SINGLE STATE OF THE UNION

Seal Press recently launched a series of podcast interviews with their authors and editors entitled By Women, For Women. Here’s a link to my interview which covers everything from the stigma about singledom to the infamous 1986 Newsweek article about women over 40 never marrying to the shoe shopping and man shopping excesses of Sex and the City. Also, if you browse around on the Seal site, you’ll find podcast interviews with Michelle Goodman (The Anti 9-to-5 Guide) and Jessica Valenti (Full Frontal Feminism), two other Seal Press authors whose essays are featured in Single State of the Union.  

For those of you who might not know it, September 16 - 22 is National Singles Week, which means it’s the one week out of the year when you don’t have to take any crap from your mom or your married best friend for not sporting a three-pound rock on your left hand (at least if you’re a woman). Of course, that doesn’t mean you’re not going to have to deal with the usual media abuse.

Case in point, a story in the South Mississippi Sun Herald talks about how National Singles Week was launched as a way to celebrate singleness and shed the various stigmas associated with the single life, then goes on to quote a bunch of statistics about online dating from Match.com. Which seems a bit akin to having Nicole Ritchie offer insights on National Body Image Week.

But enough kvetching.  More to the point is Bella DePaulo’s Huffington Post essay on Forbes’ annual Best Cities for Singles lineup and what she thinks truly makes a a city great for singles. Check it out and feel free to send Bella (one of our esteemed Single State of the Union contributors) your thoughts on the subject.  Happy singling!

Here’s a link to my latest column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, on single women and their dogs (or as I like to refer to it, the love that dare not bark its name). Huge thanks to PI news artist David Badders for the fabulous artwork and to my good friend, Michelle, for letting me tell her tail … er … tale.  As always, thanks for the read, folks!

Reviews for Single State of the Union are still trickling in, the latest from the Feminist Review blog. You can read the full (mixed) review here , or just check out my favorite highlights:

One of Single State of the Union’s chief strengths is the diversity of its contributors’ experiences and viewpoints. Rather than a collection of twenty- and thirty-something Carrie Bradshaw wannabes, the authors represent a range of ages (I was surprised at how many were over fifty), relationship experience and sexual identity … Single State of the Union is an enjoyable read, often amusing and at times touching …

In other Single State news, I was recently a guest on Alissa Kriteman’s podcast “Just for Women: Dating, Relationships and Sex.”  We talked about all kinds of fun stuff — the Single State anthology, the bias against single women, the history of dating, divorce, matrimonial swindlers, alpha females, bunny-boiling psychotics, the list goes on and on. Here’s a link, if you want to check it out (you can either read a transcript or listen to the interview in its entirety - complete with all those fabulous ’ums’!).   Later, chicas!

Thanks to the incomparable Rachel Kramer Bussel, Single State of the Union will make its east coast debut with a reading on Monday, August 27, 7:00 p.m. at McNally Robinson NYC (see complete details below).  Host of the long-running In the Flesh Erotic Reading Series, Rachel has graciously stepped in as organizer and host for our Single State event since I can’t swing a trip east at this point (thanks RKB!). Featured readers include Rachel Kramer Bussel, Lynn Harris, Sarah Iverson, Judy McGuire, Susan Shapiro, and Amy Thomas.

Should be a fun evening with a fabulously talented crew. FYI - while at the store, you may want to ask about (or even pick up) some of the other new work by these crazy kids (along with your copy of Single State, of course). Susan Shapiro’s Only as Good as Your Word: Writing Lessons From My Favorite Literary Gurus (also from Seal Press) is scheduled to be out September 2007. Other hot new titles:  Lynn Harris’ Death by Chick Lit and the brand spanking new anthology, Cross-Dressing:  Erotic Stories, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel (not to be confused with her series of Naughty Spanking Stories).

Single State of the Union New York City reading:
Monday, August 27, 7:00 p.m
McNally Robinson NYC
50 Prince St. (between Lafayette and Mulberry)
New York City, New York
(212) 274-1160
Featuring:  Rachel Kramer Bussel, Lynn Harris, Sarah Iverson, Judy McGuire, Susan Shapiro, Amy Thomas and me (in spirit, anyway).

Seems like you can’t walk into a bookstore these days without running into a stack of fresh new books by some Single State of the Union contributor. What a talented bunch! Went to hear Laurie Notaro read from her new novel, There’s a (Slight) Chance I Might be Going to Hell, at the University Book Store the other night. She’s hysterically funny - in print and in person — and I can’t wait to dive into that puppy.  A couple of days before that, I picked up Jessica Valenti’s new  Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters. (The day I excitedly told a 26-year-old woman that I’d met Gloria Steinem over the weekend and she responded with a befuddled “Who’s that?” was the day I realized feminism could use a little help — thanks Jessica!)  Like Single State, Full Frontal is another great Seal Press project. Let’s hear it for books by and for women! 

