Sassafras Patterdale's Blog, page 12

Leather Ever After in USA Today!

So excited that Leather Ever After is getting  fun coverage in USA Today! Check us out in the “Happy Ever After” Book section! You’ll see Leather Ever After and get a peek at a few literary items on my bucket list! Click here and scroll down to the bottom!

Once upon a time, in a dungeon far, far away the kinkiest writers in the land were summoned to pervert beloved fairy tales with tales of dominance, submission, bondage and surrender. In these stories twisted princesses take control of submissive princes, witches play with power and fairy tales come to life in our homes and dungeons…. Get your own copy today! 

the little elephant cried & what i’ve been up to

I haven’t been blogging as much as I would like to, something about the business of summer ending, and the demands of this new weekly column at Dogster has taken a lot of my blogging energy. I do a lot of what i like to think of as micro blogging on facebook and twitter but it’s not the same as actually communicating with all of you here in a more concretely organized blog. It’s been a busy couple of weeks – Kestryl’s girlfriend stayed with us for the last two weeks when she’s been here on a visit from Holland. I was worried about what that experience would be like, the kind of growth that having invited her into our home represented to me. I definitely had my moments of struggling, but they were few, and minor and relatively easy to work through. I’m stunned at how much I’ve grown in the past few years, how well the visit went, and what that represents about the ways in which I’ve successfully grown beyond making decisions and boundaries based on fear, the ways in which I’ve been able to truly practice the larger believes that I have about love and relationships and connection. I worried a little that the visit would leave me with renewed little-phobia and self-judgement about being a little in the world and while when I’ve had brief struggled that have centered around that, when that panic clears I’m left more solid than I’ve ever been, more secure in my identities and the ways that I want to live my life. That’s a nice place to be, a powerful and exciting place.

This week also marked 12 years since I ran away from my birth mother’s house. It’s been 12 years since I was surrounded by the whirring of polaroid cameras capturing the bruises. 12 years since she was dragged drunken down the stairs of our house, 12 years since she spent the night in jail and I, thinking I was finally home and safe lied when asked “you’re over that gay thing right?” by the adults I ran away to, the adults I thought would love me. I was 17 then and it’s been so many lifetimes that have led me to where i am today.

This same week I read this incredibly sad news story that broke my heart. in the story, this little elephant in China couldn’t stop crying after keepers removed him from his mother after she rejected him, and tried to kill the little elephant for a second time. Family trauma is complicated and intense and something that stays with us in different ways over time. According to the story, the little elephant cried and cried for five hours, and then he figured out how to form relationship, to build a new family with his keeper who had rescued him.  I can’t stop thinking about this picture of a the little elephant crying, just crying out of grief and loss and abandonment.  This news story hit me, and keeps hitting me. I can’t get the picture of that baby elephant out of my mind.

The last thing I need is another project, and I know I don’t have the capacity to take this on right now as I’m working diligently on my next novel Lost Boi, but someday, someday I will write a picture book   about this little elephant. It will be a hard story, a rough story about what it means to be rejected. A story for us who escape, who run away, who survive, despite our mothers.

 

Huffington Post!

For the past couple of months I’ve been writing a weekly column over at Dogster. The content of the column is mostly little stories about life with my dogs interspersed with training advice . This past week though I focused on my oldest dog Mercury and our experience of coming together shortly after I had been kicked out, and the past 11 years that we’ve spent together (his birthday was last week).  The piece has been successful, and much to my surprise late last night I saw that it has been pickedup and reposted by Huffington Post! 

Autumn 2013

It’s hard to believe that we’re already halfway through August! It’s been a great summer Kestryl and I had an amazing time up in Ptown relaxing with our dogs. I’ve been picking away at some new writing, and just last weekend via SKYPE I joined a queer femme book group in Montreal to talk about Roving Pack!  Next month I’ll be joining the youth at SMYRC in Portland Oregon (the queer youth center where I grew up) to disuss Roving Pack! Has your book group read the novel?  I’d love to be part of your next meeting to talk about the book!

