The New Fuck You: Adventures In Lesbian Reading

by Eileen Myles (Editor), Liz Kotz (Editor), Shannon Ebner

Borrowing its name from the notorious '60s Ed Sanders magazine, Fuck You: A Magazine of the Arts, the editors have figured a way to rehone its countercultural and frictional stance with style and aplomb. A unique and provocative anthology of lesbian writing, guaranteed to soothe the soulful and savage the soulless.

Genres: Queer, LGBT, Poetry, Fiction, Short Stories, Feminism, Lesbian

312 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

Eileen Myles is a LAMBDA Literary Award-winning American poet and writer who has produced more than twenty volumes of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, libretti, plays, and performance pieces over the last three decades.

Reviews

[Javier · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read this book I had to keep reminding myself that it was published in the mid-90s and not yesterday. The writing is not explicitly by and for lesbians, per se--if this book were published in 2011 it would be subtitled _New Adventures in Queer Fiction_, but for the time period "Lesbian" will do. The authors are incredibly varied in style, origination, experience, age, and language. This is probably some of the most diverse queer lit I've read in...I can't even remember how long. And for that, I'm grateful.

And for the rest? Holy shit. Poems, plays, essays, short stories, excerpts from memoirs/novels/???!!

Semiotext(e) is well-known amongst anarchist (esp. queer anarchist) circles for publishing some of the best of the avant garde and, per their reputation, they do so here, as well. I can't imagine another publisher who would even touch most of this subject matter (heroin, fucking men, the deaths of loved but homophobic family members, self-love, violent sex, and...).

So fucking good. And a plus: the straight dudes on the bus who usually bug me were banished from bothering me while I read something that clearly depicted two women fucking on the back cover. <3

[Lucie · Rating 1 out of 5]

i give up. you win, the new fuck you, for being so unbearably bad that i can't even finish you. this book is terrible! such a good title & promise...but then upon sifting through the stories, some so embarrassingly awkward & bad you can feel your cheeks flush with shame for the writers...i had to let it go. bye bye, you are off to the thrift store, i can not bear your presence any longer.

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 🌟

A very cool collection of different types of writing, poetry, plays, essays etc about queer (not necessarily lesbian) life. What makes it interesting is mainly that it was published in the mid-90s, and it's nice and important to have such a variety of stories and voices documented. Even if it's not all my cup of tea.

[Caroline Breezy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s hard to believe this collection of poems and stories was published in 1995. It felt fresh and relevant. The only elements that dated it were the prevalence of tight studded leather in lesbian culture and references to the AIDS epidemic. Most of the stories were dark, covering addiction, houselessness, unhealthy relationships, and loss. Although such hardships come with the territory of queer writing, after reading I can’t help but to feel lucky and grateful to experience the queer joy that I do in my life.

[Juliet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this like a month ago. I was surprised to read all the negative reviews about this book’s rough edges, but I think that is what gives the New Fuck You it’s charm. It’s a mid-90s anthology of queer voices. It is a window into queerness in the period when it was written. Yes some of the pieces are stronger than others. Some are weird in an awesome way, some weird in a less awesome way. It reads kind of like an art book your college put together and I say that lovingly. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s passionate, it’s thought-provoking. I definitely still find myself thinking about some of the stories. I think it’s worth the read.

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

One story, entitled 'Forgiveness' by Rebecca Brown, is the parable that got me to finally leave my ex. So just finding that one story made the whole book worth it to me.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as I was hoping. The submissions vary but are generally weak. I agree with the reviewer who said 'great packaging, disappointing content.'

[Lars Meijer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kijk. Dit had een toffe bloemlezing kunnen zijn, maar na het lezen ben ik niet verbaasd dat (bijna) niemand hierin is doorgebroken.

[D.R.O · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly, a pretty wild and dark read - originally published in ‘95. it’s another historic piece of gay literature that i feel lucky to hold and have access to.

[Daphne · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it comes to anthologies, there are bound to be parts of the whole that one doesn't quite like as much as the others. Such is the same for The New Fuck You. Perhaps its age is showing – it was after all, first printed in 1995.

That being said, I loved individually some of the work found in here. I loved especially Forgiveness and Without Easter. They made my heart ache.

