Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For Audiobook By Alison Bechdel, Madeleine George cover art

Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For

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Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For

By: Alison Bechdel, Madeleine George
Narrated by: Jane Lynch, Carrie Brownstein, Roberta Colindrez, Roxane Gay, Jenn Colella, Mara Wilson, Bahni Turpin, Marisa Blake, Melanie Nicholls-King
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Before lesbian TikTok, before The L Word, before Ellen, there was Dykes to Watch Out For, Alison Bechdel’s seminal comic-strip sensation about the lives and loves of one tight-knit dyke community that was a fixture in gay papers across America for 25 years.

Meet our heroine, Mo. She’s every dyke’s dream—or so she’s been told by her kind and supportive friends. She’s shy but passionate, politically aware, as committed to her egalitarian all-womyn’s softball team as she is to her volunteer work at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. So why can’t she find a girlfriend? Could it possibly be because she’s more judgmental than Gertrude Stein and more self-sabotaging than Bojack Horseman?

And what about Lois, Mo’s best buddy and Casanova about town? She’s broken a thousand hearts in her day, but can she protect her own from the powers of Emma, the sultry divorcee?

And what about Clarice, Mo’s first girlfriend and chosen family? Will her long-term stable partnership with Toni survive her dizzying attraction to Ginger, the alluring academic?

Follow the trials and tribulations of Mo, Lois, Toni, Clarice, and the rest of their friends as they surf the waves of dyke drama from the softball field to the women’s bookstore, from the brunch rush at the vegan Café Topaz all the way to the steps of the Supreme Court, in a very special episode set at the landmark 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.

From the fevered mind of Alison Bechdel, MacArthur Genius Award-winning author of Fun Home and Are You My Mother?, Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For is an American classic, brought hilariously to life in this new comedy by a star-studded crew, including Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia), Roberta Colindrez (A League of Their Own), Roxane Gay (New York Times best-selling author of Bad Feminist) Jenn Colella (Broadway’s Come from Away), and the celesbian icon herself, Jane Lynch (Glee).

Adapted by playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George (Only Murders in the Building), directed by Tony nominee Leigh Silverman (Violet), with original music by Alana Davis, Faith Soloway, and Bitch, and a soundtrack featuring hits by Ferron, Holly Near, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Cris Williamson, and Joan Jett.

Don’t miss Audible’s hottest new queer original, Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For! Coming out...just in time for Pride.

This content contains mature language and adult themes, and discretion is advised.

Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©2023 Dykes to Watch Out For is based on the comics, characters, and books by Alison Bechdel, including The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, Copyright © 1986-2022, by Alison Bechdel. (P)2023 Audible Originals LLC LGBTQIA+ Creators LGBTQIA+ Essentials Literature & Fiction Funny Witty Heartfelt Sports

Enjoy a Virtual Roundtable with the Cast & Crew of Dykes to Watch Out For

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Editorial review


By Susie Dumond

ALISON BECHDEL'S DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR IS A TIMELESS CELEBRATION OF LESBIAN FRIENDSHIPS

I have a vivid memory of the first time I met the characters in Alison Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For. I was in grad school at the George Washington University taking a Lesbian History and Culture class with Dr. Bonnie J. Morris—an iconic dyke to watch out for herself. Dr. Morris assigned The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For as one of our class readings. Running more than 400 pages, it's an almost complete collection of over two decades' worth of the beloved comic strip. Dr. Morris suggested we flip through the book and get a sense of the comics. But from page one, I was hooked. I stayed up late into the night to take in every last pane.

Growing up as a lesbian in Arkansas and Oklahoma, queer community wasn't exactly out there. It took me years to find my people, politically active and passionate folks who weren't afraid to go against the norms. But in Dykes to Watch Out For, my friends were right there on the page. I recognized the inside jokes we make coming from the mouths of Bechdel's characters, saw a familiar passion for changing the world, felt the same heartbreak when a relationship goes sour. I was still early in my own queer journey when the comic strip ended in 2008, but even the jokes from its early days in the '80s feel incredibly fresh and relevant today. The whole series showcases the timeless joys and challenges of lesbian love—not just romantic but also queer friendships and community.

