Book
1011 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis 55415
I’ll be speaking at the annual conference of the Prairie Star District of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Des Moines on Saturday, April 9. I’ll be joined by Laura Smidzik, former Executive Director of Project 515 and current chair of the board of Unity Unitarian Church in St. Paul. I’ll be reading from She Looks Just Like You and we’ll be talking about how people of faith can help promote equality for LGBT families.
The Creating Change Conference, run by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, will be in Minneapolis, February 2-6. The focus is on organizing and skills-building for the LGBT community and will include workshops for parents, youth, trans activists, religious leaders, college activists and more.
The conference draws some 2,500 people. I’ll be there, along with the just-released paperback edition of She Looks Just Like You. Hope to see you there.
I’ll be reading from and talking about She Looks Just Like You this Wednesday evening, October 27, at Unity Unitarian Church in St. Paul. It’s part of their Wellspring Wednesday series, with the program following a shared dinner.
Event Details:
Unity Unitarian Church
732 Holly Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55104
651-228-1456
Dinner at 6:00
Program at 7:10
I recently visited my alma mater, DePauw University, to do a series of events related to She Looks Just Like You. With the exception of one brief visit 10 or so years ago, I had not been back since graduating in 1988. At that time, DePauw was not the friendliest environment for GLBT students; the fact that the door of the dormitory suite where I lived with 5 other women was SET ON FIRE in the middle of the night stands as just one example. In those days, we had just started a women’s group (Coalition for Women’s — or, depending on the day, Womyn’s — Concerns) as well as a GLBT group which, as I recall, generally met behind drawn shades in a member’s apartment.
Not any more. Some things are the same: the library looks and smells almost exactly as it did 22 years ago; East College is still imposing and formal; the campus is still surrounded by corn and soyfields (but apparently, now, also by CSA’s and llama farms). But many other things are not the same at all. There were many, many more students of color than there ever were when I was a student. There are more international students. The Greek system is still strong, but not domineering in the way it was in the 1980s. I’m delighted to say that DePauw now has a Women’s Center, a Queer Union, a Committee for Latino Concerns, and much more. I even met students who are out and living in sororities, something unimaginable when I was there.
It was great to see the changes, but the best part was talking with the students. And here’s why: they were interested in what things were like 20 years ago, but they treated it with a kind of historical curiosity. And that’s a great thing, I think, not because it made me feel old (which it did), but because it is an indicator of how much things can change in a generation.
This Sunday (July 11), I’ll be signing copies of She Looks Just Like You at the Cathedral of Hope, a predominantly GLBT congregation of the United Church of Christ, in Dallas, Texas. The Cathedral is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year which is an awesome achievement.
Minnesota Book Award Finalist