Ask GWP...

So as promised, I'm occasionally posting readers' questions (and my answers!) about the intersections of feminist blogging, scholarship, and journalism here.

Q: I've been working on an essay I'm thinking about posting, but it's also one that I want to try and get published once I've had a chance to do some more research and polishing. In your experience, does publishing a portion or draft of a piece on a blog make it difficult to get that piece published in a scholarly journal later on?

GWP: I sometimes use blogging as a way to think through ideas I am writing about for publication elsewhere. More often, I'll do a post around links that I want to return to and mull over for a piece I'm working on. But here's the thing: When I rework an idea I've blogged about for the purposes of publication (ie, the non-blog variety), I will word the idea very differently. My blog voice is much more off-the-cuff and this-just-in sounding than anything I would write for a magazine or journal. Scholarly journals, like magazines, generally want proprietary content. But that doesn't mean that you can't do a post around an idea that's part of an article you are submitting elsewhere. I would argue against posting a large portion (ie more than 500 words) of something you will repurpose verbatim -- both because the publication may not favor that and because you don't want to be plagarized before you've published in the journal. But if you do decide to post a portion, I suggest being up front about it when you submit the article to the journal. Does anyone have additional thoughts, or experiences around this issue to share?

Very Smart Working Woman's Voice at NYT Blogs!

I'm late to posting today (meetings, meetings!) but I've got a good one for you. My friend Marci Alboher, author of the book pictured left, has launched a blog called Shifting Careers over at the New York Times. The tagline of the blog? "Smart thinking at work." With Marci behind it, smart it will be for sure. Heck, already is. Check out this post, on why the best-places-to-work for women lists matters. Or this one, on what Marci did when the Times designed a logo for her featuring a man. Or this one, on her writing mentor Susan Shapiro and how to be a good mentee. See what I'm sayin? This blog has become my new must-read. Do check it out, and if you like it, post comments and send Marci some love.

Misbehavin and History Makin - Panel Oct. 11

Ok, I know I'm all about the panels today, but here's another one -- save the date! I'm moderating :)

The Tenement Museum presents…
Feminist New York
Thursday, October 11
6-8 PM

Lower East Side Tenement Museum Shop
108 Orchard Street at Delancey

Join us for a panel discussion with Pamela Thompson & Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, authors of the recently published Every Past Thing and Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History. Our panel will discuss the private and public acts of New York women during the late 19th and early 20th century. As the moderator, I'll put the issues in a contemporary feminist context, too. Free and open to the public – but RSVPs requested (Bookclub@tenement.org).

Backlash Sequel Pubs Next Week

Dying to read it. Here's Faludi in the Times today, sounding off on “an exaltation of American masculinity in an intergalactic crisis.” Cowboy president, anyone? (Actually, the book sounds like much more than Backlash sequel, but I loved me that book so much....)

Working Moms Panel Oct. 16

Sometimes there is just too much panel goodness going on in this town. I am SO going to this one. Join me?!

Tuesday, October 16, 7:00 p.m.
Wollman Hall
65 West 11th Street, 5th Floor
Admission: $8

Are increasing numbers of elite women voluntarily opting out of serious careers thereby betraying feminism, stalling their own development, and gambling with their own and their children's economic futures? Moderated by E.J. Graff, senior researcher at Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, Brandeis University. Panelists include Joan Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law, University California at Hastings; Heather Boushey, senior economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research; Ellen Bravo, author of Taking On The Big Boys: Why Feminism is Good for Families, Business and the Nation and Linda Hirshman, lawyer, professor emeritus Brandeis University. Sponsored by the Wolfson Center for National Affairs.

(Thanks to Anthony Deen for the heads up.)

Anthology Panel Thurs!

I'm back in NYC - whew - and wanted to send a shout out and a warm welcome to Marco (see post below)! And thank you so much to everyone who channeled good thoughts and sent the sweetest emails asking about my dad. His surgery went swimmingly, and he's back at work already. I repeat: whew.

And also just a quickie reminder. Come one, come all, to the Woodhull Writers Well tomorrow!

Ok, I'm hitting the hay now. It's been a LONG couple a days.

GUEST POST: With the Campfire Grrrls

This is guest blogger Marco with the first in a series of posts here on Girl With Pen where I aim to examine cultural and media-enabled myths and expectations regarding men — our desires, peeves, habits and obsessions, such as they are. But first, a few words to explain my feature title, lest I be confused with those oily, sarcastic, Coors-and-testosterone-addled shlubs who haunt the comment threads over at Broadsheet.

No sarcasm is intended. I've adopted the "good sport" moniker as a kind of badge of honor ever since it was bestowed on me by Nona Willis-Aronowitz at dinner. To explain further: after Dee's reading at New York's KGB Bar recently, we went out for a chocolate dinner reward at the Bald Man (aka Max Brenner) with Lauren Sandler and Nona Willis-Aronowitz (but you knew that already if you read this post). I'm a big fan of Broadsheet (and of course Girl w/Pen) because I happen to enjoy listening to smart, funny, sassy women, whether the subject is "the patriarchy" or relationships— and there was a whole lot of talk on the latter at this particular venue. To be fair, we also touched on Nona's upcoming road trip and Dee's traveling WomenGirlsLadies panel; it all coalesced around talking up, rediscovering and re-mapping the American Woman between the coasts, between cities and between easy polarities.

