My goal is to inspire people to love burlesque (or at least some of the aspects of burlesque, like paying tribute to the burlesque legends of the past, playing havoc with gender, and using glamour as therapy) the way I do, and to help people who already love it feel like, or really be, insiders in this gorgeous circus.
If you don't contribute, this blog might end being all me and my friends. It could totally flop. Help! Help! Help!
I'm hoping that by the end of the year at least a third of this blog will come from outside suggestions and contributions.
What's in it for you? I don't know but let me know what you'd like, besides linkage and love.
Things have to be very specifically related to burlesque, or
have a very significant burlesque moment or element in them. You can get a
sense of what I'm partial to by looking at what I've posted. I'm open to other
things, but I'm most open to what I already like. My slant is positive. Of course if something really evil happens, we might feel compelled to cover it here, but it'll have to be for a good reason, and it'll have to be 100% verifiable, on terms that would suit a court of law. This is not a rumor mill type of blog.
I am very particular that all photographers, writers,
performers, etc., be asked for permission and/or credited, their names and contact
info and a url for their flickr or website or myspace or
whatever be provided when appropriate. This is intended to be a professional
quality, ethical blog. It is, however, very much
geared to what I think of as positive portrayals of burlesque. Enough of the
world already thinks we're doing something weird or useless or immoral, so
let's counteract that, shall we?
You will be credited and linked for suggesting or submitting
or contributing. Obviously, since you're not getting paid, your writing and
photos remain your material and you can post it anywhere else even if I use it.
Links to news articles that talk about
burlesque, the newer the better. If the article is mostly a profile of a
performer it has to be really interesting to me, since I'm already profiling
performers myself. If you can contribute something to balance out my
Book Reviews--Books you LIKE
Movie Reviews--Movies you LIKE
Music Reviews--Music you LIKE
Reviews should be a couple of paragraphs, not long, and must be accompanied by an image, such as the book,
video, or cd cover. It is legal to use this material
for reviews, but not material from the inside of the book or cd, or stills you grabbed from the movie. All pertinent
info must be included--full title, author, publisher, year of release, and the
equivalent for various media.
Interviews with Legends or profiles of
Legends or performers who performed over 30 years ago. If you don't have
the time or the inclination to interview or profile them yourself, needless to
say, I'll do it.
Recommendations for people I should interview, and why you
think I should interview them. People to interview: performers (must be willing
to give photos of your closet), producers, costumers, photographers, writers,
fans, etc.
Articles about the history of burlesque in
a particular region. Again, credit all sources and
images.
Photos of your favorite pieces of
burlesque memorabilia, and a couple of paragraphs about why you like them.
I'd like to do one piece at a time, not a collection.
Photo essays or reviews (again, of shows or events you
LIKE). This isn't intended to be all self-promotey
but it can be if you make it really interesting and visual and wonderful to
read. If it's about you or your friends' show, make it really, really good and have great pix.
Backstage photo essays. 3-6 photos max. Must be accompanied by permissions from each photographed subject with their contact information and urls for their websites, myspace, whatever. You get the idea.
Any genius idea you have. I am not looking for a staff writer, photographer, etc., but if you have access to a wide range of burlesque people and material I'd be lucky to have you.
Someone has been talkin' smack about me and my friends, so I'm going to spend some time talking about them first so people can get to know them a bit and judge for themselves. However, that's not the reason I created this blog and one of my goals to have it be about the whole world of burlesque, not just my world of burlesque, two months from now.
One thing--know that your contribution may take time to come up in the blog.
Email all suggestions to me at