Sarah Wendell at Virgin Night

Posted May 28, 2009 to Media Appearances, Personal Appearances, Video

In April 2009, I appeared at the Happy Endings Lounge at Virgin Night – for the Even though our book isn’t erotica, I was invited to read – and it was Choose Your Own Man-Titty time.

Smart Bitch Sarah in Bitch Magazine

Posted May 16, 2009 to Digital, Media Appearances, Print

Bitch Magazine, which, of course, I ABSOFRICKIN’LUTELY LOVE, did an interview with me all about Bosoms, romance, and why women get snide remarks for reading romance novels: You Read Harlequin? Me Too!

My favorite part:

MV: Why should feminists read romance novels?

SW: It’s a 50-plus-year-old industry comprised mostly of women writers operating their own businesses and producing a genre about women’s self-actualization, pursuit of autonomy, and acquisition of sexual agency for an audience made mostly of women, who buy over $1.4 billion dollars worth of books a year. No, no, nothing feminist or even subversive about that.

Flavorwire looks at Smart Bitches

Posted May 07, 2009 to Digital, Media Appearances

Flavorwire took a good look at romance, and at the Bosoms and asked some serious power questions when our book came out.

Flavorpill: We’ve heard why people don’t like romance novels, but what is it that attracts people to them?

Sarah Wendell: People are attracted to romance novels for a number of factors. First, the best romance novels are, frankly, outstanding. Despite the genre being dismissed by many, there are books that feature narrative prose, complex characters, and incredibly nuanced plots housed merrily on the “romance” shelf of your bookstore. Once readers figure out how good it can be, it’s hard to go back. After all, what’s more fun than the experience of meeting someone, being attracted, realizing they’ve noticed you, and negotiating all that risky terrain of courtship? In a romance novel, you experience that apprehension, that joy, and that uncertainty, with the assurance of a happy ending. Happy endings are scarce anywhere else.

My co-author, Candy Tan, also pointed out on NPR that we’re culturally inculcated to reject or resist anything emotionally messy, even though we are bombarded with images that try to demand an emotional response from us as consumers. To that end, romance novels offer an optimistic venue in which to experience emotional reactions to our reading. The dog won’t die at the end; they won’t break up and be miserable for eternity. Happiness isn’t sexy or stylish or savvy, but it is priceless.

FP: You straddle the line between a comedic and an analytical tone. Why was it important to have both?

SW: Candy and I are both English majors with a long-standing habit of over-analyzing everything. It was never enough to say about a book, “This didn’t work for me.” We needed to know every micro-layer of why it didn’t work, and then locate that on a broader examination of similar books, possibly with dioramas made of recycled paper and Skittles. But we both also refrain from taking anything, including ourselves, too seriously. Hence the comic tone.

FP: Why should feminists read romance novels?

SW: It’s a 50-plus-year-old industry comprised mostly of women writers operating their own businesses and producing a genre about women’s self-actualization, pursuit of autonomy, and acquisition of sexual agency for an audience made mostly of women, who buy over $1.4 billion dollars worth of books a year. No, no, nothing feminist or even subversive about that.

Check It Out!

I was a guest on The Gayle King show on October 10, talking about Everything I Know About Love, I Learned from Romance Novels. Here’s a 1:10 clip from the show where I highlight the top two lessons learned from reading romance novels. I received a TON of compliments about my necklace and my shoes [...]

Appearances

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