EJ Levy author photo

Keeping Alive a Feminist and Transgender Icon


Congratulations are in order for past contributor E.J. Levy, whose newest book, The Cape Doctor, was released this summer. E.J. was kind enough to send us her own description of the book, found below.


I’m delighted to have had my debut novel, The Cape Doctor, out from Little Brown on June 15th, after nearly a decade of work. The book is inspired by the life of Dr. James Miranda Barry–born Margaret Ann Bulkley circa 1795 in Cork, Ireland–a brilliant, irascible, dandified, army surgeon who advocated for the rights of the marginalized and was the first person known to perform a successful caesarian in Africa; Barry was caught in a sodomy scandal with the aristocratic governor of Cape Town (then the Cape Colony) in 1824, and eventually rose to the level of Inspector General, only to be discovered after death to have been “a perfect female” and to have carried a pregnancy late to term.

In the 150 years since Barry died, the doctor has been celebrated as both a feminist icon (as the first female-born person to receive a medical degree in the UK, 50 years before Elizabeth Garrett Anderson would, and 35 years before Elizabeth Blackwell would earn her degree in the US) and more recently as a trans icon. Both are valid interpretations in my view. I agree with biographer Jeremy Dronfield (author of Dr. James Barry: A Woman Ahead of Her Time) who has said that he sees validity in both a feminist and a trans reading of Barry’s life, but he rejects any effort to impose one interpretation to the exclusion of the other or to present one as definitive. Mine is one reading of a richly ambiguous historical record of the fascinating and courageous life of Margaret Bulkley and James Barry. In writing the book, I was aiming for something like Virginia Woolf’s Orlando–in which the protagonist changes sex over centuries–but I think I’ve ended up with something closer to Charles Dicken’s David Copperfield.

I have changed Barry’s name to be clear that mine is a work of fiction. But it has felt at times more like a seance. I first learned of Barry on a trip to Cape Town; as we traveled around the city and into the countryside, I felt a little possessed by that spirit, as if Dr. Barry was whispering in my ear; I’m delighted that others have a chance to hear that same voice now. 

I’m gratified that Booklist has given The Cape Doctor a Starred Review, calling it “Remarkable…Absolutely superb… beautifully written…In sum, an unforgettable work of art that deserves raves.” The book was also named among Barnes & Noble’s “Best 100 Books of Summer” and was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice.

I hope The Cape Doctor helps bring wider attention to and awareness of the remarkable life of both Margaret and James.


The Cape Doctor is published by Little Brown and available for purchase from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, and Amazon.

E.J. was interviewed by SR about her story collection Love, In Theory in Issue 16. Keep up with what else E.J. is up to on her website and Twitter.

Anna B Sutton author photo (Credit Jasper & Fern)

“Savage Flower” Doesn’t Shy Away From Heavy Themes


Summer 2021 was a fruitful season for our past contributors! We’re back to announce another contributor’s new book: Anna B. Sutton’s poetry collection Savage Flower. Anna’s debut book includes “Postpartum,” which was featured in Issue 13. Savage Flower, winner of the 2019 St. Lawrence Book Award, centers on women in the American South. Reproductive rights, gender, religion, oppression, and family are just some of the timely and weighty topics brought up.

Make no mistake: the poems in Savage Flower will break you open with their beauty, with their unflinching ability to turn and keep the gaze on the moments of life so painful we try not to look at them: death and abandonment, injury and loss. Through Sutton’s work, we see the world as a continual process of loss and gain, of departure and return, in which “like prayer, waves fall back against the earth.” But these poems break you in a way that heals you, that continuously reminds you that despite its deaths and losses, this world still “[a] thing of beauty that / blossoms even as it withers.”

Emma Bolden, Author of House Is an Enigma

Savage Flower is available for purchase from Black Lawrence Press and Anna kindly mentions SR in the acknowledgements. Learn lots more about Anna and her work on her website and Twitter. Congratulations, Anna!

Contributor Update, Grady Chambers: Winner of the inaugural Max Ritvo Poetry Prize

We are happy to announce that past contributor Grady Chambers from Issue 21 had his manuscript North American Stadiums  chosen as the winner of the inaugural Max Ritvo Poetry Prize, which has been published by Milkweed Editions! He will also be touring and reading in support of the book. Congratulations Grady!

Contributot Update

 

Contributor UpdateGrady Chambers book is available for purchase at https://milkweed.org/book/north-american-stadiums

Visit his website: https://gradychambers.com/

#ArtLitPhx: Andrea Lechner-Becker: Sixty Days Left: A Novel at Changing Hands Phoenix

Local author Andrea Lechner-Becker shares her debut at Changing Hands Phoenix on Thursday May 24 at 7pm.

Almost 40% of Americans will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. This staggering statistic inspired Phoenix-based ex-lady boss, Andrea Lechner-Becker, to craft Sixty Days Left, a story about small town Willow, who at thirty, found herself with a six-months-to-live terminal diagnosis. The Right to Die debate mingles with Willow’s history to form an unforgettable read that will leave readers unable to avoid the question, “What would I do with just sixty days left?”

This character-driven read is presented in reverse chronological order, which leads the reader back in time to more deeply understand each character’s motivations through their histories. Refreshingly honest and intimate, Willow’s reflective diary entries hold a surprisingly uplifting lesson for the living.

Beyond the compelling story, this debut novel explores the taboo topic of Death with Dignity, an issue being debated all over America with recent coverage in The New York Times, TIME Magazine, and The Washington Post. Join this event to meet the author, hear about her motivations for creating this tale and grab your signed copy of Sixty Days Left.

PARKING / LIGHT RAIL
Don’t want to drive? Take the Light Rail! It lets off at the Central Avenue/Camelback Park-and-Ride, which has hundreds of free parking spaces across the street from Changing Hands.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phoenix-based ANDREA LECHNER-BECKER is an ex-executive from a leading digital marketing agency in Scottsdale. A new kind of American author, with a casual, straight-forward and approachable writing style, she, like her name, is a little awkward and kinda funny. On a perfect day, she sits at a bar (like First Draft Book Bar!) ingesting craft beers and talking to strangers. She believes everyone has a story to tell and deeply desires to tell as many of them as possible.

Contributor Update, Michelle Ross: Find What’s Been Missing In “There’s So Much They Haven’t Told You”

Today, we here at the Superstition Review are emptying out the valves and shining the brass so that we can properly trumpet the release of Michelle Ross’ debut collection of stories There’s So Much They Haven’t Told You. This collection has already garnered a list of accolades and praise that you can really march to, most importantly the honor of the 2016 Moon City Press Fiction Award. Michelle Ross was featured in our 17th issue wherein she provided us with “Stories People Tell.” That story and many more are all contained in her There’s So Much They Haven’t Told You, which has been hailed by critics and readers alike as “fearless,” “exceptional,” and “the kind [of stories] I want tattooed on my skin.”

To pre-order this fantastic collection of stories, click here.

To learn more about Michelle Ross and her work, visit here website here.

Pre-order this book!
Michelle Ross’ debut collection, There’s So Much They Haven’t Told You.