Bowery Boys podcast reviews Lady Romeo
Podcast co-founder Greg Young writes: “The charming biography Lady Romeo has by circumstance become a truly fantastical read, more so than author Tana Wojczuk probably intended.
Not only is Cushman’s life fascinating and almost unbelievable, but nostalgia for the theater itself in 2020 has become romanticized. Imagining anybody on stage performing Shakespeare gave me a thrill!”
Young notes that Cushman was “a superstar who would fit perfectly into the 21st century.”
I’m a longtime fan of the Bowery Boys podcast, a great listen for anyone interested in the history of New York City. I particularly recommend the episode about the bloody Astor Place riots.
Interview with The Queer Creative
Chicago Review of Books Q&A with Leah Carroll
“[A] galloping, atmospheric account of a remarkable woman: the first real American celebrity… It’s a thrill and an inspiration to come to understand Cushman’s bold aplomb in the pages of Lady Romeo.“
Video Q&A and reading for the Boulder Bookstore
Boston Globe review of Lady Romeo
Nina MacLaughlin calls the book “a lively, illuminating new biography… Wojczuk reveals the force and vitality of this woman, on the stage and off.“
Chicago Review of Books Essay “How a Pandemic Shaped Shakespeare’s King Lear”
“Legend has it that Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in quarantine from the plague. But the real story may be more complicated. According to The Guardian there were many plague years while Shakespeare was writing his plays, and historian James Shapiro points out that Lear was first acted in private for King James I in the middle of a plague outbreak in 1606 that closed London’s theatres. Even less known is the effect that the quarantine had on the bard’s writing of the play. Sheltering in place with just a handful of books, he turned again and again to the same source materials–stories that his contemporaries would have been deeply familiar with, but which are largely unknown by audiences today. That’s why Lear is so problematic.”
LAMBDA Literary: “Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books for July”
Thank you to LAMBDA literary for including Lady Romeo in their roundup of most anticipated July releases!
Get Literary’s roundup of “Show-stopping Hamilton songs paired with books”
GetLit pairs Lady Romeo with the powerhouse song “That Would Be Enough.” “Lady Romeo is the perfect biography… anyone would be blessed to have a biographer like Wojczuk jotting it all down with such compassion and detail.”
Lady Romeo named best biography of the Month by Amazon!
Lady Romeo was named a Best Biography of the Month by Amazon and is a #1 New Release in Biographies of Actors and Actresses. Coming to a bookstore near you July 7th.
Get Literary’s most anticipated reads of July
Get Literary just picked Lady Romeo as one of their most anticipated reads of July!
“We twenty-first-century women owe a massive debt to the many “radical” ladies who came before us. By breaking the mold of what constituted “acceptable” behavior in their times, they created a more equitable existence for all of us. Charlotte Cushman, the subject of Tana Wojczuk’s biography, Lady Romeo, is one such admirable historical figure, and I can’t wait to read her story.”
North American Review Interview
I spoke with Editor Jeremy Schraffenberger at the North-American Review about Lady Romeo and Cushman’s legacy. The NAR is the longest-running literary magazine in the country and was founded in Boston, Cushman’s home city.
Publishers Weekly “The Woman Who Played Hamlet: PW Talks With Tana Wojczuk”
“Ultimately, this is an adventure story—proof that women, even those still being punished for being ambitious, can live their great adventure.”
*Starred* Review in Kirkus
“An animated, refreshingly vivid biography of a woman who made the stage her home.”
Publishers Weekly Review
“Wojczuk enriches her portrait with lively theater gossip and detailed discussions of 19th-century class, social, and gender codes. This enthralling history restores Cushman to her rightful place in the spotlight. “
Thur. July 23rd 7pm EST Birthday Celebration for Charlotte Cushman at the Brooklyn Public Library
PAST EVENTS
July 7th Launch with Community Books and Amy Brady of the Chicago Review of Books
Mon. July 13th 10:45am PST Live appearance on “Insight” / Cap Radio
8pm PST Virtual event at Capital Books with Lindsay Rae Meyers
Wed. July 15th Books & Bottles with Guernica Magazine‘s Mickie Meinhardt
For more updates sign up for the Newsletter
How to Book
For lectures and event inquiries including book clubs, colleges, bookstores, and libraries, contact Kiele Raymond at TLA or tana at caa dot Columbia dot edu.
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