"I Am Thankful For..." Jodi Picoult's Answer To This Time Magazine Piece Makes A Difference

So in the current Time magazine, December 1-8, 2014, on page 18, they ran a piece by Tessa Berenson, interviewing four notable people and asking them to share what they are thankful for. Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, Actor Chelsea Peretti and current U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry all weighed in with their answers.

But Jodi Picoult took this one step further - as an opportunity. Here's what she wrote:

'I'm thankful for my family, as it expands in very wonderful directions. This Labor Day, my son Kevin proposed to his boyfriend Kyle. On paddleboards. In the middle of a lake. With a handmade titanium earring shaped like the infinity symbol. Every time I look at Kyle's engagement earring, I silently hope that other LGBTQ people will have the same joy in their lives as he does at this moment."

                                                                         - Jodi Picoult, Author

Being honest about our journeys, letting others know the truth of who we are as LGBTQ and Allied people is the most important element of changing our world for the better.

I hope Kevin is really proud of his mom, and Kyle of his soon-to-be-mother-in-law.

I know I'm proud of Jodi, and grateful for her answer.

I'm thankful Time magazine ran it.

And I'm thankful my husband shared it with me, so I could share it with all of you.

Namaste (the light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in every one of you),
Lee

The TrevorSpace Book Club's LIVE Webchat with Jodi Picoult Answering YOUR Questions is TODAY!

It's the finale event for our Trevor Project's TrevorSpace Book Club preview title - and to celebrate over two weeks of great discussions over at TrevorSpace, we're putting on a LIVE virtual question and answer session - where you get to ask Jodi Picoult, author of the incredible SING YOU HOME, your questions! We're all being hosted by Advocate.com, and I'll be moderating the Q & A, which you can watch live in the window below (or check out the archived edition after it airs!)

So pull up a virtual chair, enjoy some delicious imaginary lemonade (or steaming tea, depending on where you are in the world right now) and chime in with your questions for some very REAL answers!








Remember, if you need someone to talk to, The Trevor Project has people ready to take your call. (866) 4-U-TREVOR

My thanks to Jodi, Laura, the Youth Advisory Council, and everyone at the Trevor Project, and of course Advocate.com for being a team with me to pull something this amazing off!

(I put together the silly image above from Jodi's publicity pic, my photo by Rita Crayon Huang, and the chairs on lawn pic was from here.)

Let's Talk About Jodi Picoult's SING YOU HOME!

The chats are on-going over at TrevorSpace (and if you're 13 to 24 years old, head on over there and sign up now!) and I thought it would be fun for all the rest of us to open up the conversation here to discuss the book. (And yes, of course, if you're 13 to 24 you're welcome to join in here, too!)

Here are the discussion thread questions so far, and feel free to chime in below in comments to any of these or bring up your own thoughts regarding the characters or situations in SING YOU HOME!

Let's get some book club talk going...

Zoe and her mother argue about her mother wanting Zoe to friend her on facebook. Do your parents try to friend you on facebook? What do you think about that?

Jodi collaborated with Ellen Wilber on the accompanying CD of music - songs to give Zoe a real voice. Which track on the CD speaks to you the most, and why?

Pastor Clive and Wade Preston spew a lot of hateful lies about gay people. Why do you think they're so anti-gay?

Zoe’s identity and attraction to others changes over time. Do you think who you’re attracted to (other boys or girls or both) is fixed or something that evolves as you live your life?

Vanessa talks about the “subtle difference between tolerance and acceptance.” And one example she gives is “It’s the chasm between being invited to a colleague’s wedding with your same-sex partner and being able to slow-dance without the other guests whispering.” Do you see this in your life? And is the goal tolerance? Acceptance? Or something more… celebration of our (and others’) differences?

Is being queer seen as the obstacle to parenthood that it once was?

On page 123 Zoe notes that “It’s been two months since Vanessa and I bumped into each other at the Y, and she has seamlessly slipped into the role of my closest friend.” Do you have any friends in your life that just slipped in and seemed to fit perfectly?

When did you first suspect that Vanessa and Zoe were going to fall in love? When did you realize they were in love?

On page 127 Zoe notes that the protesters outside the movie theater “are not militant, crazy people. The protesters are calm and organized, and wearing black suits with skinny ties or modest floral print dresses.” Why do you think Zoe is shocked by this? Have you ever been shocked by the ‘normalcy’ of people spewing hateful lies?

Have you ever experienced any discrimination or been stereotyped in ways that helped you sympathize with Zoe and Vanessa?

I can't wait to hear what you think (and I'll do my best to approve comments as promptly as I can throughout the day!)

