"In these tight, sexy fictions that make up One Dead Tree, David Menear’s stories and characters uncover hitherto unexplored aspects of the Canadian urban experience." Mark McCawley, Urban Graffiti

Kathlean Bradean

Kathlean Bradean

DHP: What is your definition of transgressive?


KB: Something that makes people uncomfortable.


DHP: What was the first text you read that made you question accepted societal tenets or values or the way in which the world works? 


KB: Pippi Longstocking. And Amelia Bedelia. I know those are kids' books, but they gave me new perspective.


DHP: Give an example of a transgressive work & explain why you felt it was transgressive? The work could be literature, film, visual art, theatre, graphic novels or something else. 


KB: So many to chose from. Left Hand of Darkness, like many works in science fiction, was quite transgressive. A human male is considered a pervert not for his sexuality but because he's always male. He has troubles discussing even mundane topics such as the person he rents a room from because English is gendered (albeit not as much as some languages) and the person he's describing isn't. It made me think about gender in ways I hadn't before, but it also made me question how society decides what's normal and enforces that through everything from social pressure to laws.


DHP: Name a historical transgressive role model & tell us a bit about this person. 


KB: Again, so many to chose from. My current favorite is Ching Shih, 'history's most successful pirate.' I don't have enough space here to recount who she was, but she was badass and smart.


DHP: List a few transgressive fictional works from your personal library. 


KB: Huckleberry Finn, anything by Heinlein. Heck, anything on the banned books list probably has dangerous ideas, so you should read them.


DHP: In what ways are you trying to create or publish work that is transgressive according to your definition? 


KB: I'm writing erotica that doesn't follow the standard formula of sex every chapter. Sometimes I fade to black rather than show the sex. In my latest work, there are things the lovers try that they decide they don't like. Again, not what you'd find in typical erotica. And then there's the blood. And the hints of cannibalism.  


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