Sydney Pokorny
Encyclopedia
Sydney Pokorny was a lesbian
writer, editor, columnist and activist based in New York
. She graduated from Vassar College
in 1988 with a degree in art history. The author of numerous articles on topics ranging from "Madonna
Studies" to art criticism and the AIDS
epidemic; she also cowrote the Lambda Literary Award
nominated So You Want to be a Lesbian? with Liz Tracey.
in 1990, Pokorny's essay provided the impetus for a lengthier treatise on the subject of epidemiological issues and her essay, while not appearing in the book provided the research for the expanded and revised essay on the issue that did appear. She was given credit in the book's introduction.
In 1995, Pokorny and Tracey published So You Want to be a Lesbian? (St.Martin's/Griffin), a tongue-in-cheek guide to late 90's lesbian culture. The book was heralded in an article in Publishers Weekly
as the beginning of a trend in humorous "how-to" books that included Lesbianism Made Easy by Helen Eisenbach, The History of Lesbian Hair by Mary Dugger, and The Homo Handbook by Judy Carter. So You Want be a Lesbian was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award the year it was released, losing out to The History of Lesbian Hair. So You Want to be a Lesbian? reached the number 2 spot in The Advocate magazine's best seller list on gay women in 1997, two years after its publication.
in 1997. One issue of the zine is also in New York University's Fales Collection of Papers by Contemporary writers. The issue is contained in a collection of papers donated by Dennis Cooper. The zine gathered press attention for its humor and wit which was aimed at everything from pop culture to the election of Bill Clinton. The zine was mentioned in the Village Voice, was selected as an editor's choice in the 'zine guide Factsheet Five, and written up in People magazine.
, the Boston Phoenix, Artforum
, Bookforum
, Time Out NY, LGNY, and ROCKRGRL
. Her review of Lisa Yuskavage's work in 1996 was cited in a critical work by Maria Elena Buszek on feminism and sexuality in pop culture. Pokorny also worked for Artforum as an associate editor in charge of coordinating book reviews, during which time she edited writers such as Greil Marcus
and Thomas E. Crow
and as editorial coordinator of the magazine's spin-off publication, a quarterly review of books related to art and culture, called Bookforum
.
Sydney Pokorny died on 1 September 2008 in Park Ridge, NJ. She is survived by her mother.
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
writer, editor, columnist and activist based in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She graduated from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
in 1988 with a degree in art history. The author of numerous articles on topics ranging from "Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
Studies" to art criticism and the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
epidemic; she also cowrote the Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
nominated So You Want to be a Lesbian? with Liz Tracey.
ACT-UP and the Women's Caucus
In 1989, she joined the newly formed Women's Caucus of ACT-UP after nearly a year in the group protesting housing issues, governmental policy, and lack of action by city and state agencies. As part of the Women's Caucus of ACT-UP she and other Caucus members put together a "teach-in" on the politics and problems faced by women with AIDS. This was the first public forum to specifically address the spectrum of issues faced by women living with AIDS. Her contribution, an essay on the epidemiological differences observed by researchers studying the presenting symptoms and progression of AIDS in men and women was included in the Women and AIDS Handbook that documented the teach-in. The Handbook was, until the early 90s, the only document to focus on all the issues faced by the growing number of women infected with HIV and living with AIDS. The Handbook was translated into nearly 90 different languages. Later published in a revised and expanded form as Women, Aids & Activism by South End PressSouth End Press
South End Press is a non-profit book publisher run on a model of participatory economics. It was founded in 1977 by Michael Albert, Lydia Sargent, John Schall, Pat Walker, Juliet Schor, Mary Lea, Joe Bowring, and Dave Millikan, among others, in Boston's South End...
in 1990, Pokorny's essay provided the impetus for a lengthier treatise on the subject of epidemiological issues and her essay, while not appearing in the book provided the research for the expanded and revised essay on the issue that did appear. She was given credit in the book's introduction.
