Other chapters, such as the story of Tekka Maki and her haiku, miss the mark:

Do not cry my child

Daddy will find the bad man

Who popped your cherry blossom

and

Samurai, stop killing

Pummel your sword limp, useless

Like your small peenie

may be funny to some, but they say little.

WHILE INDIVIDUAL pieces seem to carry a (not-always-subtle) message--such as the pseudo-notice calling for "woman" to be a verb, and crying "don't let men man our language!" --Jacklin and Stillman deny that there is any overriding political zeitgeist to their work.

What is their "message," then?

"To entertain people, give 'em a good time, but also to make them think," says Jacklin. She adds that as for her political leanings, she plans to write in Cyndi Lauper for President.

Why do the two of them love Lauper? Because she's funny, and she writes good music. They love the Go-Go's, too, and dress like them, with big funky spiky hanging earrings and huge, bright-colored sunglasses.

"We consider ourselves the Go-Go's of the literary world," Stillman says.

Maybe after their next sequel they'll be Bananarama.