Women Write About Leaving Men for Women

A former military wife falls in love at age 69. A college student with a long-distance boyfriend feels drawn to a classmate. A former Mormon housewife tries to understand her changing sexuality. What makes the stories in Dear John, I Love Jane unique is that they all deal with women leaving men for women. The anthology, co-edited by Candace Walsh and Laura André, contains 27 essays that explore the fears, joys and consequences of this choice. “I think women have been…leaving heterosexuality for a gay identification since the beginning of time,” Walsh says. “For the first time, women are able to see themselves in a context that sort of supports how they feel instead of feeling just weird.” Several of the book’s contributors are still married to their husbands, Walsh confides: Some have adopted open marriages, while others lead secret lives and write under pseudonyms. After the reading, Rouge Cat offers free admission to attendees.