Interview with Dr. Angela Yarber Author of Queering the American Dream
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Today I’m interviewing Dr. Angela Yarber about her book Queering the American Dream as part of a WOW! Women on Writing blog tour.
Thanks so much for joining me Angela! In Queering the American Dream, you touch on the complex relationship between grief and faith. Could you elaborate on how queering religion can offer a fresh perspective or solace in times of personal or collective grief?
Upon the death of a loved one, most people in the West are offered commodified grief, costly funerals, and stifled feelings pre-packaged as dignified tradition. When deathcare became a commercial enterprise at the turn of the twentieth century, there was what mortician and author Caitlin Doughty calls a seismic shift in who was responsible for the dead. “Caring for the corpse went from visceral, primeval work performed by women to a ‘profession,’ an ‘art,’ and even a ‘science,’ performed by well-paid men. The corpse, with all its physical and emotional messiness, was taken from women. It was made neat and clean, and placed in its casket on a pedestal, always just out of our grasp (Caitlin Doughty, From Here to Eternity, 136).”
In all my vocational work, I am constantly asking, “Where are all the women?” when confronted with practical and philosophical dilemmas. And as I wept my way through my little brother’s addiction, I longed for revolutionary women to guide me through the depths of despair. When discerning how Westerners grieve, I cannot help but notice the correlation between the industrialization of deathcare and the erasure of women’s leadership roles in the grieving process. Stepping back to take a long view, one discovers myriad empowering queer women, goddesses, and saints associated with grief across wisdom and cultural traditions. Uncovering the histories, legends, and myths linked to these grief goddesses just may be what the West needs to heal, to feel, and to grieve again. It may even be part of queering the American dream.
Since my brother’s death brought my queer family’s full-time travels to a grief-fueled halt, I’ve researched, written about, and even painted these revolutionary grief goddesses. La Llorona, Santa Muerte, Mictecacihuah, Oyá, Saint Elizabeth Anne, Weetamoo, Frigga, Borghild, Nephthys, Isis, Demeter, Persephone, Hecate, Fatima, Kannon, Izanami-no-Mikoto, Kali, Ala,
Hine-nui-te-pō, and Our Lady of Sorrows gather together to form a subversive sisterhood of saints who offer comfort and healing amid our disenfranchised grief. Their narratives, legends, legacies, and wisdom made my grief feel slightly less disenfranchised.
As someone who has explored the intersections of gender, sexuality, spirituality, and the arts, what challenges do you face when addressing these themes in your writing? How do you navigate potential criticism or misunderstanding from various audiences?
It is difficult to strike a balance. Intersectionality and social justice are so incredibly important to me. And sometimes it’s difficult to write about these topics without sounding too pedantic, too academic, or too much like I’m pontificating on a soapbox. I’ve grown accustomed to criticism from the right when it comes to orthodoxy, heresy, and politics; we activists wear such critiques as some kind of twisted badge of honor. But I always endeavor to listen deeply to critiques from within marginalized communities, asking, “Is my writing leaving someone out? Is it contributing to oppression in any way? What perspectives are missing?”
Good writing, I believe, warrants criticism. I once had a preaching professor tell seminarians that a good sermon should “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” The same is true for a book. And in Greek, the root word for preach and publish—kerusso—is actually the same, so it’s applicable. Some should feel critiqued by my book; it is a critique of unjust systems. Others, like those of us dwelling on the margins, should find comfort, hope, and inspiration to live differently outside these systems, if possible.
The use of a colander during your brother's funeral as a nod to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster introduces a unique blend of humor and satire to your memoir. How important is humor in your work, especially when dealing with heavy themes like death and discrimination?
I remember being at an Indigo Girls concert in the 90s when Amy Ray said, “You’ve got to laugh at yourself. You’d cry your eyes out if you didn’t.” Though I was only a teen at the time, it really stuck with me. Humor has long remained a “way out of no way” for so many marginalized people. It’s pivotal in the campy queerness of drag and an essential element in storytelling.
Overall, I think I’m a fairly serious writer dealing with serious topics. But I don’t have to be serious all the time. Humor and outright silliness are important parts of queer joy, and the world always needs more of that.
What authors or books have influenced your writing style and thematic choices? Are there particular works that have inspired your approach to blending memoir with academic and inspirational writing?
I actually teach a doctoral course called Women, Spirituality, and Memoir, so I can’t even list all the myriad authors who inspire me, but a few stand out. Christena Cleveland’s God is a Black Woman blends an academic, spiritual approach to memoir by traveling to visit black Madonnas around the world. She’s fabulous. Caitlin Daughty’s From Here to Eternity beautifully blends research about global death practices with travel memoir. Basically everything written by my comadre en la lucha, Gloria Anzaldúa, blends together academic, personal, spiritual, prose, poetry, Spanish, and English. Finally, Haunani-Kay Trask’s From a Native Daughter and Robin Wall Kimerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass are both excellent examples of blending academia, spirituality, and memoir, from a Hawai’ian and Potawatomi perspective respectively.
Given the provocative nature of some of the themes in your book, such as parodying religious practices and discussing queer identities within religious contexts, what kind of feedback have you received from religious communities, both supportive and critical?
