Conversations with Sarah Schulman

Sarah Schulman is a writer, activist, teacher, and oral historian whose interviews cover a period of more than thirty years, providing evidence of her value as a pivotal player in the intellectual life of her time. Her eleven novels include After Delores (1988), Rat Bohemia (1995), The Child (2007), and Maggie Terry (2018). She has received both The LGBTQ Centers Kessler Award and the Publishing Triangles Bill Whitehead Award for lifetime achievement and holds an endowed chair in creative writing at Northwestern University.

Format: Hardback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2024
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

Schulman's remarkable fusion of art and social commitment is explored in depth through a collection of twenty-four interviews, accounting for approximately a fifth of the existing interviews. These interviews, spanning a period of over thirty years and ranging from major forums to smaller venues, provide a comprehensive account of Schulman's significant role as a pivotal figure in the intellectual life of her time.

Schulman's career as a writer, activist, teacher, and oral historian has now spanned five decades. Her literary contributions include eleven novels, including After Delores (1988), Rat Bohemia (1995), The Child (2007), and Maggie Terry (2018). Born and raised in New York, Schulman is a writer who deeply connects with the people she writes about—women and men navigating a society often characterized by homophobia, which she views as more of an unacknowledged pleasure system than a phobia.

Schulman's provocations have earned her a devoted readership, particularly through her nonfiction works on topics such as gentrification and the interconnectedness of conflict and abuse. Since the early 1980s, when she began her journalism career, readers have admired her scathing critiques of the nation's inadequate response to the AIDS crisis.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Schulman has received prestigious awards such as The LGBTQ Centers Kessler Award for her influential work in gay and lesbian studies and the Publishing Triangles Bill Whitehead Award for lifetime achievement. She holds an endowed chair in creative writing at Northwestern University.

Through her interviews and literary works, Schulman continues to inspire and challenge her readers, exploring the complexities of social justice, gender, and identity with thoughtfulness and insight. Her legacy as a writer and advocate remains a testament to the power of art to effect change and promote understanding.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496848314