A Big Milestone for Dark Sparkler!
On the tenth anniversary of the book’s publication, I have some very exciting news to share.
Warning: The book you are holding in your hands will break your heart.
Not a word of Dark Sparkler is “poetic” in the foolish and flowery sense. None of it is symbolic. Amber Tamblyn is not playing with metaphor or some flight of fancy. She is gifting us with the tragedy, the power, and most of all the truth of these women’s lives.
—Poet Laureate of San Francisco and feminist icon Diane di Prima, from the foreword of Dark Sparkler
Friends,
I want to share some really exciting news with you about the book I wrote many years ago, Dark Sparkler, which just turned ten this past month (where does the time go?!)
If you’re not familiar, Dark Sparkler was a seminal work for me—a book of poems and artwork that completely changed the trajectory of my life. Published in 2015, the book explores the lives and tragic deaths of young actresses, both known and forgotten—women like the film star Brittany Murphy, or Peg Entwistle who infamously threw herself off the Hollywood sign in the 1930s, or Heather O’Rourke, the little girl from Poltergeist who died tragically young at the age of twelve from a mysterious illness. The poems are accompanied by original artwork—interpretations of the poems which are interpretations of these women’s lives—from such luminaries as Marcel Dzama, Adrian Tomine, Marilyn Manson, Kid Koala, the late filmmaker David Lynch, my dad, Russ Tamblyn, and many more.
Dark Sparkler is about the lives of many actresses, but it’s also very much about my own life, as well. The book closes with an epilogue chronicling my journey researching the deaths of more than twenty-five women, and in doing so, coming to terms with my own desire for an existential death of my own: to cease being an object for a living so that my most authentic, expansive creative self could emerge. Dark Sparkler is a eulogy, an elegy, and a personal exorcism interrogating the toll exacted on young women whose lives are offered up in sacrifice as starlets, and what can be reclaimed and reimagined from their stories.
Dark Sparkler is a creative work that I am incredibly proud of, and today I’m sharing some very exciting news about it: to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of its publication, HarperCollins has issued a brand new reprint of the book, complete with the original art in full color, which is available now wherever books are sold.
I’m going to be honest with you, (I can hear David saying sarcastically in response, “Thank you for your honesty!”) getting a reprint of this book done was not easy, and it is not a normal occurrence with most big publishing houses like mine. I promised my publisher it would sell well, that I would do everything in my power to make sure people requested it at their local libraries or favorite independent bookstores, to get the word out there in a very crowded market where brand new books having their big first publishing moment are getting the most press and attention (as they absolutely unequivocally should)!
Dark Sparkler was such a long labor of love for me and I’m very proud of it. It’s something I hope will inspire readers to discover themselves in a new way, just as the writing of it helped me to uncover my deepest authentic self. So here is where my big, awkward, very direct ask comes in (in bold so you know how serious I am): would you please consider purchasing a copy? I do not take your money or time lightly, and I know it’s a difficult time for everyone right now, financially and otherwise, but if even just a fraction of our community here—which is in the tens of thousands!—ordered a copy, it would speak volumes to the folks at HarperCollins and could help keep the book in print for years to come. (Insert the eyes-welling-up-with-tears emoji here.)
And to sweeten the deal, for every person who buys a physical copy of Dark Sparkler, I’ll send you a handwritten, limited edition postcard in the mail as a big huge thank you. Just email a picture of your purchase receipt to LITDSubstack@gmail.com along with your name and mailing address and you’ll get a very special note from me (in addition to my eternal love and gratitude).
If you’re not able to purchase a paperback or e-book, I very much understand. Requesting the book from your local library is also a great option and one that supports our wonderful libraries and librarians too. If you already have a copy (thank you!), writing a review of the book online or sharing your thoughts and spreading the word on social media is a huge help as well!
Speaking of social media, it was fun digging into my archives (AKA Googling my name plus the word “interviews”) to make this reel celebrating ten years of Dark Sparkler. Tap below to watch.
As always, thanks so much for being a part of this community, and I’ll leave you with this reading of one of my favorite short poems from the book, “Untitled Actress.”
With love and heaps of gratitude,
Amber
Could you put out an audiobook version too—- and be the narrator too? (Audiobooks seem more genuine if the the author herself narrates it herself). You rock
Just thinking about this book puts a lump in my throat. Not only are you an extraordinary wrangler of prose, but you accomplish this EPIC feat of feminism and humanism by writing about these lives. The Actress as a figure continues to be so misunderstood and underestimated. Women who are sharp aren't supposed to be SEEN, women who are SEEN aren't supposed to have free will. I'm just grateful to and for you, that's all. Congratulations!