Tonight I interpreted the Vagina Monologues. In a tribute to Eve Ensler, V-Day, and all of the women who've participated in this event around the world for 15 years, and for all of the women and girls whose lives are represented in these stories, and our allies - today's prompts are from the vagina interviews.
Let the questions lead you where they will. If you don't have a vagina, maybe you can ask a friend who does have one. Or ask a female character in your story or novel. If you have a vagina, ask yourself. Or ask a character. Or your daughter mother cousin grandmother neighbor.
See where these stories lead You.
- if your vagina got dressed up, what would it wear?
- if your vagina could talk, what would it say?
- what does your vagina smell like?
- what does your vagina like to be called?
- why is your vagina special?
Write!
.
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Sunday, November 13, 2011
NaNoDetour: In Remembrance of Barbara Grier
From Lambda Literary by Victoria Brownworth
Click on the Lambda Literary link at the beginning of this post to read the rest of this article - much more about this inspirational and revolutionary woman: lesbian, author, publisher, and more.
.
Barbara Grier, publisher, activist, archivist and lesbian-feminist hellraiser, died November 10th in Tallahassee, Florida, where she had lived for years with her partner of four decades, Donna McBride. She was 78.
...
In 1956 she began writing for the newly founded lesbian magazine, The Ladder, which was the editorial organ of Daughters of Bilitis. Both DoB and The Ladder were founded by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon.
...
In 1973, with her new partner in love and business, Donna McBride, and author Anyda Marchant (who wrote lesbian fiction under the name Sarah Aldridge) and Marchant’s lover Muriel Crawford, Naiad Books (later Naiad Press) was founded with $2,000 the women pooled. Aldridge would be their first author, and lesbian photographer and artist Tee Corinne would be their cover artist.
Those who have grown up being able to go to the local library or bookstore and buy LGBT books can’t imagine a time when they didn’t exist. But Naiad began at a time when queer books weren’t stocked. That mailing list came in handy, Grier told me, because Naiad started as a mail order business.
...
Grier was an irascible character, a throwback to the early days of publishing–she always had a point of view, she always believed she was right and she was always, always passionate. ...
Click on the Lambda Literary link at the beginning of this post to read the rest of this article - much more about this inspirational and revolutionary woman: lesbian, author, publisher, and more.
.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
National Breast Cancer Month
October is National Breast Cancer Month. There are many events, fundraisers, special happenings all around. One event is a Blanket Tour for Diana M. Raab’s new book, "Healing with Words: A Writer’s Cancer Journey". Over at The Muffin, WOW! Women On Words has this to say about Diana and her book:
I am honored to be one of the writers in this tour. Check back here on October 16th to read what I have to say; I'm hoping to be able to meet with a friend of mine who has already given me permission to talk about her story. She's been through breast cancer, the BRCA gene testing, and some big decisions as a result of the test; she's an inspiration and one of the shining lights in my life.
Here is one of Diana Raab's poems in her new book:
To My Daughters
by Diana M. Raab, MFA, RN
You were the first I thought of
when diagnosed with what
strikes one in eight women.
It was too soon to leave you,
but I thought it a good sign
that none of us were born
under its pestilent zodiac.
I stared at the stars and wished upon
each one that you¹d never wake up
as I did this morning to one real breast
and one fake one; but that the memories
you carry will be only sweet ones,
and then I remembered you had your
early traumas of being born too soon,
and losing a beloved grandpa too young
and then I had this urge to show you
the scars on the same breast
you cuddled as babies, but then wondered
why you¹d want to see my imperfections
and perhaps your destiny.
I caved in and showed you anyway,
hoping you¹d learn to be careful, as
if it really mattered, because your grandpa
used to say when your time¹s up, it¹s up.
May he always watch over you.
.
