From the mailbox
From: Kevin Lenkel kevinlenkel@gmail.com
To: le_terminator22@hotmail.com
Subject: JT LeRoy
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2005 05:12:50 -0500
JT - I hope you get the time to read this. I know you must get hundreds of fan appreciation e-mails every day, and mine is likely to be no different from the rest. You see, when I stumbled upon your work through a friend, it engrossed me and hit me on a personal level that no other literature has ever been able to do. I read Sarah and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things three times each and studied each word as if they were notes given by a teacher for a test we were going to be given in the near future. These characters were real to me because I had known the same kind of people growing up, and each of them left a lasting impression on me. It was like flipping through a photo album of snapshots I had taken of the people I hated, presented to me by the same scared little boy I was at that time. Thankfully, I used those people as examples for what never to become and I haven't. It appears as though you've also turned negatives into positives, and did it in a way that could inspire other story tellers to share with the world their stories, no matter how dark and tormented they may be. This is extremely admirable, considering the fact that I've always said there are a million great story tellers in the world who have just never found the inspiration to use their talents.
I then did some research on the internet and read all the conspiracy theories about you. It amazed me that so many people who are obviously intelligent haven't dug as deep as they claim they have. Whether or not you are a hoax, the pain expressed in your novels comes from somewhere very real in your past. There may be events that have been made up in order to amplify the overall points and situations you have personally gone through. Making fact and fiction one in itself and being able to express feelings you've had from your past fictitiously. Despite the wigs, sunglasses, masks and make up, this still makes your stories very real and personal no matter what know it all journalist has to say. If JT LeRoy in fact doesn't exist, the people behind the masks deserve all the credit in the world for using their own life experiences in a way that offer hope to so many people. You have the fortunate gift to inspire great story tellers who are not yet conscious of their talents, and provide them the extra push they need to make their own negatives into positives. This is universal, something a heart communicates with another, that goes beyond who you are.
It's inspired me to write about my own experiences and since I've began, I've been becoming a better person and I'm hopeful that I will get my novel published. If not, at least I have my mental pictures down in writing that provide more depth than a simple photo album ever could. For that, I will always have reassurance that I won't forget who I am, where I came from, and what made me proud to be the person I am today. I have you to thank for that, along with many other great authors and poets, and I admire you greatly. I hope I can get some sort of reply, but if not, I hope you appreciate the gratitude. Kevin
To: le_terminator22@hotmail.com
Subject: JT LeRoy
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2005 05:12:50 -0500
JT - I hope you get the time to read this. I know you must get hundreds of fan appreciation e-mails every day, and mine is likely to be no different from the rest. You see, when I stumbled upon your work through a friend, it engrossed me and hit me on a personal level that no other literature has ever been able to do. I read Sarah and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things three times each and studied each word as if they were notes given by a teacher for a test we were going to be given in the near future. These characters were real to me because I had known the same kind of people growing up, and each of them left a lasting impression on me. It was like flipping through a photo album of snapshots I had taken of the people I hated, presented to me by the same scared little boy I was at that time. Thankfully, I used those people as examples for what never to become and I haven't. It appears as though you've also turned negatives into positives, and did it in a way that could inspire other story tellers to share with the world their stories, no matter how dark and tormented they may be. This is extremely admirable, considering the fact that I've always said there are a million great story tellers in the world who have just never found the inspiration to use their talents.
I then did some research on the internet and read all the conspiracy theories about you. It amazed me that so many people who are obviously intelligent haven't dug as deep as they claim they have. Whether or not you are a hoax, the pain expressed in your novels comes from somewhere very real in your past. There may be events that have been made up in order to amplify the overall points and situations you have personally gone through. Making fact and fiction one in itself and being able to express feelings you've had from your past fictitiously. Despite the wigs, sunglasses, masks and make up, this still makes your stories very real and personal no matter what know it all journalist has to say. If JT LeRoy in fact doesn't exist, the people behind the masks deserve all the credit in the world for using their own life experiences in a way that offer hope to so many people. You have the fortunate gift to inspire great story tellers who are not yet conscious of their talents, and provide them the extra push they need to make their own negatives into positives. This is universal, something a heart communicates with another, that goes beyond who you are.
It's inspired me to write about my own experiences and since I've began, I've been becoming a better person and I'm hopeful that I will get my novel published. If not, at least I have my mental pictures down in writing that provide more depth than a simple photo album ever could. For that, I will always have reassurance that I won't forget who I am, where I came from, and what made me proud to be the person I am today. I have you to thank for that, along with many other great authors and poets, and I admire you greatly. I hope I can get some sort of reply, but if not, I hope you appreciate the gratitude. Kevin
posted by JT LeRoy at 9:34 AM
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