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May 2006

Kate Clinton Newsletter:
May 2006

May Trivia Contest: Win The Marrying Kind!
Kate Clinton IT'S COME TO THIS! 25th Anniversary Tour News
Kate Gets Wired!
Fan Spotlight
Celebrate Kate's 25th Anniversary in style with new tour shirts on CafePress
Booking and Publicity
Photo by Sherry Barnett Photography:
http://www.sherrybarnettphotography.com

May Trivia Contest: Win The Marrying Kind!

Take a shot at winning a free copy of Kate's 7th comedy collection CD The Marrying Kind! The first person to email us with the correct answer to the following trivia question gets the CD: Is Kate a gold card lesbian?

Click here to email us your answer:
kate@kateclinton.com

Last Month's Contest

The answer to last month's trivia question, "Where did Kate first perform?" is: Ms. Adventure, in Syracuse. Congrats to Marian Roth for her correct answer -- enjoy the CD! Thanks for playing, everybody! Now, for more on that first show, read on...

Chris, a fan of the Fumorist

When I saw Kate at Benaroya in Seattle, she asked me to write about my memories of her first standup comedy routine. It's been 25 years, so my memories are limited. Here it goes:
Kate "came out" as a standup comedienne in a Syracuse bar in 1981. It was dark in the bar, and I had come with friends from the Women's Writer's Center in Cazenovia (about 20 miles away). Kate had buttons she was selling, calling herself a fumorist - a person who sets the world on fire with her humor. But I think it also meant speaking from her passion, what fires her life.

I was impressed by how good she was that night. I felt confident she could succeed if she could break into the comedy circuit. I had no doubt she could maintain her humor - perhaps years of being an English teacher kept her sharp and quick witted. Or perhaps she was born that way.

Chris Spengler

Find out more about The Marrying Kind here:
http://kateclinton.com/store/index.html#store-themarryingkind

Send this link to your friends and family so they can join the mailing list:
http://kateclinton.com/mailinglist

Kate Clinton IT'S COME TO THIS! 25th Anniversary Tour News

Planning on being in Provincetown, Massachusetts this summer? Kate's got a show for you at The Crown and Anchor. She'll be playing there on the following dates:

May 26-28
June 22-24, and 29-30
July 1, 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, and 27-29
August 3-6, 10-13, 17-20, 24-27, and 31
September 1-3
Find out more and get your tickets here:
http://www.onlyatthecrown.com

Thanks, NCLR

Thanks again to Kate's Major Sponsor, the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Kate Kendell, NCLR's Executive Director, says of NCLR's support the tour: "Kate Clinton has held the mirror that reflects every single issue that has faced us for the last 25 years. We've laughed with her, we've cried with her, and we've been changed by her."

NCLR is a national legal resource center with a primary commitment to advancing the rights and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through a program of litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.

Find out more about NCLR:
http://www.nclrights.org

Get your tickets:
http://kateclinton.com/katesdates

Check out Kate's blog posts from the road:
http://kateclinton.typepad.com

Kate Gets Wired!

We got such a great response to Kate's profile on MySpace that she's branching out! Now you can be Kate's friend, invite her to your favorite groups, or write her a comment or testimonial on MySpace, Gay.com, Flickr, Friendster, Tribe, or Orkut (Google). Log in to your favorite social networking site and get hooked up with Kate!

http://www.myspace.com/kateclinton
http://my.gay.com/kateclinton
http://flickr.com/photos/37717356@N00
http://www.friendster.com/profiles/kateclinton
http://people.tribe.net/kateclinton
http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=1478962314339519728

Fan Spotlight

Send Kate a letter or a photo -- we're always posting new fan photos on the site and Kate loves to hear from you! Here are some recent letters and photos. Keep 'em coming!

More fan photos:
http://kateclinton.com/multimedia

Send Kate a photo or letter:
kate@kateclinton.com

Cindy and Glenis from San Luis Obispo

Cindy Hall and Glenis Vila, both from San Luis Obispo, CA, with Kate in Palm Springs, CA at the Dinah Shore weekend. They're at Cindy and Glenis's booth:
http://www.hiking4women.com

Franklin: What's up, 1989?

