EVENT: Kids Read in Bryant Park May 18

I've posted here before about my friend Rebecca Segall's amazing venture Writopia Lab and just wanted to share a quick update for those of you in NYC. Her young (middle and high schooler) writers have been arduously developing short stories, memoirs, op-eds, scripts, and poetry over the past six months and will be sharing them in Bryant Park on Sunday, May 18th, from noon to 3:00pm! One of her writers will be guest posting here on GWP soon, and I can't wait to share her voice with you all. And mongo congrats to Rebecca, who was just awarded Scholastic's Golden Apple Teacher Award for "submitting the most outstanding group of submissions on the national level" in the Scholastic Art & Writing event. I just learned she was also nominated by students and selected to be entered into the 11th Edition of Who's Who Among American Teachers. I'm so proud of my friend, I could just burst.

I'm in Book Heaven

After a month of being on the road, I'm finally able to get back to doing some book review posts. Here's a preview of the pile that came in while I was gone--books I hope to be writing about here and there over the next few weeks. Judging just from their covers, I can't wait to read them:

Dirty Girls: Erotica for Women, edited by Lusty Lady Rachel Kramer Bussel (hint: VERY hot cover)

It's a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments, by Amanda Marcotte (love the superhero cover on this one!)

Maiden USA: Girl Icons Come of Age, by Kathleen Sweeney (haunting cover image of girl staring back)

Parenting, Inc.: How We Are Sold on $800 Strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Language, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper Wipe Warmers--and What It Means for Our Children, by Pamela Paul (awesome subtitle is so long not much room for image, but image is of baby in a dollar-patterned diaper and very a propros)

Stay tuned...!

I Do I Don't I Do

My Progressive Women's Voices colleague Sonia Osario is up to some amazing stuff as the head of NOW-NYC. Like this event, for instance:

The Girlfriend's Guide To Marriage
April 17th, 2008, 6:30 pm

Don't just plan your wedding, plan your marriage. Join NOW-NYC for The Girlfriend's Guide to Marriage, and learn the top 10 things you should know before getting married. Speak with our relationship and legal experts, and tackle questions on every bride's mind. His name or yours? Is it better to combine banking accounts or keep them separate? The first year of marriage can be the most difficult, but we can help you make a smooth transition. Featuring attorney, Sherri Donovan, matrimonial and family law expert.

Event will be held at NOW-NYC office | 150 West 28th Street (btw. 6th & 7th) | RSVP (212) 627-9895 | $7 donation for non-members.

All so very topical, of course, for this girl with a pen who is getting married this summer. And keeping her name. Or maybe hyphenating. But definitely not giving it up. My name, that is.

Comments on an Intergenerational Convo at NYTimes

Oh my gosh--my mother has learned how to post comments at the New York Times! Mom, you make me proud! Renee (aka Mom, pictured left) posted in response to my online convo with Courtney over at Marci's blog last week, Shifting Careers. Since I'm bursting with pride at Renee's willingness to learn, and since I also loved what she wrote, I'm reposting her comment here:

"I really enjoyed this discussion between Deborah and Courtney– it touches on so many of the issues that I faced when I entered the work force. It is interesting to me, although a bit disappointing that younger feminists are still trying to achieve things like good child care, flexible hours, and that they 'appear' to be asking too much. Sense of entitlement? To me, if it is for valid reasons and causes, it’s fine. Entitlement only for oneself, without working for authentic and reasonable goals to be shared with other women, is not acceptable. Keep up the dialogue!" -Renee

And while I'm at it, I can't resist posting this comment from some dude who thinks I'm a liar:

"Uh, I’m sorry but Ms. Siegal should not lie about here age. Clearly, she is no older than 29. If you wanna add some legitimacy to this debate a 'boomer' would have really been interesting."
— Posted by Steven Cayce

Well, I AM 39 (as I'm IDed in the post) and for a wider range of generational perspective Steven, I invite you to come hear the panel Courtney and I doing at Harvard with Gloria Feldt and Kristal Brent Zook on April 18. For more on "WomenGirlsLadies: A FRESH Conversation Across Generations," I invite folks to check out our group blog!

See you at Mediabistro Tonight!

Tonight I'll be teaming up with my lovely (and very pregnant!) coeditor from Only Child, Daphne Uviller, for a workshop at Mediaistro on "Breaking into Anthology Writing." There are still a few slots left, so if interested, please join us!

