Sister Spit's New Generation of Queer Poets & Rebels: The Autostraddle Interview

Posted byLaneia

on October 15, 2009

Laneia: What's your favorite weather?
Kirya: I like it hot.
Rhiannon: I actually really do like the fog in San Francisco. It's just moody, and foggy weather can be an excuse to stay in and write: Well, it's not sunny out, I better stay in and write a novel!
[Everyone laughs]
Kirya: Foggy weather just reminds me of middle school when I just wanted to slit my wrists.
[Unexplainable laughter from everyone ???]
Laneia: Awww, that's terrible!
Rhiannon: That's terrible!
Kirya: [laughing] It's true, though!
Rhiannon: I like the fog! Everyone hates the wind, too, and I like the wind. I'm weird!

the creamsickle Laneia: Is your book, "The Creamsickle" part memoir? Or like...?
Rhiannon: I think when writing fiction you're always going to draw from personal experience, but when I wrote it, I was creating characters. The main character, to me, is a character. I identify with things about her, but it definitely isn't me.

Laneia: Ok, I guess that's -- wait! Can I ask you one more question.. ? ... are you freezing?
Kirya: No! Yeah! [She's answering my questions in reverse here. Don't worry.]
Laneia: Has there been a moment on the tour -- well it's only been a week! [to Rhiannon] Did you go to Europe?
Rhiannon: Yeah.
Laneia: Well have you had a moment where -- I guess in life, at all -- where you think, "This is why I do this. This is why I'm writing. This is why I'm getting out there and talking to people."
Rhiannon: I have that every show!
Laneia: That's awesome!
Rhiannon: It just takes one person coming up to say, "I've never heard something like that before," like, "I live in a small town." Especially in Europe. Wow.
Laneia: Really?
Rhiannon: They've never heard stuff like this before, and if they're really young, this is gonna stay with them for a long time. Maybe they're gonna write, you know?

Kirya: I love performing. I felt really shitty today, really hungover.
Laneia: You did great!
Kirya: When I get on stage, something happens where a purpose takes over and you can feel, "this is what I'm meant to be doing." I feel better on stage than anywhere else. But it's also definitely about connecting with the audience. I have a piece about body hair--
Laneia: I watched it on your myspace. Fucking amazing. I loved it.
Kirya: Oh. Really? I usually do that piece when I'm not so hungover. [laughs]
Laneia: I was really hoping you were gonna do that one!
Kirya: Aw. How awesome! Well, at U of A there was another black femme with facial hair. It was just really cool to be like, "My sister!" [laughs]
Laneia: Yeah, like that moment.
Kirya: Yeah!

Laneia: I actually watched a lot of videos on your MySpace! I hadn't read anything by either of you, so.
Rhiannon: I hate when you go to interviews and the people don't even research.
Laneia: Are you kidding me? I had three interns on that sh*t!
[everyone laughs]
Laneia: I didn't even know about this happening until Saturday.
Kirya: Oh wow!
Laneia: Yeah, and I was like, "I'm going. I'm doing an interview."
Kirya: So is your website like local, or?
Laneia: No, it's um, the girls that do... like the main team, is in New York.
Kirya: Ooooh.
Laneia: And then some of us are spread out all over. And I'm one of those.
Kirya: Cool. What's the name again?
Laneia: Autostraddle dot com. Here, I can give you a carrrd. [gives card. so fresh, so clean.]
Them: Yeah!
Laneia: One of our main themes is that sh*t doesn't have to be totally gay to be gay. And seeing yourself represented in the media, but in a positive way. Not like, the psycho lesbian killing her roommate or whatever.
Rhiannon: That's why me and my friend did The Popsicle Project. It was wintertime, and we were like, "I want a website where I can go and look at hot queers!" So we were like, "Let's take a bunch of pictures, and some other person in the wintertime, when they're sad, and want to see some queers in the sunshine, looking cute--"
Kirya: I didn't know that!
Rhiannon: Yeah!

credit Amos Mac

Kirya: When you were asking me about the reading list, for me I was thinking, I love when a book is not a queer book, but it's IN THERE. Like "The Color Purple." And I've discovered a lot of poets as an adult where you'll stop in the middle of the book and ask, "Oh, she's a lesbian?"
Laneia: My mom still, up until two years ago, didn't realize that "Fried Green Tomatoes" was about--
Kirya: Oh! It's SO GAY!
Laneia: --a lesbian! Right! And my mom's like, "How do you know that, Laneia?" And I'm like, "Mother! She's totally GAY!"

