“JT Leroy” Peeks Out to Say Hello

By Neal 

I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from JT Leroy late Tuesday night, the first time I’d heard from the author since the myth started unravelling late last year. In the note, Laura Albert (using her real name) cheerfully notes an essay in the latest issue of Lemon, “the most beautifully produced magazine I’ve seen.” And what’s that essay about, you might ask? “Yes, Virginia, there is a JT Leroy.” And, yeah, it’s pretty much a note-for-note parody of that classic Santa Claus letter. “When you found out that Santa was a myth, did you revile your parents for telling you about him in the first place, and hate them forever after?” asks Lemon editor Robert Bundy. “Or maybe, looking back, did you realize that you had enjoyed the sleigh ride?”