Canadian writer-editor Emily Pohl-Weary
will read from her new anthology, "Girls Who Bite Back:
Witches, Mutants, Slayers and Freaks" (Sumach Press, 2004),
at The Lucky Cat in Williamsburg on May 23 at 7 pm.
"Girls Who Bite Back" is jam-packed with lively scholarly
analysis and short fiction exploring the history – and future
– of female heroes in comic strips and comic books, on film,
on television and video games. The writers imagine everything
from a cocktail party with a guest list of video game gal assassins
to the ruminations of an aging superheroine. Of course, much
of the kudos – and criticism – goes to the long-running, popular
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV show, created by Joss
Whedon. (Critic Candra Gill makes the case that "the black
chick always gets it first" in the "Buffy" series.)
Pohl-Weary’s softcover book even includes a wide variety of black-and-white
artwork ranging from comic strips to collages. Her volume is
a long-overdue, eye-opening reflection on pop culture’s depiction
of grrrl power and its impact on male and female consumers.
The Lucky Cat is located at 245 Grand St. between Driggs Avenue
and Roebling Street. The reading is free. For more information,
call (718) 782-0437.
