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Guilty but Insane
This is a signed, limited edition run, 1250 copies. It is a collection of some of her nonfiction, including collected essays from "Cemetery Dance" magazine. Three of these pieces were published for the first time here.
- GenresEssaysNonfiction
185 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
294 people want to read
About the author
Poppy Z. Brite
164 books3,627 followersPoppy Z. Brite (born Melissa Ann Brite, now going by Billy Martin) is an American author born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Born a biological female, Brite has written and talked much about his gender dysphoria/gender identity issues. He self-identifies almost completely as a homosexual male rather than female, and as of 2011 has started taking testosterone injections. His male name is Billy Martin.
He lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Athens, Georgia prior to returning to New Orleans in 1993. He loves UNC basketball and is a sometime season ticket holder for the NBA, but he saves his greatest affection for his hometown football team, the New Orleans Saints.
Brite and husband Chris DeBarr, a chef, run a de facto cat rescue and have, at any given time, between fifteen and twenty cats. Photos of the various felines are available on the "Cats" page of Brite's website. They have been known to have a few dogs and perhaps a snake as well in the menagerie. They are no longer together.
During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Brite at first opted to stay at home, but he eventually abandoned New Orleans and his cats and relocated 80 miles away to his mother's home in Mississippi. He used his blog to update his fans regarding the situation, including the unknown status of his house and many of his pets, and in October 2005 became one of the first 70,000 New Orleanians to begin repopulating the city.
In the following months, Brite has been an outspoken and sometimes harsh critic of those who are leaving New Orleans for good. He was quoted in the New York Times and elsewhere as saying, in reference to those considering leaving, "If you’re ever lucky enough to belong somewhere, if a place takes you in and you take it into yourself, you don't desert it just because it can kill you. There are things more valuable than life."
Born a biological female, Brite has written and talked much about his gender dysphoria/gender identity issues. He self-identifies almost completely as a homosexual male rather than female, and as of 2011 has started taking testosterone injections. His male name is Billy Martin.
He lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Athens, Georgia prior to returning to New Orleans in 1993. He loves UNC basketball and is a sometime season ticket holder for the NBA, but he saves his greatest affection for his hometown football team, the New Orleans Saints.
Brite and husband Chris DeBarr, a chef, run a de facto cat rescue and have, at any given time, between fifteen and twenty cats. Photos of the various felines are available on the "Cats" page of Brite's website. They have been known to have a few dogs and perhaps a snake as well in the menagerie. They are no longer together.
During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Brite at first opted to stay at home, but he eventually abandoned New Orleans and his cats and relocated 80 miles away to his mother's home in Mississippi. He used his blog to update his fans regarding the situation, including the unknown status of his house and many of his pets, and in October 2005 became one of the first 70,000 New Orleanians to begin repopulating the city.
In the following months, Brite has been an outspoken and sometimes harsh critic of those who are leaving New Orleans for good. He was quoted in the New York Times and elsewhere as saying, in reference to those considering leaving, "If you’re ever lucky enough to belong somewhere, if a place takes you in and you take it into yourself, you don't desert it just because it can kill you. There are things more valuable than life."
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 2, 2018
Felt like I was catching up with an old friend. I’m excited to see that Billy is writing again, hopefully we will see many more books and essays from him.
Favorite essay from the collection was the final one: “Nobody’s Fault But Mine,” a truly way piece dealing with addiction and mortality in the way only an ex-junkie can.
Favorite essay from the collection was the final one: “Nobody’s Fault But Mine,” a truly way piece dealing with addiction and mortality in the way only an ex-junkie can.
July 10, 2010
This was a collection of Poppy Z. Brite's short nonfiction. It was fascinating, and at the end, I felt like I knew Brite personally.
March 4, 2022
Really enjoyed "hanging" with Poppy, getting good recommendations, relating about gender confusion. I was very lucky to have a copy of this book in my library's circuit, would love my own.
December 13, 2023
In pratica per me è stato come incontrare una vecchia amica dopo molto tempo e sentirmi raccontare una serie di fatti dei tipi più diversi, riconoscendo praticamente in tutti le ragioni della nostra amicizia. La parte diario si legge con piacere e curiosità, anche in alcuni momenti "dolorosi". I tre racconti sono un gradito completamento. Il libro soffre solo un minimo di discontinuità ma essendo un'antologia la cosa è pienamente giustificata.
November 24, 2024
Sublime e meraviglioso.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews