Roundup: WAM! 2008 Panel Coverage

This is not a pic from a Dr. Seuss book but rather a shot of MIT's Ghery-designed Strata Center, where this weekend's Women, Action Media conference took place. In addition to my posts on the Hillary panel (here and here), I wanted to share additional highlights, for those who weren't able to attend. Some summaries, as filtered by other bloggers who were there:

Hugo Schwyzer on Helen Thomas' keynote from Friday night and on a handful of the Saturday panels--"Breaking the Frame: Revitalizing and Redefining Reproductive Rights Media Coverage," "Beating the Old Boys’ Club," and "Sex Workers and Media Representation."

Jessica Valenti at feministing on the session called "Battling Backlash: Strategies for Fighting Back, Rising Above and Making Progress"

Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon on the "Breaking the Frame" session. (I poached the photo of the Strata Center from Amanda, btw.)

I know there's a site that live-blogged the whole darn thing and if I find it, I'll let you know. If anyone finds it first, please post the url in comments. And if you were there and blogged about it, send us your links in comments as well!

GWP Institute: Where You Can Find Me...

Well, I'm back in NYC after a month of traveling for Women's History Month talks and both my cat and my fiance seem to still recognize me, so all is well. Phew! April is all about book proposal writing for me, so I will definitely be trying to practice what I preached at the session I moderated at WAM! this weekend, on Writing Book Proposals. Can't wait to read the books those in that audience are going to write one day, as I heard a ton of great ideas. Folks have been asking where I'm teaching next, so I thought I'd post the Spring workshop roster again here:

April 7 - Breaking into Anthology Writing (with me and Daphne Uviller)
MediaBistro @ NYC

April 13, 17 - Finding Your Subject, Finding Your Voice: A Seminar in Personal Nonfiction (with both me and Alissa Quart)
Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership @ NYC

April 26 – What You Should Know about Blogging and Why
Council on Contemporary Families Conference @ University of IL, Chicago

May 10 - Writing Nonfiction Book Proposals
Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership @Ancramdale (Retreat center)

June 7 – Strategic Blogging for Organizations, Women’s Centers, and Feminist Experts
National Council for Research on Women Annual Conference @New York University

Live Blogging: Talkin' About My Generation....

Continuing where the post below left off: I asked the panel on media coverage of Hillary here at WAM! to comment on the age divide among women around the election--and how it's being framed in the MSM--and it seems to have sparked some rather heated (YAY!) conversation. Here are snippets:

-An African American woman declares herself undecided, but poignantly voices her desire to hear more about Obama's policy positions. "Inspiration, words, great. But what do you stand for?" she says.

-A young white woman speaks from the heart about her feelings about Obama, then asks, "As a feminist who is supporting Obama, what can I do to continue to combat sexism?"

-Betsy Reed (from the panel) notes, "There's a sense among older women that younger women are abandoning the cause. And younger women are saying to older women, 'You know, we have more complex political identities.' The difference in voting may be portrayed as a catfight, but it's bringing a lot to the fore. "

-Carol Hardy-Fanta brings up the troubling news of that new report about the high percentage of Obama supporters who say they will vote for McCain if Obama doesn't get the nomination.

-My Woodhull colleague Elizabeth Curtis "outs" herself as a young woman who is supporting Hillary and questions the assumption that younger women are voting for Obama and older women for Hillary without backing these statements with any research. [Note from GWP: The stats from SuperTuesday and Junior SuperTuesday do show it...] She notes the lack of coalition on the side of the Dems. And she asks the question that I think is THE question: "What we can start to do--right now-to work together to ensure that the Democrat will make it to the White House?"

-Carol Hardy-Fanta notes that there have been more Democrats coming out to vote than Republicans--twice as many, it seems. If that continues, the Dem has a chance. She calls upon us to respond to friends who make those inane "I'm going to vote for McCain" comments by calling them on it.

YESSS. And my own thoughts on this are expressed in the Washington Post oped I coauthored the other week with Courtney. If I weren't working like hell on my book proposal, I'd be tempted to write another one. But for the moment, instead, I'll just have to be satisfied with calling defectors losers.

Live Blogging: Cleavage, Cackles, and Cookies

I HEART WAM! And it's been such a pleasure to meet bloggers--Jill and Holly from Feministe, Amanda from Pandagon, Hugo Schwyzer--and many other folks I've long admired. Always grateful to make connections new and old. I've finally dragged my computer out and am live blogging here from the final session, "Cleavage, Cackles and Cookies: Analysis of News Coverage of Hillary Clinon and the Presidental Election." So here we go:

Allison Stevens of Women's eNews is moderating and offers out the following statistics, via a recently released report from The Center for Media and Public Affairs (a non-partisan org that tracks coverage):

84% of on-air comments about Obama have been positive
43% of on-air comments about Clinton have been positive

What gives?

Barbara Lee, social activist and philanthropist, frames the convo with a look at the difficulty women governors--her expertise--have in getting elected. She notes that voters give female governors high marks. Once voters have seen women governors in action, they LIKE them. But it's the getting elected part that's hard. Voters have doubts about whether women are capable of leading at the highest levels. They must be perceived as both competent and likeable--not an easy feat. There's also "hair, hemlines, and husband" phenomenon--everything about a woman candidate has to be just right. Once in office, female govs exceed and redefine voter expectation. But here's the upside: The higher standards are producing women governors who excel in the eyes of the voters. And while voters demand more from women, they also give them great credit.

On Hillary, Barbara restates the obvious:

"The media coverage--particularly cable tv pundits and talk show hosts--has been maddening. Rarely, has the historic nature of her campaign been celebrated. Rather, it's been demeaned."

Carol Hardy-Fanta, Director of UMAss Boston's Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, reruns clips of the news coverage of Cleavagegate and Hillary's Cackle, calling attention to the throughlines. A thought: News stories about Al Gore's sigh, John Edwards' hair, and Hillary's cackle--initiated at Republican headquarters?

Since Cookiegate back in 1992, Hillary has had to straddle different and changing ideas about women. Back then, the break with the past was seismic. Until Carter's campaign, Presidents' wives didn't sit in on Cabinet meetings. Hillary was the first President's wife who came from having a major career. She was trapped between an outdated past and an uncharted future. Since then, she's faced all sorts of double standards. Most recently, she's been accused of using a "mommy strategy" to soften her image.

Additional obstacles include this: Since 9/11, citizens willingness to vote for a qualified woman candidate for Prez has actually decreased.

Betsy Reed, Executive Editor at The Nation, refers to the "tsunami of misogyny" we've seen--it's a "breathtaking amount of venom." According to the race playbook and the gender playbook, blacks are seen as traitors, while women are seen as weak. Betsy also addresses ways that Hillary's gender and Obama's race have helped them in their campaigns.

Alison asks: What does this campaign mean to future female candidates and future candidates who are people of color?

Carol Hardy-Fanta: "Hillary started off as the one to beat. She had name-recognition, money, the establishment, and a popular former President behind her. She had the 'unassailable lead.' She was the first woman who had wiped away the large structural barriers to a woman becoming a nominee. She made some mistakes, but compared to John McCain's mistakes? If Hillary can't even get the nomination, I don't think we'll see another woman run and win until my daughter is a grandparent. And what of the fact that Reverend Wright gets so scrutinized while McCain gets a free pass on Pat Roberston endorsing him?"

Betsy Reed: "It's unfortunate that Obama has not been able to call out the sexism that Hillary has experienced. He hasn't called out some of the racism that he's experienced. It's as if the very accusation is suspect somehow. We need to figure out a better way of talking about these things, and waging protest when appropriate."

Ok, off to ask a question for the panel, so am signing off for now....

(Image cred)

See You at WAM!

I'm headed off to the Women Action Media Conference in Cambridge today, sponsored by the Center for New Words and the MIT Program in Women's Studies. On Saturday afternoon (2-3pm), I'm heading up a panel--"Writing a Book Proposal that Sells"--with my partner-in-crime Courtney and two amazing editors: Amy Caldwell, Executive Editor at Beacon Press, and Laura Mazer, an editor, journalist, and book consultant who has worked with publishers including Seal Press, Counterpoint Books, Soft Skull Press, Avalon Publishing Group, and Random House. Here's the description:

Activists, advocates, and savvy writers everywhere have the opportunity to frame public debate about the complex forces shaping the lives of women and girls. Writing a “trade” book is one way to enter public debate and reach an audience far outside social justice movement worlds alone. This session brings together published book authors with editors at houses that publish feminist work. Panelists will discuss ways to shape a media career, the importance of finding your right subject, components of a successful book proposal, why marketing is everything, and the role of agents. Participants will learn why it’s essential to think about audience and “platform” and explore ways to use new media to garner visibility for their work well before your book hits the shelves.

If there, come join us!

Sex, Cupcakes, and Martha Stewart--Oh My!

This just in: Rachel Kramer Bussell, along with her fellow Cupcakes Take the Cake bloggers, will be appearing on The Martha Stewart Show this coming Monday, March 31st, to kick off Cupcake Week on the show. As Rachel notes, that's not (yet) a national holiday. They're on at the top of the hour (1 pm ET on NBC). Click here for local listings.