There's something cozily mesmerizing about following the Moebius loop of women talking about women talking; something also about the instant camaraderie of firing marshmallows over the table brazier and sharing dark chocolate fondue — probably the closest I've yet come to summer camp (not a typical option back in my 'hood, back in the day). Anyhow, when Lauren's husband and a buddy showed up it was suddenly three boys to three girls, and there was a palpable thump, like ballast shifting in the hold of a ship when it changes course. Nona sort of shook her head as if to clear it and smiled at me. "You've been a good sport for putting up with all the Sex-and-the-City stuff," she said. I smiled back and shrugged. "Not at all. It was fun." And it was. Now it was time for the men to high-five and reel out the batting averages... not. The new subject was Lauren and Justin's cool digs in Williamsburg— midcentury modern or New York eclectic?

Domicile trumps locker room. Almost always OK by me.

My next post: lock and load—— Halo 3 hits the streets and guy-outlets like Spike TV go into frenzy mode. Meanwhile that study on guys, gals and first-person shooter games surfaces in The Economist, and makes Jezebel go "Hmmm..."

Of Fishnets and Feminism

I'm quoted in a Reuters article posted today by Helen Chernikoff, "Burlesque revival: more nerdy than sexy?" I think Chernikoff did an excellent job portraying the nuance of new burlesque. And while I'm on it, the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of Women's Studies Quarterly puts the new burlesque in context. A quick summary of the issue, which is titled "The Sexual Body":

The mid-1970s feminist critique of the female body, sex, and pornography ignited a debate that has continued to this day. Through critical essays, fiction, poetry, and images, this provocative issue of WSQ probes this territory in the light of emerging areas of study. Engaging the fields of critical race studies, film studies, history, literary criticism, performance studies, and political theory, The Sexual Body energizes the debates on the status of sex, pleasure, power, and desire. Ranging from soul food to dance hall music to new discussions of female-and transgender-directed pornography, this issue mobilizes cutting-edge feminist, race, and queer scholarship to push critical theories of the body to their limits and anticipates where race and sex will inform the next generation.

Virtual Community, Virtual Movement?

Bonnie Erbe recently hosted a roundtable on feminism and Gen Y on PBS's To the Contrary. Over at feministing.com, Gen Y feminist Ann Friedman responds to the charge that Gen Y is not a movement generation, noting that the online feminist community is where it's at:

I think if the online feminist community has proved anything, it's that we are a movement generation. I participated in feminist actions on my college campus, but that felt more like a club than a movement. I worked for a women's rights nonprofit, but that felt more like a day job than a movement. I went to rallies and marches, but they felt more like one-off events than a movement. It took blogging here, and being part of a community of feminist bloggers, for me to really feel like part of a feminist movement. To feel I was part of a group of people, committed to a set of ideals, who are working day in and day out to advance those ideals.

So my question then is: When does a virtual movement become "real" in the eyes of those who have, in the past, done activism differently? Because it's not just about getting young women involved in feminism. It's about getting feminist organizations involved in online.

Scroll down here to see the video or just listen to the audio.

(I hear that a To the Contrary episode with clips from me and Jessica Valenti aired recently, but I can't seem to find the link! If anyone has seen it, please let me know? And shoot me the link? Many thanks.)

Writing about Parenting Panel - Oct. 3

If you're in NYC and write (or want to) about parenting, I strongly recommend this panel on October 3, sponsored by the Newswomen's Club. My friend Helaine Olen is moderating. Both she and Rachel are terrific -- and I'm sure the others are too. And if those newswomen don't have the damndest logo! Here are deets:

Join the Newswomen's Club of New York at 6:30 pm on October 3rd, when we discuss the world of writing for parenting magazines. Our five guests -- all editors at nationally known parenting magazines -- will offer an overview of how to pitch, research and structure articles ranging from service pieces to personal essays. They'll also discuss what kinds of ideas do and don't work for their publications as well as answer questions from those in the audience.

Panelists:
Ada Calhoun, Editor-in-Chief, Babble.com and AOL News Blogger
Judy Goldberg, Senior Editor, Parents
Rachel Lehmann-Haupt, Executive Editor, Plum
Jenny Rosenstrach, Senior Editor, Cookie
Joy Press, Culture Editor, Salon

Cost: $20 members/$25 non-members to be paid at door

Location: Playwright Act II restaurant at 732 8th Avenue bet 45th and 46th in the party room. 212-354-8404. Attendees can get food and drinks before and after the event. RSVP: olenroshkow@yahoo.com

And while I'm on the subject, don't forget to check out The Motherhood and Work It, Mom! -- the latest in online mommy networking.

Newsflash: Women Make Money, Have Babies, Work!

In response to Sunday's New York Times article featuring women in their 20s who outearn their dates and feel awkward about it, the Wall Street Journal's "Juggle" now asks:

Have other professionals out there faced awkwardness when one person earns far more than other? Or can love trump those kind of differences?

The comments are sooo very interesting.

Meanwhile, according to a new Accenture study, an overwhelming majority of working mothers say that if there were no obstacles, they would continue working. Here's the deal:

In an online survey of more than 700 working mothers in mid- to senior-level management positions, nearly 90 percent of the respondents reported that, if there were no obstacles, they would work either full-time, part-time or under a flex-time arrangement (reported by 31 percent, 26 percent and 33 percent of respondents, respectively). Just 11 percent said they would not work at all.

Take that ye opt-out-disaster headlines! Read more more here.

(Thanks to the Amazing Laura Sabatinni for the links. Photo cred.)

Professorial Squabbles

Well, at least it's not a "catfight" (hehe). Turns out the American Association of University Professors just shut down their listserv because folks couldn't play nicely with each other. (Read about it here, in Inside Higher Ed)

Over at MediaCommons, Clancy Ratliff offers a montage of visual representations of "The Internet Regression" (which is the cleverish name of an essay describing internet users’ tendencies to exhibit extreme rudeness and/or kindness.) Says Clancy,

I believe many scholars hear “online publishing” and think of [images of obstinate blowhard conversation -- like the one pictured above]. It may take a lot of counterexamples to dislodge those prejudices, especially since the behavior that prompts the prejudices still occurs all over the net every day.