I’m writing a weekly column over at Dogster  if you’re looking to follow my canine focused writing, and have a story in the Fall issue of The Bark magazine.

This fall is going to be really exciting, Crown Heights my neighborhood in Brooklyn is getting our very own bookstore!! I’m organizing the first queer reading ever to happen at the bookstore. It will be on September 28th at 7pm so if you’re in the NYC area you should definitely join us – it’s an amazing lineup of readers:

Cristy C. Road

Chavisa Woods

Mario Alberto Zambrano

Me!

Really excited that my neighborhood is going to have its own bookstore for the first time, an that the shop is going to be queer friendly! Check out the FB event page and RSVP please!

Then, the next weekend I’m going to be flying down to Atlanta to be part of the Atlanta Pride festivities!!! I’m super excited because Atlanta is definitely a beloved city of mine – and Charis Feminist Bookstore where I’ll be reading is one of my all time favorite shops anywhere in the country! I’ll be part of an awesome reading happening called “The Tears on Her Face Are From Laughter” on Saturday October 5th which will be featuring readings from: my buddy (and Leather Ever After contributor) Alysia Angel and  Julie Marie for an evening of storytelling, poetry, and tales of queer triumph!  I’m really excited to be back in Atlanta, this time with Roving Pack!  Please tell anyone you know in the area to stop by the bookstore

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons, I love feeling the weather begin to cool, and the start of holiday seasons. I can’t wait to go apple picking and for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch

What treasure from a Roving Pack reader arrived in the mail?!

A few months ago I shared with you some pictures from an amazing Roving Pack reader named Michelle Brennan who had felt so connected to the novel that she made a “book in a box” style diorama of the novel! I had completely forgotten about the book in a box reports that so many of us created in elementary school and was over the moon with the idea that someone was bringing them back, and using it as a medium to represent really queer books!!! Michelle sent me some early photos of the diorama, which I shared on the block and was completely smitten.  Now though, I have to admit though, that was NOTHING compared to the magic that arrived in the mail last night!!!!

Michelle, the amazing queer artist who is behind the creation of the Roving Pack diorama is also an amazing tease – she wanted me to be surprised by the final piece so when she finished the diorama she didn’t send me any pictures.  I couldn’t believe it when I opened the box and removed all the packing peanuts. She captured everything about Roving Pack so brilliantly.

When I was writing Roving Pack I never ever could have imagined the outpouring of support and connection I would see from the community. This was a story that I knew needed to be written, needed to get out into the world. I hoped that perhaps it would connect with a few people, but I had no way of knowing that it would be so well received, that people would write me beautiful letters telling me how much they needed this book.  Messages, emails, letters and other communication from folks around the world who have felt connected in some way to Roving Pack is without a doubt the most meaningful praise/award/recognition I could receive and I really believe that I have the best readers ever.

The detail that Michelle packed into this this diorama is impeccable, I can’t imagine how many times

Michelle must have read Roving Pack to be able to capture everything from the main character’s tattoos, to the details of the apartment – floggers on the wall, the infamous black sheets, the little books that come off the bookshelf, which are all the titles of books that a queer kid might have had in the early 2000′s,  the zine on the floor that can be paged through, everything is just amazing.  When I first opened the box, I think I sat on the floor with the diorama for a good 20 minutes just looking at every single little detail and keep returning to it. To have someone make such amazing art, based on my art???? I can’t think of a higher compliment!

Here’s the thing, Michelle is also in a major battle against cancer right now and needs help from the community because we live in a society where people have to crowd source to survive the financial fallout of a major illness.  Do you have a couple of bucks (or more!) to throw her way?  Michelle is an amazing member of our queer community and we need to help her and her family gets through this difficult time without having to worry about how the bills are going to be paid.

exciting policy news for LGBTQ homeless youth

This week has been pretty exciting on the policy front for LGBTQ homeless youth. Re. Gwen Moore (D-Wis) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis)- who is one of  six openly gay members of the US House, have have introduced a beill into the House to support LGBTQ homeless youth!   The bill hopes to amend the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act known as the Runaway & Homeless Youth Act.  The Act is up for reauthorization this year and these two representatives want to make it LGBTQ inclusive.

