A Hot-Eyed Moderate

The essays in this inspiring collection analyze the craft of writing and the art of living and loving
Jane Rule shares her insights into the creative process, sexual fidelity, feminist politics, and the transformative power of love. Part I—“On Writing”—dispenses advice (writing is “a craft that has to be practiced”); offers observations (“The creative process in any art takes time”); and dissects the writer-publisher relationship, both feminist and traditional. Part II—“Writing for the Gay Press”—discusses, among other things, what it means to be a lesbian writer. With chapters like “The Myth of Genital Jealousy” and “You Cannot Judge a Pumpkin’s Happiness by the Smile Upon Its Face,” this collection shatters common myths such as why you should always write about what you know. There are also moving pieces about Rule’s grandmother, artists who have influenced Rule, and what it is to be human and female in your time. From censorship to morality in literature to how men and women can live together in peace, A Hot-Eyed Moderate is Jane Rule at her provocative best.