WHEN Monday, April 7, 6:30-9:30 pm
WHERE mediabistro.com, 494 Broadway (Spring & Broome), New York, NY 10012
DIRECTIONS subway directions, map
PRICE $65 ($50 for )

Here's the description:

Anthologies are among the most powerful and poignant records of the times in which we live. As a writer, anthologies are also a superb way to break into the business, learn the ropes , and get your name on the book. Publishers are more likely to take a chance on your proposal because you've got the weight of other established writers behind you. But with so many currently on the shelves, the market for selling anthologies has become highly competitive. You may have a great, funny, important, and original idea for a collection of essays that has an obvious audience, but what do you need to do to make your anthology stand out?

In this seminar, you will learn how to:

• Write a proposal
• Find contributors
• Manage and edit submissions
• Work with purchasing editors
• Make the best use of your in-house publicist
• Self-publicize

Participants will leave with a timeline in hand detailing the process by which they could reasonably expect to complete a salable anthology.

Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream...Part 2

Speaking of war, do check out Courtney's post on a recent New Yorker article titled "Exposure: The Woman Behind the Camera at Abu Ghraib," by Phillip Gourevitch and Errol Morris. Writes Courtney:

In it, they look closely at the life of Sabrina Harman, the young soldier who took the photos of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib that have come to haunt us. The piece is so powerful, in part because the authors rely heavily on quotations from those involved, particularly Harman. Unlike most New Yorker pieces, which I find sometimes err on missing the voices of those at the center of the issue, this one is full of organic wanderings by the soldiers who got caught up in that horrendous place and time...What becomes clear very quickly is that Harman used her camera as a way to process the dissonance between what she felt was right--a small but nagging sentiment--and what she was watching happen all around her to the point of normalization. The lens becomes her way of organizing the world, of making sense of the nonsensical. Interestingly, she is known as the one who won't even let people kill a bug, but she never speaks out directly about the abuse being heaped on detainees. Clearly this contrast tells us something even more frightening about the power of conditioning. She wasn't seeing bugs tortured day in and day out. She was seeing people endure that to the point that it no longer seemed like something to endure or end.

Also, I just caught up on the news that the last bastion of male dominance in the US Navy has been cracked.Women will now be allowed to serve on submarines. It's absolutely a step in the right direction, but damn if I don't wish we could just put an end to all this war. (Via feministing).

I Heart Jodie Evans

This weekend completed my 3-month training as part of the first class of Progressive Women's Voices at the Women's Media Center. I can't say enough good things about this program, but suffice it to say that I've LOVED being a part of its charter class. A highlight this weekend was hearing Code Pink's Jodie Evans, who is also a WMC Board Member, reflect on her own experience with the media as a grassroots activist. Jodie seeks always to be "provocative and distinctive" in her voice. She blogs to get noticed by radio, and actually does radio--different programs--one hour each day, which makes for excellent practice. She makes a point of always telling a story, and gets very personal and very real, as that, in the end, is what moves people.

I was personally so moved by Jodie that I went up and hugged her at the end (and I have no idea whether she's a hugger, whoops). Her authenticity was so apparent, it was hard not to be moved. I asked her how she maintains that kind of genuine performance in front of a camera, as I have a FAR easier time connecting with audiences in person, and even with a radio host, but shine that camera on me and I generally go rigid inside. Her response: "Practice getting naked on camera. Practice practice practice. And get out of your own way. Remember, you're not speaking for yourself, you're speaking for others who can't be there." Wise words, truly.

Jodie also spoke of her personal goals, and the importance of waking up other women to use their own voices, and of moving the person closest to her, so she can then move the person closest to her. She reminded us all not to get stuck in the "I'm right, you're wrong" space, and to carry emotion (ie anger) in your body but not in your voice when on the air.

I'm excited for those taking part in the second class of Progressive Women's Voices and look forward to joining them. And keep an eye out for Code Pink after April 15 (Tax Day), as they've got a very hot message brewing. That's all I'll say...for now!

MLK Remembered

I'm so struck with the footage that keeps looping over and over today, from the Lorraine Motel. And with the remembrances coming through the cables, bloglines, and wires. So many, but I wanted to share these three rather poignant ones:

Addie Stan
Reuben Jackson
Kai Wright

Girl Icons at Bluestockings Tonight!

Tonight at 7PM, Kathleen Sweeney--who I enjoyed meeting at WAM! last weekend--will be reading from her new book, Maiden USA: Girl Icons Come of Age here in NYC at Bluestockings. Sweeney, a girls studies scholar, charts the pantheon of new girl icons that have surfaced in the past 15 years. From the book's description:

"Maiden USA explores images of powerful, contradictory pop culture icons of the past decade, which run the gamut from Mean Girls and their Endangered Victims to Superheroines and Ingenue Goddesses. Are girls of the Title IX generation in need of Internet protection, or are they Supergirls evolving beyond gender stereotypes to rescue us all?"

