My Father, The Pornographer by Chris Offutt
Chris Offutt's memoir recalls a complex and troubled childhood.
{Trigger warning: the book reviewed in this post contains many passages of a highly adult nature. The book includes depictions of sexual violence and molestation.}
Today is World Book Day, an event organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. In a weird way, it seems that this is the right occasion to review the latest memoir by Kentucky's King of Grit Lit, Chris Offutt.
It goes without saying that a book entitled "My Father, the Pornographer" isn't a work for everyone. At times, I wasn't even sure it was for me, and I rather love Mr. Offutt's writing. This memoir is, as one would expect, gritty and often ugly. It's also a surprisingly funny, delicate, and beautiful tribute to a complex, weak, and ultimately flawed father.
Chris Offutt, the Rowan County native, author, and sometime television screenwriter, has never shied away from ugly subjects. When he returned to his childhood home in the tiny Eastern Kentucky town of Haldeman to sort through the personal effects of his father Andrew, he found himself -- an Iowa Writers' Workshop-trained professor of English at Ole Miss -- facing the literal body of work his father had produced: over 400 pornographic novels.
Mr. Offutt in his father's office. Image via The New York Times.
Mr. Offutt creates a fascinating world for his reader: a spot-on depiction of Kentucky life, from his mother's working-class Irish Catholic early life in Lexington to the family's prosperous years when Andrew owned two insurance agencies and owned the only Mercedes-Benz in Rowan County. The Offutts were always outsiders. Of his Appalachian childhood, Mr. Offutt writes:
My experience was similar to the children of career diplomats from the colonial era -- we lived in the big house, we had extra money, we mingled with the locals but never fit in. We even spoke a different language, what my father called 'the Queen's English' instead of the grammatically incorrect dialect of the hill. Other kids learned to hunt and fish; I learned to speak properly.
When young Chris needed braces, his father determined that the best way to pay for orthodontic work and write porn full-time. (You know, as one does...) andrew j. offutt (as he styled his signature) would go on to write several works of science fiction and fantasy that gained a cult following, while his pornographer alter-ego John Cleve produced adult fiction under a variety of pseudonyms. (Offutt Sr. had separate wardrobes and working habits when he adopted the Cleve persona.) Chris Offutt and his siblings grew up in a fascinating and terrifying world of family vacations to Sci-Fi Conventions, verbal abuse, and swinging '70s values; it's hard to imagine these events taking place in an insular rural Kentucky town that was looked down upon by the "city folk" of Morehead.
And yet, this memoir works so well because Mr. Offutt's depiction of rural Kentucky is stunning in its authenticity and clarity. If you can get past the dirty parts and the scary parts, it's easily the most spot-on description of Eastern Kentucky that I've read in the past decade. It's a hillbilly version of Pat Conroy's The Death of Santini without the apologies or the flowery language. It's an unflinching portrayal of a really screwed up childhood. And it's the best book about Kentucky I've read in a damned long time.
Alice Lloyd College
Statue of Alice Geddes Lloyd
This post originally appeared on HerKentucky in November 2011. In honor of Women's History Month, I thought I'd re-share the impact that Mrs. Lloyd had on my family and my hometown.
The history of Alice Lloyd College sounds a whole lot like a heartwarming story made custom-made for ABC Family or the Hallmark Channel. A turn-of-the-century Boston Brahmin debutante turned newspaperwoman leaves her opulent New England life to found a school in the heart of Appalachia. She and her husband are soon estranged -- he moves back to the city -- but she remains in the mountains to further her mission. Soon, a determined young Wellesley aluma hears of the experiment and moves to Kentucky from her upstate New York home to serve the area. Their tenacity and "society connections" lead to a sustainable donor network, allowing for a free education for all. A century later, hundreds of Kentuckians owe their educational and professional success to these great ladies.
My great-grandmother, Rilda Slone Watson, in an ALC uniform.
