The book’s jacket promises a tale of “grief, recovery, codependence, and love,” making it sound like a perfect bedside companion to the typical 12-step manual. Until, that is, Emily slides her fingers between Catherine’s legs in a scene a few chapters in and turns it into a passionate sexual romp.
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“Writing a lesbian novel was a new thing for me, and I think it’s a healthy and almost inevitable thing,” Osborne says. “The character Emily is not me, but she’s pretty close. Closer to me than I would ever have dared to write before. It took me a while to feel the sense of permission to do that.”
Osborne, who holds a PhD in English from the University of Denver, had been teaching English and creative writing in small university towns for some time, concealing her sexuality in order to advance her career.
While some straight readers may hesitate to read (or just plain run from) a book labeled “lesbian fiction,” Osborne hopes this attitude will one day change. “I think that’s what we all need, to start exploring a little bit more,” she says. “Why shouldn’t straight people read lesbian novels? I’m not a straight man, and yet somehow I read novels by Faulkner and enjoy them.”
Osborne will read from Hawkwings, and she and Stocker will discuss the book, the feminist publishing business, and the author-editor relationship Thursday, September 26, at Unabridged Books, 3251 N. Broadway, at 7:30 PM. Call 883-9119.
