Welcome to Litsy!

This book is a fantastic exploration of self, identity, and queerness, as Shapland explores her own identity and that of McCullers, woven beautifully through one another. I‘m so glad this deserving book is a NBA finalist, as I would not have otherwise picked it up and I‘m really glad I read it.

#12booksof2020 #11piperspiping #day11 #memoir
The author immerses herself in McCullers life- had access to her clothes, archives of her works/ belongings, stayed in her house/museum.

I feel like this is a standout read for this year and I hope I can explain why. Jenn Shapland explores her own life and identity through in-depth, multi-faceted, largely archival research of Carson McCullers, from her wardrobe to love letters to recordings of therapy sessions. Shapland lives at her house in Columbus, Georgia while working in the archives there, and traces her steps at Yaddo. ↘️

This was a strange mix of biography and memoir. The author thinks about her own life as she works on a biography of Carson McCullers. Mainly written in vignettes, I found this engaging. 4⭐️

A thoughtful memoir by lesbian archivist Jenn Shapland, who documents her search for facts about writer Carson McCuller‘s lesbian identity. Chapters are brief. The depiction of McCullers is nuanced. (Yes, she was a lesbian; the evidence makes this obvious.) The whole thing is lovely.

Queer embodiment, like Carson‘s, like mine, requires a presence, a negotiation with publicness. Invisible identities insist on being seen, or masked, or transformed. Women are straight unless they give themselves away. It is impossible to wrestle with/determine/express queer identity without some negotiation with public scrutiny; presenting yourself to the world requires costumes & costume changes, which Carson was well known for.

Clothes make visible what we feel about ourselves, even if that identity is invisible to others. What we put on externalizes interior feeling, like a facial expression, but more intentional. This self-representation takes as many forms as there are selves, and Carson‘s expression was by no means static.

Carson‘s focus on clothes in her therapy sessions and in ‘Illumination‘ reveals their importance to her, which I intuited while I catalogued them. Clothes give her a way to express an identity that was fluid, a way to change who she was to the world each day.

In the recognition of loving
lies an answer to despair.
-Audre Lorde, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name

In the UK, when lawmakers were revising the laws that criminalized gay sex to further discourage homosexual behavior, it was determined best not to outlaw sex between women. This is not because it was condoned, but because lawmakers—men—believed that if sex between women was so much as mentioned in the law, it would alert women to the possibility and encourage women to have sex with each other. Best to keep as many in the dark as possible.

I‘m loving the recent trend of authors inserting a personal narrative into non-fiction. Susan Orleans and the Orchid Thief May be my favorite and early example but The Lady from the Black Lagoon and Why Fish Don‘t Exist are more recent fabulous examples alongside this one. You have to love a book that gets you excited to read and reread more books!!! # arc #Edelweiss

#dropeverythingandread #BiblioMAYnia

My plan is to #dropeverythingandread at 5:00 pm today when work is shut down. As I am mostly a mood reader, I will choose to continue with one of these books that are in process. 📚😊

#nonfiction #memoir #TheCarsonMcCullerCenterforWritersandMuscians #gratitude #marvelousmay #day3

The writing in this is beautiful, poetic, visceral. Shapland becomes the house, feels its ghosts during her stay there. Grateful for this unusual autobiography/ memoir.

#porchlife #firstdayread
After a neighborhood walk my husband and I enjoyed ice tea on the porch. Afterwards, I stayed out to read. Heaven! 65 degrees today, sunny, some wind. Perfect after yesterday‘s snow!!!!

#werklyforcast
#audiomystery #autobiography #memoir #historicalmystery
#kindle
A Poisoned Season: listen to 5 more chapters.
My Autobiography of Carson Mc Cullers: on p. 35, read 35 more pages
Murder on@Black Swan Lane: read 3 more chapters

I start back teaching Monday after a week off- inevitably I read less, so tried to make my goals attainable.

#nonfiction #autobiography #memoir
“woo-kitsch aficionado” love that phrase!!!!

I'm avoiding my #nyrbbookclub novel for this engrossing biography/memoir. It's so easy and breezy in comparison.
Oddly enough, it's blurbed by two writers whose memoirs I just read.

Picked up some intriguing new titles at the library today. (Sometimes I need a break from climbing #mounttbr.)