Help Krista Get to the Lesbian Bars!

Hi! My name is Krista Burton, and right this second, I'm writing a book called Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Hunt Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America. If you don't know me, I used to write a blog about lesbian stereotypes called Effing Dykes, and I've written about queer culture for Rookie magazine and The New York Times.

Honestly, whatever it is that I'm writing about, there's always a solid chance that the topic is REAL GAY. This is my first-ever book, though! And writing a published, humorous travelogue is my life's dream! And I'm so excited.

Due to my publisher on July 1, 2022 , Moby Dyke's title says it all – I'll be investigating the disappearance of America's lesbian bars by visiting the last 20 bars in existence. (Did you know there are only 20 left? in the whole country?) Along the way, I'll interview bar owners, regulars, and people who've been to the bars and have great stories.

My hope for this book is that it feels like a celebration of the spaces that have meant so much to the queer community. I mean, do you know how fun dyke bars are? and how much wild stuff goes down (heh) in them? Lesbian bars are so important! They're fascinating and historical queer spaces that have slowly moved from exclusivity to welcoming everyone, absorbing the entire queer community along the way. They're also places where two people definitely just went into the single-stall bathroom knowing full well that 11 other people are waiting to pee. I love dyke bars.

Why should you care about this book? Well, maybe you don't. That's OK! But maybe, like me, you spent a big part of your formative years in dyke bars. Maybe lesbian bars are where you first asked someone out; maybe they're where you first kissed a queer person in public and felt safe doing so. Maybe a lesbian bar is the first place you ever felt at home. Or maybe (am I projecting here?) you wish there was a dyke bar in your town, and there just isn't, and you don't understand why, especially when something like 1 in 6 Gen Z-ers and millennials identify as queer, and bars for gay men are frickin' flourishing.

If that's you, I need your help to write this book!

To research Moby Dyke, I'll need:

The money part: It may be that you're thinking, "Wait a minute. This bitch just got a book deal. She's rich!" And I don't blame you for thinking that! I feel like that's what a lot of people think – that book deals mean you get an advance of hundreds of thousands of dollars and you get to quit your day job to write a book.

That is... that is not what they're like. Especially for first-time writers without a large social media presence (that's me.) First-time book advances are usually only substantial if you're already a celebrity, or you've written something that's gone viral, or you have firsthand information that other people would be quite interested in hearing about (like if Dolly Parton gave you a kidney, or if you know dark things about a famous megachurch pastor, or if you were a personal aide in Trump's White House.)

That means I'm funding this project on my own, and putting everything – plane tickets, rental cars, gas, hotel rooms, food – on a credit card. Which means I'd be so so grateful for any help, money-wise!

The good contacts part: How true is it that every queer is removed from every other queer by two connections or less? LET'S FIND OUT. Who do you know who currently runs, owns, or works in a lesbian bar? Email meeeeee.

The bar owners and regulars who are willing to chat part: My god I hope people don't mind being approached by a weird, nervous lesbian with a notebook while they're just out trying to have a nice whiskey-ginger at the bar.

The good stories part: Do you have a good or bad or funny story about one of the lesbian bars on my website ? Please submit it here ! Please! PLEASE. I'd love to hear it.

Thank you for reading all the way down here! Please help me write Moby Dyke in any way you can – I appreciate it so much!

Love,

Krista