While this may be the stuff TV movies are made of, it's also the very real basis for countless educational opportunities in my hometown. Alice Spencer Geddes Lloyd, Radcliffe alumna, proto-feminist and editor/publisher of the Cambridge Press, moved to Knott County, Kentucky in 1915, with the goal of improving social and economic conditions. Along with Miss June Buchanan, Mrs. Lloyd soon founded a school in the Caney Creek area, which would become Alice Lloyd College.
Mrs. Lloyd's impact was felt in every corner of the tiny mountain community; the town itself was even re-namedfor the Browning poem "Pippa Passes", in a nod to both Mrs. Lloyd's literary leanings and an influential set of early donors. Her commitment to staid Yankee values shine through even upon a visit to the modern campus. The strict dress and moral code(no cosmetics or heeled shoes, no "consorting" with members of the opposite sex, sailor-style skirt-and-blouse uniforms for all women) of years past may have relaxed significantly, but Purpose Road and the If Guest Cottage (named, of course, for Kipling's ode to perseverance) serve as constant reminders of a sterner era.
My own family's history is so intertwined with the history of ALC that it's impossible for me to separate one story from the other. My paternal great-grandmother,
Rilda Slone Watson, grew up on Caney Creek,one of eight children. Most of the college's original buildings were designed and built by her brother, John Commodore Slone. Her sister, Alice Slone, went on to found a nearby school on the ALC donor-funding model. My great-grandmother herself worked for the college, assisting Miss Buchanan and manning the Exchange, dispersing the estate items that donors bequeathed to the university. (By all accounts, her office was a treasure trove.)
Rilda and Miss June
Over the years, Mrs. Lloyd's legacy has shaped my family's destiny in countless ways. By all accounts, the extended clan were a bookish, artistic lot, but the education and opportunities afforded by Mrs. Lloyd'sCaney Creek schools were truly remarkable for the time and place. My grandfather, an Appalachian teenager during the Great Depression, spent two summers in Massachusetts working on cranberry bogs and seeing the sites, due to a "work-study" arrangement Mrs. Lloyd set up for local kids. My great-great-aunt earned a B.A. from Ohio State in 1932. In the 1930s, a trip to Lexington from Caney Creek took at least a full day. I can't imagine the physical rigors of traveling to Columbus or Boston, and I certainly know that those doors would not have been opened without the influence of Mrs. Lloyd and Miss June. (Although my grandfather, a hardcore Literature teacher in his own right, contended to his dying day that Mrs. Lloyd was an unduly rigorous second grade teacher.)
The ALC campus has adapted to the twenty-first century, and many of the buildings of my childhood have made way for modern campus life. Still, the school remains a charming testament to Mrs. Lloyd's vision. You can learn more about the early days of Caney Creek Community Center here. And if y'all will excuse me, I've got a screenplay to write.
The Kentucky Derby by Bill Doolittle
There are a whole lot of great things about springtime in Kentucky. There's basketball and beautiful weather and spring festivals, but absolutely nothing else compares to Derby! The Kentucky Derby puts Louisville in the international spotlight every year on the First Saturday of May. For Kentuckians, Derby is everything -- it's pageantry, it's history, and it's a whole lot of fun. And, as we all know, it's Decadent and Depraved!
I just got my copy of The Kentucky Derby -- Derby Fever, Derby Day, and the Run for the Roses, a fabulous new coffee table book by Bill Doolittle, and I couldn't be more excited about Derby, even though it's still 67 Days away! Mr Doolittle is a longtime track writer and Derby Historian, and his book delves into the history of the race itself. I love the book's message that the Derby didn't grow into something big; it's always been planned as the premier event for American racing, patterned on the huge horse races of England.
Of course, no book about Derby can leave out the traditions that surround the race -- the mint juleps, the roses, and the festivities. It's all there: Mr. Doolittle covers the blanket of roses, the bourbon cocktail we traditionally only drink on Derby Day, and the participants from the Infield to Millionaire's Row.
