Book Description

The first comprehensive biographical, critical, and bibliographical source on lesbian writers, this reference book features essays on 100 contemporary writers of poetry, fiction, and drama in the United States. Many had written as self-identified lesbians at some point during the 1970-1992 period of coverage. Each essay comprises a biography, with personal history often derived from interviews, an analysis of major works and themes, an overview of the critical reception, and bibliographies of primary works and of critical studies and reviews. The volume introduction, by Tucker P. Farley, situates contemporary lesbian literature in its historical and political contexts. Appendices list publishers of lesbian writers and periodicals featuring lesbian writing. An extensive bibliography provides nonfiction resources focusing on lesbian issues, including works in psychology, sexuality, parenting, health, history, and theory, as well as literature. A companion to Contemporary Gay American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook, edited by Emmanuel S. Nelson (Greenwood Press, 1993), this work will be an important addition to college and university libraries supporting gay and lesbian and women's studies programs and literary curricula incorporating this material. It will also be a valuable resource for public and school libraries and collections and specialists in American literature, providing information and analysis for understanding the expanding literary canon.