Diana’s latest book reflects her experiences battling breast cancer at age 47 and then multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer, when she was 52. The book is part practical advice(she is a nurse, after all) and part inspiration, which takes the form of poems, journal entries, and friendly thoughts. To show readers the effect of healing writing, Diana also includes blank sections and writing prompts so the reader can contribute their own thoughts and writings. Diana describes her daily journal writing as “a daily vitamin-healing, detoxifying and essential for optimal health.”Each day in October, a different writer has been selected to post something about breasts: cancer, surviving, and other related topics. Click on The Muffin link above to see the month's line-up.
I am honored to be one of the writers in this tour. Check back here on October 16th to read what I have to say; I'm hoping to be able to meet with a friend of mine who has already given me permission to talk about her story. She's been through breast cancer, the BRCA gene testing, and some big decisions as a result of the test; she's an inspiration and one of the shining lights in my life.
Here is one of Diana Raab's poems in her new book:
To My Daughters
by Diana M. Raab, MFA, RN
You were the first I thought of
when diagnosed with what
strikes one in eight women.
It was too soon to leave you,
but I thought it a good sign
that none of us were born
under its pestilent zodiac.
I stared at the stars and wished upon
each one that you¹d never wake up
as I did this morning to one real breast
and one fake one; but that the memories
you carry will be only sweet ones,
and then I remembered you had your
early traumas of being born too soon,
and losing a beloved grandpa too young
and then I had this urge to show you
the scars on the same breast
you cuddled as babies, but then wondered
why you¹d want to see my imperfections
and perhaps your destiny.
I caved in and showed you anyway,
hoping you¹d learn to be careful, as
if it really mattered, because your grandpa
used to say when your time¹s up, it¹s up.
May he always watch over you.
.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
"Women, Creativity, and Healing" with Serena Barton
If you are looking for a credit class for this summer, Serena Barton is teaching "Women, Creativity, and Healing" again through the Portland State University Women's Studies department. This class has been popular and there are still a few slots open. The class starts next week!
PSU Summer Class
Attention PSU Students!
....from Serena's blog...
PSU Summer Class
Attention PSU Students!
If any readers are currently PSU students, I'm looking for you! I am scheduled to teach my four credit class, "Women, Creativity, and Healing", this summer term on the main campus.
The class covers many women, famous and not-famous, who have used their creativity to heal themselves and their communities. You'll make an altered book, have spirited discussions, and explore your own creativity.
This is a great class to teach and to be part of. Feel free to contact me (Serena) with any questions. The class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays in Cramer Hall from 4:30-7.
Register online at the PSU website.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Razor's Edge for 3/26/10
Today's theme is Strength of Women/Strong Women.
Being strong is more than physical ability. It is more than being able to stand firm in the face of adversity. It is about being honest within yourself and in your encounters in the world. It is about being willing to be vulnerable sometimes and being willing to open to yourself and follow where your heart and soul lead you. It is about letting go of the societally imposed images that don't fit you, that restrict you, that smother you. About listening to your inner wisdom.
Women are still often not encouraged to go within; to listen to ourselves; to be taken seriously - especially if we cry or feel strongly or want too much. But we still do.
And "strong" does not look the same in all cultures and all countries. Strong for me may very well be different than strong for you.
Below are images of women in different states of strength. And a video of a dance performance, called "Wet Woman."
Take a minute or two to look at all of the still pictures. Then watch the video. When the video is done, look at the still pictures again; one to two minutes.
Set a timer for 8 minutes and ... write. Move. Draw. Build something.
If word prompts help, try this:
"A strong woman..........."
Being strong is more than physical ability. It is more than being able to stand firm in the face of adversity. It is about being honest within yourself and in your encounters in the world. It is about being willing to be vulnerable sometimes and being willing to open to yourself and follow where your heart and soul lead you. It is about letting go of the societally imposed images that don't fit you, that restrict you, that smother you. About listening to your inner wisdom.
Women are still often not encouraged to go within; to listen to ourselves; to be taken seriously - especially if we cry or feel strongly or want too much. But we still do.
And "strong" does not look the same in all cultures and all countries. Strong for me may very well be different than strong for you.
Below are images of women in different states of strength. And a video of a dance performance, called "Wet Woman."
