Pleasant Gehman is an American author,

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, dancer and musician from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Career

In the 1980s, she was the singer for the punk rock band

Screamin' Sirens Screamin' Sirens was an American all-female band from Hollywood, California that recorded from 1983 to 1987. The band combined country music, punk rock, rockabilly and a dash of funk to create an eclectic wild party music. Screamin' Sirens p ...

. Her articles on rock 'n' roll, American pop culture, sex, the arts and human interest have appeared in '' L.A. Weekly'' ''and'' ''BAM''. She has written and edited a number of books, including '' Showgirl Confidential'', ''The Belly Dance Handbook'', ''Senorita Sin'', ''Princess of Hollywood'', ''Escape From Houdini Mountain'' and ''The Underground Guide to Los Angeles''. In 1994, she recorded a collection of her poetry and

spoken-word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

routines entitled ''Ruined''. Among the venues where she has performed spoken-word pieces include The Unhappy Hour at the

Parlour Club The Parlour Club was a venue located on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California and managed by Andrew Gould. Among its notable events included the speakeasy-themed night Bricktops (established by Vaginal Davis), series of spoken-word s ...

. She co-starred in

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...

's Off-Broadway variety show, ''The Sensuous Woman'', in 2007 and again shared the stage with Cho in a 2012 ''Victory Variety Hour'' performance. She appeared as Estelle in

Steve Balderson Stephen Clark Balderson (born January 19, 1975) is an American film director. Early life Balderson was born in Manhattan, Kansas and raised in nearby Wamego, Kansas until the age of twelve, when his family moved to Manhattan. Balderson attended ...

's film ''

Firecracker A firecracker (cracker, noise maker, banger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang, usually for celebration or entertainment; any visual effect is incidental to ...

''. In April 2009, Pleasant worked with cult director Steve Balderson for '' Stuck!'' - an homage to film noir women in prison dramas. Co-starring

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portrayi ...

Mink Stole Nancy Paine Stoll (born August 25, 1947), known professionally as Mink Stole, is an American actress from Baltimore, Maryland. She began her career working for director John Waters, and has appeared in all of his feature films to date (a distinc ...

, Susan Traylor, and

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...

Jane Wiedlin Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician and singer, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of the new wave band The Go-Go's. She has also had a successful solo career. The Go-Go's w ...

, ''Stuck!'' was filmed in Macon, Georgia and released in 2010.

Books

*''Showgirl Confidential: My Life Onstage, Backstage And On The Road {Punk Hostage Press) ) *'' The Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion For The Serious Dancer {Princess Productions} ) *''Escape From Houdini Mountain'' (

Manic D Press Manic D Press is an American literary press based in San Francisco, California publishing fiction (novels and short stories), poetry, cultural studies, art, narrative-oriented comix, children's books, and alternative travel trade paperbacks. It wa ...

, ) *''Senorita Sin'' (1994, Incommunicado Press, ) *''Princess Of Hollywood'' (1997, Incommunicado Press, ) *''The Underground Guide To Los Angeles'' (1999, Manic D Press, )

Career

Books

References

External links