Ok ok. Full disclosure: This post began as an excuse to post the picture, which looks remarkably like, but is not, my cat. (But for the record, I am NOT cat blogging. Um, yet.

Wanna Anthologize?

Ever wondered what it's like to edit an anthology? Come to the Woodhull Writers Well this Thursday and find out! My friend and coeditor Daphne Uviller and I will be discussing both the content of our book Only Child: Writers on the Singular Joys and Solitary Sorrows of Growing Up Solo as well as the process, from proposal to publication, of putting together a successful (IOHO) anthology. We're hoping to give our audience a clear sense of the challenges and rewards of dealing with agents, contributors, purchasing editors, and publicists; the benefits of working with a co-editor; and the need to self-publicize. Participants will walk away with a timeline detailing the process by which one can reasonably expect to complete a salable anthology -- and a sense of what it's like.

When: Thursday, September 27, 2007
Time: 6:30PM to 7:30PM
Location: 32 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, NY 10004

This is a FREE event open to women only. Reservation is required. Please call 646 435 0837 or email rsvp@woodhull.org to make your reservation.

Men with Truck

I'm sitting here in the hospital waiting room and got excited to learn this hospital has wireless. So now I can happily distract myself by catching up on blog reading. Check out the ever-clever Rebecca Traister on images of men in tv's fall lineup. And to go with your reading, here's a pic of Marco and Dad taken yesterday. Ok, even this girly girl has to admit it's a darn cool truck.

I Heart Katha Pollitt

So Nation columnist Katha Pollitt just published her first collection of personal essays, Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories Here are my favorite Katha quips from Deborah Solomon's interview with her in yesterday's New York Times:

Deborah Solomon: Do you think feminism has been disfigured by consumerism? To certain women out there, feminism seems to mean buying what you want instead of being what you want.

Katha Pollitt: Young women live these contradictions and everyone's down on them because their skirts are too short. I don't blame them if sometimes they want to go shopping. Women don't buy more junk than men.

DS: Are you a Hillary supporter?

KP: In this country we have a real problem with women and power. If people don't stop saying incredibly sexist things about Hillary Clinton, I may just have to vote for her.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it. (Katha: I'm starting to agree.)

She Works Hard for the Money...

The gals are catching up. Though I'm curious to learn more about *which* gals and *which* professions. In case you missed it, the New York Times reports today on a "historic" reversal:

For the first time, women in their 20s who work full time in several American cities — New York, Chicago, Boston and Minneapolis — are earning higher wages than men in the same age range, according to a recent analysis of 2005 census data by Andrew Beveridge, a sociology professor at Queens College in New York....The median income of women age 21 to 30 in New York who are employed full time was 17 percent higher than that of comparable men....Professor Beveridge said the gap is largely driven by a gulf in education: 53 percent of women employed full time in their 20s were college graduates, compared with 38 percent of men.

How long before we start with the "Girls-are-taking-over!" and "What-about-the-boys!" headlines? I'm guessing a New York minute.

Regardless, as Jessica rightly picks up on over at feministing today, the article's slant on the whole thing is rather, how do you say, annoying. The basic message? Beware the young woman with the earning power. Men in their 20s are running scared!

Windy City, Windy Post

Greetings from Chicago! My dad is going through a medical procedure tomorrow, so GWP will likely be slightly quieter than usual til Tuesday. Though I may have some pix to post. This here is a pic of me (looking rather dorky) with my dad, on an architectural boat tour today. Marco took the photo. Behind us is Navy Pier, where BlogHer took place. Ah, the memories!

So one thing I learned from the docent on the tour was that Chicago was apparently first called the "Windy City" by New Yorkers who were bitter that Chicago won the bid for the 1893 World's Fair instead of New York. According to Wikipedia, however, that's a popular myth. Wiki says that the earliest known references to the "Windy City" are from 1876, and involve Chicago's rivalry with Cincinnati. Cincinnati as a rival to Chicago? WTF!

A Heartfelt Welcome to Girl Sailor!

Ok - last one, then I really have to hit the road. I'm just too jazzed not to share this. Remember Melinda Parrish (pictured), the Guest Scholar Blogger who posted a most excellent post here the other week, titled "Sex Does Not Define Us" ? After posting here, she got inspired to start her own blog! It's called Girl Sailor. As Melinda describes it, "I am a female Ensign on Active Duty in the US Navy, and these are my thoughts." Says Melinda, "I graduated in May from the United States Naval Academy. My time in the military has caused me to question how my role as an Officer and my identity as a postmodern woman should coincide." She begins the blog with an INCREDIBLE manifesto, called "The F-Word," which I cannot wait to finish reading when I get off the plane.

Welcome to the blogosphere, Melinda. I absolutely can't wait to read your thoughts.

Woodhull Financial Literacy Module Now Online

Before skipping town, just wanted to share an update from the Woodhull Weekly. As I mentioned a few weeks back, the Woodhull Institute of Ethical Leadership has partnered with the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to share success building tools through online training sessions that promote ethical development and empower women to act as agents of positive social change. Teachings on financial literacy by Woodhull Fellow Jacquette Timmons are now available via the Real Women, Real Success Stories area of the Campaign for Real Beauty site. The next module, Your Authentic Voice and Advocacy, will begin on October 8, 2007, and is taught by Karla Jackson-Brewer and Dr. Robin Stern

Girl with Too Many Books

I'm headed to Chicago tonight, and here's the stack of books I'm cramming into my carry-on:

Marci Alboher's One Person/Multiple Careers: How "The Slash Effect" Can Work for You - because I embrace the slash and Marci has a ton to teach me (and because Marci is EXCELLENT on "a new model for work/life success")

Naomi Wolf's The End of America: Letter to a Young Patriot - because I'm perpetually freaked by the direction our country seems headed

Susan Falud's, Stiffed - because I want to finally finish this one before I start her next

Barbara Ehrenreich's The Hearts of Men - because Lori said I should, and because Barbara never lets me down.