-- Next Page--
Laneia Interviews Michelle Tea
"I think that there were a lot of people
who carried a lot of trauma from being queer,
so it was a real act of bravery to go out and to do this."

Pages: 1 2 3 4

26 responses to “Sister Spit's New Generation of Queer Poets & Rebels: The Autostraddle Interview”

Bren
October 15, 2009 at 12:16 pm Permalink Reply
Not like, the psycho lesbian killing her roommate or whatever.
I love this so much.
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You are perhaps the most adorable interviewer ever. Don’t ever change.
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1. Laneia(member)
  October 16, 2009 at 1:33 am Permalink Reply
  thank you! i should send this to all future interview candidates so they know what’s up. so they’ll know that they shouldn’t expect to actually have time to answer the questions, you know? wheeee! um, but srsly, thank goodness we have interns b/c otherwise, OMG.
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Elizabeth (aka Elli)(member)
October 15, 2009 at 12:21 pm Permalink Reply Report user
Yay, Green! You’re so adorable. I would give my left *anything* to talk to Michelle Tea. They are coming to Chicago on Saturday to a small/independent bookstore right by my house. I was going to go to roller derby, but I think I may have to change my plans.
———————
Since Michelle Tea mentioned poetry slams- the man credited with starting the poetry slam movement, Marc Smith (http://marckellysmith.com/ ), still actually runs open mics/poetry slams on Sunday nights at the Green Mill in Chicago. For anyone in the area who is interested, I highly recommend it. It’s a good mix of newbies, regulars and professionals.
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1. Laneia(member)
  October 16, 2009 at 1:23 am Permalink Reply
  i’m so glad you got tickets to the show! can’t wait to hear about it. they do different stuff in each city!
  —
  i think there are poetry slams here, too, but of course i’ve never ever been. omg what would i wear to a poetry slam?? jeans, probs. yeah? jeans.
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  1. Elizabeth (aka Elli)(member)
    October 17, 2009 at 11:55 pm Permalink Reply Report user
    AMAZING. It was amazing. My only regret is not being able to go to the after party or sticking around long enough to catch Ariel Schrag not being busy so I could gush and get her to sign something like I did with Michelle Tea and Rhiannon Argo. Michelle said *this* article is amazing (of course I had to mention it!) and was hysterical adorable amazing. So was everyone. Ben was talking to me while we were hanging outside before the show (she had a cigarette, I had a decaf pumpkin spice latte) and I feel like a tool because in the dark/out of context I didn’t realize who she was until we went inside. To start her performance she threw off her coat to reveal a mesh dress over a bikini and started dancing to Lady Gaga. Then she yelled, ‘Is this all you think trannies can do? Cut your hair, sell MAC at the makeup counter and *this*?!’ We had a local Chicago poet, Carina Gia Farrero, in place of your AZ person, and the tour manager, Sarah Adams, showed one of her hysterical short films (‘Butthole Licking’), otherwise we had all the same people (reading slightly different things.) Oh, and special guest DJ SpinNikki played music before/after the show. I bought Kirya’s chap book, Black Chick, and Ariel Schrag’s choose-your-own-adventure. I’ve already got/am reading Rhiannon Argo’s book, and I own all of Michelle Tea’s stuff, obvs.
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    1. laneia
      October 18, 2009 at 12:17 am Permalink Reply
      i read that entire comment w/out taking a pause/breath because that’s how i imagined you saying it. I’M SO GLAD YOU WENT ALL CAPS! <333 [and i'm glad/squealing that you talked to M.T. abt this articleeeeeeee!]
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marya
October 15, 2009 at 12:32 pm Permalink Reply
“And I feel like I’m at a point now where I need to force myself to be who I want to be.” –I’m at the exact same point right now! I just need to jump in & allow things to be scary & exciting & beautiful & awkward. Autostraddle helps.
—
This is really well done & I’ll definitely be looking to order some of their stuff!
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1. Laneia(member)
  October 16, 2009 at 1:05 am Permalink Reply
  jumping in and letting things be scary and awkward is SO MUCH FUN. i mean, it’s probs more fun when no one is recording the audio, but still!
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carlytron
October 15, 2009 at 1:38 pm Permalink Reply
I got the opportunity to see Sister Spit in Orlando of all places in like 2002 or 2003? Michelle Tea read my favorite passage from my favorite chapter of my favorite book (at the time), “Valencia,” and then she signed a copy for me. Best night evar.
Their tour comes to Brooklyn next Wednesday, for those in the NYC area who are intersted.
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1. Elizabeth (aka Elli)(member)
  October 16, 2009 at 12:10 am Permalink Reply Report user
  ooh Valencia is one of my favs (of hers) too
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2. Laneia(member)