If the act passes with the inclusive amendments, it will require that any homeless shelters that receive federal funds will not be able to discriminate against LGBT youth! The bill will also mandate that the Family & Youth Service Bureau at the Department of Health & Human Services would compile comprehensive data on the pervasiveness of LGBTQ youth homelessness.

More info available here

The Rainbow Awards

I’m always excited by anything related to Queer Books – so I’m very excited to be part of the 5th annual Rainbow Awards for LGBT Fiction and Non-Fiction. Both Roving Pack and Leather Ever After have been nominated for consideration ::fingers crossed:: but I’ve also been selected to be part of the final round Jury (obviously in a category that neither of my books are in!!!)!  I’m super honored to be judging books this fall in the very final round!  As a queer author very committed to queer literary communities it’s exciting for me to see  another venue to support our work, and to be able to support it.

Are you an author or publisher with a book that released between  September 1 2012 and August, 31 2013 if so there’s still time for you to submit your book for consideration! Nominations must be received no later than September 5th!

The 2013 Elisa Rolle Rainbow Awards are an annual contest celebrating outstanding work in LGBT fiction and nonfiction. Hosted and owned by blogger Elisa Rolle, the contest is open to all authors of work containing LGBT fictional characters and work chronicling the true stories of LGBT persons. For this the contest’s fifth year, some new rules have been instigated, and a new partner has emerged to assist Elisa. The Rainbow Romance Writers, a chapter of the Romance Writers of America, will partner with Elisa in the management and coordination of this contest. Despite RRW’s status as a chapter for romance writers, their participation in no way changes the Rainbow Awards and do not make them exclusively a romance contest. One need not be a member of RRW or RWA to participate in this contest.

You can read all about the eligibility guidelines, and how to submit books for consideration, and the nonprofits benefiting from the awards here

 

 

July Updates!

It’s SUMMER and things have been pretty busy around here lately with projects and events. I hope to get back into the routine of regular blogging  (though some of that has been taking place on other forums – see below).    Roundup of all the things I’ve been up to (in no particular order):

* I’m still thinking and processing through how incredible the Lambda Literary Awards were and the Saints & Sinners Conference, and I’m sure thoughts from both will continue to percolate in my brain and make their way into future blogs- If by chance you missed my initial ruminations on those events they are linked above.

*Did you know that since April I’ve been writing a monthly Little’s column at Leatherati? It’s called A Little This/A Little That.  I was so thrilled that the site was interested in giving more of a space to littles and taking on writing this column has been an exciting challenge for me as I continue to explore how I feel about being more and more out about my life. Most exciting, has been the response from littles in the community!  I’m thrilled that so many litltes have commented to one of the blogs, or privately messaged me talking about how connected they feel to what I’m writing and how it’s resonating in their own lives! My big goal with this column was to increase the visibility of littles community and I’m THRILLED that seems to be happening!

*I’ve Just starting writing a weekly column with the fun folks over at Dogster!  This is a really exciting opportunity for me to have an outlet to talk about all things dog, and also to share some of the great adventures that my canine pack and I have here in Brooklyn!  If you’re a dog lover definitely check it out!

* Kicked Out just got an AMAZING review at State of Formation. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 3.5 years since the anthology released.  There’s always been something special about that book, and most of all the family of contributors that made it possible.  For me as an editor, there’s nothing more exciting than to know that still, years after its release this book is continuing to do the work that I dreamed it would, that it continues to touch the lives of people who need its stories.  Check out the review pt. 1  and pt. 2

* It’s hard to believe that Roving Pack released 10 months ago! This novel has changed me as a writer in so many ways both in terms of the work that I feel drawn to do, but also the ways in which I work and how I feel connected to communities.  It’s been, and continues to be an incredible ride with this novel. I don’t think a week ahs gone by that I haven’t heard from someone in the community about how this novel has connected with them.  Knowing that my work is reaching readers, especially marginalized queer readers and helping people to feel connected is the greatest honor. It’s also thrilling how many people have continued to buy directly from me. You can order signed copies and ebook copies at www.RovingPack.com when someone buys via amazon I only make $1 per book #WritersLife buying direct means that you are helping to invest in my future artistic projects!

