LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Columnist Receives National Writing Award |
by Eric C. Peterson |
Over the past three years, she has been nearly run over by a cargo ship, hunted down by the AARP, and she recently endured the worlds longest condo settlement with the "sellers from hell." Many residents and visitors to Rehoboth Beach have chuckled along with Fay Jacobs as her life has been laid bare in her column, "CAMPOut," which appears regularly in LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth. Her tales are often painfully honest, but more often just plain hilarious, and her regular readers might be tempted to think that she makes most of this stuff up. The truth is, this woman truly cant stay out of trouble. Lucky for us that she retains her sanity by putting a humorous spin on her hectic life and is willing to send it out to print for our enjoyment. Recently, Fay received an e-mail that made all of the trouble worthwhile. The powers that be at the Vice Versa Awards wrote to her with news that she had been awarded the First Place honor in the category of "Best First-Person Column." The Vice Versa awards were named for the groundbreaking underground lesbian newspaper which began a proud history of gay and lesbian journalism in America, and were created to honor the best reporters, columnists, and photographers working for G/L/B/T publications across the country. Winners this year include contributors to Out Magazine, the Washington Blade, the Baltimore Alternative, and LETTERS very own Ms. Jacobs. Fay began her stint as a regular columnist for LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth after writing a letter to editor Steve Elkins, warning residents about a homophobic restaurant in a neighboring town. Impressed with her sharp wit, Steve contacted her to write more for the newsletter. "CAMPOut: A Rehoboth Journal" became a regular feature in 1996, and ever since, total strangers have been stopping her on the street to tell her how much her columns have amused or moved them. Fays winning column appeared in the July 25, 1997 issue of LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth and was entitled "Dont Fog on My Parade." When Fay and her spouse decided to invite another couple on a 10-day boating trip to New York and back, Fay was reasonably certain that shed have no trouble coming up with a column upon her return. Before the two ladies and two gentlemen set sail, Fay handed over three columns that would satisfy her readers in her absence, and took off for New York Harbor, Fire Island, and Atlantic City. The trip resulted in a terrifically funny column, which detailed one life-threatening experience, an embarrassing moment or two, a Barbra Striesand moment, and explored the bizarre connection between gay men and yogurt. (To read Fays award-winning column on the internet, complete with photos from the trip, set your browser to http://www.camprehoboth.com/ issue07-25-97/campout.htm.) The Vice Versa Awards judges called the column "a funny, vivid journal" and honored it with a First Place. "Its amazing how much this column has taught me," Fay says. "Ive been writing essays for yearsquite a few of which had appeared in the Washington Blade years agobut practicing the craft every other week makes one much more disciplined. Im very lucky that Steve has given me this opportunity." And does she have anyone to thank? "Bonnie," she answers without hesitation. Bonnie Quesenberry, her spouse of 16 years, is the first person to read each and every column. Even more importantly, she is often the inspiration for Fays stories. "After meeting Fay, her readers will turn to me and say, and you must be Bonnie," she explains. "To which I reply, yeah, Im the one that does all that stupid stuff so Fay will have something to write." "And I have to thank my friends, who wind up in my columns, too," Fay continues. "On several occasions, Ive had people stop mid-sentence, turn to me, and say, thats not going into a column, is it? but Bonnie keeps me out of trouble, letting me know if something Im planning to write might result in hurt feelings. Its very important to me, even though Im trying to be humorous, that the columns are true and that I havent offended any of the players." Recently, Fay recorded the story of how she met Bonnie and submitted the essay to Alyson Publications, who included it in their anthology entitled Beginnings (currently on sale at Lambda Rising). Which of course begs the question: what about a "CAMPOut" anthology? "Murray (Archibald, president of CAMP Rehoboth) keeps bugging me about putting together an anthology of my work," says Fay, "but between my work and writing columns... oh, I dont know. Maybe next season, if nothing else comes up." The thing about it is that, in Fay Jacobs world, something always comes up. Oh well, as long as she keeps writing about her world, we wont hold it against her. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 13, September 18, 1998. |