I had never met anyone who tries to bring more books than I do for a short weekend, until I met Marco. Haven't yet seen what he's bringing, but I'm betting it's more than four. I'm guessing neither of us gets much reading done, since we'll be busy repenting, eating brisket, and schmoozing with family. But the security of bringing books, anyway, runs deep!

Beauty Skin Deep

So it's Fashion Week in London, and I just had to post this photo appearing in the New York Times cause I love me a cute hat. Meanwhile back in Kansas, as the Style section also reports, women are apparently flocking to get a not-yet-FDA-approved anti-fat injection called lipodissolve. Scary, because:

Neither the drug formula used in lipodissolve nor the method of treatment is standardized. And researchers disagree whether the shots eliminate fat cells, or merely liquefy fat so that it shifts around in the body, raising the possibility of long-term consequences such as the aggravation of heart disease.

Reminds me of that terrifying finding (which I first learned about in Courtney's book) that showed survey respondents preferring thinness to long life. Ugh. Obsession with hats far safer than obsession with fat.

Testosterone Day at the Mommy Blogs

Just heard via PunditMom that the bloggers over at sister sites DC Metro Moms, Silicon Valley Moms, and Chicago Moms all turned over the blog reins to the dads for a day. So the dads were blogging about the challenges as dads raising kids -- and about the challenges of being the spouses of mommybloggers. Hehe.

Meanwhile, speaking of sperm, over at feministing, Courtney Martin offers some very wise musings on that book I mentioned here a few weeks ago cleverly titled Sperm Counts. Miss C and I had fun "writing" together today (meaning, parallel play on our respective projects between chats) and caught up on everything over our respective cookies. Man, I just love that girl.

Sally Field UNCENSORED

As many know by now, Sally Field’s acceptance speech at the Emmys this week recognized the mothers of U.S. troops. She ended her speech with, "Let's face it: If the mothers ruled the world, there would be no [CUT TO SILENCE BY FOX CENSORS]."

The rest of line was this: "...goddamn wars in the first place."

I found it rather satisfying to watch the uncensored version, here. Try it. You'll see what I mean.

(The embedded video from YouTube in this post is the CENSORED version. Thank you, Jeff, for the clarification!)

45th Carnival of Feminists Now Up

The 45th Carnival of Feminists is now up over at Feminist Philosophers. For those of you still wondering what a carnival is, do check this one out. The philosophes have nailed it with a fabulous round-up of links from around the feminist blogosphere.

GWP Welcomes Newest Guest Blogger!

Many of you know "Marco" as the dude I refer to now and again, the one who sends me links and clips, comes to every last one of my readings, and made me my shiny GWP logo. Well, he's emerging from the shadows. I'm thrilled to introduce him, officially, as a Guest Blogger here on GWP. Keep an eye out soon for his occasional posts! He'll be offering his own observations on popular reality, in particular, myths about masculinity and boyhood, and he'll also throw in on my favorite subjects here of course: feminism personal, political, and in public.

Ready for a Female POTUS?

OMG - if the video below doesn't work (trying to figure it out...) go here and hit play! Hit it!

Groovy Vibrations

Courtesy of Marco (always lookin out for me, that one!) comes this YouTube retrobite in which Moses Znaimer interviews Gloria Steinem in 1968 about being a "groovy chick" and an ex-Playboy bunny. Highlights:

Znaimer to Steinem: "You've been described as a chick with a good sense of the vibrations."

Steinem on reporting circa 1968: "To report with compassion is important now, because we've been so inundated by the statistics."

Life Magazine to Steinem: "We want a writer, not a girl.'"

Znaimer on Playboy Bunnydom: "I thought you had to be stacked to be a bunny girl."

Steinem to Znaimer: "A lot of that is plastic dry cleaner bags, really."

P.S. I just started a category called "feminist history." Were you there? Got pics to share? You send 'em, I'll post 'em!
(Photo credit)

Peace Monkey

Ok, I rarely do this (and don't think I don't have a damn cute cat), but I'm animal blogging. According to an article in the Daily Mail,

The 12-week-old macaque - who was abandoned by his mother - was close to death when it was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province. After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless - until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon. The blossoming relationship helped to revive the macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the sanctuary.

Now the unlikely duo are never far from each other's side, but they aren't the only ones to strike up an unusual friendship. Earlier this year a pig adopted a tiger cub and raised him along with her piglets because his mother couldn't feed him. And in 2005 a baby dear named Mi-Lu befriended lurcher Geoffrey at the Knowsley Animal Park in Merseyside after she was rejected by her mother.

And who says we can't all get along? This one's for you, Mom, to brighten your day.

CUT, the movie

Wendy Schneider just sent me word of her new documentary, CUT: Teens and Self Injury. The film looks like a much-needed resource in schools, and Wendy is currently seeking a distributor. CUT premiered at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison this week. Do check out this glowing review in the Isthmus. Ah, the Isthmus: A paper I once placed a personal ad in during the dark lonely days of grad school only to be answered by someone with whom a friend had already tried to set me up. Total non sequitor there -- I blame the chocolate hangover. Anyway, Wendy is setting off on a college screening tour in a few weeks. For those of you on campuses, keep an eye out for this film! More on it all on this MySpace page. Good luck, Wendy, and do keep us posted!

