Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme. Ed. by Coyote, Ivan E./Zena Sharman. Trans. David Miller. Vancouver, B.C.: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2010. Paperback. 134p. $12.95. ISBN: 978-1-55152-344-6

This collection of personal essays was written by individuals who identify on points all along the butch/femme continuum. Persistence opens with a foreword by Joan Nestle, cofounder of the Herstory Archives and editor of the 1992 classic The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader.

Nestle describes her original opposition to the similar title of this new
book before relating how its themes won her over: “The voices of another generation, of other cultural positions, new possibilities of gender discourse, and erotic adventuring are presented here, and these extend in complex ways the passionate and embattled conversation of the now out-of-print Persistent Desire.”

Indeed, the voices in Persistence reflect a diversity of gender identities, racial identities, class backgrounds, and sexualities. While many of the writers identify as lesbians or queer women, there are transgender writers and even a cis gay man here and there. Far from reinforcing any binary, many writers celebrate the mutability of butch and femme: there are repeated references to femmes who kill spiders and butches who bake. One writer coins the term “futch” to describe her personal blend of gender presentation. In one of the most reflective chapters, singer-songwriter Rae Spoon, a transgender man, remembers scoring “high femme” on an online quiz.

Most of the essays are reflections of personal experiences with butch and femme, although a few investigate more theoretical frameworks. Throughout, writers honor the history of butches and femmes who went before, for pioneering a culture where gender can be performed in a variety of ways.

The authors, largely Canadian, include poets, musicians, essayists, novelists, professors, and sex writers.

As an extension of the themes in The Persistent Desire, this book belongs in any collection of queer studies or gender studies. Because of the personal nature of many chapters, it may also be of interest to a nonacademic audience, particularly to queer folks exploring butch and femme in their own lives.
Reviewed by Kelly McElroy
Undergraduate Services Librarian
University of Iowa Libraries