I’m ready to take the Austin Feminist Poetry Festival in a bigger direction. Which means writing a set of bylaws and getting a board together so that I can form a nonprofit corporation, and ultimately get 501(c)3 status. I’ll also be working on upping fundraising efforts and possibly doing one or two fundraisers this yearContinue reading “Save the Date for Feminist Poetry in 2015”
Category Archives: feminism
Introducing Choice: Texas, A Very Serious Game
About a year ago, I became dissatisfied with the lack of political presence in my art. Although a feminist, I rarely enjoy engaging with political issues when creating art. Politics frequently exhausts me, and writing poetry was a way to disconnect from whatever current events were currently distressing me. But over time, it felt disingenuousContinue reading “Introducing Choice: Texas, A Very Serious Game”
Feminist Friday: Austin Voter Registration Round-Up
If you’ve been following the news around Texas (and many other parts of the country), you know it’s been quite a week. Rick Perry signed new abortion restrictions into law yesterday morning. I couldn’t make it, but I watched a live feed online, feeling sick the entire time. When Jon asked why I was torturingContinue reading “Feminist Friday: Austin Voter Registration Round-Up”
Feminist Every Day
Last night was rough. I arrived at the Capitol just before 8. A security guard told me I wasn’t allowed to bring my water in, which was ridiculous, because I could look into the rotunda and see people with water. But given the number of people already arrested for ridiculous things, I wasn’t about toContinue reading “Feminist Every Day”
Video from the Capitol last night
Note: Long, thoughtful post coming soon. But I’m running on very little sleep and very high emotions, so my thoughts aren’t coalescing just yet. In the meantime, enjoy some protest video clips.
We did it!
What a weekend. The Austin Feminist Poetry Festival took place this weekend. After having a day to decompress, I am filled with so much gratitude. I cannot express enough thanks to Katherine Oldmixon and the Huston-Tillotson University Department of English. Their generous donation of space (with such great acoustics, no less) was crucial to makingContinue reading “We did it!”
Feminist Friday: On Not Hitting on People
There has been quite a bit of discussion, at least on my part of the internet, on why hitting on people is not necessarily welcome. This is an issue that seems to cause a lot of misunderstanding, so I’m glad that it’s getting some attention and cross talk. I’m sharing some excerpts of my favoritesContinue reading “Feminist Friday: On Not Hitting on People”
Feminist Friday: Kelli Russell Agodon, “Respect Our Girls”
On Tuesdays, poet Kelli Russell Agodon does a post called “Confession Tuesday.” Confessions are about writing, family, travel…just about anything. This past Tuesday’s post, the Respect Our Girls Edition, resonated with me so deeply that I wanted to post it here today. Growing up, I encountered a lot of mixed messages. Heck, these mixed messagesContinue reading “Feminist Friday: Kelli Russell Agodon, “Respect Our Girls””
Feminist Friday: Pussy Riot Imprisonment, One Year Later
On Feburary 21, 2012, members of the punk band Pussy Riot, staged a protest against Vladimir Putin in a Russian Orthodox church. Two members, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were sentenced to two years in jail. Yekaterina Samutsevich was imprisoned, but was released in October after hiring a new attorney. The remaining two members at the protest remain at large.Continue reading “Feminist Friday: Pussy Riot Imprisonment, One Year Later”
Supporting my feminist bookstore, because she supports me
BookWoman is the cornerstone of my literary career so far. I worked there in 2009 and 2010, and through the store I met Debra Winegarten and thus became a member of the Austin Writergrrls. Helping with the store’s open mic, I met lots of local poets, and gradually found a place in the localContinue reading “Supporting my feminist bookstore, because she supports me”