The audiobook brings together a selection of the comics and clocks in at three hours of listening time. It was adapted by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Madeleine George and directed by Tony nominee Leigh Silverman. The result is a delectable treat that feels like hanging out with your own queer friend group, from the highs of Pride parades to the lows of romantic rejections. It perfectly balances timeless jokes with important moments in queer history. I was especially moved by the scene set at the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights on October 11, 1987, with sound effects and dialogue that makes you feel like you're there yourself, immersed in the moment, bumping against the crowd of sweaty, high-energy queers.

As I listened to this new take on classic queer characters, I found myself laughing, tearing up, and even getting chills at the emotional depth of the performances. Dykes to Watch Out For is a must-listen for anyone interested queer history, found family, and lesbian culture.

Continue reading Susie's review >
Alison Bechdel
Madeleine George
Leigh Silverman

About the Creator

Alison Bechdel is an American cartoonist. Her work includes the long-running comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For as well as the graphic memoirs Fun Home, Are You My Mother? and The Secret to Superhuman Strength. She is best-known in some quarters for being the originator of the Bechdel Test. The stage-musical adaptation of Fun Home premièred on Broadway in 2015, and received five Tony Awards. Bechdel is the recipient of a Guggenheim and a MacArthur Fellowship. She lives in Vermont.

About the Creator

Madeleine George (script writer/adapter) is a playwright and screenwriter whose plays include Hurricane Diane (Obie Award), The (Curious Case of The) Watson Intelligence (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England, Precious Little, and The Zero Hour. Honors include a Whiting Award for Drama, the Hermitage Major Theatre Award, the Princess Grace Award, and a Lilly Award. Madeleine is a writer/producer on the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated mystery-comedy Only Murders in The Building.

About the Creator

Leigh Silverman (Director) is a Tony nominated director who has helmed over 60 world premiere new plays and musicals. She directed DTWOF writer Madeleine George's Pulitzer finalist play, The Curious Case of the Watson Intelligence and Hurricane Diane. Broadway credits include: Grand Horizons (2ST; Williamstown Theater Festival), The Lifespan of a Fact (Studio 54); Violet (Roundabout; Tony nomination), Chinglish (Goodman Theatre; Longacre), Well (Public Theater; ACT; Longacre). Recent Off-Broadway credits include the hit musical Suffs (Public Theater) and The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe starring Cecily Strong. For Audible she directed Harry Clarke starring Billy Crudup and is directing the upcoming Audible/ 3AD co-production of David Henry Hwang's, Yellow Face starring Daniel Dae Kim. She is the recipient of a 2011 Directing Obie Award and the 2019 Obie for Sustained Excellence.

Jane Lynch
Carrie Brownstein
Roberta Colindrez
Roxane Gay

About the Performer

Jane Lynch is a five-time Emmy winner and is known for her portrayal of Sue Sylvester on Glee. She currently hosts NBC’s revival of Weakest Link and appears in Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Additional television credits include Only Murders in the Building, The Good Fight, Criminal Minds and Two and a Half Men. Lynch’s film credits include Wreck It Ralph I and II, The Three Stooges, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Role Models, Julie & Julia, A Mighty Wind and Best In Show.

About the Performer

Carrie Brownstein is a writer, director, musician, and actress. She is a founding member of the critically acclaimed and influential rock band Sleater-Kinney and author of the New York Times bestseller, Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl. She, along with Fred Armisen, was the co-creator and co-star of the sketch-comedy series, Portlandia. The show aired for eight seasons, winning both a Peabody and a WGA Award. Brownstein’s work on the show garnered her eight Primetime Emmy nominations in the categories of Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series. Brownstein has directed television shows for HBO, NBC, Comedy Central, and Hulu.
Photo Credit: Collier Schorr.