Former San Francisco singles columnist Jane Ganahl also has a new book out, Naked on the Page. It’s a no-holds-barred look at life as a 40-something single writer — complete with college-bound daughter, bad dates, a huge readership, and the occasional urge to to make out in the backseat of a car.  Last but not least is a new novel by one of my favorite Broadsheet contributors, Lynn Harris; Death by Chick Lit is just hitting the stores now and looks to be quite the double-barreled blast of smarts and satire. The book’s a murder mystery and a send-up of everybody’s favorite category of “girl writing.” In other words you can read it at the beach and not even feel guilty.

Lots of great stuff, people — feel free to pass the word along!

Okay, so I’m a wee bit behind on this blogging thing. But wanted to share a fun photo from our SINGLE DE MAYO celebration at Queen Anne Books on Saturday, May 5.   The event featured contributors Amanda Castleman, Litsa Dremousis, Jane Hodges and Heather McKinnon. And then of course, me (pictured here at left with fellow boozy slattern, Jane Hodges).  Tegan at Queen Anne Books served up “virgin” margueritas and angel food cake (topped with devil’s food frosting). Afterwards, we all sashayed outside to beat the living daylights out of a colorful bride pinata (a delightfully catharctic bit of exercise, I must say).  Oh, you should have seen the stares!

Stopped by the store a few days ago, and learned that Queen Anne Books had just their last copy of Single State (at least until they get some new ones in).  Hats off to these fabulous folks for their great hand-selling!

Seattle contributors Amanda Castleman, Jane Hodges and I will  be heading north in just a few short hours for our SINGLE STATE event at Village Books in Bellingham tonight (i.e., Thurs, May 3, at 7 p.m. at 1200 11th Street in Bellingham’s historic Fairhaven District).  We’ll be joined there by B’ham resident Dana Rozier (who promises to wear one of the pink Victoria’s Secret bras she wrote about in her Single State essay - talk about dedication to your craft.)  No word so far on other participants’ underwear (or lack thereof?!?!?), but do stay tuned.

In other B’ham news, Margaret Bikman of The Bellingham Herald put together a short Q & A with yours truly about the SINGLE STATE collection and singlehood in general, published just today. Here’s a link if you’d like a read. Later! 

Some interesting stories in the news lately about the single life.  USA Today ran a piece a couple of weeks back entitled “Free as a bird and loving it:  Being single has its benefits” which calls attention to a number of new “single and happy” books. (Yep, it looks like we’re part of a trend, folks. ; ) 

While Single State of the Union is not mentioned in the piece (note to self, go back in time and pitch book to USA Today writer), they do interview one of our contributors, Bella DePaulo (author of Singled Out) and mention Naked on the Page, a new book by Single State contributor Jane Ganahl.

Another fun story, by AP writer Erin Carlson, appeared in The Seattle Times April 23.  Entitled “‘The Bachelor’ women: Are they having fun yet?”, the piece skewers these so-called reality TV shows, which consistently “milk an unrealistic, retrograde version of romance, often at the expense of some strong personalities who signed on for sincere reasons and are instead served up as water-cooler fodder.” 

My favorite quote comes from Sarah Bunting, co-founder of televisionwithoutpity.com, who says, viewers aren’t ”altruistically interested in seeing whether a good match is made. They just want to watch these women embarrass themselves because, evidently, your only self-worth in the culture according to this show is if you’re on television and you have a man.”

Grrrrrrr. Any thoughts as to why these shows — and this 1950s “catch-a-man” mindset — has made such a huge comeback in recent years? Is it the current conservative administration? The fear produced by an ever-growing population of singles? Are we still dealing with the legacy left of us by those damn Rules women? Any and all thoughts welcome.

One last find … I stumbled across a website called singleandfab.com the other day which looks like it might be sort of fun - a bit of beauty advice, some board room how-to, and a section called “Sexy, Single and Satisfied: Hot Reads for Single Women” that I’m all over. Let me know what you think

It’s late Thursday night and I’m sitting at the computer with the usual case of pre-launch jitters. Will we get a good crowd tomorrow? Will I faint at the podium?  Will someone (god forbid) find a typo?

As usual, University BookStore has gone out of their way to make this event special. In addition to fabulous readings by contributors Litsa Dremousis, Michelle Goodman, Jane Hodges, Dana Rozier, Rachel Toor and M. Susan Wilson, there will goofy games (bridal veil origami, engagement ring toss, and a fill-in-the-blank family pressure quiz), plus snacks AND prizes!  What more can you ask of a Friday the Thirteenth? 

The fun starts at 7 p.m. at the main branch of University BookStore, 4326 University Way NE, Seattle.  Bring your friends and get lucky.

In the meantime, I’ve got a radio interview tomorrow at KISS 106.1 FM (it’s going to be taped and will air sometime Sunday). I’ll put up a link in days to come provided I don’t accidentally say the f-word on air.  Until then, here’s a link to my Singles File column from today’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which talks about one of my favorite topics:  singles stereotypes. Don’t forget to follow the link to reader comments at the end, which include some great insights into “selfish singles” as well as why “our life isn’t successful unless we reproduce.” (Does photocopying count?)