A comic original in the tradition of Tracey Ullman and Lily Tomlin—with Cindy Sherman's eye—Hillary Carlip transforms herself into America's most unforgettable grocery shoppers. It's happened to all of us—we find, tucked away in the corner of our shopping cart, someone's discarded grocery list. Who's the person buying "Whole milk, heavy cream, ice cream, cheese, and Gas-Ex?" Why would someone need to write down "Coors and Oreos" on a matchbook cover—couldn't he just remember those two items? And what's the person like who scrawled their list on a PROZAC notepad? Taking her clues from the items listed, the types of paper written on, the handwriting, and even misspellings ("Aunt Spray"), Hillary saw that each list—at once mundane and personal—offered an intimate peek into a complete stranger's life. She chose 26 lists and imagined who the shoppers might be. She then transformed herself into all 26 people, one by one, literally stepping into each character—all ages, genders, and ethnicities—with hair, makeup, outfits, and one Fu Manchu. Photographer Barbara Green then captured unforgettable images of Hillary portraying these shoppers at their neighborhood markets. Hillary came to love these characters, so her accompanying stories for each are as poignant and hilarious as the photographs. She brings to life richly imagined inner worlds, including one for macho Woody, a self-described "Lady's Man with NO BANKRUPTCIES ready to meet just one Special Lady with NO KIDS." After getting to know these grocery shoppers through Miss Carlip's dedicated voyeurism, going to the supermarket will never be the same.
Award-winning author Hillary Carlip's fourth book, A la Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers (Virgin Books, March 2008) has been met with critical acclaim, receiving a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who called the book a "hilarious, delightful, unique achievement." (www.alacartthebook.com)
Hillary's memoir, Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan (Harper Collins May, 2006), is an American Bookseller's Association Book Sense Pick chosen by independent bookstores throughout the country, a Lambda Literary Award finalist in two categories (humor and memoir), and was selected by Borders as one of the Best Literary Memoirs of 2006. (www.queenoftheoddballs.com)
Hillary has been hailed as a pioneer in bringing the voices of teenage girls into the mainstream with her first book Girl Power: Young Women Speak Out (Warner Books, 1995). She was honored by the New York Public Library when the groundbreaking Girl Power was selected for its prestigious "Best Books for Teens" list. When Hillary appeared on Oprah, the hour show was devoted to the book. Now in its eighth printing, Girl Power continues to attract new readers and is still required reading for many Women's Studies courses throughout the country.
Hillary's second book, Zine Scene (Girl Press, 1999), which she designed herself and co-wrote with the renowned author Francesca Lia Block, was included in a show at the New Museum for Contemporary Art in New York City, and won an American Library Association Award.
Hillary is the creator, editor and host of the acclaimed literary website, FRESH YARN. Since April 2004, Hillary has presented personal essays written by a diverse range of all-star writers/performers and personalities. Currently expanding into a huge site for all things writing, FRESH YARN has been a YAHOO PICK, and was picked as a HOT SITE by USA Today. (www.freshyarn.com)
Hillary's writing appears in the anthologies: FIRED!: Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized, & Dismissed (Touchstone Books, 2006) and Not Quite What I was Planning: The Six-Word Memoir (HarperCollins, 2008).
As a visual artist, Hillary has designed and produced websites for major stars (including Jennifer Aniston), authors, musicians, artists, and advertisers, and continues to break ground with her web production and design company Fly HC Multimedia. (www.flyhcmultimedia.com) Hillary has shown and sold her found-object assemblages through several prominent Los Angeles galleries. She has also done private commissions and been featured in group exhibits in New York and Chicago.
As a performance artist, Hillary has written and performed comedy material, as well as juggled and eaten fire as a solo act, and with such noted performers as the Flying Karamazov Brothers. She appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show, teaching Ellen how to eat fire (complete with Liza Minnelli running onstage -- unplanned -- with a fire extinguisher!), and was a winner on the original Gong Show. She also started her own record label, releasing songs she wrote and performed with her all-girl band, Angel and the Reruns. The band's song "Buffy Come Back" became an international cult hit, and Hillary appeared in several films (including Tom Hank's Bachelor Party), and on their soundtracks, with songs she wrote, produced and performed.
