Author | Courtenay Stallings |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Subject | Laura Palmer, Twin Peaks |
Genre | Cult literature, social criticism |
Publisher | Fayetteville Mafia Press |
Publication date | October 2020 |
Pages | 320 |
ISBN | 978-1-949-02408-1 |
Laura's Ghost: Women Speak about Twin Peaks is a 2020 book by Courtenay Stallings. The book explores the legacy of the fictional character Laura Palmer, whose death was the precipitating event in the television show Twin Peaks. Laura's Ghost features interviews with and essays from women involved with Twin Peaks including Sheryl Lee, who played Laura Palmer, as well as actress Grace Zabriskie, and Jennifer Lynch, daughter of the series’ director David Lynch.
Laura's Ghost is an anthology of essays and interviews on the subject of Laura Palmer, a fictional character whose death sparked the events of the television show, Twin Peaks . Her body was found, wrapped in plastic, eight minutes into the series premiere and leads to the series' primary question, "Who killed Laura Palmer?". Laura begins the series as an idyllic American teenager, but, as the series progresses, Laura is revealed to have been a sex worker and involved in drug trafficking. Twin Peaks and, most explicitly, the 1992 film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me reveal Laura also experienced sexual abuse at the hands of her father, who murdered her and was possessed by an incorporeal evil spirit. [1]
Contributors and interviewees to Laura's Ghost were women involved in the production of Twin Peaks including Sheryl Lee, who played Laura Palmer (as well as her cousin, Maddy Ferguson); Grace Zabriskie, who played Laura's mother, Sarah Palmer; Sabrina S. Sutherland, a producer on the show; and Jennifer Lynch, author of The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer and daughter of David Lynch. The book also includes an essay from writer and film critic Willow Catelyn Maclay and interviews with fans of Twin Peaks including Sezín Koehler and Mya McBriar, author of the Twin Peaks Fanatic blog. [2] [1] Laura's Ghost includes an essay by Samantha Weisberg about the life and death of her friend, therapist, writer, and Twin Peaks fan, Amie Harwick. [3]
The book examines Laura Palmer's place in the Twin Peaks franchise and centres female experience in exploring the legacy of Laura Palmer. It includes explicit discussions of the franchise's depictions of sexual abuse, particularly in Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me . [1]
Stallings began working on Laura's Ghost in 2016. She cites Roxane Gay as one of the book's influences. Stallings almost finished her first draft of the book in February 2020. Weisberg's essay on Amie Harwick was one of the last contributions to the book. [3] Stallings says she "didn't set out looking for stories of trauma" in writing Laura's Ghost and compiling the interviews for it, but she found that, in discussing Laura Palmer, many fans shared their real-life traumatic experiences. [1]
In choosing the book's cover image, Stallings was insistent that the image not be of Laura dead. [1] Instead, the book's cover features a still from Twin Peaks of Laura in a flashback, before her character was murdered. [1]
Laura's Ghost was first published in 2020 by Fayetteville Mafia Press. [4] A portion of the proceeds from the first edition were donated to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN). [5]
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Stoker Awards | Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction | longlist | [6] |
Twin Peaks is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for a third season on Showtime.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is a 1992 American psychological horror film directed by David Lynch and written by Lynch and Robert Engels. It serves as a prequel to the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991), created by Mark Frost and Lynch, who were also executive producers. It revolves around the investigation into the murder of Teresa Banks and the last seven days in the life of Laura Palmer, a popular high school student in the fictional Washington town of Twin Peaks. Unlike the series, which was an uncanny blend of detective fiction, horror, the supernatural, offbeat humor, and soap opera tropes, the film has a much darker, less humorous tone.
Sheryl Lynn Lee is a German-born American film, stage, and television actress. After studying acting in college, Lee relocated to Seattle, Washington to work in theater, where she was cast by David Lynch as Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguson on the 1990 television series Twin Peaks and in the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. After completing Twin Peaks, she returned to theater, appearing in the title role of Salome on Broadway opposite Al Pacino.
Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the Twin Peaks franchise and the primary focus of the series. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series Twin Peaks. A high school student whose death is the catalyst for the events of the series, Palmer is the protagonist in Lynch's prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), which depicts the final week of her life leading up to her murder. Laura also appears in the novels, Twin Peaks: The Return (2017), and a variety of merchandise based on the series.
Bob is a fictional character in the ABC television series Twin Peaks, played by Frank Silva. He is an interdimensional entity who feeds on pain and sorrow. An inhabiting spirit, he possesses human beings and then commits acts of rape and murder in order to feast upon his victims.
Leland Palmer is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. He also appears in the prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. He is portrayed in all his appearances by Ray Wise.
Grace Zabriskie is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Sarah Palmer in Twin Peaks and its film prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), Lois Henrickson in Big Love, as well as in cult films such as two of David Lynch's films: Juana Durango in Wild at Heart (1990) and Visitor #1 in Inland Empire (2006). Other film roles include Norma Rae (1979), An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Nickel Mountain (1984), The Big Easy (1986), Leonard Part 6 (1987), Drugstore Cowboy (1989), Child's Play 2 (1990), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), Armageddon (1998), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), and The Grudge (2004). She is also known for her recurring roles on such shows as Seinfeld, Charmed, and Ray Donovan.