Now, I'm just waiting for the moment Rachel, who also blogs at LustyLady and edits these amazing sex anthologies, slips sex toys into the conversation with Martha.

Rachel also just passed along a great link to me--an article by Violet Blue about how women are treated online, over at SFGate. Read it and weep. And then, go eat a big fat cupcake. For reals.

Defection Is for Losers

I'm in Easton, PA, watching campaign ads from my hotel room and feeling ill as I digest the latest news about the allegedly high percentage of Democratic voters who say they'll "defect" and vote for McCain if their prefered Dem doesn't win the nomination. PEOPLE, WAKE UP! I think I want to write another op-ed. (Paging Courtney--copy that?!)

I wish all those Dems who feel this way could have been at the dinner I attended with a group of Lafayette College students before my talk here last night. Most seemed to be Obama supporters, save me and one other student (go Abra!), but we all shared the fantasy of the Dream Ticket--Hillary and Barack, both. The passionate dinner table conversation, and a later exchange with Kimberly, a staff member here who was moved to drive up to New Hampshire to campaign for Obama door-to-door, put me in direct touch once again with the incredible energy and awakening among young people that Obama has set in motion.

To any post-college-age Democrat who feel "defecting" is an appropriate response, I have this to say: Defection is nothing but sore loserdom, with the emphasis on LOSER. Before you defect, please think about the message you are sending to a generation newly engaged.

(Image cred)

Zen Moment

I interrupt this blog to bring you a calming image, courtesy of my dude, Marco. Ahhh. I'm taking these zen moments wherever I can find them these days. If anyone's got one to share, email me, and I'll post it!

TOUR NOTES: New School on Thursday!

I'm telling ya, I'm in intergenerational feminist heaven this month. For those of you in NYC looking for a way to honor Women's History Month, I hope you'll consider coming out for this one, here at my home base!

Feminist Generations/Feminist Locations: The Continuing Vitality of Feminist Thought and Action

THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008
New School for Social Research
66 WEST 12TH ST., ROOM 407
6:30-8 PM

Quick recap: I'll be joining Ai-Jen Poo (Domestic Workers United), Meredith Tax (a founder of Bread & Roses - 1969), Cleopatra Lamothe (Women of Color Collective, Lang College), and Erica Reade (Moxie, Lang College Feminist Club), and Ann Snitow, coeditor of The Feminist Memoir Project and a founder of New York Radical Feminists -- the group that brought us the Miss America Protest that put women's liberation on the map, and so much more. The panel, will take on the state of feminism across generations. Joining me will be:

For more info, please contact Soraya Field Fiorio, fiors393@newschool.edu.

Pix from the Road

Here's a shot of yesterday's intergenerational panel at SUNY-New Paltz--Amy Kesselman, Elizabeth Gross, me, and Heather Hewett, who graciously organized us all.

It was humbling to share the stage with Amy, a second-wave radical feminist/now historian, who shared a number of zingers herself, including: "Coming out of the 1950s, everything looks like progress." Amy is currently working on the history of women's liberation movement in New Haven and I can't wait to read what she has found. Elizabeth--a very savvy sophomore who turned 20 yesterday and who heads up the only feminist group on campus, the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance--spoke beautifully from her heart. (Welcome to the 20s, Elizabeth! The 30s get even better!) We talked a lot about forms of social activism, current attitudes toward political engagement, what issues we'd fight for, and what "the personal is political" still means to women of different ages. And we talked about the role feminism plays in our life. Amy has written how "Feminism saved my life." I talked about how "feminism launched my life." And in Elizabeth's words, "Feminism is me." I've asked Elizabeth to do a guest post here on GWP, and she has agreed. Coming soon!

That pic to the right is the WomenGirlsLadies gang of 4 signing books at Eastern Michigan University last week. Our blog, offering "a FRESH conversation about feminism across generations" is now in full swing, over at: www.womengirlsladies.blogspot.com. Please do visit us over there and join the convo if so inclined!

TOUR NOTES: PA on Wednesday!

On March 26: 7:30 p.m., I'll be giving a talk at Lafayette College on....Sisterhood Interrupted! (How much fun is this Women's History Month? I wish EVERY month could be Women's History Month! Who do we petition?)

LOCATION: Kirby Hall of Civil Rights, Room 104. Co-sponsored by Office of Intercultural Development and Women’s and Gender Studies program. Come one, come all!

(I'll be in New Paltz today.)