Take a minute or two to look at all of the still pictures. Then watch the video. When the video is done, look at the still pictures again; one to two minutes.
Set a timer for 8 minutes and ... write. Move. Draw. Build something.
If word prompts help, try this:
"A strong woman..........."
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
from WOW!: Dog Ear Publishing
An interesting article -- click on over to read about using "self publishers" -- one company's view and services. Brought to you by WOW!
WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Straight Talk About Self Publishing: An Interview with Miles Nelson of Dog Ear Publishing
WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Straight Talk About Self Publishing: An Interview with Miles Nelson of Dog Ear Publishing
Monday, March 1, 2010
May I Have a Personality Transplant, Please?
This is one of those days when I wish I was a different type of person. The type of person who looks for connections and grabs them. And notices any little connection to someone famous (or at least famous in some small circle of the world) and is willing to contact them and say,
"Hey! Hi, there. My name is Dot and we lalalalala...." Replace the lalas with the relationship or commonality.
But I'm not. I tend to shy away from that. To be honest, I will probably keep my head down and try to avoid contact and not be noticed first. If noticing does happen, They must notice me. And, even at that, I hesitate to use that potential familiarity to my own advantage.
This is to an extreme. I don't envy the social butterfly who is acquaintance-friend to everyone but best-friend to none. I don't wish to be the kind of person who is always always "on" so that every breath and step and glance must have meaning and significance. That would be exhausting and I have to know what is real and what is less or not real.
Today in my blog reader, WOW! Women on Writing popped up with a name right there that I know. I've never met her, but, gasp, the featured interviewed writer is a relative. (Or was a relative; her marriage to my paternal uncle lasted 16 years - and that ending was a long time ago.) My uncle was a writer - whom I rarely saw. He lived an exotic life in other cities and was married several times. I never met this wife - only heard of her in whispers for reasons that are publicly available on the eHarlequin website.
But now, Bonnie Hearn Hill has written a popular YA series, the first book, Aries Rising, has just come out and she's taking it on tour. WOW! talks to her about this book and her jealousy-inducing three-book-deal on their blog.
And I thought, for a minute, "Cool! A connection. A published author (she has a bunch of mystery books before the YA) with newspaper experience." And I imagined for another minute that I could call her up and say
and say
"Hi, my name is Dot Hearn and, why yes, we are sort of related in a long ago and distant kind of way. And I am an author, too, and can you help me get an agent and an editor and a publisher, please?"
...not...
That bubble burst really quickly. But for a moment I almost imagined Me being a They with connections.
And a book deal.
With royalty checks and plenty of hours to think and percolate stories and have literary gems roll off my fingertips with minimal effort. And trips and retreats and bubble baths and. Time.
Hey, Bonnie, remember me? Oh, right, we never met.
.
"Hey! Hi, there. My name is Dot and we lalalalala...." Replace the lalas with the relationship or commonality.
But I'm not. I tend to shy away from that. To be honest, I will probably keep my head down and try to avoid contact and not be noticed first. If noticing does happen, They must notice me. And, even at that, I hesitate to use that potential familiarity to my own advantage.
This is to an extreme. I don't envy the social butterfly who is acquaintance-friend to everyone but best-friend to none. I don't wish to be the kind of person who is always always "on" so that every breath and step and glance must have meaning and significance. That would be exhausting and I have to know what is real and what is less or not real.
Today in my blog reader, WOW! Women on Writing popped up with a name right there that I know. I've never met her, but, gasp, the featured interviewed writer is a relative. (Or was a relative; her marriage to my paternal uncle lasted 16 years - and that ending was a long time ago.) My uncle was a writer - whom I rarely saw. He lived an exotic life in other cities and was married several times. I never met this wife - only heard of her in whispers for reasons that are publicly available on the eHarlequin website.
But now, Bonnie Hearn Hill has written a popular YA series, the first book, Aries Rising, has just come out and she's taking it on tour. WOW! talks to her about this book and her jealousy-inducing three-book-deal on their blog.