Conference Envy

The amazing Samhita over at feministing will be live blogging from the Web of Change conference, an annual gathering connecting folks working at the convergence of online strategy, technology, and social change. It's held at a place called Hollyhock Center (left), on Cortes Island. Rumors of a hot tub on the beach. Um, how do I score an invitation to that next year?!

What Can We Learn from YouTube?

First of all, I'm here to report that there is such a thing as a chocolate hangover.

Second, check out the news about this course that Pitzer College media studies professor and documentary filmmaker Alexandra Juhasz is teaching on YouTube. Literally. The course's subject? The popular role of YouTube!

Class members control most of the class content and YouTube watchers from around the world are encouraged to comment. Mainstream media coverage is all "you're kidding--college credit for watching YouTube?" But if you ask me, it's an incredibly innovative venture. I'm eager to see where this leads.

To check out the course and join the conversation, click here. Juhasz is blogging about it all at Media Praxis, a project she's developing for Mediacommons, where interesting commentary on the project is also underway.

Post-KGB Chocolate High...

Just got home from a post-reading chocolate fest at Max Brenner's with Lauren Sandler, Nona W-A, and Marco. I think I'm going to be up all night. I highly recommend ordering mass quantities of chocolate fondue after you read. Assuming you don't have to be anywhere early the next morning. Is there such thing as a chocolate hangover? I guess I'll soon find out.

(Thank you, Kelley McMasters and KGB bar, for organizing the reading tonight, and thank you, Sassy girls Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer, for your fabulous book! And big shout out to Lauren and Nona for coming! Grandma Pearl: this reading was dedicated to YOU.)

Knocked Up and Gettin Hitched

This one comes courtesy of Broadsheet. Apparently, maternity clothing designers are getting hip to the fact that there are (ahem) pregnant brides. I'm not sure if this is another way to glamorize the baby bump in our newly MILF-focused culture, or a long overdue acknowledgment of the fact that weddings and babies don't always happen in that order. Regardless, as an aspirational late-mom who also plans on tying the knot one of these days soon, I'm kind of into it, even though I'd more likely wear a red dress and cowboy boots when the blessed event occurs (the wedding, not the labor).

Anyway, I'm not sure I believe Maternity Bride's survey, which claims that 1 in 6 brides are preggers. Still, nice to know there are options for those who are screwing with the traditional order of things and still want to wear the traditional big white dress.

I Heart Wired Women

Yesterday, after a piece I wrote ("Wired, She Wrote") went live, I received the NICEST emails from a handful of women who have been my bloggy mentors, heros, and connectors these past months. Just wanted to send out a heartfelt shout out to you all -- Amy Tiemann at MojoMom, Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann at BlogHer and the Motherhood, Andi Buchanan at MotherTalk -- for the amazing work that you do. You inspire me deeply!

And speaking of connecting, I met with Nona Willis-Aronowitz last night over spring rolls and fries. I love her energy. Nona (23-year-old daughter of the much-beloved and recently departed Ellen Willis) is soon to embark on her feminist road trip, as I've mentioned here, and I'm eager to hook her up with wired women far and wide. She needs help finding a diverse swath of women ages 18-25 to interview about their connection to or understanding of feminism, and she's also just looking for folks who are interested in her project and would like to spread word. If this is you, send me an email and I will pass it along to Nona!

More Sounds Off on OUR Hillary Problem

O happy day! At last, an article on Hillary that focuses on our problem, not hers. Well, actually, their problem -- "them" being older, affluent, highly educated women. Younger women seem to be supporting Hillary in droves.

The October issue of More magazine has a great dialogue between veteran political analyst extraordinaire Donna Brazile and Deborah Tannen, linguistics prof and author most recently of You're Wearing THAT? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation. The two pundits speculate on the age gap that's emerged among Hillary's female supporters (hint: younger women, women with no more than a high school education, working class women, and women of color support her in droves) and ask an important question: Just what is it that ambivalent, older women -- women who say they want to want Hillary but don't -- want to hear?

I remember the comment from a panelist at a political session during BlogHer -- that women Hillary's age feel lesser because Hillary "has it all." (I repeat my reaction: with all due respect, barf.) Brazile says that the older contingent are less excited than the younger gals are about the mere fact that a woman is running. Tannen adds that we always expect more of Mom than we do of Dad. Is that why W has gotten away with what he has? But I digress. Age gap aside, Brazile and Tannen very smartly sound off on the ridiculous double standards imposed on female leaders by men and women alike. This is indeed my own answer whenever I get the question during my readings about what I've come to casually refer to as "Hillary Hate." There is only one of her, and we expect her to be so much.

I'd love to hear others' thoughts, though, about Hill and the age gap. Do tell. Why are younger women seemingly more prone to support her so far, while older affluents are hedging their bets? (And for more, check out TAP's recent article on it all, here.)

Next Reading: Tuesday 9/18 at KGB!

Join Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer (HOW SASSY CHANGED MY LIFE: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine) and me (SISTERHOOD, INTERRUPTED: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild) tomorrow night for the fall kickoff of KGB Tuesday Night NonFiction!

DETAILS:
KGB Tuesday Night NonFiction
7-9pm, Free!
KGB Bar, 85 East 4th St
kgbbarlit.com

Women Authors: Get Your Tech On

I've been so fortunate these past months to have learned a ton from fellow feminist bloggers - and in the spirit of "see one, do one, teach one," I'm eager to share. So my fall webinar, MAKING IT POP: Translating Your Ideas for Trade, will include a session on how authors can use blogging and new media to spread word about their books, online. Details about the 6-week course, including how to register, are posted here. (All you need in order to take it is an Internet connection and a phone -- I will walk you through the rest! The first session is Nov. 6, 8-9:15pm ET.)

