Fun at the Rainbow Book Fair

The 5th Annual Rainbow Book Fair was held at the Holiday Inn on West 57th Street NYC this April 12, 2013. The Rainbow Bookfair is the longest LGBT Book Fair in the United States. There were publishers, poets, individual writers, self-publishers and of course LavenderPulp. 

Over the course of the day there were many readings and appearances by notable authors such as Artemis Smith, lesbian pulp author of 'The Third Sex' and 'Odd Girl'. I spoke with Artemis about another book she wrote, 'This Bed We Made' about a french lesbian who seduces a married woman but ultimately helps the woman stay with her husband. 

Artemis said she got a lot of flack from the lgbt community because the female lovers did not stay together; but Artemis felt that since these 1950s pulp novels were some of the first contact many straight people had with the gay world, the book helped them to not see us as villains. Apparently the french lesbian was based on Artemis herself.

Artemis Smith (on right) author of 'This Bed We Made'

It was fun to talk with all the great lesbians (and several men) who were really excited about the authentic vintage lesbian pulp novels on display at LavenderPulp's table. It was a thrill for one student to see them; she said they learn about lesbian pulp in women's studies but don't actually get to see original copies.

Sam talking about lesbian pulpfiction artwork

Jake at the LavenderPulp table,
early in the day before we needed our coffee!

Another author I spoke with was Kanithea Powell about her exciting new coffee table book 'Butch', something I'd say has been missing at from the bookstore shelves. 

Last year's Fair was held at the Lesbian and Gay Center on 13th Street. Next year's location to be determined. The exhibitors were approximately 70% male, 30% female, hopefully that will keep on changing.

Last of all, I must mention one of my favorite parts: many exhibitors had bowls of candy and chocolate kisses at their tables! And LavenderPulp gave out great pulp bookmarks.

For daily 1950s queer and lesbian pulp fiction art and pix,

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Purchase authentic1950s lesbian pulp fiction novels and queer lgbtiq at www.lavenderpulp.com

Why I Love Lesbian Pulp Fiction

Tee Shirts for sale
at www.lavenderpulp.com

Actually it's the artwork. Beautiful artwork. Paintings illustrating passion, tenderness, fear and courage. Luscious colors and beautiful women. Knowing these books were published at a time when lesbian love truly was "spoken in whispers". Thinking of the joy our sisters felt getting their hands on one of these books. In a world of warped publishing and exploitation, to me it is still the beginning of lesbian visibility.

The quality of the artwork for these 1950s lgbt books varied. Most of the artists did this work while they were waiting for their big break and overall the cover illustrations were not highly valued at the time. It is estimated that 90% were destroyed.






You've Got Your Good Art...

The book jacket of Young and Innocent is a lovely example of Good Girl Art also known as GGA. The collector's term Good Girl Art does not mean art about a 'good girl' (far from it). Rather it is a painting of a woman, usually a sexy attractive woman (regardless of the storyline) that is done well. It's ‘girl art’ that is good. Get it?

What's wonderful about vintage pulp art is how it compares to today's book covers. Vintage pulp art tells a complete story similar to the old movie posters before photography became the norm. If you want to own an original lesbian pulp paperback check out my online bookstore www.lavenderpulp.com

One of the nicest covers I've seen is the hard to find lesbian pulpfiction 'The Girls in 3B’ (the title alone is terrific, isn't it?). Its artist James Meese is best known for his painterly approach especially in the subtleties of skin and facial tones. Below you'll also see the preliminary draft.

The Girls in 3B lesbian pulp fiction book is for sale at www.lavenderpulp.com

Recently, at New York's Society of Illustrators, Robert Lesser confided in the audience that paintings he now owns valued at $30,000 were purchased not so many years ago for as little as $2,500.

Then There's The Other Art... 

One more thing...

For daily 1950s queer and lesbian pulp fiction art and pix,

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Lesbian Pulp Switched Covers Faster than Some Women Switch Lovers.

Avon edition printed under their imprint ETON.

Lilyan Brock's story of passionate love in the theatre world … The book cover design for "Queer Patterns" seems to be a Three Act extravaganza.

Pulp 'Magazine' Version handcuffed to each other

Act lll

Sisterhood Version 1

Sisterhood Version 2

Remember to bookmark this page!

For 1950s queer and lesbian pulp fiction art and pix,

visit us on FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/lavender.pulp

For fun vintage LGBTIQ Gifts and Lesbian Books visit www.lavenderpulp.com

Storme DeLarverie, the LGBTIQ Stonewall Hero

Storme DeLarverie, one of the LGBTIQ movement’s earliest activists, is known as the lesbian who fought back against the police during the Stonewall riots of 1969. Some have referred to her as "the gay community’s Rosa Parks. Storme passed away May 24, 2014.

