"Lipstick, Sex, and Poetry" is billed rather threateningly as the "first autobiography" by the bisexual poet and novelist Jeremy Reed. In fact Reed seems to have a selective memory and the book consists almost entirely of memories and thoughts about sex separated by highly metaphysical speculation on the nature of poetry. Reed's androgynous looks and use of make-up tended to get him into trouble with irate motorists, but it had its positive side: "I was once lying almost naked on a mauve towel on a deserted beach. My eyes were closed but I could sense someone encroaching. Without speaking a word, a girl screened by masses of black curls began..." What she actually began to do isn't really printable in a family site, but Reed helpfully adds "Things like that happen all the time when you are an androgyne." So that's how it's done. One of the main themes of Reed's book is the repeated point "at sixteen I was looking for a new species. I am still waiting for one." Those of us who are too should find a lot of interest in here, although it helps if you're interested in poetry. I only wish I'd got hold of it when I was a sixth-former.
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