Date: Sun, 4 Jun 2000 23:04:19 -0400 From: Terri Subject: [*FSF-L*] BDG The Gilda Stories - Online References To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Tomorrow we begin discussion of The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez. A few interesting sites I found were: Jewelle's homepage at http://www.jewellegomez.com/ Jewelle Gomez Brings Her Vampires to the Stage http://www.mndaily.com/ae/Print/ISSUE19/dance.html A short review http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~women/monsters/post/gothichorror/gildaandasideofhomefries_bycott.html FireBrand books at http://www.firebrandbooks.com/newbooks/explain.htm A Choir for Allen by Jewelle Gomez http://demeter.hampshire.edu/~sistah/sistahbook/writtenWord/ChoirforAllen.html Face by Jewelle Gomez http://www.queerculturalcenter.org/Pages/FACE/JewelEssay.html Lamba Book Review of Don't Explain: Short Fiction by Jewelle Gomez http://www.drizzle.com/~junio/gomez.htm I found the first two especially interesting. Terri ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2000 21:40:07 -0800 From: Sharon Anderson Subject: [*FSF-L*] BDG: The Gilda Stories To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Is it the season, where everyone is getting ready to vacate for the summer? Have I been unsubbed from the list? Did I get the date wrong? Did anybody (besides me) read The Gilda Stories? ---s ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2000 03:31:59 -0700 From: Grete Subject: Re: [*FSF-L*] BDG: The Gilda Stories To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU I've read the Gilda Stories, but my thoughts about it have not congealed to the point where I am ready to dive into discussion. I am interested to hear what everyone else thought. I did have a couple of questions for folks who did read it (questions are always so much easier to come up with than assertions, aren't they?): 1. In what ways (if any) did this book surprise you, or take you somewhere that other vampire tales have not? 2. In what ways did Gilda's childhood identity as a slave affect the decisions she made as an adult/vampire? 3. What was your favorite time period, and why? Now I'm off to figure out my own answers to these questions. Thanks, Grete ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 22:01:12 +0100 From: Jennifer Krauel Subject: Re: [*FSF-L*] BDG: The Gilda Stories To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU I read the Gilda stories some time ago and it's not quite fresh in my mind but I'll take a bite (heh heh): At 11:31 AM 6/9/00, Grete wrote: >1. In what ways (if any) did this book surprise you, >or take you somewhere that other vampire tales have not? I loved the approach of turning the vampire act into something like sharing. I didn't expect that at all. And of course Gomez takes us to the world of slavery, which is hardly a staple of the vampire genre. >2. In what ways did Gilda's childhood identity as a >slave affect the decisions she made as an >adult/vampire? I thought it was remarkable how she overcame her background and lost her fear. I think that not having a safe family situation made her try to replace it, with humans when her vampire sister left. That kept her trying to relate to mortals longer than perhaps she might otherwise. >3. What was your favorite time period, and why? My favorite time period was San Francisco, since I lived there when I read it. I thought Gomez did a fabulous job of making those earlier periods come alive. It showed I think that she lived in both SF and New York. My questions for others: I thought the later parts of the book were the weakest. Has anyone read any of the follow-up stories that evidently address the more recent and future time periods? What did you think of them? Jennifer jennifer@krauel.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2000 09:58:33 -0400 From: Terri Subject: [*FSF-L*] Fwd: [*FSFFU*] The Gilda Stories Book Review To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU An excellent review of The Gilda Stories. Terri ---------- by Amy Harlib aharlib@worldnet.att.net The Gilda Stories: A Novel by Jewelle Gomez (Firebrand Press, Ithaca, NY, 1991, trade paperback, $12.95, ISBN #: 0-932379-94-X). In The Gilda Stories, Jewelle Gomez presents an unusual first novel, a distinctive 'take' on vampires from an African-American point-of-view. The text of this episodic work is divided into 8 segments depicting the life of the eponymous protagonist from the time she was a runaway slave rescued by and incorporated into a vampire 'family' in Louisiana in 1850 to a troubled but not hopeless future 200 years later when the secret is out and the hidden society of vampires-among-us is revealed to the world. The interval between, the story of Gilda's life, is also the story of African-Americans in the USA -- as social/political/technological changes necessitate growth, adaptation, maturation and wisdom. Jewelle Gomez excels in not only describing each phase of Gilda's life in vivid local, geographical, social and economic detail as she moves from one area to another in the course of her now immortal life, she also is exemplary in depicting