EVENT: Fear of Flying at 35

If this isn't the coolest sounding conference: "Fear of Flying: Can a Feminist Classic Be a Classic?" On March 28, Columbia University will host a half-day conference at which speakers will revisit Erica Jong’s novel, assess the status of women’s writing and feminism in today’s literary scene, and suss out the possibilities of subversion open to contemporary young women writers. I'll be at WAM!, or else I'd be here.

For those in need of a refresher, 35 years ago Erica Jong's first novel, Fear of Flying, broke from conventional expectations and freed other women writers to write intelligently and openly about sex. It became an international bestseller. ("Zipless fuck" anyone?)

So Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library acquired a large collection of Erica Jong’s archival material in 2007. And so the Rare Book & Manuscript Library will join the Columbia University Institute for Research on Women and Gender and the Center for Research on Women at Barnard College as sponsors. I love it.

Speakers include novelists Min Jin Lee, author of the national bestseller Free Food for Millionaires; Aoibheann Sweeney, author of Among Other Things I’ve Taken Up Smoking; literary and cultural critics Nancy K. Miller, Distinguished Professor, Comparative Literature and English, at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, and author of But Enough About Me: Let Me Tell You About My Memoir; Susan Rubin Suleiman, C. Douglas Dillon Professor of the Civilization of France and a professor of comparative literature at Harvard, and author of Subversive Intent: Gender, Politics and the Avant-Garde; Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Director of American Studies, Stanford University, and author of From Fact to Fiction: Journalism and Imaginative Writing in America; and journalist Rebecca Traister, staff writer for Salon.com and a founding contributor to Broadsheet. The afternoon will culminate in a conversation between Erica Jong and Columbia professor and novelist Jenny Davidson, author of Breeding. “Fear of Flying: Can a Feminist Classic be a Classic?” is open to the public and will be held at the Social Hall, Columbia University Union Theological Seminary, 3041 Broadway at 121st Street, in New York City, from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. A reception will follow.

CFP: Anthology on Reproductive Justice

Reproductive Justice: "the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic well-being of women and girls, based on the full achievement and protection of women's human rights" (source: Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice)

SisterSong is putting together a special anthology on Reproductive Justice and is currently accepting submissions for consideration. Submit poetry, art, and manuscripts that have not been previously published, especially work by young writers, to

Guidelines for submission are available at www.sistersong.net. Submissions should include: 1) a completed cover page with identifying information (please remove all headers, footers, notes, and bibliographic entries from manuscript that might identify the authors); 2) three (3) copies of the manuscript formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition) and printed on standard U.S. paper (8 1/2 x 11); and 3) three (3) copies of an abstract.
DEADLINE for submissions is no later than June 1st, 2008.

Sistersong adds: "We understand that submitting a manuscript can be a daunting and often intimidating process. We would like to extend our help in putting together your contribution for this anthology. If you have an idea, a sketch of ideas, or a rough draft for consideration please feel free to contact any one of us so that we can help you through the process. For questions about your submission, please contact one of the co-editors below." Send submissions to one of the following addresses:

Lynn Roberts, PhD, Co-Editor Or Loretta Ross, Co-Editor
Urban Public Health Program SisterSong Women of Color
Hunter College of the Reproductive Health Collective
City University of New York 1237 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., SW
425 East 25th Street, Box 766 Atlanta, GA 30310
New York, NY 10010 (404) 756-2680
(212) 481-5110 (404) 756-2684 fax
(212) 481-5260 fax Loretta@sistersong.net
lroberts@hunter.cuny.edu

Snow Bunny

This is my very young friend Charlie Zachar, checking out his Easter basket in my sweet hometown Chicago. Couldn't resist!

EVENT: BUST Fundraiser

On April 14 BUST Magazine will be throwing “The Hysterical Festival Fundraiser”, at Comix Comedy Club, 353 W 14 St (9th Ave) @ 8PM. The cost is $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Buy tix here.

The event will include performances by:

Heather Lawless (Be Kind Rewind, Variety SHAC, HBO's Flight of the Conchords)
Mel and El (New York Musical Theatre Festival Concert Series at Ars Nova)
Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend”, Montreal Just for Laughs Festival)
Bridget Everett (At Least It's Pink at Ars Nova)
Adira Amram (Upright Citizens Brigade, Jane Magazine)
Ophira Eisenberg (Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend”, US Weekly Fashion Police, VH1)

For media inquiries, contact Hillary Buckholtz at: 301-806-5519 or email mshbuck@gmail.com.

TOUR NOTES: SUNY-New Paltz on Monday

Join me, if nearby, for: "The Personal and the Political: Three Generations of Feminism,” an intergenerational panel co-sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program, the History Department, and FMLA.

