Tuesday, January 26, 2016

I don't get, given the context of the primary point made, the logic of the "particularly white male privilege bit" of this Tweet- Jan 25 We need to make young people aware of white, particularly white male privilege, way early on. Take it to the outdoor ice rinks.

Here's my argument/response-sketch (which is not at Twitter):

A compelling argument can be made that when it comes to White Supremacist dynamics, that white women and men do get to share this shit-show equitably. I totes agree that it's good to get little male nippers aware of the privileges maleness often carries--but as far as whiteness being racially clueless, the maleness bit strikes me as more than less a red herring/mistaking female identity for a totality which because it often entails disenfranchisement can therefore not be maximally part of white supremacist dynamics, which is ultra questionable--though has obvious white feminist appeal.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Dear Adam strauss, 

Thank you for participating in the 2015 Les Figues Press NOS Contest. We are pleased to announce the winner as chosen by contest guest judge lê thi diem thúy: 

irradiated cities 
by Mariko Nagai 

We are also pleased to announce that the editors have selected The Getty Fiend by Ken White as the NOS editors' selection. 

We specifically would like to congratulate you, Adam, as your work was picked as a finalist among a phenomenal collection of works including: 

Tree Talks: Southern Arizona | Wendy Burk 
GALL | E.G. Cunningham 
DEUS ABSCONDITUS AND LOVE LETTERS FROM OUTER SPACE | Brandi George 
Assumptions We Might Make About the Postworld | Katharine Haake 
Reading Nana | Sharon Kivland 
Field Poetics | Kristen Kreider 
It Was Human | Jenn Marie Nunes 
Ifenne | Jill Okpalugo-Nwajiaku 
Braided Sand Country | Adam Strauss 
kochanie i bought bread | Uljana Wolf, translated by Greg Nissan 

We will be making the official announcement tomorrow. 

By now, you should have received your Les Figues Press title of choice. If you chose 100 Chinese Silences, please allow another three weeks for delivery. If otherwise you have not received your book, please contact us at info@lesfigues.com. 

Again, thank you for entrusting us with your exceptional writing. 

Sincerely, 
Teresa Carmody 
Les Figues Press
Here's my response to this in many ways terrific review:
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/oped/01/16/a-queer-take-on-james-francos-straight-james-gay-james/

Adam Strauss 19 January 2016 at 9:54 PM #
I enjoy this review. A question I have is this: I’m unclear on the relationship between gay and queer in this piece; are they synonyms? They largely seem to be, but then it’s gay men not queers who are cited as annoyed–suggesting differentiation. Based on this review, JF is seeming, to me, quite queer, but not gay. Everything quoted strikes me as consonant queerness. (I do see the two terms as signifying quite different topos). Once again–thank you for this…I love how it doesn’t merely revel in LOLing/dissing JF, but doesn’t shy away from cutting words.
OH, one more bit: I agree (though don’t remotely believe) that it’s a truism that sexuality is fluid, but this doesn’t seem to gel with the gay male anger refrain, which seems to be marking a clear, more stable than not subject position; can fluidity articulate anger, and have a moniker?

Friday, January 8, 2016

Livre Sucre

I like the way in the start of this trailer the scene had me thinking prepping cocaine for freebase, and then it turns out apricots are being cooked:

http://johannesgoransson.com/books/sugar-book/