Submerged: Tales from the Basin

by Lauren Gonzalez, Lorien Jordan (Illustrator)

Submerged: Tales from the Basin is an anthology of literature, memoir, and art created by more than thirty women to benefit those who survived Hurricane Katrina. The title refers to a fear many of us had as young children, of having our heads submerged under water while our mothers washed our hair. The stories, essays, poems, and art of Submerged are an exploration of each contributor's relationship with her hair, in most cases emotional, often humorous, and consistently generated from youth. An African American writer discusses having her hair ironed straight in the 1960s, with her mother trying hard to keep her from looking like a Black Panther. A Southern writer laments her childhood braid lying in a box in perpetual youth while she, herself, ages. A young woman watches her aging grandmother go bald. A lonely widow rediscovers intimacy from the remote touch of her wax technician. A New Orleans performance group talks about Hurricane Katrina, gender stereotypes, and hair as stage craft. Artist Lorien Jordan has created a series of drawings in response to these essays, memoirs, and poems. A percentage of the book's proceeds will help support charities based in New Orleans that work with ongoing relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina survivors.

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Ill Literati Crazy People In Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some things you should know about SUBMERGED: TALES FROM THE BASIN ...

#1. Proceeds from this collection of stories by women go to support Hurricane Katrina Survivors!

#2. This book is published by StepSister Press, a great local press just around the corner! Check them out at http://stepsisterpress.com/

#3. The stories inside, while all strung together by the common topic of "hair," are as diverse as you can imagine--a rich range of voices telling tales that will delight and move.

A great mom/sister/girlfriend gift idea!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

of course I love it because we helped make it, but it's still a pleasure and a compelling book, also something to revisit over and over again