The book provides an overview of girl trends since the ’90s including the emergence of girls’ digital media-making and self-representation venues on MySpace, Facebook and YouTube as the newest wave of Girl Power. With brainiacs and athletic champions offered as antidotes to mean girls and lolitas, and with the emergence of self-representation venues on the internet, what is the significance of such contradictory imagery for the culture at large? Sweeney will address this question and also show animations created by teenage girls from across the country. FUN!!

GWP Seeks Spring & Summer 2008 Intern!

Yep, I'm looking for an intern to begin work 5-10 hours/week starting between now and May and ending in August. Primary responsibilities will entail:
• pitching talks and workshops to campuses and organizations for Fall 2008
• organizing content for a new website (comfort with WordPress, or willingness to learn, a plus!)

For the first month, compensation will be hourly. Changing to a commission-based payment arrangement will be considered during month two (in other words, the intern could receive a percentage of the fee received for any talk or workshop that she books for me for the Fall).

Qualifications:
• strong writing skills a must
• aggressive outreach skills (email, phone)
• meticulous follow-up ability
• familiarity with Excel spreadsheet
• availability to meet by phone once/week and in person in NYC once/month

Perks:
• networking networking networking!
• opportunity to guest post regularly on Girl w/ Pen
• all work will be done off-site/remotely
• great for someone interested in PR, marketing, book promotion, feminist organizations, women’s studies, the writing/speaking circuit

If interested, please send cover note and resume to me directly at girlwpen@yahoo.com. (To learn more about the kinds of talks and workshops, you can read more about my work over at www.deborahsiegel.net.)

Awesome Fellowship Position

This just in, via Ann Friedman:

The American Prospect's Writing Fellows Program offers young journalists the opportunity to spend two full years at the magazine in Washington, D.C., actively developing, practicing, and honing their journalistic skills. Each Fellow will write between three and four full-length feature articles. Fellows will also regularly write shorter, online pieces and blog daily for TAPPED.

The Fellows are expected and encouraged to write for other publications, build relationships with editors and reporters, and establish rapport with contacts at think tanks and in academia. The goal is to ensure that, once the fellowship is completed, Fellows will have developed the relationships, track record, and credibility (and clips!) to launch themselves as respected young journalists. Past Prospect Writing Fellows have gone on to work and write for The New York Times, The New Republic, The Nation, The Atlantic, Slate, Salon, Mother Jones, Newsweek, The Boston Globe and many other publications.

People of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply; they are committed to a diverse workplace, and to support their people with ongoing career development opportunities.

But hurry! The next deadline for applications for the writing fellowship is May 1, 2008 (postmarked), and the application package is pretty involved. Please contact Emily Parsons with any questions at eparsons@prospect.org.

Coming Attractions at GWP

A few weeks back I threw up a call for regular guest bloggers here on GWP, and I'm THRILLED to announce that you've taken me up on it! I'll be introducing you to our regulars one by one soon, but I want to whet your appetite by sharing the news that Laura Mazer, editor at Counterpoint Press (and formerly at Seal Press), will soon be posting a regular feature called "Ask the Editor."

Laura is a font of publishing wisdom--I learn every time I listen to her--and this is your chance to ask her anything you've been wanting to know but had no one to ask. Ok, I'll start. First question for Laura: "What is it about a good book proposal that *really* turns you on?" (Laura's response, coming soon!)

Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream...

I had one of those rare opportunities to meet a living legend last night: Jane Fonda. When I told my dad, earlier in the day, that I'd be meeting her, he excitedly reminded me that he'd taken part in the Concerned Officers Movement, a non-sanctioned network of commissioned officers, including some psychiatrists, when he was in the Navy during Vietnam. I grew up with his stories about his visits to the ships, his work in the hospital, and how he was able to really help some of the sailors, and I felt proud.

Sitting in a room full of women listening to Jane Fonda read from her memoir (My Life So Far) and then field questions about life, hope, and activism, I felt pride in a woman I had no claim to feel so personally proud of. But proud is what I felt. Proud, perhaps, just to know that there are humans like her. And wishing that this current war had a Jane Fonda, too. (Jodie Evans, of CodePink, was among those at the event, and I salute her here as well.)

And just a note to Girl Sailor, my blogging connection to the military and to the brave and heartfelt perspective of a female soldier: I feel proud of you too.

Ok, am signing off, before I get too verklempt here this morning. But I'll just say this: it's so easy to get hardened in this crazy faraway town called NYC, and listening to Jane opens that part of your heart that lets a lot of feeling in, and makes you want to change the world. Again and again and again.