The coolest thing about Mr. Doolittle's book is that the experience isn't just limited to the pages of text. You can download the Digimarc app on your smartphone, scroll over photos that feature the Digimarc logo, and instantly pull up associated video and blogs! I love this interactive feature that takes you straight to the track to experience races and interviews.
The Kentucky Derby Book is available for purchase online and in Louisville at Dolfinger's and Carmichael's. It's the perfect way to get ready for Derby season, and would make a fantastic gift for the Derby fan in your life!
{Disclosure: The Kentucky Derby Book has an advertising relationship with HerKentucky.com, and I was provided a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own. I truly do love this book, y'all.}
This week in Kentucky
Today:
21C Lexington Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Opening Night Party. I'm so excited to get to Lexington to visit the new 21C hotel! I hear the new restaurant, Lockbox, is pretty amazing, too!
Wednesday:
Connecting Things Louisville, Featuring Guest Speaker Mitchell Kersting of WorK Architecture + Design.
Friday:
Wine, Women & Shoes: Fundraiser supporting Family Scholar House, Louisville.
Opening Reception for Paintings by Bill Caudill, Appalachian Artisan Center, Hindman.
Saturday:
KY Crafted: The Market, Lexington. One of the only state-sponsored shows of its kind to showcase traditional and contemporary fine art and craft along with Kentucky-related books, musical recordings, films and specialty food products.
Junior League of Louisville Tulips & Juleps Art and Gift Market, Slugger Field Louisville.
Kentucky Needs a Civics Lesson
Do you remember your days of compulsory K-12 education? Whether you went to public school or private school, whether you studied in a city or in a county, you went to school. For 13 years. And you studied civics. And you spent at least a day or two of your school years observing your state legislature, or maybe you even took a field trip to our nation's capital. Or, at the very least, you watched a lot of Schoolhouse Rock.
Well, at least I used to think that we'd all spent a lot of time studying civics and political procedure. It sure doesn't feel like it lately. In fact, there are a whole lot of self-interested, small-minded actions going on lately-- actions incited by both our citizens and our law-makers. In this Presidential election year, it seems that the entire United States is engaged in an ugly, uncivil, contentious debate of political ideology for the sake of entertainment. We conduct personal attacks on those who don't share our political beliefs. We adopt the groupthink of our chosen political news outlets with little regard to the actual political process. We try to bend our nation's legal and political framework to fit our whims and our prejudices and our dislikes. And, sadly, our beloved Commonwealth of Kentucky has some of the most egregious examples of these behaviors. It really feels like the Bluegrass State could use a civics lesson.
I recently learned that there's an online movement to impeach Governor Matt Bevin. I guess it makes sense, in the age of Facebook activism and Go Fund Me financing. We think that we can sign a petition that says "I don't like what this guy is doing" and it means that we've taken a stand. The thing is, Governor Bevin is fulfilling his campaign promises, whether we like them or not. He explicitly said that he'd work to dismantle the healthcare exchange. He said he'd take the hardest possible stance against abortion. And, it's really hard to even define impeachable behavior for Kentucky's elected officials. We don't have a lot of precedent, nor a tangible definition. Not liking a governor's plan of action is not basis for impeaching him. It's a call to action for Kentuckians who don't agree to contact their legislators, campaign for like-minded candidates, and actually vote in state elections.
And then, there are our elected officials. While I actually don't agree with many of the commonly-held negative characterizations of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, I do believe that his machinations to block an Obama nominee to the Supreme Court, while perhaps politically brilliant, are obstructionist at best and perhaps downright petty. More moderate Republicans call for Senator McConnell to put the Constitution (and his own duty as an elected official) above partisan politics, while opponents have cited the hypocrisy of his voting to confirm Justice Kennedy during the last year of the Reagan presidency. It may be good politics, but it certainly feels petulant.