* I haven’t talked as much as I should about my newest baby Leather Ever After; it’s such a FUN anthology and has only been out in the world since the winter. It’s been getting great reviews and it’s been exciting to have such a FUN and different book to bring out into the world—it’s been especially fun for me to feel as though I have finally found my home within BDSM/Leather communities as a whole, and to know that this anthology has been a big part of that. Check out this FANTASTIC recent review of the anthology! 

*I’m working on learning to take breaks. Two books being released in the last year has been an incredible dream come true, but also EXHAUSTING. I’m working on pacing myself, knowing how much I can reasonably take on and incorporating that into all the work that I do. This weekend Kestryl and I are taking off to P-Town for a whole week with the dogs!  It’s going to be the first vacation of that length that I’ve ever taken as an adult! I’m hoping to get some writing done when the inspiration strikes (as it has often lately) but  mostly spend time napping, reading (I have a HUGE stack of books I plan to work my way through) and just playing around at the beach with my family! If you don’t already, follow me on Facebook and Twitter to see TONS of pictures of the dogs playing at the beach!

*The current youth at SMYRC the queer youth center I grew up at has been reading Roving Pack this summer as part of their writing/book group!  We’re working out the exact details but I’ll be joining them via SKYPE sometime next month to talk about the book! This is one of the most exciting book related events I’ve had the opportunity to do in a really long time! Super nervous and can’t wait to hear what kind of questions they have!

*In the past couple of months I’ve been making huge progress on my new novel ‘Lost Boi’ which is a punk, queer and leather focused retelling of the Peter Pan story. I hope to write more soon about what the writing process has looked and felt like, especially the ways in which it has been quite different process wise from my work on Roving Pack.  I’m well over 33,500 words on the first-draft of the novel and finding myself continually inspired to keep working not only on this draft, but also formulating ideas about how I want to rework sections that have already been written.

* In NYC?  On August 2nd join me for a special reading celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the publication of Laura Antoniou’s Marketplace series! I’m a contributor to her Marketplace fan fiction anthology, “No Safewords” and several of us will be reading! As of right now this is the only reading I’m doing in NYC the rest of the summer! Hope to see you there!.

 

 

remember that time where Lady GaGa opened for me? ;)

Pride has a special place in my heart- always has, and despite all the “bad” things about how corporate it has become, and how aspects of it promote assimilation.  I never want to forget what a privledge it is to critique “how” we celebrate Pride. I want to always remember that people are beaten, jailed, and killed trying to have pride marches, for simply trying to live out LGBTQ lives.  Have you been following everything happening in Russia?  You need to be.  Everyone who marched in St. Petersburg Pride this year has been beaten and jailed. 

This year was particularly special because I had received an invitation from NYC’s Heritage of Pride to be part of the annual Pride Kickoff Rally! Now, if you would have told the 17 year old baby-dyke who was sleeping on someone’s borrowed couch after being kicked out, or the 19 year old trans-guy living in a basement that flooded with sewage that someday I would be speaking fromt eh stage of NYC’s Pride Rally, three days after DOMA fell…. I would NEVER have believed you.

So I was scheduled to perform at the Pride Rally and as I was backstage on the pier getting ready to go on, the rumor began circulating that there was to be a surprise performance from LADY GAGA!!! Now I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest Gaga fan (my musical tastes are pretty solidly in the lesbian folk category) but there’s no denying how powerful she’s been as an artist within our community.  As the security backstage increased it became clear that the rumor was real, and then suddenly there she was!  Gaga talked about how the LGBTQ community has saved her – and then she sang the national anthem!

