CWLU Herstory Blog

Poet, essayist and activist Adrienne Rich will appear in Northeastern Illinois University's (NEIU) Presidential Lecture Series. Since receiving the Yale Younger Poets Award in 1951 at the age of 21, Adrienne Rich has not stopped writing in her distinct voice, with strength and conviction.This event is free and open to the public

Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, Northeastern Illinois University
5500 N. Saint Louis Ave in Chicago
(Use campus entrance located at 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.) Free parking in Lot F
Thursday, April 24 at 8 p.m

Anyone who has ever had a conversation with a know-it-all knows how flustering and frustrating that can be. But somehow, the know-it-all man comes equipped his own special brand of arrogance and aggravation.

In her blog post entitled "Men Explain Things to Me" over at AlterNet , Rebecca Solnit relates her experiences with men who hold forth with great authority on subjects that they know nothing about.

Rebecca Solnit writes with an irony so wry that you don't know whether to laugh or cry, or as the old blues song counsels, laugh...just to keep from crying. But she takes it deeper than a few anecdotes about everyday sexism.

Every woman knows what I'm talking about. It's the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; that crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world. It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men's unsupported overconfidence. -- from Men Explain Things to Me

She then goes on to show how this silencing of women's voices and women's perceptions has had catastrophic effects on human society.

Her thoughts provoked a large number of reader responses including a lot of angry rebuttals from angry men. Predictably, the women who disagreed with some of her points provided more nuanced and more thoughtful disagreements.

Labor singer Anne Feeney's new cd "Dump the Bosses off Your Back" is now available at CDBaby and Anne assures us that its her best cd yet. For those of you unfamiliar with Anne Feeney's music, you are in for a real treat. If you don't believe me, head on over to her website and listen to some of her MP3's. Anne Feeney is “the best labor singer in North America,” according to Utah Phillips. Based in her hometown Pittsburgh, PA, Anne is on the road more than 200 days a year, singing in union halls, on picket lines, at rallies, riots, folk clubs, festivals, conferences, conventions and colleges.

She is a Kerrville New Folk winner, and her songwriting has garnered praise from folk legends like Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, and Peter, Paul and Mary. Anne’s anthem, “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” is featured in several films, and is featured on two recordings by Peter, Paul and Mary. (and it's being sung in paddywagons everywhere!)

Anne Feeney also leads tours of Ireland and if your idea of an Irish vacation is everything that the West of Ireland has to offer, she still has some spots open for the summer of 2008. Visit her Irish Tour page for details.

 

When did feminism become the "F" word in todays modern world? Film maker Therese Schecter tries to answer that question in her movie, 'I was a Teenage Feminist". Armed with interviews and music by Ani DiFranco, Gina Young, Moxie Starpark and Helen Reddy, the film has earned great reviews from Bitch Magazine, Yahoo Movies, Educational Media Review and our good friend Paula Kamen.

To view the entire film online, please visit Free Speech TV. For more info on how to purchase the film or to arrange a showing, please visit Trixie Films.

You can watch a preview clip below:

The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls is a place where 8-18 year olds come from all over the country to learn Rock DIY-style--forming bands, writing songs and building community, and “Girls Rock !” is the movie about their journey.

Film makers Arne Johnson and Shane King have put together a story that focuses on 4 girls at the camp learning how to be the people they really are as they make a whole lot of joyful noise.

The film opens in Chicago at the Music Box Theater at 3733 North Southport.

Call for contributions for an edited essay collection on Marjane Satrapi’s works (film, literature, and art).

Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis, was an instant success in France and the U.S. It has garnered numerous book prizes, and the animated film version was awarded the Grand Prize of the Jury at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Satrapi's other texts, including children's books, have been translated into numerous languages and published worldwide.

The proposed collection aims to examine Satrapi's works as literature, art, film and cultural phenomena, bringing diverse ideological and theoretical perspectives to bear on the intellectual and political issues that they raise.

Interdisciplinary essays as well as analyses rooted in disciplinary approaches are invited,including but not limited to the following topics:

• interplays of intimate/public politics,
• genre (graphic novel, comedy, film, autobiography, children’s literature, etc.),
• relation of text and graphics,
• representations of East and West,
• teaching approaches,
• audiences (local and global),
• immigration, boundaries, and border crossings (physical, cultural, psychological, and spiritual),
• intersections of gender, sexuality, class, age, and nationality,
• censorship,
• imprisonment, detention, and/or containment,
• Iranian cultures, history, and politics,
• U.S. foreign policies and their affect on Iran,
• Iran’s foreign policies and their local/global effects,
• resistance to and collusion with norms governing micro- and macro- social institutions,
• translation,
• hospitality and food, and
• drug use and addictions.

 

Non-U.S. based scholars are strongly encouraged to submit proposals. Whenever possible, assistance with translation and formatting conventions will be provided.

By August 31, 2008 (or before) submit double-spaced, two-page abstracts to

Some of you may remember when the Herstory Project was contacted about being on the ABC TV show Wife Swap, when moms get to change families. They wanted a "feminist" and we politely ignored them.

Well apparently they found their feminist if the season premiere is any indication. For the terminally curious, you can see a preview here. It's feminist mom vrs. spoiled teenage beauty pageant princess.

Oh joy.

I'm reminded of what Gandhi once said about Western Civilization,"I think it would be a good idea."

Labor singer Anne Feeney would love to finish her new CD "Dump the Bosses Off Your Back", but is still short of $$$. If you can help, send $100 to Anne Feeney, 2240 Milligan Ave, Pittsburgh, PA. She'll put your name on the liner notes as a TY.

Anne will be leading 3 music/history/politics and poetry tours of western Ireland in 2008 and there are still seats available. Check out Anne's website for more trip info as well as news about her life and music. She has some great audio clips for your listening enjoyment.

 

'Don't forget your Sisters,' she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.'

'Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do.'

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman,

Sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go

Singer Kristin Lems has a new 26 song double-CD called Equality Road that has some of her best vintage material including a number of songs that celebrate feminism. You can order the CD online from CD Baby for $19.95. Don't forget to also visit Kristin's website to get her live performance schedule. She is a dynamic and engaging musician.