Namaste,
Lee

The Exclusive Jodi Picoult Interview To Kick Off The TrevorSpace Book Club Preview Selection: SING YOU HOME

Sing You Home, by Jodi Picoult

The TrevorSpace book club’s preview title is Jodi Picoult’s newest novel, Sing You Home. Heart-wrenching and at times laugh-out-loud funny, Sing You Home follows the story of a lesbian couple and their struggles to start a family. Jodi is a New York Times best-selling author, and reading her book it’s clear why - she writes a heck of a story, with characters that I really took to heart.

Here’s how this TrevorSpace book club preview will work:

We kick things off here with this exclusive author interview. (And as the book just hit shelves officially on March 1st, I’ll try not to spoil any plot twists to give you all a chance to read it!)

There'll be a virtual book-signing event on March 7th with Jodi that you can watch online via LiveStream. (7pm Eastern, 4pm Pacific.)

And every day from today until March 22nd, there will be a new conversation thread started over at TrevorSpace, where we’ll talk in-depth about Sing You Home. About the characters. About the songs on the accompanying CD. About what happens in the story – and your perspective on it all. And every one of those discussion days one randomly chosen participant will win a signed copy of the book! You even have one more chance to win by commenting here today!

The finale will be a live web-chat on March 22nd hosted by the Advocate.com where I’ll moderate a Q and A between you and Jodi. It’s going to be amazing!

And now, let’s get to the kick-off interview…

Jodi Picoult

Lee: You’re donating part of the proceeds of each signed copy of the book sold at http://bit.ly/JodiTrevor to The Trevor Project. Can you share with us why you’re so passionate to help GLBTQ teens?

Jodi: I started writing Sing You Home because I think gay rights are really the last civil right we have yet to grant in the US and I wanted to explore the issue, and to see why those still opposed to gay rights are opposed. However, this became a much more personal quest for me when my oldest son came out to me during the writing of the book. Did I know beforehand? Sure. I could have told you he was gay when he was three, and It didn't make any difference to me. I wouldn't love him any more if he wasn't gay; I don't love him any less because he is. Kyle is brilliant, a Yale sophomore who is an Egyptology major and who can read hieroglyphs (and about four other languages) and can do math that gives me an aneurysm; who competes in ballroom dance and runs a children’s theater and outreach drama program in the New Haven Schools. His sexual orientation is the least interesting thing about him.

But I also know another young girl who is a member of a theater troupe I run for teens. She was suicidal, because she is a lesbian, and that's just not something her very conservative evangelical Christian family can handle. She worried about them finding out she had a girlfriend. She worried about being disowned so she couldn't go to college. She had to hide who she was every time she walked in her own door. Going home, for her, meant living a lie. Her parents gave her no support when she hinted at her sexuality, and in fact suggested she talk to a Christian counselor. This girl felt like she had no one to turn to, no adult who cared about her, until I started to mentor her. Unlike Kyle, coming out was not going to be a celebration.

Many teens who decide to come out have a disastrous experience, unlike my son. We've seen the media picking up on LGBTQ teens who have been bullied, and who have turned to suicide. I want ALL LGBTQ teens to have an experience like my son had. It's hard enough being a teenager without having to hide who you really are. The Trevor Project is a safe haven for kids who need the support they're not getting from their families. What I dream of is a world where there's no need for The Trevor Project, because no matter who you are, you're accepted.


Lee: The buzz about “Sing You Home” hit the message boards on TrevorSpace months ago. And while your books are published as adult titles, you have a huge teen and young adult following – with high schools and colleges among your upcoming book tour destinations! Does awareness of your teen readers shape your writing?

Jodi: I love my teen fans. First of all, they're not shy. They write me all the time and talk about how much they enjoy my books, and who wouldn't like that kind of feedback!? I've had teenage fans bake me cupcakes and bring them to events; I've had them make up Jodi Picoult Fan Club tee shirts -- they make me feel like a rock star. I do actually think about them when I write my books, which is one reason I often have a teen narrator. I love teen narrators because they have a built-in BS meter. They won't let you get away with a lie; they always cut to the heart of the matter. When it comes to making decisions, they have great swinging passions and sometimes too little cerebral cortex - which also makes for a great character.


Lee: Music is so integral to the lives of teens and young adults, and also to your main character Zoe. She’s a music therapist, and the CD that accompanies “Sing You Home” has ten tracks, with lyrics by you and music written and performed by Ellen Wilber. You wrote in the book that the songs were to give Zoe a real voice – what was the process of creating those songs with Ellen?