And now, it seems, a Kentucky State Senate committee approved a bill that would legally protect businesses that don't want to serve LGBTQ customers. Let me say that again: There is a bill before the Kentucky Senate that would allow business owners to turn customers away based on sexual orientation. Perhaps most disturbingly, the language of the bill is shrouded in the natural rights theory of Rousseau and Thomas Jefferson, as though it were established from on high that business owners shouldn't have to deal with gay people if they don't want to:
To recognize that our country was founded on two (2) self-evident truths: that all persons are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; -- Kentucky 16 RS BR 1548
Now, I've spent most of my adult life writing about Kentucky, celebrating Kentucky, and championing the Commonwealth to those who think we're backward, ignorant, and ill-informed. Today, I actually sat down and cried when I learned of this bill and considered the direction in which my beloved home state is headed. This is wrong. This is Big Brother. This is proving all our detractors and our haters right. I don't care what your political or religious motivation is; we're setting Kentucky up to marginalize large groups of people.. We're setting our state up to have our very own Medgar Evers, 53 years later.
It's time for Kentucky to separate knee-jerk reactions from political ideology. It's time for all of us to think about what we actually believe in and how we can express our needs and beliefs to our elected officials. It's time for a serious civics lesson, y'all.
Pink Grapefruit Margarita
Today is National Margarita Day, which seems like a pretty great way to celebrate a Monday!
Now, a lot of us hear margarita and instantly think of the tequila-heavy, straight-from-the-blender versions that we may have ordered on 2-for-1 day way too many times in our 20s. These days, I tend to gravitate toward a subtler variant that utilizes freshly squeezed juice. Freshly squeezed pink grapefruit, Meyer lemon, or blood orange juice makes for a fabulously fresh cocktail!
- 1 cup fresh Ruby Red grapefruit juice
- 1 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup Cointreau
- 1/2 cup tequila
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- 1 cup crushed ice
- Kosher Salt
Stir together the grapefruit juice, lime juice, Cointreau, tequila, and agave syrup in a pitcher, and mix with ice cubes. Rub the rims of 4 rocks glasses with the edge of the lime, and dip in kosher salt. Strain the cocktail into prepared rocks glasses.
Rabbit Hash General Store
As many of y'all probably know, Rabbit Hash General Store in the Northern Kentucky town of Burlington burned down Saturday night.
Of course, it's easy to see the loss as just one of those things; a 185 year-old store burning down just happens, especially when it was built of wood. But, when my sorority sister Tasha posted these heartfelt words of grief and love to Facebook, it hit me that the Rabbit Hash store isn't just an architectural oddity, a roadside attraction, or a curious story of a dog mayor. It's the story of small-town Kentucky. It's our collective childhood memories of a Kentucky that's quaint and safe and friendly. It truly is the best of the Bluegrass.
“My heart is sad. Words can’t really express how much Rabbit Hash has been a part of my Wilder family. Troy and I have been driving there to get bottled soda and snacks since I was in high school. It is our go-to “happy place” with so many memories. Like, the time Owen voted for Lucy the dog for Mayor and proudly wore his “I voted for Lucy” button for weeks. Or, the times we have camped there with best friends and all our kids. And, the times we have been nearly broke and taking Molly and Owen for sodas was our weekend entertainment. And, the times we have been out of sorts and going helped remind us how important our family is. Or, the time my girlfriends and I discovered there is a winery on site and we could have spent the rest of the camping trip there. Or, the time I took Owen after our first overnight Mom/Son kayak and camping trip. Or, the time Molly ate a candy necklace and trashed the adorable white dress I put her in that day. And, all the times my kids played on that big, front porch. My thoughts are with the people of the Rabbit Hash community today. It is their home and livelihood that has been forever impacted. Thanks for letting us visit.”
Best of luck to the Rabbit Hash General Store as they work to rebuild. If you'd like to contribute to the GoFundMe established by the Store's owner and operator Terrie Markesbery, please click here.