And on a related note, the Women's Media Center recently asked me to write a piece on this issue of authors and new media. The piece is now live. I look forward to your thoughts -- and to working with some of you to "make it pop"!

When Hardball Meets The View...

Last week two of my favorite "career" writers, New York Times career columnist and author of One Person/Multiple Careers Marci Alboher and Cali Williams Yost (of Work+Life Fit blog) joined Eve Tahmincioglu and Feminine Mistake author Leslie Bennetts on the Lime channel of Sirius radio for a conversation about women in the workplace. Karen Salmansohn hosted. You can listen to the podcast here.

Marci (pictured left) also had a great column in the Times the other week on worklife blur, called "Blurring by Choice and Passion." Today, Cali is live-blogging from the Alfred P. Sloan/AWLP Flexibility Retreat out in Park City, Utah. Both Marci and Cali generally pontificate about "work/life" in fresh and interesting ways. If you're looking for new and well-informed thinking on a not-so-new topic, these gals have got the goods.

Girls Gotta Run

I just learned about this interesting org - The Girls Gotta Run Foundation, Inc. - that raises money to buy athletic shoes for Ethiopian girls to support their participation in sports and help them continue their formal education. The Phoenix Gallery here in Chelsea is hosting a related art exhibit (Girls Gotta Run). Pics posted here. The exhibit runs through September 29.

GUEST POST: Young, Academic, and Feminist - in Public

Heather Hewett is an Assistant Professor in English and Coordinator of the Women's Studies Program at SUNY-New Paltz, and a freelance journalist to boot. If it weren't for Heather, who sat across from munching salads at Cosi while she finished her dissertation, I never would have finished mine. These days, in addition to organizing conferences, writing WashPo op-eds, and hosting MotherTalk Salons, Heather is mom to a 9-month old and a 4-year old. Here's Heather:

So here’s a question: how much of the desire among many younger academic feminists to reach out to a larger audience is generational, and how much has a much deeper history informed by the goals and visions of the feminist movement?

I write this question as a writer, professor, and scholar (and now, for the first time, blogger!) who has never been able to stop herself from writing for mainstream audiences. As a result, I’ve found myself crossing back and forth, locating myself both in and outside the academy. I’ve learned a lot as I’ve traveled this road, journeying along byways (plus more than a few dead ends) and cultivating skills that aren’t taught in most graduate programs. In order to keep going, I’ve constantly had to hew a vision of myself that includes multiple kinds of writing and interests. An endeavor, I sometimes worry, that isn’t always rewarded in the academic world. As a result, it’s been liberating for me to find other young feminists on this journey and to realize that I’m not traveling solo.

But as much as I might congratulate myself on my own ambition (or castigate myself for my lack of discipline), I have to ask: isn’t this one of feminism’s visions? Doesn’t feminism invite us to think about the relationship of our research to social change, to connect with larger audiences over concerns we all share? Haven’t lots and lots of feminist intellectuals – Betty Friedan, Barbara Ehrenreich, Susan Faludi, Laura Kipnis, to name only a few – done this? (If you haven’t guessed already, this is why I love Girl w/Pen!)

So here is another story (and, I will confess, a bit of a shameless plug). One of the things I love about my current job at SUNY New Paltz is that I help to organize a regular Women’s Studies conference. One of the goals of this conference is to connect feminist scholars and researchers, activists, social workers, teachers, students, and other community members – and the Women’s Studies Program has been putting this together for 28 years. The year of its launch, I was in third grade! I’m a bit awed by this history, and it reminds me that plenty of academic feminists before me have sought to create dialogue and community that transcend the confines of the so-called Ivory Tower.

This year’s conference is entitled “Girlhood: The Challenge and Promise of Growing Up Female.” Our keynote speakers include journalist and Feministing contributor Courtney Martin, Senior UNICEF Adviser Mary Roodkowsky, and SUNY New Paltz students Julliany Lahoz, Cristal Pimentel, and Queen Bond. Workshops and panels will explore girls’ identity, culture, activism, health, education, struggles, and successes in the U.S. and globally. Please check us out – we’re on the Hudson River, only an hour and a half north of New York City. Girls of all ages and those interested in girlhood are invited to attend!

You can contact Heather directly at hewetth AT newpaltz DOT edu

The Return of Dottie and Jane...

So my gal Heather Hewett has been a partner in crime since the days of our joint website, "Dottie and Jane's Adventures Out of Academia." I was Dottie, she Jane. The site was our attempt to learn html while chronicling our escapades in the wilds of NYC during academic furlough. We had a blast. Heather is also the author of that fabulous op-ed in the Wash Post a few weeks ago, about the politics of nannyhood. Keep an eye out for Heather's post here soon... (Welcome back, Jane!)

Join Me for GRRL Night at KGB Kickoff 9/18

Kick off the fall season of KGB Nonfiction on Tuesday, where the Sassy Girls and I will help you get your grrl on while sipping cocktails from the bar (my favorite way to do a reading, I've since discovered)...Here are the details:

DETAILS:
KGB Tuesday Night NonFiction
7-9pm, Free!
KGB Bar, 85 East 4th St
kgbbarlit.com

*** Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer (HOW SASSY CHANGED MY LIFE: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine) and Deborah Siegel
(SISTERHOOD, INTERRUPTED: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild) read from their work.***

See you there!!

Nona and Emma's Feminist Road Trip Begins in Chicago

More on the young feminist road trip I mentioned briskly in an earlier post. Twenty-three year old writer Nona Willis-Aronowitz (daughter of Ellen Willis, founder of Redstockings, Voice editor, and the New Yorker's first rock critic) is pairing up with Emma Bernstein (daughter of painter and art journal editor Susan Bee -- and niece of my mentor/friend Susan Bernstein) to document what "feminism" means to members of their generation, in words and images. Their book will map the future and acknowledge the past. I'm looking forward to doing whatever I can to help these ladies out - how much do I LOVE this project?!