Madeleine "Maddy" Ferguson is a fictional character in the Twin Peaks franchise. She was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost and portrayed by Sheryl Lee. Introduced in the fourth episode of the first season, Maddy is the older cousin of Laura Palmer who comes to Twin Peaks to help her aunt and uncle cope with the death of their daughter. Over the course of the series, Maddy forms a close friendship with Donna Hayward and James Hurley, Laura's closest friends, and assists them in their investigation into her death. Originally, she was not intended to be a part of the series but was created by David Lynch so that Lee could have a larger role in the series.
The cult classic television series Twin Peaks has spawned several successful books and audio books due to its popularity. In 1990 and 1991, Pocket Books released three official tie-in books, each authored by the show's creators which offer a wealth of backstory. More official tie-in books would be released in 2016 and 2017, written by Mark Frost.
The pilot episode, also known as "Northwest Passage", of the mystery television series Twin Peaks premiered on the ABC Network on Sunday, April 8, 1990. It was written by series creators Mark Frost and David Lynch, and directed by Lynch. The pilot follows the characters of Dale Cooper and Harry S. Truman as they investigate the death of popular high school student Laura Palmer; Cooper believes the murder has connections to a murder case that occurred a year earlier. In addition to setting the tone for the show, the episode sets up several character and story arcs and marked the appearance of several recurring characters. The episode received a strong Nielsen household rating compared to other season one episodes, and was well received by fans and critics alike. The original title for the series was Northwest Passage, but this was later changed.
"Episode 29", also known as "Beyond Life and Death", is the twenty-second and final episode of the second season of the American mystery television series Twin Peaks. Episode 29 served as the final episode of Twin Peaks for over 25 years, until Twin Peaks: The Return was aired in 2017. Upon its original airing in 1991, the episode was paired with episode 28 to form the second hour of what was then billed as a two-part series finale. The episode was written by the series co-creator Mark Frost, producer Harley Peyton and regular writer Robert Engels and was directed by series co-creator David Lynch, who rewrote parts of the script. It features series regulars Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Richard Beymer and Kenneth Welsh; and guest stars Frank Silva as Killer Bob, Michael J. Anderson as The Man from Another Place, Carel Struycken as The Giant, and Heather Graham as Annie Blackburn.
The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer is a 1990 spin-off novel from the television series Twin Peaks by Jennifer Lynch. Lynch, then aged 22, is the daughter of series co-creator David Lynch. It was published between the airing of the first and second season.
"Episode 2", also known as "Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer", is the third episode of the first season of the American mystery television series Twin Peaks. The episode was written by series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, and directed by Lynch. It features series regulars Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Ray Wise and Richard Beymer; and introduces Michael J. Anderson as The Man from Another Place, Miguel Ferrer as Albert Rosenfield and David Patrick Kelly as Jerry Horne.
"Episode 1", also known as "Traces to Nowhere", is the second episode of the first season of the American mystery television series Twin Peaks. The episode was written by series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, and directed by Duwayne Dunham. "Episode 1" features series regulars Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, and Richard Beymer.
"Episode 14", also known as "Lonely Souls", is the seventh episode of the second season of the American mystery television series Twin Peaks. The episode was written by series co-creator Mark Frost and directed by series co-creator David Lynch. It features series regulars Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Ray Wise and Richard Beymer; and guest stars Frank Silva (uncredited) as Killer BOB, Hank Worden as The Waiter, Julee Cruise as Singer, and David Lynch as Gordon Cole.
"Episode 8", also known as "May the Giant Be with You", is the first episode of the second season of the American mystery television series Twin Peaks. The episode was written by series co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, and directed by Lynch. It features series regulars Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Ray Wise and Richard Beymer; and guest stars Grace Zabriskie as Sarah Palmer, Chris Mulkey as Hank Jennings, Miguel Ferrer as Albert Rosenfield, Don S. Davis as Major Garland Briggs, and Victoria Catlin as Blackie O'Reilly.
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces is a 2014 feature-length compilation of deleted and extended scenes from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, a 1992 film directed by David Lynch and written by Lynch and Robert Engels. It was released over twenty-two years after the movie and the original series ended and three years before the revival, Twin Peaks: The Return, aired.
"Episode 9", also known as "Coma", is the second episode of the second season of the American mystery television series Twin Peaks. The episode was written by Harley Peyton, and directed by series co-creator David Lynch. It features series regulars Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Ray Wise and Richard Beymer; and guest stars Chris Mulkey as Hank Jennings, Miguel Ferrer as Albert Rosenfield, David Patrick Kelly as Jerry Horne. Don S. Davis as Major Garland Briggs, Victoria Catlin as Blackie O'Reilly, Don Amendolia as Emory Battis, Frances Bay as Mrs. Tremond, Grace Zabriskie as Sarah Palmer, and Catherine E. Coulson as the Log Lady.
"Part 18", also known as "The Return, Part 18", is the 18th and final episode of the third season of the TV series Twin Peaks. It was written by Mark Frost and David Lynch, directed by Lynch, and stars Kyle MacLachlan. "Part 18" was broadcast on Showtime along with Part 17 on September 3, 2017, and seen by an audience of 240,000 viewers in the United States. The episode received critical acclaim.
Sabrina S. Sutherland is an American film producer, best known for her work with David Lynch.