Kung Fu Chemistry
February 26, 2006 @ 6:40 pm
To those who braved the San Francisco Tenderloin for the pursuit of books, thank you. I read with Kung Fu High School author Ryan Gattis at the Edinburgh Castle and, judging by his opening chapter, I’ll be adding his book to my ‘to read’ stack very soon. In spite of the fact that my insomnia had kept me up well past the thirty hour mark, I didn’t have my glasses and didn’t do my pre-game warmup (pump some Johnny Cash through my headphones while doing a shot before hitting the microphone), I think I did a reasonable job of channeling Eric Ashworth. I’ll be reading in San Francisco in March, with the usual signal flares going out in due course.
Stay warm and bound,
Craig
Envisioning Vincent
February 14, 2006 @ 2:36 pm
The bad news: Gabor’s first four pages of his graphic novel novel rendition of the Handbook have been wished into the cornfield. The good news: The next four pages are up.
Back soon,
Craig
An Open Letter
February 7, 2006 @ 2:35 am
To: Laura Albert, Geoffrey Knoop and Savannah Knoop
From: Craig Clevenger
Re: Your future role in HIV/AIDS awareness
Dear Laura, Geoffrey and Savannah,
It is with no small relief that I have learned of the fabricated existence of the author JT Leroy, who was, in fact, a fictitious persona resulting from your collaborative efforts.
Since first emerging as a public threat in early 1980’s, AIDS has claimed the lives of millions of people worldwide, with roughly 40,000 new cases of HIV infection being reported each year in the United States alone (source: Center for Disease Control). Additionally, San Francisco plays host many of the approximately 1.3 million young runaways (source: National Runaway Switchboard) on the streets every day, many of whom are fleeing the real life equivalent of the fictitious horrors allegedly suffered by your fictitious JT Leroy. Knowing that there was one less person enduring the horrors of HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, street life and sexual abuse was, as I said above, no small relief.
I’m sure you’re well aware of the above data, as you clearly did your research in order to perpetuate this fictitious persona for as long as you have. Now that the dust has begun to settle in the wake of numerous press reports, and the bloggers and columnists have grown tired of making further commentary, there remains the question of how to help undo some of the damage this revelation has caused. It is clear the exposure of your efforts is taking its toll on your lives, evident in the recent separation of two of you, Laura and Geoffrey, the ensuing custody battle of your child and your decision, Geoffrey, to come clean in a recent New York Times interview. It is also clear that you have all profited enormously by including the above ills in your perpetuation of the Leroy persona.
While the dust may be settling, the iron is still hot and ripe for the striking, with scores of non-profit organizations in our mutual adopted hometown of San Francisco all struggling to make ends meet, execute their various missions, solicit funding and, in general, take arms against all manner of setbacks which routinely plague non-profits. While I, for one, am skeptical about celebrities adopting arbitrary charity causes for their own PR, the fact remains that people in the public eye are in a position to do great amounts of good for the welfare of all, and the three of you are certainly among those people.
Consider the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the Harm Reduction Therapy Center or any one of scores of other non-profit agencies, the list of which I’ve barely scratched the surface. These are just a few links from two minutes of web-searching for non-profit outreach programs in San Francisco. I’ve haven’t even tried to list them all, and they’re going to have counterparts in every major city in the country, all of whom need help, both money and manpower. In lieu of a donation from the money you’ve made by capitalizing on these causes, many of these organizations are desperately short-handed. You could set the example of donating a mere two hours per week of your time and, given your place in the public eye, you would inspire many of JT’s fans to do likewise.
In short, you three have profited to a degree far beyond that which most writers can only dream. You have done so by your use of certain social ills to play on the sympathies of your audience. I strongly suggest you follow the example set by your vast audience who gave so much to you, and in turn give at least a portion of your time and money to the people who are truly afflicted with the conditions which have been such a boon to your career.
Sincerely,
Craig Clevenger