I was backstage waiting to go on stage. The whole thing was pretty surreal, I mean what are the odds I would get to say that Lady GaGa has opened for me It was also funny to watch the intense amount of security that sprung up the minute she arrived onto the Pier, and then of course there was the moment after she sang where she was backstage smoking a cigarette leaning against a port-a-potty, and then later smoking inside the port-a-potty!!!

Because the programming had run long the Heritage of Pride volunteers asked me to shorten my set if possible. I had to decide between the two pieces I planed to perform that night. I ended up deciding on “A Prayer For The Runaways” but I wanted to share both that piece, and “Hard Won Home” my piece about PRIDE here with all of you:

Hard Won Home:

You stand at Christopher

Camera’d eyes  hidden behind the shutter

Shudder

Tears pulled loose by what this cost us

We storm the streets

Spilling out from subway tunnels

Clown car piled fire escapes

Sequins and glitter

Glinting

Like that first thrown bottle

Smashed

Like the shards that barely missed me last week

You the week before

The streetlights cast shadows

Haunting

Of the

Hirstories

we should carry

Strapped next to our hearts into our boots

But are instead too often

Rusted glitter buried in sidewalk cracks

We’re starved for this

Body slams body

Circuit parties

Festival sidelines

Desperate to feel

To connect

To believe

We’re not

Alone

On Monday

We emerge from the rainbow haze

Hung-over

On the memory of

Belonging

On the feeling of

Connecting

It’s never enough

And also everything we spent lifetimes

Not daring to dream of

Tell me about your first pride

And I’ll show you mine

The stumble for breath

Backwards falling into buildings

The sunrise walk over the bridge

To watch the festival bloom

Dilated pupils taking in

More than dreams could conjure

Floats

Glitter

The roar of Dykes and

 bikes

That day I did not wear three pieces of women’s clothes

Boots

Jeans

Ace bandage

Boxers

Button-down

I did not know

Not long ago

This would have mattered

The plague has never ended

Cocktails are not cures

And I know more positive than not

Last month in Union Square park

A girl died with a needle

Her devoted dog was pulled from her body

We hug when we meet

Chest to chest full body hugs

Pressing our hearts towards one another

Their fists were in the air that night

Heels and bottles gripped tight

Queens

Butches

Queer kids

Homeless

We never learned this in school

Taught ourselves in youth center back rooms

On library floors

Newsprint riot photo documented eyes

From the mouths of our lovers

Now we talk of it daily

I tattoo it into my skin

We want them to know

The hirstory they walk upon

The scars carried

Lives lost

For this moment to come to pass

The heart is the size of a fist

We’re built to love and fight with the same ferocity

Always have been

We bring our love to the streets

And kiss away the road rash in hard won homes 

 

A Prayer for the Runaways:

This is for the runaways

In memory of the kids I grew up with

For the gender radicals who were lost to broken beer bottles in fist fights

For those who disappeared.

For the dykes behind bars, and the ones who swallowed pills to make everything end.

For the kid with eyes glazed over with stories trapped inside by the needle in his arm.

For the genderqueers buried under headstones with their names carved wrong.

This is for the runaways

This is for the ones who walked out the door the final time

And the ones stuck sweaty hand slipping off the doorknob

Ears tuned into the sounds of sleeping parents upstairs

To aunts cooking in the kitchen

For the ones that know no one is listening For that final slam

I’m praying that you don’t hit that squeaky stair in the middle of the night

That the battery on your cell phone lasts long enough that you can call a friend

That you remembered to empty your piggy bank

That you remember you’re not alone

I’m praying to gods and goddesses I’m never even sure that I believe in

That you have the strength to walk out that door

To stay gone

Because they don’t deserve you

And they never did

Welcome Home

HERITAGE OF PRIDE RALLY TONIGHT!

HERITAGE OF PRIDE RALLY TONIGHT!

7 to 10 @ Pier 26! NYC

Kick off Pride with a rousing outdoor event

FREE!!!

I’ll be sharing stories about building queer  families