"Obsess Yourself"
Pokorny published numerous articles in Boston's Gay Community News. One of her contributions, cultural criticism on Madonna and "the lesbian gaze" called "Obsess Yourself" was published in the Gay Community News in 1989. It became an oft-cited work in the then growing field of "Madonna Studies." "Obsess Yourself" attempted to blend autobiography, cultural studies, minority cultures, issues of identity and Madonna. Quotations from "Obsess Yourself" may be found in essay collections as diverse as: AIDS and the National Body by Thomas E. Yingling and Robyn Wiegman, Acting Out: Lesbian Performances by Lynda Hart and Peggy Phelan, The Madonna Connection: Representational Politics, Subcultural Identities, and Cultural Theory, edited by Cathy Schwichtenberg and I Dream of Madonna, edited by Kay Turner. Arlene Stein references the article in her book Sisters, Sexperts, Queers: Beyond the Lesbian Nation, noting Pokorny's observance that Madonna was both "[c]lothed in the language of heterosexuality" but "soliciting a lesbian gaze." It was also part of the syllabus used in the University of Liverpool's course on Voice, Fragmentation, and Subjectivity in Popular Music.Collaborations with Liz Tracey, Outweek and So You Want to be a Lesbian
Following her contributions to the Gay Community News, Pokorny began contributing articles on gay and lesbian culture to the fledgling publication, Outweek. There she wrote humorous articles about everything from her passion for Coco Chanel to her admiration for drag queens Eventually, she teamed up with writer Liz Tracey to contribute a weekly nightlife column called "Out on the Town."In 1995, Pokorny and Tracey published So You Want to be a Lesbian? (St.Martin's/Griffin), a tongue-in-cheek guide to late 90's lesbian culture. The book was heralded in an article in Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
as the beginning of a trend in humorous "how-to" books that included Lesbianism Made Easy by Helen Eisenbach, The History of Lesbian Hair by Mary Dugger, and The Homo Handbook by Judy Carter. So You Want be a Lesbian was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award the year it was released, losing out to The History of Lesbian Hair. So You Want to be a Lesbian? reached the number 2 spot in The Advocate magazine's best seller list on gay women in 1997, two years after its publication.
Dead Jackie Susann Quarterly
When Outweek ceased publication, Tracey and Pokorny continued their writing collaboration and produced a self-published zine called "Dead Jackie Susann Quarterly" which was heavily influenced by the house balls and the way that fame and celebrity was lived out in the ball rituals. Dedicated to Jackie Susann, whom Pokorny called "a prophet of pop culture," two issues of the zine were produced by Pokorny and Tracey in 1992-93 and two more were published by Pokorny and other collaborators online. Pokorny's work in the publication was cited in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in 1997. One issue of the zine is also in New York University's Fales Collection of Papers by Contemporary writers. The issue is contained in a collection of papers donated by Dennis Cooper. The zine gathered press attention for its humor and wit which was aimed at everything from pop culture to the election of Bill Clinton. The zine was mentioned in the Village Voice, was selected as an editor's choice in the 'zine guide Factsheet Five, and written up in People magazine.
Artforum, Bookforum, and later art and cultural criticism and editorial work
She has contributed art reviews, topical essays, film reviews and record reviews for numerous publications such as the British art journal FriezeFrieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
, the Boston Phoenix, Artforum
Artforum
Artforum is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art.-Publication:The magazine is published ten times a year, September through May, along with an annual summer issue...
, Bookforum
Bookforum
Bookforum is a New York-based magazine devoted to books and the discussion of literature. It is edited by Albert Mobilio, Chris Lehmann, , and Michael Miller.-History: Bookforum was launched in 1994 as a literary supplement to Artforum...
, Time Out NY, LGNY, and ROCKRGRL
ROCKRGRL
ROCKRGRL was the first national publication for female musicians in the United States. Created by Carla DeSantis, the magazine purely focused on women in music and highlighted the artistic diversity of women musicians, often overlooked in mainstream culture...
. Her review of Lisa Yuskavage's work in 1996 was cited in a critical work by Maria Elena Buszek on feminism and sexuality in pop culture. Pokorny also worked for Artforum as an associate editor in charge of coordinating book reviews, during which time she edited writers such as Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
and Thomas E. Crow
Thomas E. Crow
Thomas E. Crow is an American art historian and art critic who is best known for his influential writing on the role of art in modern society and culture....
and as editorial coordinator of the magazine's spin-off publication, a quarterly review of books related to art and culture, called Bookforum
Bookforum
Bookforum is a New York-based magazine devoted to books and the discussion of literature. It is edited by Albert Mobilio, Chris Lehmann, , and Michael Miller.-History: Bookforum was launched in 1994 as a literary supplement to Artforum...
.
Other work
Pokorny worked as a production assistant on the film "Paris is Burning" and is credited as "Sidney Porknoy." Through her work on the film, she became interested in some of the ideas raised in the film and attempted to work them out in her writing.Sydney Pokorny died on 1 September 2008 in Park Ridge, NJ. She is survived by her mother.