Prior to Stonewall, police continually conducted raids on lesbian and gay bars. One could get arrested for kissing, holding hands and cross-dressing. Butch women in lesbian bars could be arrested if they were not wearing a minimum of 3 'ladies' articles of clothing.

During the 1950s and 60’s Storme toured with The Jewel Box Revue, America’s first racially integrated drag revue, billed as having “25 Men and 1 Girl” with the one girl being drag king Storme DeLarverie. Master of Ceremonies Storme was also an esteemed act at Manhattan’s infamous Club 82.

Despite crackdowns against gay performers and female impersonators, The Jewel Box Revue had a successful run for nearly 30 years (1939-1960s). At the height of its celebrity the revue headlined at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Jan Britton and Storme DeLarverie

In 2012, the 16th Annual Brooklyn Pride organization held a Tribute honoring Storme. She was also recognized in a "Tribute to a Living Legend" by the New York's Henrietta Hudson lesbian lounge where she was a bouncer for many years. Michelle Parkinson produced a documentary about Storme DeLarverie:

Storme, The Lady of the Jewel Box

1987, 21 minutes, Color, 16mm/DVD

Storme in front of NYs Cubby Hole where she moonlighted as a bouncer for many years.

"Tribute to a living Legend" by Henrietta Hudson

Long time resident of New York's infamous Chelsea Hotel, Storme now lives in a senior citizen's home in Brooklyn, NY. 

Storme with Andre Christie,  NY Gay Pride March

Remember to bookmark this page!

For 1950s queer and lesbian pulp fiction art and pix,
visit us on FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/lavender.pulp

For fun vintage LGBTIQ Gifts and Lesbian Books visit our online store www.lavenderpulp.com


The Golden Age of Drag: showing The Jewel box Revue, Club 82 and Storme DeLarverie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saJM3DypcVE

Lesbian Pulp Fiction…What's in a Name?

Different novels by different authors were often given the same name during the Golden Age of Lesbian Pulp. Apparently back then it was OK to steal book titles from each other. Mmm…I guess they could be called Sex Thieves. Heh, what's in a name? 

'Reformatory Girls' by Ray Morrison

A different 'Reformatory Girls' by Nedra Tyre

'Sex in the Shadows' by Greg Hamilton

Another 'Sex in the Shadows' by Randy Salem

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For 1950s queer and lesbian pulp fiction art and novels,

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Sometimes One and Two don't make Three. Lesbians and The Third Lust.

This Vintage Pulp Book available
 at www.LavenderPulp.com

Queer and lesbian pulp fiction novels from the 1950s often used the word "Third" in their titles which signaled to audiences that the book was about lesbian and gays.

A third sex or third gender has been around for a long time. Many Native American Tribes believed in a third, even 4th and 5th gender instead of today's commonly held view that genders only break down into two categories- man and woman. Different genders could include the feminine male, the masculine female or an androgynous person.

Third Street Tee Shirts available at www.LavenderPulp.com

The Third Gender addresses the gender of a person not their biological sex (male, female, intersex). So you can be born a male but feel your true gender is woman.

Also the Third Gender addresses the gender of a person not their sexuality (hetero, homosexuality, bisexuality).

Nevertheless, queer and lesbian pulps found many creative ways to use the word Third.

Queer Pulp in the Barracks

Available at LavenderPulp.com

Women's Barracks, a quasi-autobiographical work by Tereska Torres was the first genuine paperback best-seller that proved that there was a market for lesbian fiction during the 1950s selling over four million copies! Women's Barracks is attributed as the beginning of lesbian pulp fiction.

Based on her WW II experiences with the Free French Forces, this is the story of "what happens when scores of young girls live intimately together in a military barracks". 

In 1952 the House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials cited the book as causing moral degeneracy. However, the following year there was a successful legal battle in which a Minnesota Court decided the book did NOT have a substantial tendency to deprave or corrupt. 

In Women's Barracks, a teenager and her family must flee Paris for Spain during WWII. Later she joins the French Free Forces to avenge her father and save her country from the Nazis. This thoughtfully written novel tells the story of life in the women's barracks and the various love stories between the women who live there. 

This forerunner of the Golden Era of Lesbian Pulp is a must-have for any book collector. This rare collectible paperback novel is available in limited quantities at LavenderPulp. These are ORIGINAL vintage queer 1950s and 1960s paperbacks (NOT reproductions) at www.LavenderPulp.com

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