Kate,
Good to see you again as always. Here is the picture that was recently unearthed.

The shirts say 1989, but my hazy recollection is that Everett was co-host in 1990, when the Rally was at Union Square. I know 1989 was on the Great Lawn. I cannot tell from the picture which park it is, so I leave it for archeologists to determine. Perhaps they can carbon date us or read the rings or something.

I am glad to say, that Everett is still around. Found the below on-line.

Did you ever receive "If the Pope Had AIDS" shirt I sent last year?

Take care and I am sure we will see each other soon on the chicken dinner/pride rally circuit.

Til then.
Franklin.

A Salute from Chief

When I was in my early twenties, I fell for a bumper sticker about "The Lifesavers." Next thing I knew I was raising my hand and swearing to support and defend the Constitution of this great country of ours. (Did I mention that the freedom of speech and association parts are my favorite in the text?) Next, next-thing I knew, I was drowning in a sea of testosterone. Over five years later, after being at sea for months and returning to a home port that didn't feel anything like home, a lone friend met me at the pier, drove me to her apartment and set the mood as she put a funny looking blue album on the record player. Ah, relief. Suddenly, your "Making Waves" became a beacon of hope and your free speech became a lifesaver.
While on liberty one weekend, I attended my first "Sisterfire" in the DC area, where you were the MC. I waited nervously after the show to talk to you. As my heart pounded loud enough to ring in my ears, I rehearsed what I would say to you, in hopes of getting your attention and making a point. At the time, "armed services" personnel manuals actually divided homosexuality by categories, and mere association with a known homosexual automatically made you a Cater gory III or IV homosexual. Face to face with you at last, I handed you my program and asked you to write, "See you at your courts martial." You bit and asked. I explained, and you wrote, "See you in court!"

You went on making waves and I went back to riding them. One day I finally got up the nerve to write to you - not so much a fan latter as a Thank You letter. I also wrote about life at sea and closed with, "If you send this letter back to me with red correction marks on spelling and grammar, then it's over between us." Imagine my surprise (and delight) when you scribbled back, "No red marks here. We could be pen-pals." It was the start of a beautiful pal-ship!

Writing to you was occasionally bruising, literally, as I stayed up late at night typing letters to you in the ship's office while in rough seas. My chair was bungied to the deck and a hard roll to starboard sent me flying away from the type writer, while the accompanying roll to port and bungee recoil would send me flying into the desk. But it was worth the pain because while I was writing to you I always felt less alone. Of course, then I'd have to run below and lock up the letters in my locker until I could safely mail them off to you. Years before it was trendy (and effortless) to slap a yellow ribbon magnet on a car, your wrote back to me, "Thank you for serving our country."

Over five years of sea duty earned me the right to wear a cutterman's pin and in recognition of your years of "making waves," I gave you one of mine. With plenty of salt spray high-lites in my hair, rusty hull, battered bottom, and torn and tattered sails, I drifted into retirement. You, however, remain our silvered anniversaried Fumorizor Bunny - still going and going... and going strong! I proudly salute you!

Chief

Cynthia's Three Favorites

Dear Kate,
Well actually I have three favorite stories/jokes. They are all from the first time I ever saw you (years ago) at the Backstage in Ballard, Seattle WA. I think Julie, my partner, and I had been together 3 or 4 years then - it's been 20 years now. We see you every opportunity. Thanks for your humor and your presence!

The co-dependant country song "If you leave me can I come too?" (Julie and I have said this to each other ever since, whenever we are mad at each other, to make us laugh... totally works.) ... then a therapist says "Honey, we could put a porch on with this stuff!" or something like that. I think my therapist could have bought and populated a whole country with what I have paid her so far...
Where the group is sitting around talking about the merits of fresh vs. frozen sperm.
The whole De-Dyking the apartment gig... hiding the vibrators... imagining mom in the electronic suspended harness... and, finally (so I guess I lied, it's
The coming out sequence where your niece obviously knows but her parents don't get that and they carefully prepare her for the news that you are a lesbian... so funny!
Thank you again.
All my best,
Cynthia

Rock on, Lynn Pressnall

Kate,
I've been "doing the Dinah" every year since 1992. This year was the best week I have ever spent in Palm Springs and the highlight of my week was your 10pm show on Saturday night.

