The
Cook and the Carpenter : A Novel by the Carpenter (The
Cutting Edge : Lesbian Life and Literature Series)
by
June Arnold, Bonnie
Zimmerman (Introduction)
A classic, and perhaps, even the beginning of a
new literature. --off our backs
Through sex and anger, through love, desire,
loss of love, and conspiracy, through some of the realest
encounters between parents and children ever written, the novel
moves out in spirit to the reality of the `takeover.'
--Village Voice
Women's liberation sought to transform every
sector of U.S. society--its educational system, culture, language,
politics, and, importantly, the delivery of social services. To
enable this movement, women all over the country began to
establish women's centers.
In New York City, women from almost every local
women's liberation group took over an abandoned building in lower
Manhattan on New Year's Eve, 1970. They named the building The
Fifth Street Women's Building and renovated it to feed, clothe,
shelter, and educate women in need. The take-over was a huge
success, attracting hundreds of activists and community members.
Thirteen days later, the New York City Tactical Police stormed the
building, expelled the women, and ended the action. The City then
tore the building down and built a parking lot on the site.
June Arnold was one of the original planners and
an active participant in this episode. When she got out of jail,
she went home and wrote this novel about what happened. The Cook
and the Carpenter, which quickly gained fame for its use of a non-
gendered language, remains one of the best representations of the
time period that berthed modern feminism and paved the way for
lesbian communities.
The late June Arnold was the author of Sister
Gin, Applesauce, and Baby
Houston. With Parke Bowman, she founded the feminist press
Daughters which published such authors as Rita Mae Brown, Blanche
Boyd, and Bertha Harris. Bonnie
Zimmerman is Professor of Women's Studies at San Diego State
University and is the author of The
Safe Sea of Women: Lesbian Fiction, 1969-1989.
