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Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues Reading Group [Durham, NC]
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $220 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose PayPal or Klarna at check out.
Instructor: Sara Appel | 3-weeks | Mondays | February 2-16 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET | 719 N Mangum St., Durham, NC
Set largely in a post-McCarthy, pre-Stonewall 1960s, transgender writer and activist Leslie Feinberg’s 1993 novel Stone Butch Blues follows the life of Jess Goldberg, a self-identified “stone butch” lesbian struggling to simply exist as she is in a world full of hostility toward those like her. In today’s political landscape, contemporary readers will find the violence experienced by Jess and other members of her queer community—doled out by sadistic cops—all-too-familiar.
However, Stone Butch Blues also works as a blueprint for the kind of world that people of conscience have been fighting to create: one rooted in tender connections, mutual aid, and understanding across differences. What do we make of Jess’s deep affection for Duffy, the blue-collar foreman of the factory where she finds steady work? How does a shared commitment to union solidarity function as a bridge between people who share class identities but are divided by political and social values? At a time when none of us can take our rights for granted, what can we learn from this novel about what it takes to stand up to authoritarianism and survive, with our dignity and self-determination intact?
As Feinberg lay dying from complications of Lyme disease in 2014, hir/her last words were, “Remember me as a revolutionary communist!” For those of us who wish to remember this warrior for justice and liberation according to hir/her final directive, there can be no better guidebook than Feinberg’s 1993 novel Stone Butch Blues.
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SLIDING SCALE TUITION
Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.
The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.
The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.
All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $220 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose PayPal or Klarna at check out.
Instructor: Sara Appel | 3-weeks | Mondays | February 2-16 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET | 719 N Mangum St., Durham, NC
Set largely in a post-McCarthy, pre-Stonewall 1960s, transgender writer and activist Leslie Feinberg’s 1993 novel Stone Butch Blues follows the life of Jess Goldberg, a self-identified “stone butch” lesbian struggling to simply exist as she is in a world full of hostility toward those like her. In today’s political landscape, contemporary readers will find the violence experienced by Jess and other members of her queer community—doled out by sadistic cops—all-too-familiar.
However, Stone Butch Blues also works as a blueprint for the kind of world that people of conscience have been fighting to create: one rooted in tender connections, mutual aid, and understanding across differences. What do we make of Jess’s deep affection for Duffy, the blue-collar foreman of the factory where she finds steady work? How does a shared commitment to union solidarity function as a bridge between people who share class identities but are divided by political and social values? At a time when none of us can take our rights for granted, what can we learn from this novel about what it takes to stand up to authoritarianism and survive, with our dignity and self-determination intact?
As Feinberg lay dying from complications of Lyme disease in 2014, hir/her last words were, “Remember me as a revolutionary communist!” For those of us who wish to remember this warrior for justice and liberation according to hir/her final directive, there can be no better guidebook than Feinberg’s 1993 novel Stone Butch Blues.
—
SLIDING SCALE TUITION
Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.
The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.
The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.
All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.