When Kathy Met Cathy.

---

Kathy Acker (1947-1997) was an experimental writer whose works include Blood and Guts in High School, Don Quixote: Which Was a Dream, Empire of the Senseless, and In Memoriam to Identity. Steeped in philosophy and literary theory, informed by Acker's life (her mother's suicide, her experiences as a sex worker, etc.), and with an irreverent glee for dismantling and re-imagining the Western canon, Acker's novels, poetry, and essays engage with questions of identity, authorship, politics, sexuality, and violence.

---

Cathy Guisewite (1950- ) is a cartoonist known for the widely-syndicated and long-running comic strip Cathy. These strips have been collected in dozens of volumes, including Wake Me Up When I'm a Size 5, Revelations from a 45-Pound Purse, and Abs of Steel, Buns of Cinnamon. The titular Cathy is said to be based on Guisewite's own experiences as a single woman; the character's exploits revolve around work, family, romance, and her complicated relationship with food and her body.

---

Comments, questions, and recommendations for flattering swimwear will be addressed by a non-K(C)athy.