Sarah Schulman and Terry Castle: April 7, 2016

Steve Dickison introduces Sarah Schulman and Terry Castle. Schulman thanks Terry Castle and discusses her new novel, The Cosmopolitans, then reads from Chapter 1, beginning "Almost time for the 6pm show...", and remarks on autobiographical elements in her fiction. She then reads from Chapter 4, beginning "The next morning Earl left for work...." Terry Castle joins Schulman, remarking on and reading a passage from the novel. Schulman discusses the presence of racism in the city and the 'white flight' of urban ethnic whites into suburbs. The two discuss the presence of racial tensions and white supremacy in the novel, and also the difficulty of creating queer protagonists 'general readers' have compassion for. In response to a comment from the audience, Schulman discusses the assimilation of gay and lesbian families into mainstream media, and queer motherhood. Jennifer Cross, from the audience, asks about the term 'lesbian fiction.' Schulman discusses the controversy around lesbian protagonists and their absence in American fiction. She then remarks on the evolution of her craft as a writer, and the effects of niche marketing and the pernicious classification of 'gay fiction' as a marketing category. She closes with a comment on her prime motivation for writing.