a form of benevolent vampirism. This involves the non-fatal sharing of blood that happens alongside the sharing of dreams and life-force to the mutual benefit of both individuals involved in the encounter. Yet the author makes it clear, in scenes that add a chilling excitement and drama to the narrative, this power can be abused and used to exploit victims as well. The Gilda Stories' positive portrayal of the undead compares favorably to a popular, more mainstream, long-running, multi-volume vampire-as-hero series by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro about the Count St. Germaine with Gilda daring to go beyond the relentless heterosexuality of Yarbro's character to sensitively, tastefully and even poetically get involved in lesbian and bi-sexual blends of vampirism and eroticism. The narrative is also distinguished by the sensitive and positive way relationships of all kinds are portrayed between Gilda and those she cares for, most notably Bird, the Native American immortal who initiated Gilda into the hidden world of the vampires in the first segment of the story. Jewelle Gomez deserves the highest praise for producing this book, beautifully written in gorgeous, poetic, emotionally intense prose that dares to be unique -- a lesbian, feminist vampire novel, character-driven yet full of exciting events and thoroughly satisfying as it enlightens about and illuminates for the reader, the lives of people of color in the last 100 years in America and extrapolates into the future. This reviewer doesn't hesitate to recommend this book for adventurous readers of all persuasions willing to try something different and really special. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2000 17:57:43 -0800 From: Sharon Anderson Subject: [*FSF-L*] BDG: The Gilda Stories To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Jennifer Krauel wrote: >My questions for others: I thought the later parts of the book were the >weakest. Has anyone read any of the follow-up stories that evidently >address the more recent and future time periods? What did you think of them? I haven't read the follow-up stories but I definitely thought the future episodes were the weakest part of the book. There's no buildup, no preparation for them. In the past and present, people are evil, yes, but we are always confronted with individual examples of evil rather than humanity as a whole species turning evil. I thought the author's viewpoint of peaceful coexistence was refreshing -- until it turned into the same ole "us against them" thing. ---s ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2000 10:35:08 -0700 From: Margaret McBride Subject: [*FSF-L*] gilda and kissing the witch To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU I'm feeling somewhat guilty for not responding to the questions recently (although I'm not alone in that the list has been very quiet). Does that say something about busy lives when we feel guilty about something that is supposed to be for fun and for ourselves? Anyway, I did enjoy both books. I'm not much into vampire fiction but I liked the layerings added to this one by having the main character be an ex-slave. I read lots of historical novels when I was a teen and thought this one did very well with the historical elements. I thought you might be interested to know that a new Gilda story appears in the new book on African-Am. sf and fantasy called Dark Matter edited by Sheree Thomas. The story is called "Chicago 1927" and has some interesting comment on jazz and the growing business of black city folks. I really enjoyed the revisionist fairy tales in Kissing the Witch. Her style is deceptively simple -- as is appropriate to her subject matter. This book does what I want out of good sf and fantasy -- makes me see life from a different framework, breaks through cultural walls, etc. The way we are told to look at our lives is not the only way. Each connection and layering she does is particularly fun. I found myself wondering/anticipating how she was going to connect a character and to what story in the next one. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 10:06:05 -0500 From: "E. W. Bennefeld" Subject: [*FSF-L*] July's selection (was Re: [*FSF-L*] Hello???) To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU I'm still here. I finally got The Gilda Stories (had to special order the book) and started reading them. Got through the first story and most of the second, then skipped to the end and read that to see if there was any reason to read the rest of the book. It's very well written from what I can tell, but I'm not finding anything there to attract my interest. Chapter one would have made a nice short story. One nice thing. I'm definitely being exposed to books I would not otherwise have bought. What is August's selection? I'm afraid I've lost track. Liz ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sharon Anderson" To: Sent: Monday, July 31, 2000 2:37 AM Subject: [*FSF-L*] Hello??? > Is everyone simply worn out by summer heat, have you all gone to Tahiti > without me, or have I been unsubbed from the list, despite my best efforts? > > ---s