Blogging While Academic?

I just learned about MediaCommons, an online community exploring the changing nature of what it means to “publish,” and new forms of digital scholarship and pedagogy. Interesting convo going on over there now about the issue of what blogging and other forms of online publishing “count” for in the academic system of reward. For those of you tenure bound, might want to check it out!

(Thanks to Elizabeth Curtis for the heads up.)

History Hits

From the National Women's History Project's blog, Writing Women Back into History, come these tidbits and reminders:

September includes the anniversaries of Billie Jean King defeating male chauvinist, Bobbie Riggs, on the tennis court in 1973 and Sandra Day O’Connor being sworn in as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court eight years later. The first weeks of September also include the play-offs for the WNBA.

GREAT hooks for anyone considering writing an op-ed this month!

(Pic is of the tennis dress King wore at the match.)

Britain's Young Feminists

Louise France and Eva Wiseman set it straight, with a piece in the Observer Woman on how younger women's attempts to rebrand feminism 35 years after the launch of Spare Rib magazine. The article begins:

My mother and I are in the pub. I tell her that I'm researching a piece about Britain's young feminists. My mother, who is in her 50s and was inspired by reading Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch when she was a Seventies housewife, looks astonished. 'But there aren't any,' she says, with the finality of a lid being placed on a saucepan.

F-Word editor Jess McCabe and other young feminists answer the following questions: How did you become a feminist? How are you different from your mum's generation? What are the clichés about feminism? Can you be a feminist and go to a lap-dancing club? What makes you angry? Check out their answers here.

(Thank you, Catherine, for the clarification!! -GWP)

Seeking Editorial Assistance on That Book?

People are always asking me if I know any freelance book editors, so I thought I'd post some info here about someone I always recommend.

Jean Casella is an editor, writer, and publishing consultant with more than twenty years of experience as an in-house editor for distinguished independent publishing houses. She provides a full range of editorial services to authors, publishers, and non-profit organizations.

Jean served, most recently, as editorial director and then publisher of the Feminist Press at the City University of New York, where she launched several successful new publishing initiatives in international literature, U.S. literary classics, and nonfiction by women. Earlier in her career, she managed the editorial programs at Thunder’s Mouth Press and the Fiction Collective. She has run a successful freelance editing and consulting business since 2005.

If you are interested in working with Jean, mention Girl with Pen and receive a 10% discount.

Contact:
917-974-0529
casellaj4@msn.com

Never-Married Twentysomethings on the Rise

This just in: There's been a sharp increase in never-married twentysomethings in just six years. According to new Census figures released today, almost three-quarters of men and almost two-thirds of women in their 20s in 2006 said they had never been married! As reported in USA Today:

Among men ages 20-29, 73% said they had never been married in 2006, compared with 64% in 2000. For women, 62.2% had never married in 2006, compared with 53.4% six years earlier.

The data also show the percentage of those marrying in their 20s continues to decline. A USA TODAY analysis of the new Census figures shows that just 23.5% of men and 31.5% of women ages 20-29 were married in 2006. (The analysis excludes those who are married but separated.) Both the number and percentage of those in their 20s fell from 2000, when 31.5% of men and 39.5% of women were married.

"These clearly are quite dramatic changes by demographic standards," says demographer Peter Morrison of the non-profit RAND Corp., which studies public policy issues. "The amount of change in six years is quite substantial. It's impressive in terms of the degree to which the institution of marriage is evolving. There clearly is a process of social evolution occurring here, and one can speculate about where it will end."

The trend toward delaying marriage has emerged over several decades as economic and social forces have made it more difficult for those in their 20s to reach independence. Sociologists and demographers say other factors are also at work, including increasing numbers of cohabiting couples, more highly educated women who have fewer highly educated men of comparable age to partner with, and more choices open to women than in decades past.

For those reasons and others, experts say they don't expect this upward trend in the ages for marriage to reverse.

So what are twentysomethings doing instead? For one, as also reported in USA Today, Gen Y is involved. Check it out here.

And finally, twentysomethings Nona Willis-Aronowitz and Emma Bernstein are taking a feminist roadtrip! Read all about it in The Metro. I'm looking forward to meeting with Nona next week.

Ok, I'm headed off to my cousins' for Rosh Hashanah dinner (Mom - I made a killer kugel!) -- I'll be back on GWP tomorrow night!

(Thanks to CCF and Susan Bernstein for the links!)

Women, Girls, Ladies

Marco strikes again, with a hot little logo for our "Women, Girls, Ladies: Join the Conversation" program for Women's History Month this year. (THANK YOU, M!)

The group blog is now open. It'll look prettier, though, very soon :)

Has Soccer Mom Gone Shrew?

A must-read over at Brain, Child magazine: In "Soccer Mom Loses Her Kick," Tracy Mayor asks whether, starved after decades on the sound-bite diet, mothers might get some meat from politicians in '08.

Think moms are apolitical? Think again. Check out these posts from one of my favorite political moms, here, here, and here. And definitely, always, stop by Pundit Mom, MomsRising, and the Mothers Movement Online, too.

(Thanks to Steve Mintz, Stephanie Coontz, and Veronica Arreola for the heads up!)

