2008 short story anthology
Sparkling Rain: and other fiction from Japan of women who love women is an English-language anthology of short stories from Japanese lesbian or bisexual women, edited by Barbara Summerhawk and Kimberly Hughes. It also includes essays about the history of Japanese lesbian literature. The anthology does not include material on works with female same-sex eroticism or undertones by publicly heterosexual authors.
Reception.
"Japan Today" noted its lack of "overt eroticism". James Welker, writing in the journal "Intersections", noted Summerhawk's use of the inclusive term "women who love women". For Donald Richie, writing for "The Japan Times", "Sparkling Rain" was the best of the stories in the anthology, being both "a moving account and at the same time an important document". "Lavender" magazine described the anthology as "groundbreaking", especially enjoying the non-fiction essays included in the anthology.
Reviews also appeared in the Okazu blog of yuri anime by Erica Friedman, and the "NagaZasshi" DIY culture magazine from Nagasaki (Vol. 1.4, page 13) by Crystal Uchino.
The anthology was nominated in the Lambda Literary Awards and won in the "Best Anthology" category of the Golden Crown Literary Society Literary Awards for 2009.
References.
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