The Truth About Fiction

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Michelle Tea left the working-class suburbs of Boston with raw charisma, a poetic voice, and an adventurous spirit to fuel her stories. She landed on San Francisco's queer and literary scenes in the 1990s and came of age in the city's spoken-word community, where she developed her literary style and went on to co-found the Sister Spit Ramblin' Road Show, an all-girl performance group that hit the road in 1997.

At 34, Tea already has written and edited several books, and attracted a loyal fan-base drawn from San Francisco's open mics and spoken-word gatherings. You may not have encountered her work yet, but after picking up her most recent book, and first work of fiction, her distinctive, youthful voice will be difficult to forget. Set against the backdrop of the neon signs and strip-malls of a working-class town, Rose of No Man's Land, (MacAdam Cage) follows the story of Trisha, a thirteen-year-old girl who, after meeting Rose at the local mall where they both work, is thrust into a string of adolescent discoveries. The action takes place predominantly in the span of one day, in which Trisha discovers friendship, drugs, sex, and, consequently, her sexual identity.

Tea's queer, working-class perspective informs a simple, true-to-life prose that articulates an oft-ignored adolescent perspective and sets her apart from many young writers. But that perspective does not limit or define her. Similarly, she may be a darling of the San Francisco literary and queer scenes, but her charismatic voice begs a broader audience.

In addition to Rose of No Man's Land, which hit shelves in February, she is the author of the memoir Valencia -- which won the 2000 Lambda Literary Award for best lesbian fiction -- two other memoirs, a collection of poetry, a graphic novel, and has edited and contributed to numerous anthologies. Tea took some time out of her busy schedule while on the road with the Sex Workers' Art Show to talk with Utne.com about her first work of fiction.

Rose Miller: Tell me about your new book Rose of No Man's Land? How is it different from your previous writing?

Michelle Tea: Well, it's all made up. So it's tons different from my previous writing which has been all memoir. Nothing in this book is true. I mean, all of it's true, emotionally, socially, and culturally, but it's fiction. The characters, situations, and the landscape are created.

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