"If you haven't read this book yet--buy it, take it home, and
read it now! This is the work that made me get off my ass and
actually do something, and it will inspire you, too."--Kathleen
Hanna, singer, Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin
"I believe Karen Finley's un-careful rage was threatening because
it is filled with grief, humor, and a profound passion for this
life. Rereading it, I feel refreshed, as if I've been
self-policing for years by tolerating boring, stupid things and
now I'm free again. Thank you, Karen."--Miranda July, author of
The First Bad Man
"Shock is as timely and crucial as ever, inspiring
feminist rage and wildness just as when it first blew my mind
twenty-five years ago."--Michelle Tea, author of How to Grow Up
"Karen Finley is an iconoclast who, ironically, became an icon
when her work in Shock was targeted by right wing
politicians. This important book is as necessary and vital today
as it was twenty-years ago."--Sapphire, author of Push, among
other works
"Reading Shock today reminds me that Karen Finley has
always been a writer of conscience. I remember seeing and hearing
her read "The Black Sheep" off a piece of legal paper in the
middle of a play at The Kitchen. No frills. She simply
re-invented the poem."--Eileen Myles, author of
Snowflake/different streets
"How exciting for you, me, Karen, and the world--to have an
occasion to revisit this period of powerful and earth-shaking
work. Culture wars? Those bastards had no idea what they were up
against."--Justin Vivian Bond, author of Tango: My Childhood,
Backwards and in High Heels
"Finley’s Shock is more than just 'art.' It remains a
searing and necessary indictment of America, a call to arms, a
great protest against the injustices waged on queers and women
during a time in recent American history where government
intervention and re was so desperately needed.
Twenty-five years on, Finley’s work continues to shock and
provoke readers and audiences, demonstrating the powerful
cultural and political impact her work has had on modern American
art and performance art."--Nathan Smith, Los Angeles Review of
Books
No other artist captures the drama and fragility of the AIDS era
as Karen Finley does in her 1990 classic book Shock .
"The Black Sheep," "We Keep Our Victims Ready," "I Was Never
Expected to Be Talented,"--these are some of the seminal works
which excoriated phobia and misogyny at a time when artists
and writers were under attack for challenging the status quo.
This twenty-fifth anniversary expanded edition features a new
introduction in which Finley reflects on publishing her first
book as she became internationally known for being denied an NEA
grant because of perceived obscenity in her work. She traces her
journey from art school to burlesque gigs to the San Francisco
North Beach literary scene. A new poem reminds us of Finley's
disarming ability to respond to the era's most challenging issues
with grace and humor.
KAREN FINLEY's raw and transgressive performances have long
provoked controversy and debate. She has appeared and exhibited
her visual art, performances, and plays internationally. The
author of many books including A Different Kind of Intimacy,
George & Martha, and The Reality Shows, she is a professor at the
Tisch School of Art and Public Policy at NYU.