Jodi: People who oppose gay rights often don’t know someone gay very well. If you do – if you have a relative or teacher or butcher who’s gay, you know they’re just ordinary people. I wanted readers to get to “know” someone gay – and Zoe’s the one I picked. I wanted readers to really listen to her. I could have given her a first person narrative (and did) but I wanted to go one step further. I wanted you to literally hear her voice, hear her pour her heart out to you in her songs…and THEN see if they can still dismiss her dreams of marriage and a family. My friend Ellen and I have collaborated before on original children's musicals that are performed by a local theater troupe to raise money for charity every year. We've done over 100 songs together, with me writing lyrics and Ellen writing music. So I asked her if she might be interested in a different kind of project, and she was very excited to be part of it. I'd basically write a poem that encapsulated what Zoe was feeling in each chapter, and give it to Ellen, and she'd come back with an amazing melody that brought it to life.


Lee: Kinsey came up with a scale of sexuality, saying that almost everyone fell somewhere between 0 and 6, with some people at “0” (completely heterosexual) and some at “6” (completely homosexual), and most people somewhere in the middle. One of the characters in “Sing You Home” was in a straight relationship and then fell for someone of the same gender. Do you think there’s an element of time that needs to be considered – that people’s attraction to others and/or identity shifts over time? Or is it that some people are bisexual and never realized it because they either fell for someone of the opposite gender first or because our culture reinforces straight relationships in a way it doesn’t support queer relationships?

Jodi: My first crush was in second grade on a boy named Kal Rustiala. He had a jungle gym in his basement and an iguana. I never made the conscious decision to like him, it just happened. So I assume that it's exactly the same for someone who is gay.

Lee: It is! Though my first crush didn't have an iguana. He had a rock tumbler.

Jodi: When I was interviewing lesbian couples for research, I found that while some of the women knew they were attracted to the same sex very early on, an equal number had had committed relationships with men before falling in love with a woman. I wanted to represent both angles, which is why Vanessa is the “gold star” lesbian but Zoe comes to her same-sex relationship after having a heterosexual one – and yet, Zoe also reflects on a same-sex attraction as a child that she dismissed because it wasn’t “how she was supposed to feel” about her best female friend. So I guess that the answer to your question is all of the above.


Lee: Writing from three points of view, getting inside your characters, must have been challenging - especially when your characters are on completely opposite sides of their beliefs in the equality of gay people. Is there a part of you that felt a sense of danger in having your characters articulate anti-gay sentiments?

Jodi: It was really hard to create Max. He had to be a sympathetic character but his views are (to me personally) abhorrent. I had to make him almost befuddled, so that he truly believes in what he's saying without realizing how hateful it is to some of the people who hear it.

That also meant doing research with an evangelical Christian group opposed to gay rights. I interviewed representatives from Focus on the Family, a group that supports the Defense of Marriage Act, opposes gay adoption, and (under the umbrella of Exodus International, which has since taken over) offers seminars to “cure” gay people of same-sex attraction. Like Pastor Clive in my novel, their objection to homosexuality is biblical. Snippets from Leviticus and other Bible verses form the foundation of their anti-gay platform; although similar literal readings should require these people to abstain from playing football (touching pigskin) or eating shrimp scampi (no shellfish). When I asked Focus on the Family if the Bible needs to be taken in a more historical context, I was told absolutely not – the word of God is the word of God. But when I then asked where in the Bible was a list of appropriate sex practices, I was told it’s not a sex manual – just a guideline. That circular logic was most heartbreaking when I brought up the topic of hate crimes. Focus on the Family insists that they love the sinner, just not the sin – and only try to help homosexuals who are unhappy being gay. I worried aloud that this message might be misinterpreted by those who commit acts of violence against gays in the name of religion, and the woman I was interviewing burst into tears. “Thank goodness,” she said, “that’s never happened.” I am sure this would be news to the parents of Matthew Shepherd, Brandon Teena, Ryan Keith Skipper, or August Provost – just a few of those murdered due to their sexual orientation - or the FBI, which reports that 17.6 percent of all hate crimes are motivated by sexual orientation, a number that is steadily rising.

It's always scary to give voice to an opinion that you feel spreads hate -- but sometimes that's what you need to do to really hold a mirror up to the people in the world who really DO think like Max and Pastor Clive; to get them to really listen to what they're saying. One of the great joys about Max is that he, as a character, espouses a journey I hope that these people also take when they read my book. He begins with an opposition to gay rights because of what he's been told to believe by others. But when he tries to hold these beliefs up against the reality of the gay people he knows - and has loved - he sees that disconnection, and ultimately makes a decision not based on religious dogma but on personal ethics.


Lee: The protests and rallies in the aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard help your character Vanessa find the inner strength to come out as a lesbian. Strength and hope from tragedy. There’s a lot of tragedy in “Sing You Home” – are you hoping readers can find their own strength and hope from the catharsis of reading your book?