For Purse Pundit's take on the evening, click here. And gratitude to the WMC for facilitating the evening.

Depressing Fact of the Day

And the Depressing Fact of the Day award goes to this:

As reported in the LA Times on Monday, Rapists in the Rank, women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq.

WTF. I have nothing more to say.

(Image cred)

Iron Maidelach, American Jewess, and More

Last week was Jewesses Who Rock (literally) Week on Jewess Blog. Check it out! And speaking of, this week marks the 113th anniversary — ("centennial + bat mitzvah!") — of the launch issue of The American Jewess, the first English-language publication directed to American Jewish women. Writes Rebecca Honig Friedman with backup from the Jewish Women's Archive Staff:

Published between April 1895 and August 1899, the magazine covered an evocative range of topics, from demands for synagogue membership for women, to Zionism, to health and fashion tips, to the propriety of women riding bicycles.

The phrase “American Jewess,” in the 1890s, described a new type of Jewish woman — one who could fully embrace the possibilities of both the religious and national aspects of her identity. The American Jewess set out to explore the challenges and possibilities inherent in this new identity, proclaiming that “never before, in the history of Judaism have its women more energetically devoted themselves to reviving the noblest elements of their ancestral faith.” Thanks to the Jewish Women’s Archive—in partnership with Hebrew Union College, Brandeis University Libraries, and the Library of Congress—the archives of The American Jewess are available online — in search-able, browse-able form.

Tres cool.

New Developments at New Moon

I had big fun meeting Nancy Gruver (pictured left) this weekend, at the WAM! conference. Nancy is the genius behind the print mag New Moon: The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams--which has recently relaunched as New Moon Girl Media, "an international girls’ empowerment company dedicated to bringing girls’ voices to the world.”

As my gal Julia Barry (of In Her Image fame) tells me, they've now launched a growth plan to reach a wider age-range and global demographic of girls, which includes LunaVida, an online club for girls aged 8-12, and orb28.com, the web community for and by girls aged 13-15+. These are girl-only, ad-free environments where girls can be themselves, share their creativity, connect with other girls, and get accurate information on issues they care about. Meanwhile, for grown-up girls (and grown-up boys), founder Nancy hosts a blog on the site called the Parent's/Adult Blog.

Congrats to all over there, and how wonderful it's been watching New Moon grow from sliver to full moon. I remember when the magazine first pubbed in the early '90s, and how tempted I was to quit what I was doing and go work for ya'll.

(PS. We're experiencing minor font difficulty over here--should be back to normal soon! - GWP)

Ha Ha April Fools

So here's an email I received yesterday that made me laugh--and then made me want to cry. Read it, and you'll see what I mean. (Picture sold separately.)

A BREAKTHROUGH FOR WORKING PARENTS!!!

At last, working parents can stop feeling guilty and start enjoying their family lives without giving up their jobs:

*A pregnant woman can now take leave from work six weeks before her baby is due and stay out ten weeks after the birth, all at full pay, with return to her job guaranteed.

*Fathers can take up to 11 days off after the birth of a baby, also at full pay. The parents can then share up to three years of leave time without risk of losing their jobs, and will receive a stipend if they are staying home with two or more children.

* Family-friendly policies don't stop after parents go back to work. Work hours are now set at 35 hours per week, and all workers receive twelve national holidays and five paid weeks of vacation

* A national preschool program is available to all children ages 3-5. It requires teachers have a master's degree and pays those teachers a living wage.

IS AMERICA A GREAT PLACE FOR FAMILIES OR WHAT?

APRIL FOOL! Those benefits are available to families in France, not the U.S.

-In Belgium, working women are entitled to four weeks maternity leave at 82 percent of their salary, and 11 more weeks at 74 percent. Belgian workers are entitled to 20 days paid vacation time and 10 national holidays. They also get up to 10 days of fully-paid leave each year to care for sick family members.

-Canada offers Employment Insurance for both maternity and paternity leave, allowing a couple to take up to 50 weeks leave, which can be divided between mother and father, at 55 percent of pay, up to a maximum of $435 per week. In addition, Canada's Universal Child Care Benefit pays families $100 per month for each child under age six.

BACK TO REALITY

So what's the real story about the U.S.?

* Of the 20 richest countries in the world, only Australia and the U.S. have no national law requiring paid maternity leave. Parents are eligible for only twelve weeks unpaid leave, the shortest amount of leave time of all Western industrialized countries. Furthermore, employees are not guaranteed unpaid leave unless their employer has over 50 workers within 75 miles of the parent's worksite and the employee has worked for the company for at least 12 months. Of workers eligible for leave who do not take it, 78 percent say that is because they can't afford to take time off without any pay.