And I thought, for a minute, "Cool! A connection. A published author (she has a bunch of mystery books before the YA) with newspaper experience." And I imagined for another minute that I could call her up and say
and say
"Hi, my name is Dot Hearn and, why yes, we are sort of related in a long ago and distant kind of way. And I am an author, too, and can you help me get an agent and an editor and a publisher, please?"
...not...
That bubble burst really quickly. But for a moment I almost imagined Me being a They with connections.
And a book deal.
With royalty checks and plenty of hours to think and percolate stories and have literary gems roll off my fingertips with minimal effort. And trips and retreats and bubble baths and. Time.
Hey, Bonnie, remember me? Oh, right, we never met.
.
Monday, February 15, 2010
What do I Deserve? Razor's Edge response
Razor's Edge response from 2/12/10
The spoken word artist talks about what women deserve. I am a woman. What do I deserve?
If I woke up in the morning and I said to anyone who would listen that, today, I am going to play hookie. What would happen? Do I deserve a day of, as Emi Ha said, loafing?
What would happen if - for just one day - I was not responsible? If I said: this is My Day and I claim it as my own and I will be there for me, first. What would happen?
Sometimes I know I act as if I can hold up the world all by myself. Or at least this corner of the world where I dwell and work and love and don't sleep enough. I think that I can keep going and maybe I should just paint myself pink and attach a puffy bunny tail and carry around a big majorette's drum - just like the energizer bunny.
Only the bunny does run out. Sometime, s/he will. I know it. I know it keeps going and going and going. But one day. It will. Stop.
I don't want to stop.
But maybe I need to rest.
My body is telling me now that I need. To. Rest.
I have a little irritating rash that my body. Can't handle. It's stress induced. I've been told. And my adrenals are running on high although they are still following a circadian rhythm, which is good. I've been told. Or they're kind of stuck or vacuum locked - like my car the one day we had a few hours of snow and ice and I was stuck in traffic for 5 hours going about 5 to 10 MPH and then my car wouldn't get out of low gear. Except my adrenals are in the fight or flight mode. Still. Too much cortisol.
I don't want to get stuck in low gear.
So what do I deserve? What is it I need?
Sleep. Down time. Rest.
The supplements to help my body heal the rash make me tired. I was warned. Tired and a little cold- or flu-like. But not sick. Though the feelings are very similar.
Rest. "You may have to slow down to get over this," my Naturopath warned. And she may be right.
Rest.
What a beautiful four letter word.
The spoken word artist talks about what women deserve. I am a woman. What do I deserve?
If I woke up in the morning and I said to anyone who would listen that, today, I am going to play hookie. What would happen? Do I deserve a day of, as Emi Ha said, loafing?
What would happen if - for just one day - I was not responsible? If I said: this is My Day and I claim it as my own and I will be there for me, first. What would happen?
Sometimes I know I act as if I can hold up the world all by myself. Or at least this corner of the world where I dwell and work and love and don't sleep enough. I think that I can keep going and maybe I should just paint myself pink and attach a puffy bunny tail and carry around a big majorette's drum - just like the energizer bunny.
Only the bunny does run out. Sometime, s/he will. I know it. I know it keeps going and going and going. But one day. It will. Stop.
I don't want to stop.
But maybe I need to rest.
My body is telling me now that I need. To. Rest.
I have a little irritating rash that my body. Can't handle. It's stress induced. I've been told. And my adrenals are running on high although they are still following a circadian rhythm, which is good. I've been told. Or they're kind of stuck or vacuum locked - like my car the one day we had a few hours of snow and ice and I was stuck in traffic for 5 hours going about 5 to 10 MPH and then my car wouldn't get out of low gear. Except my adrenals are in the fight or flight mode. Still. Too much cortisol.
I don't want to get stuck in low gear.
So what do I deserve? What is it I need?
Sleep. Down time. Rest.
The supplements to help my body heal the rash make me tired. I was warned. Tired and a little cold- or flu-like. But not sick. Though the feelings are very similar.
Rest. "You may have to slow down to get over this," my Naturopath warned. And she may be right.