Yes of course there were other bits and bobs I liked in the book, but even if there wasn't, the presence of the two pieces written by Rebecca Brown and Kelly Cogswell respectively would have made the entirely experience worth it.

Sometimes I felt lost as to what the guiding principle, the rule of thumb for the anthology is.

In any case, adventures in lesbian reading, as it says in its subtitle, and so perhaps the adventure lies precisely in that you won't really know what you'll find every time you turn the page.

[Danger Kallisti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read anything I loved this much in a very long time. Mostly stream-of-consciousness and poetry, but with a few really amazing stories mixed in, it spans the entire range of lesbian experience, defying convention in every way possible. I loved the story with Kathleen Hanna in it. I loved the girl who talks to Jesus in dolphin form. I especially loved the odd gender-neutral girl growing up into the classy dyke in pinstriped suits. In fact, I'm not really sure what I didn't love. Everyone should find a copy of this book and read it. It's really that good.

[kot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice packaging, poor writing.

[Kaya Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of these pieces were so poignant i reread them multiple times, whereas others didn’t feel like they ‘fit’ with the collection. it was gut wrenching to read experiences of loss and fear within the community during aids and drug epidemics in the 80s. i do wish this collection was more intentionally organized, it felt a bit scattered.

[Em Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

quite hard to read at a couple of points - on occasion due to the texts themselves, most of the time due to the content - but i massively enjoyed reading this. sometimes wished there was a little more cohesion between the works, but also enjoyed the whiplash. super keen on the more surreal and outlandish contributions.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

first book of the year after spending NYE laying it on thick for a cynical blonde who also drinks gin....

it was fine, it was fun! have to keep in mind that it's from the 90s and maybe lacks some nuances.
I thought Murakami's Men Without Women was much worse

[Annushka Veliko-Shapko · Rating 3 out of 5]

anthology is like: some of it is good and some of it is bad and that’s okay. I kind of thought a lot of it was bad but ultimately I appreciate it for what it is and now am curious to read the rest of the chris kraus semiotext(e) collection. thank you climax books and ‘the scene’

[sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunningly queer in the broader sense. Loved the majority of the narrative but hated most of the poetry.

[AJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not lesbian. I don’t know why it advertised as “adventures in lesbian reading.” Seemed very fetishistic of lesbians. Most of the stories or poems put lesbians in a bad light or just depicted violent sex without much else. Maybe that was still edgy in the 90s. Not surprised it was glamorised drugs and sex with men (despite claiming lesbianism)... that’s kind of Eileen Myles’ thing. Not a fan. Don’t really think art about lesbians having sex with men is very revolutionary or a “fuck you,” it’s a common male fantasy.

The 2 stars were for the sections of good writing. As this was a collection of poems and stories, it was hard to rate it as a whole.

Pamela Sneed’s poems, The Woods and Imagine Being More Afraid of Freedom Than Slavery, were fantastic. 5/5. That to me IS a FUCK YOU. No need for drugs and violence and fucking men (despite labelling yourself lesbian).

[HeavyReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book from the Crescent Wrench Bookstore & Infoshop when I was involved with that collective. I didn't like it much, I remember that. I think that's all I remember about this book.

[Thomas Rasmussen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Antologien The New Fuck You - Adventures in Lesbian Reading er redigeret af Eileen Myles og Liz Kotz og udgivet i 1995... der er sket meget på 25, men det er bemærkelsesværdigt, at denne antologi stadig genoptrykkes. Den kan noget særligt.

Der er 37 bidragsydere og de er meget forskellige. Der er alt fra en sonetkrans til essays. Der er tekster om drugs, rock’n’roll, kræft, aids, jødiskhed..., altså om New York..., og der er tekster om fædre, vold, sorthed og mere kræft. Og så er de fleste jeg-fortællere kvinder der tænder på kvinder. Ikke som et tema, men som en selvfølgelighed.

Det er måske det, der er det særlige?

Antologien har intet forord, ingen eksplicit kuratering. Jeg elsker den brutalitet. Man læser teksterne - mange er uddrag, men det er knap nok markeret - men må gætte sig til sammenhæng. Et klart fuck you der... et klart frisættende fuck you.

