Jennifer Finney Boylan's Southern Comfort Speech

Thanks to Ms. Boylan for allowing me to reproduce it here; this is the complete & unedited version.
Hi everybody. Gosh, look at you all. You all look fantastic from up here. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a room before with so many large women.
(improvised joke #1)
(improvised joke #2)
I notice that some of you look a little tired today. Which is not to say, you don’t look fabulous, I’m just saying that some of you seem like you were up kind of late last night. Did you check out the parties last night? You know the one I mean, the theme party—Come as Your Favorite Nude Author?
(beat)
First time in my life I’ve ever been in a room full of a hundred and fifty nude Kate Bornsteins.
(improvise joke #3)
I have to be honest and say I feel a little bit like a fraud up here today, because I know that there are so many of you who are so much more articulate about these issues than I am. I am an English teacher from Maine, a storyteller— what I’m not is a therapist, or scholar of gender studies, or for that matter, much of an activist. I’ve tried doing some of those things sometimes, because I want to do my part, but I have to say I just so lame at them. I’m grateful that there are people doing all the work around the country that’s being done on behalf of people like us, including the organizers of this conference—our fabulous chairwoman, Kristen, as well as heather O’malley and Cat Turner, and Lola Fleck. I’m just as grateful for all the people who came before me, who blazed the trail that has made my life easier.. I know I would not be here without them, quite literally.
There is an old saying that I find true for me this afternoon—one reason I am able to see so far is because I stand on the shoulders of giants.
Continue reading “Jennifer Finney Boylan's Southern Comfort Speech”

Week 7: Buster Film Fest

Today at Film Fest, Buster Keaton in The Cameraman and Spite Marriage. The Cameraman is one of the few Buster films shot in NYC, and is great for anyone interested in vintage footage of 1920s New York – it’s also one of the last best Buster Keaton performances of this era. Spite Marriage has one singularly brilliant scene, of newlywed Buster putting a very, very drunk wife to bed.

Half-Empty: Helen Gets Cable, Pt. 1

Betty finally talked me into getting cable, so expect more cranky blogging than usual for a while, at least until I figure out how to turn off the tv.
Just now, on VH-1’s “I Love the 90s, Part Deux” (hey, was this what I was missing? how nutty of me not to have wanted cable before now! what quality!!) they mentioned that Demi Moore was “gender bendering” in that GI Jane movie.
Genderbendering? Hello? How much do those people get paid that they couldn’t work out the verb form of genderbender?! Oy.
Hey, VH-1, the verb form is “genderbending.” Kinda simple now that you see it, isn’t it? I tell you what: you can pay me half whatever you paid the numbnut who wrote that bit and I won’t fuck it up.

Week 6: Buster Film Fest

Today at Film Forum, Buster Keaton’s Our Hospitality, with Cops, The Playhouse, and Convict 13.
Our Hospitality is required for anyone interested in the Hatfield-McCoy feud – comically done. Cops is good for anyone who likes the Keystones, of course, and so is Convict 13. But The Playhouse is a bit of film-making genius – and yet another instance of Buster in drag.

Meme of Fours

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
baker’s assistant, writing tutor, NYPIRG canvasser, professional assistant
B) 4 movies I would watch over and over:
Raiders of the Lost Ark, A Room With a View, Sherlock Jr., and the last one I’m leaving blank because I really don’t like movies very much.
C) Three places I have lived:
Brooklyn, NY – Manhattan, NY – San Francisco, CA
D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
The Twilight Zone, House, Gilmore Girls, Frasier
E) Four places I have been on vacation
Paris & London, Singapore, Burma, New Orleans
F) Favorite foods:
stuffed cabbage, chocolate cake, spaghetti (in nearly any form, but especially in white clam sauce, cinnamon toast
G) Four websites you visit daily
wiki, amazon, the animal rescue site, myfooddiary.com
H) Four places I would like to be right now:
Mandalay, the house we went to this past Labor Day weekend, in bed, Hawaii

Week 4: Buster Film Fest

Today at Film Forum: Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill, Jr., The Boat, My Wife’s Relations, Daydreams.
This is a stellar selection, folks. Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a classic Keaton film: poor soul in love, trying to get the girl, hit by a hurricane, floods, and even the entire side of a house.

The Boat is – simple & indescribable. It’s the one that clarifies why Beckett loved him so much.
Daydreams & My Wife’s Relations are two top-notch two-reelers, as well.

Had a Little Party

I threw myself a tiny little party this past Saturday night – actually my sister hosted it, at her house – just to celebrate having finished the book. I had realized earlier in the week that there will be ongoing things to do concerning the book – copyediting to check, proofreading changes to accept or reject, blurbs to get, etc – and that if I didn’t mark the occasion, I’d hang around in a kind of limbo not getting onto other projects and finding new clients and the like.

So I threw a little party to thank the small cadre of folks who 1) helped with the book or who have generally been supportive of my writing, and 2) live around these parts. Like my sister and brother in law, for starters, and Betty (whose past couple of weeks living with a writer under deadline have *not* been the most fun she’s ever had), and others like our friend Angela, who is known to speechify about the importance of art & particularly mine; but also my friend Guy, who really is terrifically bored with how much I talk about gender but lets me prattle on anyway; Johanna, who read a chapter & whose “the girl one” story provided me with such a hugely useful way of thinking about gender in queer realtionships; my friend Doug who read the whole of the book and provided enthusiasm and good questions; Caprice, who is just nice *all the time* & of course helps with the boards; but most especially I wanted to thank Donna, who all this time has been reading my manuscript for me & providing me with an incredibly thought-provoking editing job, lawyerly re-writes, research data, objections, questions, and insights.

I had a really lovely time. I remember looking up at some point & realizing that all of my guests were people who I’d have long conversations in kitchens with at other people’s parties and events! Quite brilliant conversationalists, all of them. I overheard snatches of conversation about everything from the Pet Shop Boys to Margaret Atwood novels, from Divine’s movies to New Testament theology. I’ve been in a good mood since then, and feeling quite content with my lot in life just now.

So: thank you.

More thank yous tomorrow, to a ton of other people who were helpful but who either 1) couldn’t make it, or 2) don’t live ’round here.

Just Go.

NYC’s Film Forum is having a Buster Keaton film festival – and they do them well. Most of the times I’ve seen Buster on the big screen it’s been there, actually. & For some screenings there will be live music, which is cool & groovy, but if you can’t make one of those don’t let that stop you!
The only week I won’t recommend to newbies is the week of 9/18, when they’re showing College. It’s a funny movie, they all are – but it’s not the kind that makes people into fans. But all the others – Sherlock Jr., Steamboat Bill Jr. and The General (voted one of the top 100 films of all time) are all fan-makers. (They should have picked Go West, instead.)
Just go. Eight Mondays, starting with this upcoming one, August 7th.
If my raves aren’t enough to convince you, check out what this guy said about Buster’s films.
(Thanks to Caprice for the news and to Megan for the link.)