Rest.
What a beautiful four letter word.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Razor's Edge #4: 2/12/10
For this week's prompts, something just a little different.
Below are two videos. Start the blue (music) video first: Hip Hop Violin. When the music begins, press play on the pink (spoken word) video: What Women Deserve.
Turn up the volume on the pink video a little higher than the blue video, so that you can hear her over the music.
When the poet is done, you can choose to stop the music or let it play out the additional 3 or so minutes. Read the prompt underneath the videos - and write... or draw / paint/ dance / sculpt...
prompt:
The one thing I must tell you, is ...
.
Below are two videos. Start the blue (music) video first: Hip Hop Violin. When the music begins, press play on the pink (spoken word) video: What Women Deserve.
Turn up the volume on the pink video a little higher than the blue video, so that you can hear her over the music.
When the poet is done, you can choose to stop the music or let it play out the additional 3 or so minutes. Read the prompt underneath the videos - and write... or draw / paint/ dance / sculpt...
prompt:
The one thing I must tell you, is ...
.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
WOW! Call for Submissions
WOW! Women On Writing Blog: WOW! Call for Submissions: YA Issue
This looks like a great opportunity!
.
This looks like a great opportunity!
.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
reading featuring Moe Bowstern
From IPRC (Independent Publishing Resource Center):
917 SW Oak #218
Portland, OR 97205
503.827.0249
Featured Reader: Moe BowsternIndependent Publishing Resource Center
Join us for a free reading featuring zinester Moe Bowstern. For many years, Moe has brought us the inside story about being a woman who fishes commercially in her zine Xtra Tuff. She’s an amazing storyteller and reveals much about the history of commercial fishing in Alaska through a very descriptive and personable narrative that can be understood by any layperson. She tells great stories of the crews she’s been involved with and their dynamics as well being a woman involved in a very male dominated profession. An open mic will follow the reading.
Thursday September 8; 7-10pm
@ the IPRC
Free and open to the public
917 SW Oak #218
Portland, OR 97205
503.827.0249
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
workshop: Sisters in Crime
Sisters in Crime Mystery Writer's Workshop at PCC
The SinC Mystery Writer's Workshop is taught by four published authors who will inform you on the flesh and bones of mystery writing (developing characters, setting the scene of the crime and trends in murder) and how to create a killer plot!
You will be able to mingle with the following authors during the lunch hour book signing:
Dana Haynes is the author of three mysteries and has a thriller coming out in July!
April Henry knows how to kill you in two- dozen ways. Her latest book, co-written with FOX-TV's Lis Wiehl, was on the New York Times bestseller list!
Carola Dunn is the author of over 50 novels and 20 mysteries!
Rob Lovell is a journalism professor turned mystery writer who writes the Thomas Martindale series!
DATE September 19th, 9 am - 3:50 pm
COST $29 for class, $40 for fees (fees include lunch and speaker honorariums)
LOCATION Sylvania Campus (Room CT 212)
INFORMATION Sarah Hodapp (503-731-6642)
Register now .
Choose "Non-credit Registration" under GET STARTED.
The SinC Mystery Writer's Workshop is taught by four published authors who will inform you on the flesh and bones of mystery writing (developing characters, setting the scene of the crime and trends in murder) and how to create a killer plot!
You will be able to mingle with the following authors during the lunch hour book signing:
Dana Haynes is the author of three mysteries and has a thriller coming out in July!
April Henry knows how to kill you in two- dozen ways. Her latest book, co-written with FOX-TV's Lis Wiehl, was on the New York Times bestseller list!
Carola Dunn is the author of over 50 novels and 20 mysteries!
Rob Lovell is a journalism professor turned mystery writer who writes the Thomas Martindale series!
DATE September 19th, 9 am - 3:50 pm
COST $29 for class, $40 for fees (fees include lunch and speaker honorariums)
LOCATION Sylvania Campus (Room CT 212)
INFORMATION Sarah Hodapp (503-731-6642)
Register now .
