Community Connections, April, 1991 Page 3
Alison Bechdel:
A "Dyke to Watch Out For"
by C.A. Whittemore
On March 3, Alison Bechdel made
one of her recent "forays into (the)
Lesbian Nation" (press release) with a
visit to Malaprop’s Bookstore and Cafe in
downtown Asheville. Bechdel’s visit is
another example of Malaprop’s continued
commitment to providing a space where
readers can meet writers.
Bechdel’s comic strips are appreciated
by a wide range of audiences. Her best
selling comic books: Dykes To Watch Out
For, More Dykes To Watch Out For, and
New, Improved! Dykes To Watch Out For
have earned Bechdel much respect and
notoriety, too, making her a popular
guest.
Bechdel was enthusiastically and
warmly received by approximately thirty-
two lesbians, two gay men, and
unidentified others, who didn’t seem to
mind at all that she was twenty minutes
tardy. After making apologies for being
late (she couldn’t find the place), Bechdel
explained she had not come to make a
speech, but rather to answer questions
about her work. At first the audience was
timid and quiet, but Bechdel’s open,
friendly demeanor soon set the tone.
Once at ease, the audience began to
satisfy their curiosity about Alison
Bechdel the person and the cartoonist.
Bechdel grew up in rural
Pennsylvania. Ever since she could hold
a crayon, Bechdel loved to draw. As a
youngster, she found inspiration from
MAD magazine, and considers it to have
been formative to her work as a
cartoonist.
In 1979, while attending Oberlin
College, Bechdel "came out." Soon after
graduation, she moved to New York City.
While there, Bechdel began to do'
volunteer work for Womanews. Then, in
1983, her first Dykes To Watch Out For
was published in the Lesbian Pride issue
of Womanews.
The main characters in Bechdel’s
comic strip series are Mo, the everydyke;
Clarice, the ex-lover/law student; and
Lois, Mo’s non-monogamous colleague.
Later Bechdel added Harriet, Sparrow and
Toni. Bechdel does not base her
characters on friends; instead, she
considers her characters to be composites
of different personality types. Bechdel
approaches the creation of her characters
as a sculptress: "I chip away until I can
see who they are and what they are
saying," she says.
Most of Bechdel’s themes are based
on current events and "slices of everyday
lesbian life..." (press release). Although
many of Bechdel’s scenarios involve the
young, same-cultured, "politically correct"
urban lesbian, she also includes vignettes
from a wide range of experiences in the
lives of other lesbians.
Just as we are grateful for the many
laughs and flashes of inspiration that
Bechdel has shared with us in her works,
she is grateful to the efforts of the past
movements which have made a safe place
for her expressions. "I’m not at all
Photo by Anahid Sarkissian
brave...so many people before me have
created this space," says Bechdel. "I
couldn’t be doing what I am now ten years
ago."
Presently, Bechdel is working on a
new book which will be out next spring
(yes, you can wait that long). She is also
excited about having her work translated
into German. As for the future, Bechdel
hopes always to be involved in pushing
forward to create more and more safe
places for expressions.
.Of all the questions, the audience
asked, only a couple remain to tease our
curiosity. Now that Bechdel resides on an
island in Vermont, will her characters
move into rural settings? And will
"Dykes To Watch Out For" remain a
women-only space? Stay tuned! ▼
Lillian Powell
Elected to Board
On February 21, WNC activist Lillian
Powell was elected to serve on the Board
of Directors of the WNC Chapter of the
North Carolina Civil Liberties Union.
Powell is a charter member of the
Southern Appalachian Lesbian and Gay
Alliance (SALGA), which was founded in
November, 1987. She also serves as head
of the Coalition for Progressive Action, a
group working for passage of a non-
discrimination resolution in Asheville and
Buncombe County which includes sexual
orientation.
Powell’s work with the Coalition
brought her into contact with members of
the local chapter of the NCCLU. The
WNC Chapter is an endorser of the
resolution and has been active in the
Coalition. Their recognition of Powell’s
outstanding and tireless work as head of
the Coalition led to her being nominated
to the local NCCLU Board. V
Joan Marshall's
Ministry Featured
Episcopal Life, a national publication
of the Episcopal Church, recently featured
Joan Marshall, Deacon at All Souls
Episcopal Church in Asheville. The
article Reported On Marshall’s ministry to
the gay and lesbian community of
Asheville, and to people with AIDS.
Warren Tonn, Randy W., Bill Allen, Bill
Bednarek, Tom Amerson, and Cynthia
Janes were mentioned in the article, too.
Thanks to Malaprop’s sponsorship, Community Connections now has a six-month
commitment to carrying Alison Bechdel’s cartoon strip Dykes to Watch Out For. This
makes Community Connections one of the 31 lesbian/gay, progressive and feminist
publications in the U.S., Canada, and Scotland to carry Bechdel’s work.
Dykes to Watch Out For
Malaprop’s
Bookstore - CAFE
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