Fresh Air Weekend: Alison Bechdel's 'Fun Home'; 'Blackout' Drunkenness Lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel talks about how her dad's closeted homosexuality affected her. Sarah Hepola examines how alcohol fit in with — and distorted — her idea of being an empowered woman.

Fresh Air Weekend: Alison Bechdel's 'Fun Home'; 'Blackout' Drunkenness

Fresh Air Weekend: Alison Bechdel's 'Fun Home'; 'Blackout' Drunkenness

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Alison Bechdel is the author of the long-running syndicated comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. Elena Seibert/Courtesy of O+M Co. hide caption

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Elena Seibert/Courtesy of O+M Co.

Alison Bechdel is the author of the long-running syndicated comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For.

Elena Seibert/Courtesy of O+M Co.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Lesbian Cartoonist Alison Bechdel Countered Dad's Secrecy By Being Out And Open: The musical and graphic novel Fun Home describe Bechdel's coming out, and her dad's closeted homosexuality. She says, "In many ways ... my professional career has been a reaction to my father's life."

A Path From 'Blackout' Drunkenness To Sobriety And Self-Acceptance: Writer Sarah Hepola once got so drunk before giving a presentation to 300 people that she didn't remember it the next day. In Blackout, her memoir, Hepola wrestles with her reasons for drinking.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

Lesbian Cartoonist Alison Bechdel Countered Dad's Secrecy By Being Out And Open

A Path From 'Blackout' Drunkenness To Sobriety And Self-Acceptance