Choose "Non-credit Registration" under GET STARTED.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
relay: photos
Photographs from various team members...not necessarily in the exact order in which they happened...from the MissFit WiseWalkers inaugural participation in the Cascade Lakes Relay event, from Silver Lakes, OR to Bend, Or - a total of 132.4 miles route.
along an early morning leg on 8/1/09
Gwen is "feeling the glory - finally"... we all had this moment at some point
7/31/09
exchange point #18, waiting for Cheri
there had been a communication mix-up just prior to this
van#2 rushed to the point, only to wait another two hours or so
(walkers from both vans in the photo)
...it happens!...
7/31/09
van #1: "runners on the road" sign by Dot,
new slogan inspired by a relay support staff
who caught up with them early in the morning on 8/1/09 and told them
"congratulations! you're doing great.
last year's last place team didn't get here until 2pm."
hence our slogan, written in window crayons above the sign:
"Faster than last year's last place team"
... we may be DAL, but we're not the slowest!...
the handoff at exchange #18
Cheri was 30 minutes or so ahead of the next
walker; they are members of a race walking club
and they passed us up a couple hours later despite
having started 1 1/2 hours after us
...and we were fine with that...
nice women and it was nice to have the company
on the late night routes, especially!
7/31/09
this is me coming in at 3:16 AM on 8/1/09
at exchange # 24
the end of a 6.6 mile walk on the
Cascade Lakes highway
in the dark
through the Deschutes National Forest
and I'd been up since 5:15 AM on 7/31/09
with only a 15 minute nap
...love the headlamp halo effect from being in motion...
G bringing it on home for the final leg for van #1
...still six legs to go for van #2, but this group
gets to go back to the house and shower
...oh wait, there was the clogged bathtub incident
8/1/09
a gorgeous sunset
complete with a phenomenal thunderstorm
a nice photo that barely shows
the beauty
along an early morning leg on 8/1/09
Gwen is "feeling the glory - finally"... we all had this moment at some point
7/31/09
exchange point #18, waiting for Cheri
there had been a communication mix-up just prior to this
van#2 rushed to the point, only to wait another two hours or so
(walkers from both vans in the photo)
...it happens!...
7/31/09
van #1: "runners on the road" sign by Dot,
new slogan inspired by a relay support staff
who caught up with them early in the morning on 8/1/09 and told them
"congratulations! you're doing great.
last year's last place team didn't get here until 2pm."
hence our slogan, written in window crayons above the sign:
"Faster than last year's last place team"
... we may be DAL, but we're not the slowest!...
the handoff at exchange #18
Cheri was 30 minutes or so ahead of the next
walker; they are members of a race walking club
and they passed us up a couple hours later despite
having started 1 1/2 hours after us
...and we were fine with that...
nice women and it was nice to have the company
on the late night routes, especially!
7/31/09
this is me coming in at 3:16 AM on 8/1/09
at exchange # 24
the end of a 6.6 mile walk on the
Cascade Lakes highway
in the dark
through the Deschutes National Forest
and I'd been up since 5:15 AM on 7/31/09
with only a 15 minute nap
...love the headlamp halo effect from being in motion...
G bringing it on home for the final leg for van #1
...still six legs to go for van #2, but this group
gets to go back to the house and shower
...oh wait, there was the clogged bathtub incident
8/1/09
a gorgeous sunset
complete with a phenomenal thunderstorm
a nice photo that barely shows
the beauty
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
paddles up!
Last night was Miss Fit Dragons' first night of practice *on* the water. The river was calm. It was not raining. There was no wind. The boat was relatively free of water even though our practice time started at 8 pm.Awesome!
I'm so glad I hung in there through my doubts about the huge commitment. About doing a team event. About wondering if my shoulders and wrists and arms could do it. The running up and down the flights of stairs at the coach/trainer's office as part of our circuit training.
Being on the water, the paddles dipping and pulling
and resting together. The moments
when timing was pretty spot on
and we glided through the water -
beautiful.
Paddling water is so much easier
than paddling air.