Monday, March 24, 2008, 5:00-7:00pm, Honors Center, College Hall

Here's the description:

How have feminists across generations understood the relationship between personal transformation and political activism? What tensions and insights surface from the intersections of personal life and social change? What visions and projects do women share across generations? How is our understanding of the second and third waves of feminism evolving, and what is feminism’s future? Come join three generations of feminists in a discussion about the relationship between personal life and political activism during the last fifty years of the women’s movement!

The panel will feature writer Deborah Siegel, Ph.D., author of Sisterhood, Interrupted: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild (Palgrave Macmillan 2007). Siegel is at the forefront of reexamining the feminist movement and the ways in which younger women are reinventing feminism. [WOW! THAT'S SO NICE OF THEM TO SAY! -A HUMBLED GWP] Contrary to those who have proclaimed the women’s movement dead, or too divided between older and younger generations, Siegel has brought attention to the continuities that cross generational lines. In Sisterhood, Interrupted, Siegel examines how the relationship between individual change and collective action has emerged as a recurring theme for both the second and third waves of feminism. Siegel will be joined by Amy Kesselman, Professor of Women’s Studies at SUNY New Paltz, a historian of second-wave feminism, and one of the founders of the women’s liberation movement of the late 1960’s. Our third panelist, Elizabeth Gross, president of the SUNY New Paltz chapter of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, will join them in what we hope will be a lively discussion that brings together intellectual inquiry, personal reflection and intergenerational understanding.

A bizillion thanks to the hard-working and brilliant Heather Hewett for making this happen. I'm really excited--I write about Amy Kesselman in my book. It's truly humbling to be on panels with these women, and I'm totally looking forward to meeting Elizabeth, and to the conversation.

COMING SOON: Regular Monthly Guest Bloggers on GWP

Thrilled to announce that a handful of previous GWP guest posters will soon be guest blogging on a regular monthly basis over here. The regulars will include the venerable young'un of WomenGirlsLadies, Courtney Martin, and my feminist dude Marco Acevedo. If you're interested in being a monthly guest blogger (Virginia? Rebecca? Cathy? Heather? Elizabeth? Jackie? Mel? Elline? Others?), please contact me and we'll go from there!

New Coffeetable Book on Women's History

When I came home from Michigan this week, a beautiful book--a gift from a publisher in hope of a review--awaited me, to my surprise. It's called HER STORY: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America, by Charlotte S. Waisman and Jill S. Tietjen, and it's coming out in April. A rockin Mother's Day gift for sure.

An illustrated timeline featuring the lives of almost 900 women, with color photos and brief summaries highlighting their achievements, the book highlights women you expect and women you don't. "Sometimes we chose a woman because her influence and values touched a great number of people; sometimes we picked her because of the reverberations of her accomplishment." Madeleine Albright wrote the foreword. Thank you, HarperCollins, for sending. I covet this book. I tell you, blogging has its perks.

TOUR NOTES: Gloria and Courtney in Action at CMU

Gorgeous shot of Gloria asking Courtney a tough question about women's voting power on our panel this week! Lindsay Knake of the Central Michigan Life newspaper wrote a great article about the event (though please note that I said "economic opportunities"; not sure what "racial opportunities," as the reporter writes, actually means!) The piece begins:

Writer Deborah Siegel and the other panelists of "WomenGirlsLadies" are looking to change the way people view feminism.

And as Courtney notes over at our group blog (WomenGirlsLadies), "Knake's article was a great improvement over the pre-event coverage which lead with the cringe-worthy: 'Students can take part in a university-sponsored 'girl talk' tonight.' Pass the nail polish and don't you dare freeze my underwear girlies!"

But seriously, a thousand thanks to everyone at CMU, especially Jill Taft-Kaufman who made it all happen. It was an absolute pleasure! We'll soon have a podcast version of the panel, and I promise to post it when we do.

EVENT: Women Authors Talk Feminism & Activism

Tonight at 6:30PM, the National Organization for Women-New York City Service Fund is hosting an evening of authors, activism, and feminism. Join a great group of women writers as they "discuss their unique contributions of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction work and the ways in which it inspires, mobilizes, and sparks debate on today's pressing issues." Featuring:

Felice Belle - Poet, Playwright, Former Curator and Host of the Friday Night Slam series at the Nuyorican Poets Café, and author of poetry for the play History of the Word

Courtney Martin - Reporter, Professor on Gender Issues, and Author of
Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters

Sofia Quintero - Screenwriter, Activist, and Author of Divas Don't Yield

Hosted by Revolution Books
9 West 19th Street (btw. 5th & 6th)
Take the 4, 5,6, N, R,Q, W, to 14th Street Union Square
Or Take F to 14th Street and 6th Ave

Please RSVP 212.627.9895