Shoot the Arrow

Photography. Literary Nonfiction. Shoot the Arrow is a collection of Amy Touchette''s intimate black-and-white photographs of the onstage and offstage life of celebrated New York City burlesque dancer The World Famous *BOB*. A central figure in today''s neo-burlesque movement, the self-described female-female impersonator is known for her over-the-top blonde bombshell image. Touchette used 24-hour photo sessions and exclusive access to The World Famous *BOB*''s private life to produce a deep, unique, and moving photographic biography of a woman pursuing dreams of glamour and fame. Photographed strictly on 35mm film, Touchette''s pictures of The World Famous *BOB* on stage, backstage, in her daily life, and during private moments at home, are rich and beautifully real. Also containing the words of The World Famous *BOB*—plain-spoken words that appear on the page as purely extracted un-distracted and un-distracting prose—giving account of her evolution from an isolated farm girl in the California Valley to a performer in New York City''s burlesque revival, Shoot the Arrow is an unusually penetrating and authentic portrait of contemporary life.