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“Reality is that thing, which when you stop believing it, won’t go away …”
–Philip K. Dick

Litquake Foists HOAX on Edinburgh Castle

First Litquake fundraiser of 2006 raises an eyebrow toward famous (and not so famous) literary hoaxes, including 60’s alleged erotica classic, “Naked Came the Stranger”; the diaries of Hitler; the autobiography of Howard Hughes; the touching 2 million selling native American children’s memoir “The Education of Little Tree”; JT Leroy’s big-sunglasses-wearing- boy-hooker-with-a-past persona, and much more on Saturday, April 22, 9pm. $10-$20 suggested donation.

Bucky Sinister, Cameron Tuttle, Beth Lisick and others will read during evening hosted by Litquake’s Jack Boulware and Alan Black

San Francisco, CA March 23, 2006. Litquake kicks off 2006 with a fundraiser that raises one eyebrow”and sometimes two”toward the literary hoax. In keeping with both the festival and San Francisco’s appreciation of irony, tattered literary traditions, sense of the past, but also our awe/joy regarding the written word, the evening is designed to entertain. Hoax takes place on Saturday, April 22 at 9pm. $10-$20 suggested donation. The Edinburgh Castle is located at 950 Geary St.

Among the readings will be a selection from 1969’s bestselling Naked Came the Stranger. Reprinted in 2004, it allegedly details the erotic antics of one Penelope Ashe and spent 25 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list when first released. It qualifies as a hoax because it was actually written by twenty four Newsday reporters and editors, including two-time Pulitzer winning reporter Gene Goltz, science reporter Bernard Bookbinder and sportswriter George Vecsey, who would go on to write 18 books as well as the film, Coal Miner’s Daughter. The publisher of Newsday, Bill Moyers, went onto to become an award winning television journalist and public commentator after being fired over the hoax.

The Education of Little Tree: A True Story is a touching “memoir” about a little Cherokee boy raised by his grandparents during the great depression in Oklahoma. This beloved story about how this little boy who grows to love and respect nature and live in the harmonious ways of the Cherokee has never been out of print. After selling over 2 million copies it was revealed that the author, Forrest Carter, was actually Asa Carter, an avid white supremacist who wrote what are perhaps then Alabama Governor George Wallace’s most famous words: “In the name of the greatest people that have ever tread the earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny. And I say: Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!”

Of course no reading of literary hoaxes in San Francisco would be complete with out a tip of the wig to JT Leroy.

Other books to be excerpted include the fake diaries of Hitler, the “autobiography” of Howard Hughes, Edgar Allen Poe’s classic phony newspaper stories, the best selling teen drug diary, Go Ask Alice and much, much more.

“Literary hoaxes are as old as language itself,” says Litquake cofounder and executive director Jack Boulware. “They remind us the world is not infallible and that reality can be tripped up at any time. It can be embarrassing to fall for a hoax, but they wouldn’t exist unless some part of us wished they were true.”

In addition to the readings there will be a slide show of classic hoaxes through history that aren’t literary, including Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast, the Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot, and Milli Vanilli”as well as informed conjecture about whether we ever really did put that man on the moon.

Litquake 2006 is set for October 6-14

About Litquake
Litquake is an annual San Francisco literary festival produced by the Litquake Literary Project, a California nonprofit founded by San Francisco writers that brings together a wide range of authors for a week of readings and panel discussions. Organizers created the event to represent a lively and inclusive overview of San Francisco’s thriving contemporary literary scene and to foster interest in literature, perpetuate a sense of literary community, as well as host a vibrant forum for Bay Area writing as a complement to the city’s music, film, and cultural festivals. Dates: 10/6-14, 2006. A complete list of authors, times and venues will be available at www.litquake.org.

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