In the beginning

Mary originally emailed this:

- All we have to do is give ourselves a name. What do you say, girls?

- What are you talking about now, Mary?

- You've read my latest essay? What is the inescapable conclusion? To make ourselves a support group! First, we need a name.

- But who are you talking to, Mary? Who are these girls?

- There's Nicki Hastie, Jan Steckel, Liann Snow, and me. Four's enough for a support group.

- And what do you expect me to do in this group? (Like as if I have enough time! Like I fit in a group! Like I need this!)

- This is the best group you've ever heard of. You don't have to do anything. But it we have a name -- if we are a "we" -- there's a better chance we'll be recognized.

- But I don't know Nicki, Jan, or Liann. Only you know Nicki, Jan, and Liann.

- Hm. That's a good point. But you should know each other, because you're all brilliant, decent, queer women writers. This is not a marriage! It's an idea, this group. It doesn't have to be a list. It could be us dealing with the ugly work of trying to promote our books. Maybe a support group would make this easier on all of us. There's the Beats, remember? Bloomsbury, Wilton Circle, Lesbos -- can't think of others right now. We could read each other's work, review it, talk about it, build a buzz about it, and generally have a good time. We could accept each other so much that the mainstream would begin to accept us. We could share tips and ideas. I don't want to wait ten years to publish my book! I want Liann to publish millions of paperbacks, so she won't have to take the London tube anymore. I want Jan to be comfortable. I want Nicki to transform her woman-stirred imagination into great works.

Mary
(who would actually prefer to just stay at home and write sonnets, but finds herself propelled into the outside world, Oprah, Terry Gross, you know the whole sad picture....)