Fahion Show
With the number of young, talented actors these days, I am
disappointed you put Drew Barrymore on your cover (#134, Sept. 4). I
can't help but think that she looks like a little girl pretending to
be grown-up. All the silly clothes, red lipstick, and bleached hair
will never hide the fact that she's just a lost 17-year-old girl
caught up in the Hollywood glitz. The fact that she has a sad excuse
for a mother is perhaps why she's turned out as she has. I suspect
when the both of them grow up, life will be less shallow.
Stacey A. Conca-Monfils
North Providence, R.I.
I enjoyed your article on hats. But what really filled my heart
with pride was the picture of the young men and women proudly wearing
their hats with the Malcolm X logo. As a former inner-city teacher,
I have seen the media portray black pride as something inherently
bad. It is refreshing to see how one picture can demonstrate true
pride and a sense of positive direction. I applaud your magazine.
Mark S. Brown
Cincinnati
James Dean did not wear a leather jacket in Rebel Without a Cause,
as you say in ''Leather Report.'' He wore a red windbreaker.
Todd Johnson
Minneapolis
Novel Ideas
Because there are people of wit and conviction at Carol Publishing
who support my work, I feel it necessary to put my statements to your
magazine (in News & Notes) into proper perspective. My statement that
my novel Negrophobia ''slipped through without anyone at Carol
actually reading it'' referred to the editorial meeting where it was
decided to purchase my manuscript; at that point no one in the
company had read the book except for its acquiring editor, Dan Levy.
I was applauding Dan's ability to sell the company on my manuscript
by the sheer power of his words. Negrophobia is a cultural assault on
a grievous flaw in the American character, and there was no way a
corporate-minded New York publisher would have consented to publish
such a book had it actually been read. Due to Dan's reputation, the
company trusted his judgment. Unfortunately, Dan left Carol before
the book was published.
Negrophobia was inherited by editor Gail Kinn, who understood the
voodoo-based polyrhythms of my prose and did an amazing job in
turning my pages into a finished book. I look forward to working
again with her and with Steve Brower, whose brilliant cover art
authentically reflects my book's satiric intents.
Darius James
Address withheld upon request
Your article on Darius James' novel Negrophobia was relatively
accurate. Although Mr. James' accusations that our firm is not
adequately promoting his novel are quite ridiculous, you did report
them properly as the author's opinion. But the reporting with regard
to the Citadel Underground line was inaccurate. Although we may not
be active in acquiring new original titles, our original mandate to
republish out-of-print cult classics is unchanged, and many new
releases are planned for next year.
Steven Schragis
Publisher
Carol Publishing Group
New York City
