“I was trying to figure out why, in 2009, we were still being treated the same way, if not worse, then when I was 14 and listening to Bikini Kill.”–Tom Tom founder Mindy Abovitz on why there are “so few female drummers.”
“New York at the time was nearly bankrupt, the city was in terrible shape, yet at the same time there was a tremendous amount of creativity that came out of that. People lived by any number of schemes and scams. Most of those people were living on welfare, so there was a kind of enterprising sense of possibility about the city. Holly was emblematic of that moment, out of which came a lot of social and cultural change. She was certainly a beneficiary of that moment, but she wasn’t the author of it. Rather she was bobbing along on it – wonderfully, amusingly and wittily so. If there’s anything I’ve taken away from Holly’s death at the end of last year, it’s that she’s a representative of a bygone New York and of a group of people the likes of which we’re not going to see again.”–R.I.P. Holly Woodlawn
“Brilliantly astute, generous, witty, panoramic, celebratory, C. D. Wright is one of our most fearless writers, possessed with an urgency that pierces through the darkness of our time.”–Anne Waldman on poet C.D. Wright, who passed away at age 67.
The A.V. Club recommends an episode of the Another Round podcast, specifically the one where Margaret Cho says, “We can learn to heal both ourselves and others through harnessing this rage. I’m healed by the cathartic power of rage, and anger serves as my bodyguard.” And if you missed it, check out this Another Round episode that gives a shout out to our interview with Aparna Nancherla!
Oh surprise. This year’s Oscar nominations are lacking in diversity…again.
“As the Internet has grown, so has the misinformation, some of it deliberate. Some of it is ideologically driven, like saying that abortion is directly related to breast cancer.”–Read why the book, Our Bodies, Ourselves is still relevant
Hey New Yorkers: our very own Weird Sister, Becca Klaver is leading writing retreats! You can read more about these Stardust Sessions and sign up for them HERE.
Live in Chicago? Check out this talk with artist and gallery owner, Heather Lynn next week. It’s free, open to the public and trust me, Heather Lynn is a FORCE.
Here is a great opportunity for Latina/o poets: the CantoMundo Poetry Series and CantoMundo Poetry Prize.
Check out this call for submissions for a new anthology: IMANIMAN: Poets Reflect on Transformative & Transgressive Borders Through Gloria Anzaldúa’s Work*.
What did we miss this week? Let us know in the comments! <3
