It’s hard to believe this collection of poems and stories was published in 1995. It felt fresh and relevant. The only elements that dated it were the prevalence of tight studded leather in lesbian culture and references to the AIDS epidemic. Most of the stories were dark, covering addiction, houselessness, unhealthy relationships, and loss. Although such hardships come with the territory of queer writing, after reading I can’t help but to feel lucky and grateful to experience the queer joy that I do in my life.

An absolute banger of a collection. I love being a lesbian

first book of the year after spending NYE laying it on thick for a cynical blonde who also drinks gin....

it was fine, it was fun! have to keep in mind that it's from the 90s and maybe lacks some nuances.
I thought Murakami's Men Without Women was much worse

When it comes to anthologies, there are bound to be parts of the whole that one doesn't quite like as much as the others. Such is the same for The New Fuck You. Perhaps its age is showing – it was after all, first printed in 1995.

That being said, I loved individually some of the work found in here. I loved especially Forgiveness and Without Easter. They made my heart ache.

Yes of course there were other bits and bobs I liked in the book, but even if there wasn't, the presence of the two pieces written by Rebecca Brown and Kelly Cogswell respectively would have made the entirely experience worth it.

Sometimes I felt lost as to what the guiding principle, the rule of thumb for the anthology is.

In any case, adventures in lesbian reading, as it says in its subtitle, and so perhaps the adventure lies precisely in that you won't really know what you'll find every time you turn the page.

this is probably my very favorite book as an artifact. like, i would like to display it prominently on my coffee table as a message to anyone who enters my home. i wish they would make a new edition.