About the Performer

Roberta Colindrez is a Mexican-born actress raised and educated in Texas. Roberta has broken ground in various roles across stage, film and television by portraying characters whose bravery and unwavering sense of self help challenge traditional ideas of identity and heritage commonly found in entertainment.
Colindrez stars as ‘Lupe García’, the bilingual Latin pitching sensation in Amazon's A League of Their Own, and as ‘Sabrina’, the best friend and trainer of the real-life Lucha Libre champion Cassandro, played by Gael García Bernal in Cassandro, which premiered at Sundance. Colindrez recently wrapped production on the upcoming Netflix limited series Eric opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.
Roberta originated the role of ‘Joan’ in the Tony Award Winning Musical Fun Home and partnered again with its author Alison Bechdel for the Audible version of Dykes to Watch Out For. She has also reunited with Sam Gold for The Public Theater's production of Hamlet, starring opposite Oscar Isaac. Other memorable collaborations on TV include Tanya Saracho, creator of Vida, for Starz, with whom she originated the role of ‘Maritza’ in Mala Hierba; Joey Soloway for I Love Dick (Amazon), David Simon for the HBO series The Deuce, and Lena Dunham for HBO's Girls.

About the Performer

Roxane Gay’s writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestseller Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. She has several books forthcoming and is also working on television and film projects. She also has a newsletter, The Audacity and once had a podcast, The Roxane Gay Agenda.

Interview: Alison Bechdel Looks Back on 40 Years of "Dykes to Watch Out For"

Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For
'It just felt like opening up this whole new world of honesty and directness...'
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  • Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For
  • 'It just felt like opening up this whole new world of honesty and directness...'

Meet the Dykes

Hilarious Situations • Relatable Storylines • Outstanding Cast • Lovable Characters • Engaging Episodic Format
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
I’ve been a DTWOF lover for about thirty years, and was super excited when I heard about this project. I tried keeping my expectations low, but I still really wanted it to be a great time. That said, it completely blew my hopes away. The casting was perfect, they had great chemistry, and it really was like visiting with old friends. What a great start to Pride month! I know a second installment is probably too much to ask for, but if there is one, you can bet I’ll be adding it to my library as soon as humanly possible.

Excellent adaptation of a much loved work!

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Super enjoyable listen! It felt just as fun as reading a really good comic in the paper. Joyful, relatable, and funny. The characters are super endearing. Great voice acting.

Great comic-to-audio adaptation

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I've loved the books for years, and hearing the characters speaking, it brought me back to the way I felt the first time I read them. I would very much like another installment like this. If you've ever enjoyed the comic, or just want a witty good time in the queer world of the 80s, this is for you.

Fantastic rendering of a beloved series

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Loved the comedy and the pace of the story. Characters are lovable and I can’t wait to listen to more

very funny

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Very relatable. So much like my past history and experiences. Funny! Stories galore. Remember that time period and enjoyed the March experience.

Hilarious. Brings back days of old!

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I loved this so much, so well casted, I listened to this whole walking around the neighborhood and was laughing to myself the whole times. I must have looked like an idiot.
Petition for more audiobooks read by these folks! I loved Lois!

When’s the next chapter coming out

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A great story well told. Takes you to a specific place and time while still feeling universal, and just a lot of fun

loved it

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I'm a big fan and I read the comic several times. The performance is so true to how I heard these characters in my mind while reading. It feels amazing to listen to them as if I'm sitting beside Mo at Cafe Topaz or marching at the simulation of a late '80s pride parade. The quips about really needing "a word for that" made me smile. It's sobering how relevant the dialogue still is today but it also makes me feel connected to the lesbians and queer women of the past. I'm loving this renaissance of vintage lesbian culture.

Charming, funny, on-the-nose performance

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Everything about this was a delight. The setting, the characters, and—oh my Goddess, the performers—led to an experience that felt like time travel and Pride had a queer baby just for the queer community to enjoy. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, and then there were the recordings from the march, which moved to tears.

I'd honestly forgotten how much I loved this strip when I read it years ago, and now I want to re-read the whole thing again. So, thank you.

Like Time Travel and Pride Had a Queer Baby

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I first found these comics back in the late 80's and have read them over and over. I was hesitant of an audiobook version of a graphic novel but I was so pleasantly surprised.
Ally old friends, Mo, Lois, Toni, Clarice,and everyone else.
I definitely recommend theying this out. It's free thisonth on audible for members.
Please do this for all the other editions as well

Oh the memories...!

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