I’m thrilled as punch to be in an essay collection called Make Mine a Double, which was published TODAY. To make matters even merrier the collection, edited by Gina Barreca, is garnering great reviews like this one in Library Journal:

Make Mine a Double: Why Women Like Us Like To Drink (Or Not). Univ. Pr. of New England.Sept. 2011. c.192p. ed. by Gina Barreca. ISBN 9781584657590. $19.95. BEVERAGES

You don’t have to drink to enjoy this fine collection of short stories, poems, and essays edited by Barreca (English & feminist theory, Univ. of Connecticut; It’s Not That I’m Bitter…, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World); the complex web of social, cultural, and political factors around women and alcohol will envelop both partakers and teetotalers. The selections run the gamut: Greta Scheibel recalls challenging norms by imbibing publicly in Tanzania; Sarah Rasher discusses negotiating the mores of drinking (and sexual preference) in Japan; Sarah Deming cleverly decries snobbishness and asks for a bartender who will simply make what’s ordered; Susan Campbell narrates her search for the perfect drink, which ultimately led her to soda; and Louise Crawford considers the volatile social cocktail of moms and booze. This reviewer swallowed the collection in a single, greedy gulp, but other readers may prefer to savor slowly the nearly 30 works by an impressive list of contributors (e.g., Amy Bloom, Jill Eisenstadt, and Wendy Liebman). VERDICT In lieu of an evening out with the intelligent, witty contributors, this laugh-out-loud funny, touching, thought-provoking collection is highly recommended.—Courtney Greene, Indiana Univ. Libs., Bloomington