“…I’ll admit that many times over the last year when I was feeling too burnt-out from work to produce a really high-quality joke about second-wave feminist ghosts or something, I’d give in to social media’s seductive promise of instant validation, and I’d go for the easy joke about being a sad single lady who likes chocolate and wants a man because: ACK! I told myself I was making these jokes ironically, but the reality was, I was often writing them when I was feeling scared or guilty or angry about things that had nothing to do with being single, but I filtered my emotions through the relationship lens because it was easy. Rather than use those ‘negative’ emotional periods to create raw rough drafts that I would refine when I was feeling more balanced, I acted out in the hopes of getting some sign that my voice mattered.”–Sarah Rainone on what she’s “learned about love after a year alone (and a lot of bad jokes)”
“‘Let’s face it. The best American poets are all gay.’ She names them off in succession, as if she had the list prepared in her mind: Langston Hughes, Allen Ginsberg, Aimee Lowell, Muriel Rukeyser, Elizabeth Bishop, Frank O’Hara, Essex Hemphill, Tim Dlugos, and Judy Grahn. ‘Everybody’s gay,’ she says as we go under a concrete overpass.”–From the Advocate’s recent interview with Eileen Myles
“Maybe we should ask ourselves who benefits most from avoiding this discussion? Patriarchal structures depend on a strong male community and women being isolated from each other. I’m convinced that women collaborating and supporting each other is a very important factor in the pursuit of a more equal industry and society.”–Terese Alstin, creator of No Sir, an e-commerce platform built to promote the work of female designers.
Black women make up 4% of the estimated 2,200 women-led tech startups. A study “found that the average amount of funding for a black female founder is just $36,000. For comparison, the average failed startup raises $1.3 million — and the study notes that those are generally founded by white men.”
“…when women were receiving less pay than men for the same work, they were about two and a half times more likely to ‘have major depressive disorder’, and about four times more likely to ‘have generalized anxiety disorder’ than their male counterparts…gender wage discrimination is an extremely fast-holding trap. Even if the victim can manage to find another job, there is every likelihood that the wage discrimination will be as strong as it was in her previous position.”-
Did you know that the Harry Dodge/Stanya Kahn videos are now available to watch online for free? About the work, Kahn said, “Entertainment is a way in for us. Our pieces end up not fully fitting any specific genres, but we have deep affinities to traditional entertainment, from vaudeville songs and dances to sketches, jokes, and stand-up comedy, from narrative filmmaking to live rock ‘n’ roll performances.”
Need some underground feminist punk music? Check out this Spider and the Webs album. Spider and the Webs guitarist and singer, Tobi Vail says: “Originally we were inspired by Roky Erickson, Young Marble Giants, Black Flag, Francoise Hardy, The Shangri-La’s. More recently, Preston Eps, The Tronics, Moe Tucker, Body/Head and punk girls like Marissa Magic playing noise guitar and soloing over everything.”
In Austin, Texas? Check out OUTsider fest, a LGBTQIA art and film festival, which runs all weekend.
In NYC? There are only a few more Shirley and Wendy Clarke Eye on a Director screenings to check out before their retrospective ends. “Eye on a Director series looks at underrepresented voices in film and video history and features artists that actively test the limits of the cinematic medium, challenging viewers to expand their concept of the moving image. It provides a platform for cinematic authors who resisted mainstream conventions and created unique bodies of work deserving of a retrospective.”
What did we miss this week? Let us know in the comments! <3
