An honest and poignant look into the deeply intimate yet platonic relationship between a gay English teacher and his young female protégée—each seeking connection and acceptance—as reflected by the decade of letters they exchanged. It was an improbable relationship from the start—a high school English teacher, still in the closet, and his best student. From the confines—and protection—of his closet, Amy’s teacher wrote these letters, letters that were read, cherished, answered, and then locked away for years. Now Amy looks back at the decade of intimate letters that preceded her teacher’s untimely death, collects the shards left by their clumsy, sometimes violent attempts to unmask each other, and counts again the cost of knowing and being known. Every writer needs a room of his own, but for some people, at certain times, and in certain circumstances, the best you can do is a closet. Timely and relevant, this is a love story of the most contemporary kind, a rare glimpse into an intimate relationship between teacher and student—a relationship whose effects are still being felt decades later. It’s raw and honest and moving, a poignant commentary on the values that unite us all.

Letters From The Closet Format: Paperback

Hollingsworth, Amy

Simon & Schuster, Incorporated

Simon And Schuster

1st Howard books hardcover ed., New York, New York State, 2013

United States, United States of America

New York, 2015

New York, 2014

3, 20130507

PT, 2013

[curator]lenscriv@archive.org[/curator][date]20180518202623[/date]

It's Tuesdays with Morrie' if Morrie were young and gay and Mitch Albom were a woman. As the years and letters passed between John and Amy, the layers fell off as they explored and unmasked themselves and each other. "A teacher is like a book," John wrote, "wasted until he's read. The student has to do that. You've done that." While going through a period of despair, he wrote, "I hope our relationship survives your growing up and my growing down." Every writer needs a room of his own, but for some people, at certain times and in certain circumstances, the best you can do is a closet. From the confines'and protection'of his closet, John wrote these letters, letters that were read, cherished, and then locked away for decades in Amy's closet. Now they are chronicled and shared for your enrichment. *** A Different Kind of Love Story Timely and relevant, this is a love story of the most contemporary kind. It's a rare and beautiful glimpse into an intimate, but platonic, relationship between a gay English teacher and his young female protEgEe'each seeking connection and acceptance. Now the student-turned-author looks back at the decade of letters that preceded her teacher's untimely death. She collects the shards left by their clumsy, sometimes violent, attempts to unmask each other and counts the cost of knowing and being known. Alternating between letter excerpts and a beautiful narrative from Amy, the story unfolds, making readers privy to a very personal tribute to the teacher who profoundly changed her life. As you enter their unveiled world, you'll see truth reflected in their raw insights'and you'll discover new revelations for your own life

viii, 248 pages ; 19 cm
"Timely and relevant, this is a love story of the most contemporary kind. It's a rare and beautiful glimpse into an intimate, but platonic relationship between a gay English teacher and his young female protégée - each seeking connection and acceptance. Now the student-turned-author looks back at the decade of letters that preceded her teacher's untimely death. She collects the shards left by their clumsy, sometimes violent attempts to unmask each other and counts the cost of knowing and being known. ..."--Back cover
Introduction : boy meets girl -- Skeletons in the closet : secrets that dance -- Fibber McGee's closet : stuff comes tumbling out -- The spear closet : where the weapons are stored -- Rain in the store-closet : what it takes to write -- The closet novelist : taking an inventory of love and loss -- The blue closet : dream sequences and postmortem visits -- The closet of God : room for one -- Your coat in my closet : the gift I did not choose -- Emerson's last closet : the things I still don't know -- Epilogue
"Timely and relevant, this is a love story of the most contemporary kind. It's a rare and beautiful glimpse into an intimate, but platonic relationship between a gay English teacher and his young female protégée - each seeking connection and acceptance. Now the student-turned-author looks back at the decade of letters that preceded her teacher's untimely death. She collects the shards left by their clumsy, sometimes violent attempts to unmask each other and counts the cost of knowing and being known. ..."--Back cover

2023-10-09