It’s difficult for me to find the words to describe the delight I experienced upon discovering the arrival of Del LaGrace Volcano & Ulrika Dahl’s gorgeous new book Femmes of Power: Exploding Queer Femininities that came to me all the way from London!!! Firstly, there is no denying that this is a beautiful book, but like femmes ourselves it is more than a shiny exterior.

Femmes of Power is both femmetheory at it’s finest, and the grandest of parties filled with so many interesting people and spellbinding stories that you can’t pull yourself away…I carried the book everywhere with me after it arrived in order to devour it on the subway, or while waiting in line.

It is not an exaggeration to say that I fell in love with this book! Del’s photography captures the essence of every femme featured, and Ulrika’s words bring to life the true wonder and diversity of femme experience crossing lines of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and nationality. Femmes of Power is a canonical text of femme, capturing the breadth of our community and positioning femme as the possibility of being gender transgressive, something outside of “woman,” and not always bound to “lesbian.” I have no doubt this book will be treasured by femmes for generations to come.

Femmes of Power has yet to be released in the states, if you are in Europe, it can be purchased online at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Femmes-Power-Exploding-Queer-Feminities/dp/1846686644. I believe that a US release is forthcoming (Amazon.com says April 2009). Believe me it’s worth the wait! Femmes of Power is worthy of a place of honor on the bookshelf of every femme, those who love femmes, and all who stand in solidarity with us.