Blog

Alison Does Dallas

October 25th, 2005

Attention DTWOF fans deep in the heart of Texas: Alison will be in Dallas this weekend and next.

On Saturday, Oct. 29, she’ll be speaking at the Oak Lawn Branch Library from 2-4 p.m. Afterwards, she’ll be doing a booksigning for Invasion of the Dykes To Watch Out For at Crossroads Market Bookstore and Cafe. On Sunday, October 30, she’s doing a signing from 10:15-11:30 at Cathedral of Hope. Then, on November 3-4, she’s appearing at the University of North Texas, where she’ll be speaking at a seminar called “Developing Multicultural Leaders: Woman who are Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and their Allies.”

The keynote speaker at that conference is none other than Lupe Valdez. Never heard of her? Here’s a snippet about Valdez from an article in Salon.com:

In an upset brought about by local scandal, demographic evolution and personal chutzpah, Lupe Valdez, the daughter of a Mexican immigrant farmworker, became the first-ever Democrat and woman to head the county’s sole law enforcement office, which includes Texas’ second largest city. “Since I won, every time I go to a Democratic meeting, they go crazy,” Valdez, 57, told the New York Times.

The story’s sub-head also notes that the pioneering copper is a lesbian. But you Texans probably already know that.

Plamegate, for visual learners

October 25th, 2005

If, like me, you’re having a little trouble wrapping your mind around the details of this case, here’s a very educational illustrated account.

My pal Phranc

October 19th, 2005

also known as the Cardboard Cobbler, is artist of the day at Gothtober.com. Open up the October 19th door to see her animated cardboard sailor suit, and listen to her song “The Handsome Cabin Boy.” It loaded kind of slow for me, but was well worth the wait.

Me blathering on and on

October 17th, 2005

This woman Kerrie from the excellent lesbian blog Hothouse interviewed me last week about my new book. Alarmingly, she seems to have written down everything I said, and quite accurately. If you have several hours to kill, check out the interview.

New book

October 2nd, 2005

Well, Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For is hot off the press. I’m holding a lovely, inky smelling copy in my hands, but a cursory search of the web indicates that it’s not on the shelves yet. Nor, inexplicably, is it on my publisher Alyson Books’ website. But hopefully it will be soon.

If you’ve been following the strip recently, you will have learned that both Toni and Sydney have engaged in some extramarital activities at some indefinite point in the recent past. If you’d like to see the very definite details of their indiscretions, you have to buy my book! Isn’t that a clever marketing device?

I rather thought so.

Alison at Burlington Literary Fest

September 20th, 2005

Alison’s immersed in work again, so I’m stepping in to toot her horn, if you will. Those of you who live in the Burlington area (that’s Burlington, Vermont, not Burlington Iowa — sorry, corn huskers!) might want to check out the Burlington Literary Festival this weekend. It’s happening Friday through Sunday, and features readings and workshops with Galway Kinnell, Russell Banks, and a host of local literati. Alison’s speaking on a panel on Saturday night with New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss, and cartoonist L.J. Kopf.

I think she’s also going to be signing some newly released copies of Invasion of the Dykes To Watch Out For, the 11th DTWOF book. The official release date is Oct. 1, but Alison should have some copies available Saturday night.

Bless this

September 7th, 2005

If you’re inexplicably reluctant to send hurricane relief donations to Pat Robertson’s “Operation Blesssing,” as FEMA has suggested, or bushclintonkatrinafund.org or even the Red Cross (like my mom, who’s still mad at them for planning to use some of the money they collected after 9/11 for other purposes), check out the Sparkplug Foundation’s
site. It lists grassroots community organizations that would probably make better use of your money, though of course I can’t guarantee that. Thanks to Susie Day for letting me know about this.

George Bush doesn’t care about black people

September 5th, 2005

That’s what rapper Kanye West said on the NBC hurricane benefit concert Friday night. This was a departure from the approved script, and his comments were axed from the west coast broadcast, but to anyone who wasn’t stranded on a desert island last week, or similarly insulated from reality, like, say, by being the homeland security secretary or the Director of FEMA, West was only stating the obvious.

It was interesting to watch the national conversation evolve during the week. First no one mentioned the fact that the people abandoned in New Orleans were overwhelmingly African-American. Then gradually there was an acknowledgment that class was a factor—people were stranded because they had no cars or other resources to get out of town. Then by the end of the week, race started being mentioned openly in the mainstream media. I haven’t been able to bring myself to monitor Fox News, but Frank Rich reports that even Bill O’Reilly was forced to acknowledge the truth by Thursday night.

Unfortunately, we can’t blame this horrific social collapse solely on George Bush. We live in a deeply racist society, and openly acknowledging that fact is the first step toward changing it. I know we all have quantum-particle-sized attention spans these days, but I don’t think the Republicans will manage to sweep the shameful Katrina fallout under the rug anytime soon. Not even with Bush’s ridiculous distraction ploy of nominating of John Roberts for chief justice.

Thanks for the incisive commentary…

September 5th, 2005

…that followed my Holy Shit post.

PlanetOut is like two episodes behind with my strip

September 5th, 2005

Sorry about that. I don’t know what’s going on.