Saturday, October 29, 2005

Literary Encounter: Mary Gaitskill


Mary Gaitskill came around Skylight to talk about her new book Veronica. We sat around and chit-chatted. She told me a horrifying story of wanting an HIV test back in 1985. (I've been dedicated to the fight against HIV for a good fifteen years now, so I'm interested in these things.) And she said that the doctor discouraged her from taking an HIV test because women rarely get it. Well, now that countless women have died from HIV, I bet that doctor is eating his words!

I know that Ms. Gaitskill is a cultural phenomenon and all, but I took to her because she was wearing orange, one of my favorite colors. Not everyone can wear orange, but Ms. Gaitskill pulled it off flawlessly. She had an orange bag, a sweater with orange stripes, champagne colored jeans with orange hues. I told her that orange is the preferred color of the insane. She responded: "I started wearing orange when I became MORE sane. Besides, the insane are right about some things."

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