I hadn't planned to attend your show but after attending the Margaret Cho show on Friday night, and being so disappointed with the bathroom jokes and vulgarity, I was starved for some quick wit and intelligent humor. Thank goodness a friend gave me the post card from Women On a Roll so I was then aware of your show. I knew you wouldn't disappoint and your show was worth every penny and more.

You deliver a quick witted, intelligent, funny, and very attractive show. GREAT! Your bit about Suzie Orman really had me rolling.

The first time I saw you was in the early 80's while I was on a business trip to St. Louis. You were performing at the Heartbreak Hotel and I still have your see-through blue album and showing my 48 years I also have a turntable that will play it. HA!

Wow. A great performance and a lovely gal to have permission to "stare" at for an hour. What could be better??

Lynn Pressnall

Props from Hortensia Amaro, Ph.D., Northeastern University

Hi Kate:
It was wonderful to get to meet you in person after seeing you perform for so many years and admiring your contribution to the sanity of our community! It was a special treat to have you at the Fenway Women's Dinner on the year that I received the Susan Love Award for Women's Health.

I especially appreciated your personal sharing about recovery. The issue of alcohol and drug addiction is a huge one in our community and yet hardly discussed or acknowledge. Having dedicated much of my career to finding ways to support women through the journey of recovery, I found your sharing especially meaningful. Of course, as usual I LOVED your performance!

I am sure you get many photos from fans but just in case you are interested, here is one taken at the event. Perhaps sometime when you are in Boston, you might honor us with a visit to the treatment programs I have started. The women in early recovery there would benefit greatly from meeting you. They are an incredible group of women who have survived through hell and back. I have often been asked why I do this work since most people consider it "difficult, distressing and distasteful". I haven't always known how to answer it until my own journey brought me the answer. I know realize that it is because recovery represents the human experience to regain one's life fully and to live it in a mindful way... something that has been a central part of my own life's journey.

Cariños, Hortensia
PS Love your new hair color!

Hortensia Amaro, Ph.D.
Director, Institute on Urban Health Research
Distinguished Professor, Bouve College of Health Sciences
Northeastern University

Jeri and Kate: Good Lookin'

Kate asked me to send you this pic. I met Kate at the Dinah Shore golf tournament ('06) on March 31st (Friday round). Apparently she thinks we are good lookin'!!

Thanks,
Jeri Humphries
(from Denver, CO)

Celebrate Kate's 25th Anniversary in style

Click here to check out Kate's tour t-shirts:
http://www.cafepress.com/kateclinton

Booking and Publicity

Whether you're with an organization, corporation, club, theater or bookstore, feel free to inquire about having Kate entertain you for the evening. You can now find workshop and presentation descriptions here:
http://kateclinton.com/bookingpublicity

For personal appearances/performances [i.e. standup, hosting, emceeing, business and organization presentations] contact:

Tam Martin, Artist Representative
Beachfront Bookings/Productions
P.O. Box 13218, Portland, OR 97213-0218
(503) 281-3874 phone | (503) 281-3881 fax
tammartin@aol.com
http://beachfrontbookings.com

For College and University lectures, contact:

Jodi Solomon
Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau, Incorporated
325 Huntington Avenue Suite 112, Boston, MA 02115
(617) 266-3450 phone | (617) 266-5660 fax
http://www.jodisolomonspeakers.com

For media & merchandise inquiries, contact:

Michele Karlsberg Marketing & Management
47 Dongan Hills Ave, Staten Island, NY 10306
(718) 351-9599 phone | (718) 980-4262 fax
karlsbergm@aol.com

kate@kateclinton.com
http://kateclinton.com/bookingpublicity

Posted by admin at 02:23 PM | Permalink

Booking & Publicity

If you're interested in booking Kate, or if you're looking for a press kit, or high-res photos and logos, come check out the Booking & Publicity section. You'll find everything you need, including complete contact details.

Kate Wired

Log in to your favorite social networking site and get hooked up with Kate. These links will open in a new window.