*The U.S. is the only Western industrialized nation that does not mandate paid vacations. On average, we work nearly nine full weeks longer per year than our peers in Western Europe.

This funny yet sad wake up call brought to you by my friends at the Council on Contemporary Families.

Image cred

Say Wha? Young People Can't Choose?

An often savvy reporter, Sharon Jayson, had an interesting piece in USA Today last week (March 25), which comes to my attention today courtesy of CCF. In “Boomers’ Hope: That the ‘kids’ are all right", Jayson documents that a growing number of baby boomer parents are worried that their young adult children are lacking direction and motivation – and they may just stay that way. From the CCF summary:

These young adults aren’t slackers; they often have jobs to pay the rent and are seemingly on their own. But these parents worry that the close relationships they’ve cultivated with their children may have stifled their self-sufficiency. Others think young people may be caught in a vicious cycle, created by economics and fueled by parents. Having options is something young people expect, according to Richard Sweeney of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, who conducts young adult focus groups for colleges and corporations. “The bigger the choice, the more likely they are to postpone,” he said. “They don’t want to make a bad choice.” Having too many options – and the “anything is possible” mantra boomers inculcated in their children – may have backfired for some young adults, agreed Barry Schwartz, a psychology professor at Swarthmore College and author of “The Paradox of Choice.” “I think this is a major problem – this inability of people to pull the trigger because they’re worried there might be something better around the corner.”

I totally hear this from the late-twenties and thirty-something folks I'm interviewing for my next book. But I have to question these assumptions a bit. I'm the kid of Boomers and was massively indecisive in college, but grew out of it in my early twenties, only to hit a bout of indecision mid-grad school (to the tune of "should I stay or should I go") in my late twenties. My thirties have been filled with growing certainty. I think decisiveness comes with age.

But regardless, what's the alternative? I think about this as I begin to shift from thinking of myself as the daughter to myself as the parent. How do next-generation parents instill the dream of anything-is-possible with the reality that one must choose?

It all reminds me of this image I once read in a Sylvia Plath novel--that of a young girl sitting under a tree full of ripe fruit, starving. Which all, of course, comes back to a certain book we all know now called Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters. (Just had to throw that in...)

Image cred

Find Your Subject, Find Your Voice

Just wanted to share a bit more about a new 2-session workshop I'm teaching this month with fellow writer Alissa Quart. There are still a few slots open, so if you are interested, please either shoot me an email (girlwpen@yahoo.com) or simply register this week, over at the Woodhull site! I'm really excited for this one. Here's the description:

FINDING YOUR SUBJECT, FINDING YOUR VOICE
A Seminar in Personal Nonfiction
April 13 11am -3pm, April 17th 6-9pm
NYC - locale TBD

So many of us want to put our ideas or personal experiences down on paper, but don’t know how to find our medium or shape our raw material into stories. In two intensive sessions, we will seek to find the topic, style and genre for that which we most wish to express. We will start by asking ourselves questions about what we have experienced in our lives. What’s notable about us and what are we experts in? What are our motives for writing? What specific goal are we hoping to achieve by writing about our lives? After taking a hard look at our interests, work and life experiences, we will figure out whether they will intersect with an audience, what sort of audience, and how to position our ideas and ourselves in order to reach that audience. With this accomplished, we will build out our best article, essay, blog, or book ideas. By the end of the class, each student will have either a story pitch, an outline for a short article or an oped, a start on a personal essay, or an idea for a book or a blog. These written frames will serve as the culmination of our in-class exercises, group conversations, and at-home writing in between the two sessions.

In order to get a better sense of voice, story and topic in non-fiction, we will read a selection of modern essay writers (among them Joan Didion’s Goodbye To All That, a selection from Alexandra Fuller’s Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight, Mary McCarthy, Luc Sante and Jonathan Lethem). In order to get a better sense of blog personae, content, and voice, we will look together at range of blogs with strong personal voices and discuss. For those who decide to create their own blogs as a means of personal expression, we will create them on-site, along with names and domains, learning about blog style, purpose, and community along the way. We will discuss how blog writing differs and overlaps with more traditional forms of personal writing as well.

(Image cred)

Morning Links

Two quick links to share this morning:

A guest post I wrote with Courtney for Marci Alboher's New York Times blog, Shifting Careers, titled "Notes from an Intergenerational Conversation." Court and I chew over how generational issues are affecting women at work. We hit on topics from fashion to mentoring and "entitlement." Comments over there most welcome!

And a recap of the intergenerational feminist panel I spoke on last week at The New School, organized by Ann Snitow. (Thank you, Kristen, for that incredibly thoughtful write-up.)