Over a decade ago, some of my writing about queering religion ultimately led to a bulging file folder of hate mail and even some death threats. All this critical “feedback” is based on the same six bible verses quoted out of context and through the lens of an exclusive theology. So, that doesn’t really phase me. It’s to be expected.
The support warms and affirms my heart, though. When someone tells you that your book gave them permission to be themselves or to leave a toxic situation, you don’t easily forget it. For example, on my 10-week Pride Book Tour, I have about 15 different book events up and down the East Coast and a whopping ten of them are at churches who want to discuss what it means to queer the American dream as they invite me to preach about queer spirituality
There will always be hate and exclusion, but I choose to celebrate the people and communities celebrating Pride and working together to create a more just and equitable world for all people.
You are a professor of religion as well as an author. How do you balance the academic rigor required for scholarly work with the personal and emotional tone of your writing?
Personal narrative and story remain incredibly important in both the study of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and the study of religion or spirituality. In academia we refer to this as a “phenomenological” method, but using such esoteric language isn’t really necessary for good scholarship. I think academic rigor is possible without inaccessible language.
I’ve found that so-called “public scholarship” is so much more valuable and necessary than purely academic writing limited to the ivory tower. Personal story and an emotional tone aren’t mutually exclusive from academic writing.
Your work has been featured on platforms like Forbes and NPR. How do these exposures impact your goals as an author? Do they influence how you write or the topics you choose to explore?
Well, me and my ego will be honest in saying that it does, indeed, make me feel special and excited when my work gets featured in these ways. Exposure from such sources is almost always helpful, especially for small-time authors like me. But I don’t think it influences what topics I choose to explore. Gender, sexuality, justice, spirituality, race, and the ethics of travel are always important themes, no matter what platform wants to publish them.
Thank you so much, Angela! Wishing you all the best with your blog tour!
About Dr. Angela Yarber
Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber is an award-winning author of eight books and a highly sought public speaker. She is the Founder of Tehom Center Publishing, an imprint publishing feminist and queer authors, with a commitment to elevate BIPOC writers. With a Ph.D. in Art and Religion and over a decade serving as a Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, five of her books were listed in QSpirit’s Top LGBTQ Religion Books. Her work has been featured in Forbes, HuffPo, Ms. Magazine, Tiny House Nation, and more at https://angelayarber.org
You can find Angela online at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angela.yarber
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tehomcenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tehomcenter/?hl=en
About Queering the American Dream
Beginning the day the Supreme Court ruled her marriage legal, Angela Yarber’s queer little family traversed the American landscape for two years in a camper named Freya, following in the footsteps of revolutionary women from history and myth. Amid her wanderings, this queer clergywoman grapples with the loss of faith, addiction, death, parenting, and what it means to reimagine the so-called dream promised to so many. With unapologetic grief, humor, and radical imagination, she creates a new dream, not just for herself, but for all marginalized people living in America.
Publisher: Parson's Porch
ISBN-10: 195558141X
ISBN-13: 978-1955581417
Print Length: 188 pages
Purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add it to your list on Goodreads.
Blog Tour Calendar
June 3rd @ The Muffin
Join us at WOW's blog The Muffin as we celebrate the launch of Dr. Angela Yarber's memoir Queering the American Dream. You can read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/
June 5th @ Speaking of Spirit
Visit Linda's blog for her review of Queering the American Dream. You can also win a copy of the book!
https://interfaithmoments.blogspot.com/
June 7th @ One Writer's Journey
Visit Sue's blog for a review of Queering the American Dream.
June 10th @ Choices
Visit Madeline's blog for a guest post by Dr. Angela Yarber about how publishing a book can transform your business and life.
https://www.madelinesharples.com/
June 12th @ Speaking of Spirit
Join Linda for a guest post by Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber about the importance of publishing marginalized authors.
https://interfaithmoments.blogspot.com/
June 14th @ One Writer's Journey
Visit Sue's blog again for an interview with author Dr. Angela Yarber about her memoir.
June 15th @ Boots, Shoes, and Fashion
Visit Linda's blog for an in-depth interview with Dr. Angela Yarber.
https://bootsshoesandfashion.com
June 18th @ Writer Advice
Visit B. Lynn Goodwin's site for a helpful guest post from Dr. Angela Yarber on the importance of mental health care in launching a book.
June 21st @ The Faerie Review
Visit Lily's blog for a review of Queering the American Dream.
https://www.thefaeriereview.com/
June 23rd @ A Wonderful World of Words
Visit Joy's blog for a spotlight of Queering the American Dream. You can also win a copy of the book!
https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/
June 25th @ Editor 911
Visit Margo's blog for her review of Queering the American Dream.
June 28th @ Author Anthony Avina's blog
Visit Anthony's blog for his review of Queering the American Dream.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/
July 2nd @ Author Anthony Avina's blog
Join Anthony for a guest post by Dr. Angela Yarber about LGBTQIA+ Pride and publishing.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/
July 3rd @ Michelle Cornish's blog
Visit Michelle's blog for an interview with Dr. Angela Yarber about her memoir.
https://www.michellecornish.com/
July 6th @ Coffee & Ink
You can visit Jan's blog for her review of Queering the American Dream. Plus read a guest post by Dr. Angela Yarber about disenfranchised grief, particularly as it pertains to losing someone to addiction.
https://coffeeandinkbooks.wordpress.com/