Photograph of a previous
Miss Fit Adventures
Dragon Boat team
(the Miss Fit Dragons).
and resting together. The moments
when timing was pretty spot on
and we glided through the water -
beautiful.
Paddling water is so much easier
than paddling air.
Photograph of a previous
Miss Fit Adventures
Dragon Boat team
(the Miss Fit Dragons).
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Women's Theater Company Reunion
reprinted from Serena Barton's blog
Jae and Deborah listen as members
describe Lesbian/ Feminist life in the
70's and 80's.
Members of the company were happy
to reunite and rejoice in what we
had accomplished.
Poster for the Menstrual Show
Poster for Last Summer at Bluefish Cove--I was in this one!
A longtime member of the company reviews a scrapbook
Thanks to my student, Jae, from my Women's Studies classes at PSU, former members of the unique Women's Theater Company reunited to talk about adventures we had in the old days.The group was active from the early 80's through the early 90's and played to packed houses the whole time.
Jae is doing an extensive project on Social Change theater in Portland. I had mentioned to her when she interviewed me for this project, that I had been a member of the WTC in the mid-80's, as had my partner. My daughter appeared in one production in about 1990. Jae was very excited to hear about this company, as she hadn't heard anything about it having existed. Through talking to Jae and meeting last night with the old group, I came to realize how unusual and significant this theatrical group had been, how fortunate I am to have been part of it!
My partner and I were living in Salem when we first heard of this outrageous group in Portland. They were putting on new plays with all women casts that featured Lesbian relationships and promoted feminist ideals. When we moved to Portland in 1983, we found this group as soon as we could. I was in my first production in 1985, where I played a homophobic sorority girl, secretly in love with the main character.
The name of this play was "Alumnae News: The Doris Day Years", written by East Coast playwright Sarah Dreher. Sarah also wrote Lesbian themed novels and was an outspoken advocate of women's and gay rights. A highlight of the run of the play was when Sarah came to Portland to see the show.
In these days of so much acceptance of equality for women and gays, (yes, I know, we're still struggling) it is hard to remember how brave it was for this band of young women to mount feminist and gay positive plays. We did it on a shoestring, too. No grants for this group; just a lot of finagling and determination. I missed the early years of the group where they moved from theater to theater, scraping up rent and having to take the set down every night after performances. I enjoyed hearing more about this time last night. Several of the group remembered how they took movement, dance, and improvisation classes. When Jae asked why they did all this work, one of the group replied, "We were in love. We were in love with our art and our community."
When they first began, the group called themselves "A Real Professional Women's Theater Company." One of the early productions was a feminist Nancy Drew mystery. I was delighted to find that one of us has been a dedicated archivist, and that she had brought copies of all the posters. The posters are quite cool, especially if you consider they were made before computers were part of our lives. Company members designed, printed, and distributed them. They also made their costumes, sets, handled lighting, props, the ticket sales, etc. All in their spare time, because everyone had a day job or two.
By the time my partner and I joined, the Company had a permanent home in the Hollywood District. It was a ramshackle building, and we lived in fear of the Fire Marshal. Members with carpentry talents not only built the sets, but also made alterations to the building to improve it as a theatre and to keep said Fire Marshal happy.
Sometimes there was friction in the group, and the company had a hiatus for a while before I joined. Community won out, and after most members had started therapy, they came together again to mount more productions.
Before my time, the group took tap dancing lessons so they could put on "The Lydia Pinkham Menstrual Show." This might seem a silly title today, but remember than even mentioning menstruation in public was a radical act. The group often made its points through humor, such as using the name of an old patent medicine in the title of this show.
Jae and Deborah listen as members
describe Lesbian/ Feminist life in the
70's and 80's.
Members of the company were happy
to reunite and rejoice in what we
had accomplished.
Poster for the Menstrual Show
Poster for Last Summer at Bluefish Cove--I was in this one!
A longtime member of the company reviews a scrapbook
I'm so grateful to Jae and to all the members of the old Women's Theater Company--thanks for the old memories and the new perspective on this amazing experience!
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