Susan Faludi and Naomi Wolf on 9/11 Aftermath

Talk about synergy. On the way to my authors group last night, I picked up a copy of Leo Braudy's From Chivalry to Terrorism: War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity. Then I learned that on October 2, feminist superstar Susan Faludi is coming out with a new book called The Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in Post-9/11 America. Anyone remember how, following 9/11, media headlines declared women to be suddenly less inclined to be satisfied as single and independent beings? And that another baby boom was apparently bound to occur as women's biological clocks began to tick faster after the tragedy? With what sounds like her hallmark in-depth documentation, Faludi looks at the gendering of cultural response.

The Liberaloc and USA Today have posted excerpts, and here's what I've gleaned (from the book description):

Why, Faldui asks, did our culture respond to an assault against American global dominance with a frenzied summons to restore “traditional” manhood, marriage, and maternity? Why did we react as if the hijackers had targeted not a commercial and military edifice but the family home and nursery?

Faludi shows how an attack fueled by hatred of Western emancipation led us to a regressive fixation on Doris Day womanhood and John Wayne masculinity, with trembling “security moms,” swaggering presidential gunslingers, and the “rescue” of a female soldier cast as a “helpless little girl”? The answer, Faludi finds, lies in a historical anomaly unique to the American experience: the nation that in recent memory has been least vulnerable to domestic attack was forged in traumatizing assaults by nonwhite “barbarians” on town and village. That humiliation lies concealed under a myth of cowboy bluster and feminine frailty, which is reanimated whenever threat and shame looms.

In taking on the subject of American culture in the wake of 9/11, Faludi joins fellow superstar Naomi Wolf, who just came out with The End of America: Letter to a Young Patriot, as I mentioned in a previous post. It seems highly relevant that prominent feminist thinkers are turning their attention to the state of our union--which, according to both, is dangerously unraveling. The threat, they both argue, is not merely external; in the wake of 9/11, the threat to our nation's integrity also comes from within.

I can't wait to get my hands on these two books. More on this to come, for sure.

L'Shannah Tovah / Happy (Jewish) New Year

This is a card I was sent by my friend Stephanie Aaron (of Aaron Design). It's too pretty not to share. Wishing you all the sweetness of apples and honey all the year long!

Two 9/11 Stories

One for each of our towers.

Kathy Rich, author of the forthcoming book Unspeakable: A Story About India and Life in Other Words and a writer in my authors group, wrote a beautiful, poignant essay for the Modern Love column in Sunday's New York Times. Thank you, Kathy, for giving us your amazing tale.

And my guy Marco has a very astute post up today over at Hokum on the branding of OBL. Ok, so granted, I love the guy (Marco), but I objectively think this post is brilliant. See for yourself - go check it out.

(Photo credit)

Introducing: Womengirlsladies, the Blog

Fellow writers Courtney Martin, Gloria Feldt, Kristal Brent Zook and I have launched, yep, a group blog which we hope will foster some FRESH conversation among intergenerational feminists about what matters: power, work, sex, motherhood, pop culture, the future, and everything in between. Since I temporarily can't figure out how to post over there (doh), I thought I'd make my post live here for the time being. So here it goes:

Sisterhood, UNinterrupted

I'm thrilled to be part of this dialogue. In my head, I confess, I've been calling it "Sisterhood, UNinterrupted," and I feel so fortunate to be working with my fellow womengirlsladies to foster some much-needed cross-generational talk. These wgls inspire the heck outa me. In addition to continuing the conversation I've been having at readings and talks around my book these past few months, the significance this dialogue has for me goes straight to my core. I've worked in the women's movement and in academia for about 15 years now, and, like Courtney, I've watched some pretty rough dynamics play out between women of different generations at work. And I've often felt caught in between -- the confidant of women on both ends of the age spectrum. Old enough to sympathize, young enough to want things to change. Now that I'm working independently, I watch the generational chasm reflected -- or rather, writ large -- in our popular culture. Stereotypes of young women as apolitical bimbos ("Britney, c'est moi!") and Boomer women as bra-burning throwbacks ("Hillary - so out of touch") drive me insane. With so much unfinished business, so much still to be done to ensure that women across ages and classes and races have the opportunity to live safe and full lives, I'm convinced it's time for a different tune.

Check out what Courtney, Gloria, Patti Binder, and others have to say so far over at www.womengirlsladies.blogspot.com. And join the conversation!

In Memorium

And may they long be remembered in our hearts.

My First Vlog!

Here's a preview (practice version?!) of something we prepared for the National Women's Studies Association -- complete with a goofy out-take at the end. (Hint: I cackle.) Thank you, Elizabeth, for leading the way!

Woodhull Gets Wired!

As many know, I'm a Fellow at the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership. An exciting announcement: Woodhull and Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty have teamed up to offer "Real Women, Real Success Stories" . Over the next 16 weeks, Woodhull faculty and fellows will be teaching modules that are taught at the leadership retreats--online. Everything officially launched today, and you can get to it all by clicking here.

Congrats, Woodhull!

Stripping Pole Just Won't Go Away...

Ok, I'm on a roll this morning and really MUST get to work (um, paid work). But I just had to share this post from Jessica over at feministing, on some shoddy reporting about how feminism is responsible for the stripping poles some fraternities are apparently installing in their lust dens.

I saw over the weekend that my Guardian piece on why I hope the whole stripping pole business soon goes the way of the old charred bra was picked up by the Kuwait Times last week. Here's a tidbit from it - I wonder how this reads in Kuwait??:

What the burned bra was to the second wave, the stripping pole has become to the third - a bogey that distracts us from the far less sexy reality that feminism is, and always has been, serious work. It is time to stop deploying rigid and vapid cliches - damsel, good girl and slut - and fixating on the alleged excesses of one contested aspect. We need to keep our eyes on the wider array of women's issues. May the stripping pole go the way of the charred bra, a quaint reminder of how those calling it from the sidelines got it very wrong.