Der er en del forfattere jeg vil kigge nærmere på - og temmelig mange jeg ikke vil - derfor kun tre stjerner - men jeg er ret vild med redaktionens udstrakte fuckfinger... det er en invitation med en attitude. Klassisk Myles!

[Violet M · Rating 3 out of 5]

i feel like what the outside of the book implies and what the inside of the book contained were very different things, and i went in expecting an anthology about the lesbian experience, not a collection of things that happened to include people who fucked women that half the time had nothing more than a passing line about being gay at all

i think if i had expected it more i’d be fine but i just kind of feel misled by the title, subtitle, back cover image, and sample writing. weird choice

i kept hoping and wishing i would find even one poem, one story that i really enjoyed and i could dog ear and come back to and reread but i can’t really say i enjoyed any of them and the few i was starting to get into would end abruptly. i acknowledge that’s just a me thing though so i’m not going to dock it for that

3 stars because there is good writing in it i’m just annoyed that that cover was so misleading as to what it actually contained

[Molly Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

The New Fuck You: Adventures in Lesbian Reading edited by Eileen Myles and Liz Kotz

The pieces in this were a definite hit or miss for me, and overall, it wasn’t what I expected when I picked up the book. With most of the stories, it’s obvious that they’re dated (this was published in 1995), and some of them were downright painful to get through. There were a few pieces, however, that really resonated with me. The excerpt from “Clit Notes” by Holly Hughes was so well written and powerful, as was “Sin City” by Julie Regan. My absolute favorite had to be the two poems by Pamela Sneed - they were fantastic.
3.5/5⭐️

[Carmen Rios · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first books I bought when I was packing virtual shopping carts full of my feelings was The New Fuck You, a poetry anthology edited by Eileen Myles. One of my favorite lines was from a piece by Holly Hughes:

"I spent my entire childhood in a coma. Then I turned twenty and I kissed a woman."

I underlined it and earmarked the page and put the book on my bedside table, just to remind myself I had a story that had been written before.

The full piece is at BuzzFeed: https://www.buzzfeed.com/carmenrios/i...

[Arden P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn’t what I was expecting, some of the works stood out to me more than others, but I think it needs to be read in the context of who the writers were and the time period they were in. I think it’s a great insight into queer, specifically sapphic, history and how different things were only 20-30 years ago. Still despite the differences, I think any queer person can find themselves in one or more of the stories and I ended up book marking a few to come back and read again.

[Nur Banu Simsek · Rating 5 out of 5]

God I loved this book so much. I want to inject some parts of it into my bloodstream. There are brilliant writers and poets and storytellers in here. The fiction, the realism, the stream of consciousness. The inner worlds of women, women who love women, women who couldn’t love women... Well. I love all of them. I loved all of them.

[holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it! the diversity of experience under this lesbian umbrella makes me so happy. such a variety of writing styles in this collection — scandalous, heartfelt, tragic, honest. my favorite pieces were Forgiveness, Sin City, Bob’s Boy, Cynthia Nelson’s Three Poems, A Few Notes from the Midwest and Abroad, and Bitter-n-Jealous.

[Martyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opublikowany w połowie lat 90 zbiór krótkich tekstów i poezji o doświadczeniu lesbijskim. Chyba mam bardzo podobny gust, co osoby edytorskie, Eileen Myles i Liz Kotz, ponieważ zazwyczaj zbiory wieloautorskie wydają mi się bardzo nierówne, a tu połowa tekstów mi się podobała, a druga BARDZO podobała.

[Adrian Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The New Fuck You felt a like a much older Fuck You. It read as dated, but definitely justifiably angry in places, and a mid-nineties exploration of queerdom. Read it for some historical perspective, as a lot in the LGBTQ universe (especially the American one) was rapidly evolving in the 90s.

[Luke Hartman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A generous two stars. Love an anthology but this was shaky at best. A few of the poems and stories were STUNNING, but not enough to make up for the rest. I felt I was either trudging through sections, confused, cringing, or just skimming to get to what was next.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is like a little window into a different time, a different (queer) culture. The way the works are presented makes it quite difficult to orient yourself. I would have liked a bit more guidance on what it was I was reading, who had written it, why.