Overview

Whose poster hung on your wall as a teenager? Whose record did you wear out? Whose life story could you not resist? Fascination works in mysterious ways--it can be born out of inspiration, or repulsion, or both. In these daring essays, some of the most provocative writers of our time offer a private view on a public figure. In the process, they reveal themselves in beautiful and unexpected ways, blurring the line between biography and memoir. Original essays: Introduction by Amy Scholder Mary Gaitskill on Linda Lovelace Rick Moody on Karen Dalton Johanna Fateman on Andrea Dworkin Danielle Henderson on bell hooks Hanne Blank on MFK Fisher Kate Zambreno on Kathy Acker Justin Vivian Bond on Karen Graham Jill Nelson on Aretha Franklin Zoe Pilger on Mary Gaitskill

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9781322374635

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Reviews

Porn, oysters, abjection: Icon, a smart plunge into fandom's sober fringe, will excite anyone who has ever harbored ambivalent and obsessive love for an idol. Uncanny affinities tie together the essays in this compelling collection, packed with surprising detours, punchy revelations, and a refreshing abundance of unconventionality. For the methods and intimacies of Icon, I feel a satisfying surge of kinship. --Wayne Koestenbaum, author of My 1980s and Other Essays The writers in Icon are icons in their own right, their words bluntly confessional more than devotional. These essays are batons--pass them forward. --Evelyn McDonnell, author of Queens of Noise These nine exquisite essays piece together dazzling mirror shards of biography, memoir, and homage. Seeking to live in community with great souls past and present, the writers gathered here forge electric collaborations with the dead, the lost, the rued, the canonized, and the newly loved. --Sara Marcus, author of Girls to the Front Icon illustrates the multiple ways in which we construct and read identity, and what it means to envy, adore, worship, and hate public figures. In a culture obsessed with celebrity, Icon reminds us that our icons say a lot about ourselves. --Tristan Taormino, author of Opening Up In this collection commissioned by Amy Scholder, nine original essays explore the specific and personal impact of cultural icons--public figures, often celebrities, who become the objects of our everyday obsessions. These essays reveal the hidden side of adulation and serve as a reminder that even today's literary lights once had icons of their own. -- Publishers Weekly Blurring the line between biography and memoir, these essays consider the power of public personalities to illuminate one's deepest sense of self. -- Kirkus In what seems like a paradox, self-awareness and reflection help these writers, and us readers, to empathize with and understand their subjects. -- Jessica Gross, LA Review of Books Hearing another woman explain exactly who or what matters to them [as seen in Icon ] is the best thing about my life, and this book provides that experience and then some. -- Haley Mlotek, The Hairpin

Author Information

Amy Scholder: Amy Scholder has been editing and publishing progressive and literary books for over twenty years. Her visionary style has brought high visibility to her authors, and has been praised for its contribution to contemporary literature and popular culture. She has served as editorial director of the Feminist Press, editor-in-chief of Seven Stories Press, US publisher of Verso, founding co-editor of HIGH RISK Books/Serpent's Tail, and editor at City Lights Books. Over the years, she has published the work of Sapphire, Karen Finley, June Jordan, Kate Bornstein, Kathy Acker, David Wojnarowicz, Dorothy Allison, Mary Gaitskill, Joni Mitchell, Kate Millett, Elfriede Jelinek, Muriel Rukeyser, Laurie Weeks, Justin Vivian Bond, Virginie Despentes, Ana Castillo, and many other award-winning authors. Mary Gaitskill: National Book Award nominee is the author of many books including Veronica and Bad Behavior. Rick Moody: Rick Moody is the author of Ice Storm, On Celestial Music, and many other award-winning books. Johanna Fateman: Post-punk rocker Johanna Fateman was in the bands Le Tigre and MEN. She is now a regular contributor to BookForum and other literary and art publications. Kate Zambreno: Kate Zambreno: Kate Zambreno is the author of O Fallen Angel, Green Girl, and Heroines. Danielle Henderson: Staff writer at Rookie magazine, Danielle Henderson is well-known for her popular blog Feminist Ryan Gosling, which was recently released as a book by Running Press. Zoe Pilger: Pilger's debut novel Eat My Heart Out will be published by the Feminist Press in May 2015. It has already been praised in the UK as an unflinching account of post-feminist urban life. Satirical, snarky, and wildly entertaining (Observer).

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