For Immediate Release
Media contacts:
Jane Turnis
(719) 389-6138
JTurnis@ColoradoCollege.edu
Leslie Weddell
(719) 389-6038
Leslie.Weddell@ColoradoCollege.edu
CONTROVERSIAL AUTHOR OF CHILDREN’S BOOK
‘HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES’ TO SPEAK AT CC
Leslea Newman to lecture on homophobia, censorship and family values
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Nov. 8, 2006 – Leslea Newman, author of the groundbreaking children’s book “Heather Has Two Mommies,” will deliver a lecture at Colorado College titled “Heather’s Mommy Speaks Out: Homophobia, Censorship and Family Values.” Newman’s talk will be held at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 16 in Gates Common Room, located on the third floor of Palmer Hall, 1025 N. Cascade Ave., on the Colorado College campus.
Newman
wrote “Heather Has Two Mommies,” a story about a little girl and
her two lesbian mothers, because when it was published in 1989, there were no
children's books that reflected non-traditional families.
The book brought a firestorm of controversy. As the first children’s book to portray gay couples in a positive light, the book generated much debate over the appropriateness of its content for its intended young audience. Despite intense opposition, the book went on to sell 35,000 copies, and variations of its title have become part of the cultural lexicon. The book has been the theme of three New Yorker cartoons, and a special 10th anniversary edition of the minor classic was printed by Alyson Wonderland in 2000.
In her lecture, Newman will use a computer presentation and video to address the controversy and the larger cultural context in which it has played out. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing after the talk.
Newman is the author of more than 50 books for children, adolescents and adults, including “A Letter to Harvey Milk,” “Writing from the Heart,” “In Every Laugh a Tear,” “The Femme Mystique,” “Still Life with Buddy,” “Fat Chance” and “Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear.” She followed up her pioneering work of “Heather Has Two Mommies” with several more children’s books on lesbian and gay families, including “Gloria Goes to Gay Pride,” “Belinda’s Bouquet,” “Too Far Away to Touch” and “Saturday is Pattyday.”
Additionally, “A Letter to Harvey Milk,” Newman’s award-winning short story, has been made into a film and adapted for the stage.
Newman also is a popular guest lecturer, and has spoken on college campuses across the country, including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Oregon, Bryn Mawr College and Smith College. She currently is a faculty member of the Stonecoast MFA, a creative writing program at the University of Southern Maine.
The event is free and open to the public.
For information, directions or disability accommodation at the event, members of the public may call (719) 389-6607.
About Colorado College
Colorado College is a nationally prominent, four-year liberal arts and sciences
college that was founded in Colorado Springs in 1874. The college operates on
the innovative Block Plan, in which its 1,945 students study one course at a
time in intensive 3½-week blocks. For more information, visit www.ColoradoCollege.edu
<http://www.ColoradoCollege.edu>.