Jodi: There's a lot of tragedy in Sing You Home - particularly in Zoe's fertility struggles - but I actually think of this book as an uplifting one! I think the book leaves you with the belief that the world now, for LGBTQ folks, is so much better than it was twenty years ago; and that changing one mind at a time is the way to gain acceptance for all regardless of sexuality. If you have been struggling to be honest about your sexuality, and you finally come out, you might change the mind of a relative or friend who previously opposed gay rights -- because you force them to rethink their logic. They already love you, and know you're not a bad person, therefore not all gay people can be bad. I hope it doesn't take another twenty years to achieve equality but I do think we are headed in the right direction.


Lee: Early in the story, on pg. 18, there’s a really tender moment of Zoe’s mother saying that her daughter couldn’t disappoint her if she tried. And in track 9, “Where You Are,” there’s a beautiful lyric Ellen sings, “I think home is a person and not so much a place.” Is there a healing for you in your writing?

Jodi: Writing this book for me was not just healing, but proactive. I had been writing about an issue that I supported, but it was theoretical. Sure, I had gay friends and colleagues, but it wasn't until Kyle came out to my husband and me that I realized I had a personal stake in this fight. I want to do my part to change the world for my son. I want to know that this book has opened minds, so that by the time Kyle wants to marry and have a family, it’s not an uphill battle.

Thanks so much, Jodi! That's amazing how the book (and Gay rights) started out theoretical and became so personal for you. I'm so glad you're creating stories like Sing You Home to change the world!

You can join in the discussion about Sing You Home over at TrevorSpace right now! (Go here: http://www.trevorspace.org/)

Today’s discussion topic: What would you tell a friend about Sing You Home? Would you recommend it? If so, what would you tell them to convince them to read it?


And remember, leave a comment here for a chance to win a signed copy of “Sing You Home!”

Namaste,
Lee

The Trevor Project, Advocate.com, and Lee Wind (That's Me!) Team Up To Create A New Book Club For GLBTQ & Allied Teens And Young Adults (13-24)!

This has been in the works for almost a year, and I'm delighted to finally share with you that it's happening!

The Trevor Project has a social networking site for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning & Allied 13-24 year olds called TrevorSpace, with over 15,000 members so far... And we're going to create a book club for them!

Here's a bit from the official press release:

“I’ve volunteered for years with high school GSAs, and there’s nothing more awkward than being a teenager and feeling like you have to talk about your identity. A shared experience, like everyone reading the same book, lets conversation happen organically and builds community. That’s why I’m so excited about teaming up with The Trevor Project to make this book club a reality,” said Wind, whose blog “I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?” has had over 450,000 visits from LGBTQ teen readers and their allies.

I'll be working with the Trevor Project's Youth Advisory Council to help select the titles - six books and authors a year featured for interviews (I'll interview the authors with my own and teen reader questions, and those discussions will debut here on this blog), 2-3 weeks of daily discussion threads on TrevorSpace, and a finale of Advocate.com-hosted live web chats where I'll moderate a Q & A between the authors and their teen and young adult readers! There will be signed copies to win as give-aways, the opportunity to talk about some great books, and most of all, a way for GLBTQ teens and young adults to connect with each other and build community!

Our preview book will be New York Times Best Selling Author Jodi Picoult's "Sing You Home" - with the kick-off interview on March 4, 2011. The book club will officially launch with David Levithan and John Green's Ground- and Record-Breaking (as the first teen novel with a Gay main character to bust onto the New York Times Best Seller List) "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" on April 29, 2011. Other titles this year will be Lambda Award Winner Alex Sanchez' "Boyfriends with Girlfriends" and New York Times Best Selling Author Ellen Hopkins' "Perfect," with more authors and titles in the works.

"Sing You Home" is wonderful - at times heart-breaking, with moments of humor, great characters and so much drama - as we follow the story of a lesbian couple and their struggles to start a family. It is even accompanied by a CD of music - for which Jodi wrote the lyrics and collaborated with Ellen Wilber who wrote the music and performed the songs. The book is available starting March 1st, and on March 4th we'll kick things off with an exclusive interview with Jodi right here! An extra event is a virtual book-signing with Jodi on March 7th produced through LiveStream!

The TrevorSpace book club preview title:
"Sing You Home" by Jodi Picoult

One more great thing: Jodi is donating proceeds from autographed copies of "Sing You Home" purchased through this link (http://bit.ly/JodiTrevor)! to the Trevor Project, to help them change the world:

"Each of us deserves a chance to dream big and achieve big, regardless of our sexual orientation or gender identity. The Trevor Project is here for young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people to help whenever you or a friend might need to talk to someone. With lifesaving programs and information, The Trevor Project works every day to make the future better for all LBGTQ youth. Learn more at www.TheTrevorProject.org

So go right now and join up at TrevorSpace (if you're 13-24) and if you're not, know that we'll be talking about these great books here, too!

And click on back for my interview with Jodi on March 4th that will start the whole thing off!

Namaste,
Lee