Interview Tonight!

I’m going to be interviewed tonight at 8:15 (Friday, May 28) on an Australian Radio station. The topic will be my book A Writer’s Journey: What to Know Before, During, and After Writing a Book. I was interviewed for my book Married Women Who Love Women on that station before.

If you’d like to listen to the interview live you can go to www.joy.org.au and click on “Listen Live”.

To listen to the pod cast of the show (usually posted the Wed after) go here

We have a long way to go…

I just spoke as part of an informal panel based on my book Married Women Who Love Women. The panel consisted of  me and two women in different stages of their own journeys. I realized that what I love about speaking at events like these is that the people who come actually come to hear what you have to say.Thirty women came to this one.

Many had already bought my book and they listened to my every word. There were many who sat with tears in their eyes as I touched on issues they were just beginning to deal with. So many women said, “thank you for writing your book. It was so important to me,” or, “your book helped me so much.”

The day reminded me that even thought we, as a society, have come so far in our acceptance of gay and lesbian people,  many women are still going through a great deal of pain and we have a long way to go.

Workshop in Cleveland, Ohio

On July 15 I’ll be giving a workshop titled like my book, “A Writer’s Journey: What to know before, during and after writing a book” for the OLOC National Gathering in Cleveland, Ohio.

Birthdays

Insights

My grandson and I share birthdays (3 days apart) and I just got back from celebrating with him and other members of my family. On the way home, (a five hour trip) I had a chance to think about past birthdays and to contemplate the reality of growing older. It really is a catch 22. On one hand, I’ve accumulated a vast amount of knowledge and experience over the years. On the other, I’m getting too old to remember it.

Anyway, I thought I’d kept my birthday low key but I returned to a ton of happy birthday emails. Somehow my birthday popped up all over the internet. I was surprised at how very pleasantly surprised I was to receive these notes.

Radio interview!

On Friday, May 28 at 8:15PM I’ll be talking with Mez from the radio station Joy 94.9FM in Melbourne Australia about my latest book, A Writer’s Journey: What to Know Before, During, and After Writing a Book.

To listen to the interview live you can go to http://www.joy.org.au and click on “Listen Live”. To listen to the pod cast of the show (usually posted the Wed after) go to: www.cpod.org.au

We’re okay.

I just attended a Professional Women’s mixer. This event was sponsored by OP Lynx, a division of Out Professionals, and the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan. The upper west side rooftop was a perfect setting and even though the weather was cool and unlike May weather, the energy was so high that I felt warm all evening. What surprised, and pleased me, were the number of young, confident women attending.

Years ago, many women, even if they felt they were ‘different’, didn’t know why. It was not uncommon for a women to grow up never hearing the term lesbian. It’s hard to believe now but between the years of 1961 and 1970, only one gay character was documented on a television show. From 1991 to 2000 the number of documented gay characters rose to 306. Although some women still go through years of questioning before they realize who they are, the media has played a large part in showing women that they’re okay. And now, with country music star Chely Wright coming out, her Bible Belt audience (that a lot of people in our community often write off) will be enlightened too. A lot of her fans will realize they actually know a gay person.

Chely Wright

The country-music singer, Chely Wright came out this week. Living for her music, and afraid of losing everything in a conservative industry, she felt trapped as a closeted lesbian. “There had never, ever been a country music artist who had acknowledged his or her homosexuality,” she said. “I wasn’t going to be the first.” So desperate had she become that on the Today show she confessed, “I was living a secret life … I gave up hope, and I was ready to take my own life.” Now Wright says, “Nothing in my life has been more magical than the moment I decided to come out.”

Unfortunately Chely is far from alone. One woman I know suffered from Chrones Disease. The doctors had given up hope for her. Believing herself near the end, she finally came out to her family. Miraculously, according to the doctors, all signs of her disease disappeared. Another woman had been constipated for her entire life – even before she realized she was a lesbian. She says from the time she came out, she never again had a problem with constipation. And these are not isolated cases.

Even in this day and age, at risk to health, or life itself, fear of rejection is keeping many people closeted. I’m not in favor of outing anyone, after all none of us walks in another’s shoes, but if we show our acceptance by continuing to support musicians like Chely, and others who have come out, and if we can be kinder to each other, the world will be a better place.

Three of My Favorite Insights

These three insights have made my life so much more peaceful that I’d like to share them with everyone I know:

1. No one knows what you’re thinking unless you tell them.

2. Have no expectations and you won’t be disappointed.

3. The way someone accepts what you say has little to do with you but much to do with where they are on their own journey at the time.