  October 16, 2009 at 1:06 am Permalink Reply
  she’s like the nicest, tiniest thing on the planet, right? IT’S CRAZY.
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Emily
October 15, 2009 at 9:48 pm Permalink Reply
Omg Laneia this is amazing. You did really well! I’ve never heard of Sister Spit before, they should come to Canada.
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1. Laneia(member)
  October 16, 2009 at 1:09 am Permalink Reply
  i bet if you just bomb their inbox w/ requests to visit canada, they’ll cave. like, it’s the ‘north american tour’, right? RIGHT?? also, i’ve heard people will do anything for you, emily choo.
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  1. Emily
    October 16, 2009 at 10:16 am Permalink Reply
    Really? I should start taking advantage of that.
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    1. riese(member)
      October 16, 2009 at 4:49 pm Permalink Reply
      I think if you asked them they would say yes Emily Choo
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    2. laneia
      October 16, 2009 at 4:54 pm Permalink Reply
      emily choo! they’re coming to toronto on tuesday!! i don’t know anything about canada, or where you live, or how many kilometers you’d have to ride your yak to get to toronto, but maybe you could make it?
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denEmat
October 15, 2009 at 10:59 pm Permalink Reply
This was magical Laneia! You were awesome… I am bummed and slightly embarrassed I’d never heard of Sister Spit until now being that I am a writer living in San Francisco! ugh totally sad. I have been lucky enough to see Beth Lisick and Rhiannon Argo read before buuuut still what an opportunity to have all of these wonderfully talented writers and women on stage at once! April Sister Spit shows here I come. Thank you for sharing this! made my day seriously
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1. Laneia(member)
  October 16, 2009 at 1:17 am Permalink Reply
  thank you!! i hope the tour comes back to phx in april because i’m already there. i bet SF is so full of queer poets and authors – you’re so lucky! i read a lot of interviews with SF-based authors leading up to this piece, and practically everyone talked about the need to get out of the SF “bubble”. and then these women said the same thing! do you ever feel that way? where do you go to escape the queerness?
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riese(member)
October 16, 2009 at 3:04 am Permalink Reply
This is so good! I will comment intelligently again tomorrow but felt I could not go to sleep without saying how interesting and fun this whole piece was. next you will be interviewing Van Halen.
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riese(member)
October 16, 2009 at 4:54 pm Permalink Reply
Firstly when you texted me and said you were gonna go to this I was really surprised and excited. There’s so many things in life that scare me that I have just chosen not to deal with, but the fear of interviewing people was one I knew I had to tackle head-on b/c the experience and the material can be so rewarding!
This part reminded me of Why I Trust San Francisco: “I actually really do like the fog in San Francisco. It’s just moody, and foggy weather can be an excuse to stay in and write: Well, it’s not sunny out, I better stay in and write a novel!”
The fact that this is even happening, touring, right now (as opposed to the 90′s when things were more economically prosporous) I think really means kickass things for ladies; that there’s a hunger to hear our voices, and to see people who are young and passionate who write, and want to share stories with each other an an audience.
YAY LANEIA is all.
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1. laneia
  October 16, 2009 at 5:17 pm Permalink Reply
  love you more than emily choo loves love
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Heather
October 19, 2009 at 11:38 am Permalink Reply
Great interview Laneia! There is so much great stuff out there from these ladies. Thanks for leading me to it.
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Luna
December 31, 2009 at 4:33 am Permalink Reply
How about eating a delicious dinner with them at a big table in your college dining hall while being the only seeming “hetero” when only one person, the girl sitting next to you, was lucky enough to know that you were a hopeless bisexual only out to two people?
I raise my hand.
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hopehallohan(member)
January 15, 2011 at 1:28 pm Permalink Reply Report user
In my city we have a fantastic and standing-room-only supported spoken word night, open to anyone. There is usually at least a couple of lesbians who perform during the open mic portion.
I wonder if I started a an otherwise-inclined lady chapbook exchange on the internet, Autostraddle would want to hear about it?
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1. sarah b.
  February 10, 2011 at 3:56 pm Permalink Reply
  i would want to hear about it!
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  1. hopehallohan(member)
    February 11, 2011 at 12:42 am Permalink Reply Report user
    I am happy to hear that, Sarah B!!
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