 | |
| Editor | Joe Vallese |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Braulio Amado |
| Language | English |
| Genre | |
| Publisher | Feminist Press |
Publication date | October 4, 2022 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | 978-1-95217-779-8 |
It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror is a collection of essays about horror films as analysed by queer writers. Edited by writing professor Joe Vallese, the book was published by The Feminist Press at CUNY on October 4, 2022.
One of the main themes explored by some of the essays present in It Came from the Closet is the connection that some queer people might feel with the antagonist of the movie, which is exemplified by essays such as Sachiko Ragosta's, about Eyes Without a Face , and Viet Dinh's, who writes about Sleepaway Camp . [1]
Halie Kerns, reviewing for the Library Journal , called it "[a]n excellent purchase for any film or queer studies collection" and noted that the themes of gender and sexuality, explored in a way they called "often purposefully grotesque", would be relatable to many of its readers. [2] Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review and called it a "stellar anthology" and added that "[t]here's not a weak piece in the pack". [3]
A review for The Booklist said It Came from the Closet, due to the "essential context of [the writers'] own experiences", which is easier to read than other studies on the same topic. They commended Carmen Maria Machado for her essay on Jennifer's Body , calling it "particularly sublime." The reviewer called the collection "[a] critical text on the intersections of film, queer studies, and pop culture that will appeal to both academic and public-library audiences." [4]
In a review published by Autostraddle , Abeni Jones talked about the usefulness of the collection to readers who might not necessarily enjoy horror films but who are looking for queer representation, citing essays on Jaws and The Birds as examples. Jones also praised the essays for not being overly analytical, saying "[t]hese are personal essays, not queer theory papers." [5]
Ramsey Campbell is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awards. Three of his novels have been adapted into films.
Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that tells the story of high school freshman Melinda Sordino. After Melinda is raped at an end of summer party, she calls the police, who break up the party. Melinda is then ostracized by her peers because she will not say why she called the police. Unable to verbalize what happened, Melinda nearly stops speaking altogether, expressing her voice through the art she produces for Mr. Freeman's class. This expression slowly helps Melinda acknowledge what happened, face her problems, and recreate her identity.
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick was an American academic scholar in the fields of gender studies, queer theory, and critical theory. Sedgwick published several books considered groundbreaking in the field of queer theory, and her critical writings helped create the field of queer studies, in which she was one of the most influential figures. Sedgwick's essays became the framework for critics of poststructuralism, multiculturalism, and gay studies.
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. Booklist's primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is available to subscribers in print and online. It is published 22 times per year, and reviews over 7,500 titles annually. The Booklist brand also offers a blog, various newsletters, and monthly webinars. The Booklist offices are located in the American Library Association headquarters in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood.
LGBTQ themes in horror fiction refers to sexuality in horror fiction that can often focus on LGBTQ+ characters and themes within various forms of media. It may deal with characters who are coded as or who are openly LGBTQ+, or it may deal with themes or plots that are specific to gender and sexual minorities.
Michael Thomas Ford is an American author of primarily gay-themed literature. He is best known for his "My Queer Life" series of comedic essay collections and for his award-winning novels Last Summer, Looking for It, Full Circle, Changing Tides, and What We Remember.
Samuel R. "Chip" Delany is an American writer and literary critic. His work includes fiction, memoir, criticism, and essays on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society. His fiction includes Babel-17, The Einstein Intersection ; Hogg, Nova, Dhalgren, the Return to Nevèrÿon series, and Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders. His nonfiction includes Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, About Writing, and eight books of essays. He has won four Nebula awards and two Hugo Awards, and he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Carmen Maria Machado is an American short story author, essayist, and critic best known for Her Body and Other Parties, a 2017 short story collection, and her memoir In the Dream House, which was published in 2019 and won the 2021 Folio Prize. Machado is frequently published in The New Yorker, Granta, Lightspeed, and other publications. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novelette. Her stories have been reprinted in Year's Best Weird Fiction, Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, Best Horror of the Year, The New Voices of Fantasy, and Best Women's Erotica.
Anna-Marie McLemore is a Mexican-American author of young adult fiction magical realism, best known for their Stonewall Honor-winning novel When the Moon Was Ours, Wild Beauty, and The Weight of Feathers.
Flight or Fright is a horror anthology edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent, published by Cemetery Dance Publications on September 4, 2018. All of the stories within the anthology are about flight-based horrors.
Mother Journeys: Feminists Write about Mothering is a collection of essays, poems, cartoons, and drawings edited by Maureen T. Reddy, Martha Roth, and Amy Sheldon and published by Spinsters Ink in 1994. The collection was among the first books to address the topic of mothering from a specifically feminist perspective at a time when many assumed "feminism and mothering were mutually incompatible".
Blackout is a young adult novel written by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. The book contains six interlinked stories about Black teen love during a power outage in New York City. The book was released on June 22, 2021.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a young adult historical novel written by Malinda Lo and published on January 19, 2021, by Dutton Books for Young Readers. It is set in 1950s San Francisco and tells the story of Lily Hu, a teenage daughter of Chinese immigrants as she begins to explore her sexuality.
My Autobiography of Carson McCullers is a memoir by Jenn Shapland, published April 2, 2020 by Tin House Books. In 2021, the book won the Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction, the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir, and the Phi Beta Kappa Christian Gauss Award. Along with being longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, it was a finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction and a Stonewall Book Award Honor Book.
The Henna Wars is a young adult novel by Adiba Jaigirdar. Set in Dublin, the book follows Nishat, a Bangladeshi teenager who comes out as a lesbian while in high school. The book received mostly positive reviews from critics, and was included on Time's list of the "100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time."
The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer is a collection of short fiction by Janelle Monáe, written in collaboration with Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, and Sheree Renée Thomas. The collection, which has been described as Afrofuturist and cyberpunk, is Monáe's debut literary work. It is based on the world of her 2018 album Dirty Computer, as well as the accompanying short film of the same name. The book has received critical acclaim.
Lev A. C. Rosen, also known as L. C. Rosen, is an American author.
Maggie Tokuda-Hall is an American author of children's and young adult novels.