Reclaiming the Heartland

This important and diverse new collection by writers and artists who have lived in the Midwest presents a wide range of fiction, poetry, memoir, essays, and photography, adding a vital point of view to the canon of lesbian and gay literature. It seems obvious, and yet isn't, that not only are there lesbians and gay men living in the Midwest, but the Midwest offers a dynamic, if different, locus of lesbian and gay life. All too often, the discussion focuses on cities on the East and West coastsNew York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco. Through their selection of works to be included in this volume, Osborne and Spurlin challenge the common portrayal of the Midwest as repressive and backward, pointing out the danger inherent in defining lesbian and gay identity and community too narrowly. Reclaiming the Heartland is composed of works as diverse in form as they are in point of view: Christmas in the Midwest by Maureen Seaton is a poem about a woman who brings her lesbian lover home in hopes of acceptance and validation from her parents; in D. Travers Scott's story Digestion a group of urban gay male friends engages in a lively debate about gender conformity, all the while enjoying an exquisitely prepared dinner; the protagonist in Luke Giovanni's Canoe beautifully recalls her father's intense, private battle to protect the wildlife near their home in Michigan. An essential addition to every gay and lesbian bookshelf, Reclaiming the Heartland explores the complexity of queer identity and demonstrates that beyond signifying a geographic space, the Midwest is also a perspective, a way of positioning oneself in the world.