Sapphic Salon

In a time when Sarah Palin's memoir is a best seller, it can be hard to locate books by out women at major bookstores. But even if you have to use the internet or (even better) support your local feminist/queer shop, there are quality books being published that are way more worth your time.

Terry Castle — The Professor

Writings from the Stanford prof on her fascination with World War I, taking her mother on a trip to Santa Fe and her disastrous love affair with a professor while in grad school. It's incredibly well-written, funny, poignant, queer and self-deprecating in a way that makes you nod your head in agreement.

Yesterday, one of hip-hop's rising stars, Nicki Minaj Tweeted something that caught my eye:

A rumored lesbian (or bisexual, depending on who you ask), Nicki is not "out," but took to Twitter for this random piece of knowledge, which only furthered my curiosity about her and how it relates to closeted women in the hip-hop community. As the "First Lady" of Lil' Wayne's Young Money record label, she recently admitted to feeling a lot of pressure, being a new artist.