The Women of David Lynch

David Lynch has been accused for decades of sexism and even misogyny in his work, due largely to frequent depictions of violence against women. Yet others see in Lynch’s work the deification of the female, and actresses like Laura Dern and Naomi Watts jump at every opportunity to work with him. “He is the master of the juxtaposition of the creepy and the sweet, the sexual and the chaste,” wrote W’s Lynn Hirschberg. “And at the heart of this tense, intriguing friction, you will always find Lynch’s women.” The Women of Lynch is a deep, provocative dive into this paradox, featuring ten essays, thought pieces and impressionistic interpretations of Lynch’s depiction of women on screen, by an eclectic array of accomplished female critics, scholars, performers, and writers, each tackling this vexing conundrum in her own unique way. The book also contains an interview with actress Mädchen Amick (Shelly Johnson in Twin Peaks) where she gives first hand knowledge on what it is like to be a woman of Lynch. Lisa Hession interviews the original woman of Lynch, Charlotte Stewart (Eraserhead, Twin Peaks) about being the actress with longest active span of working with David Lynch.

This is the first essay book about the work of David Lynch by all female writers. Readers will enjoy The Women of Lynch: A Collection of Essays.

This book contains essays by:

x. An Introduction by Philippa Snow

1. The Uncanny Electricity of David Lynch’s Women by Leigh Kellmann Kolb

2. Women’s Films: Melodrama and Women’s Trauma in the Films of David Lynch by Lindsay Hallam

3. A Colorless Sky: On the Whiteness of Twin Peaks by Melanie McFarland

4. Warding off the Darkness with Coffee and Pie by Mallory O'Meara

5.  “This is where we talk, Shelly.” An Interview with Mädchen Amick by Lindsey Bowden

6.  Welcome to the Bipolar Silencio Club! by Hannah Klein

7. The Triple Goddess by Lauren Fox

8. Isabella Rossellini: The Shocking “Real” in Blue Velvet by Kathleen Fleming

9.  Tea And Sympathy: Mrs. Kendal and The Elephant Man by Rebecca Paller

10. Jade: Ornamental Gem or Protective Talisman? A Character Study by Marisa C. Hayes

11. "Mary X Marks The Spot." An Interview with Charlotte Stewart by Lisa Hession

12. Impressions of Lynch: Journaling a Requiem by Mya McBriar

Edited by David Bushman

Concept by Scott Ryan

Front Cover by Blake Morrow

Art by Wayne Barnes & Hannah Fortune

Scott Ryan of Columbus, Ohio

Scott Ryan is the author of The Last Days of Letterman (2018), thirtysomething at thirty: an oral history (2017). He wrote a comic essay book, Scott Luck Stories (2014) about his time as a stay at home dad. He is the editor of The Women of David Lynch (2019), He is the managing editor of the Twin Peaks magazine, The Blue Rose. He is a founding partner of Fayetteville Mafia Press. His writing has been published in The Sondheim Review and Fan Phenomena: Twin Peaks (Intellect Press). He wrote and directed the independent films Meet Abby and A Voyage to Twin Peaks . He is the host of the podcasts Red Room Podcast, Scott Luck Stories, and The thirtysomething Podcast. He lives in Columbus, Oh is married and has 4 kids.

Contact him at superted455@gmail.com or on Twitter at @scottluckstory

David Bushman

David Bushman is a longtime television curator at The Paley Center for Media and an adjunct professor of media at colleges in the New York area. He is the author of Twin Peaks FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About a Town Both Wonderful and Strange (2016) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About Sunnydale’s Slayer of Vampires, Demons, and Other Forces of Darkness (2017)