People are often surprised that I always close my office for Good
Friday and that I go to church on Easter Sunday. Just because I am a
sex positive feminist doesn't mean that I have has no spirituality.
I am a P.K. (preacher's kid). The preacher is my mom, who was a
feminist minster in the United Church of Christ who was part of that
group of feminists that rewrote the Bible without pronouns. She used to
play Yoko Ono's Woman is the Nigger of the World while writing
her Biblical term papers (and I will always love Yoko for that song and
my mom for making it part of the soundtrack of my life).
So
this year, I was excited that we, at Riverdale Avenue Books, were finally
going to publish Blessed Assurance, a collection of prayers for the LGBT
community. Coming of age in a progressive church family during a time of changing religious mores, I knew this book was
sorely needed. I was proud to be a part of it.
But the
book was late again, and we would miss the Lenten season. The book had
been late a number of times, and I was growing disheartened.
I
finally talked to the author (as the book had been acquired by another
editor) and told her in no uncertain terms that I wanted this book and I
wanted it NOW. She explained that the reason she was so late on the
book was that she actually thought it was two books - a prayer book and a
workbook - and I said, "OK, then. Let's do them both."
And she said, "Are you kidding me?"
So, we are now publishing two books - one for the Thanksgiving season and one for Lent next year.
And she said to me, "You are my Easter. This book project was dead to me and you have resurrected it."
I was almost moved to tears.
I
don't get the chance to save a book very often. Sure, I can sign up a
book that means a lot to someone, or I can save a poorly written book
from bad reviews with my super-powered editing, but breathing new life
into a dead project - this was a first.
And during Holy Week!
She was my Easter too!
