Kickass Women

History is filled with women doing all kinds of kickass stuff.

Smart Girls

Watch these girls... they're going places!

Inspiration

Need a dose of inspiration? Here you go.

SRPS Entertainment

Some of my entertainment recommendations with awesome female characters and stars.

She's Crafty!

Some of the awesome items made by kickass women!

Sunday, August 31, 2014

She's Crafty - Mama's got a new bag

You know what nerds need more than an impressive supply of geeky tees and action figures? A bag to carry all that stuff around in!


Lilia Todd has posted some great photos of this amazing Wonder Woman satchel.



How awesome is this thing? I especially love the blue lining with stars and the little golden lasso of truth on the zipper pull.



Lydia White (The Hallow Oak) has some really great duct tape bags on her deviantART page. I kinda love these custom TARDIS bags she did for kids cosplaying characters from Doctor Who.



And speaking of Doctor Who, how wonderful is this handsewn bag by QuirkieCraft? Actually, she's got a ton of fantastic Doctor Who crafty items on her blog, in addition to a world of other awesome items.



Jaymi Horne has so many realy great geeky bags in her CreoNodo shop! Like this pink and blue Ramona Flowers Star Bag.



Feeling inspired to create your own geeky bag? How about this pattern for a great multi-use bag by Studio Kat Designs? You can wear it on your shoulder, across your chest, or as a backpack. How cool is that? And with the amazing supply of geek-themed fabric out there and your creativity, I'm sure you can come up with something really amazing!



And finally, in a shout out to my friends having fun at PAX and DragonCon this weekend, here's totally meta bag -- a bag made out of bags! Amy and Stephanie of nerdventions have a whole load of great geeky bags made of other bags. Yo. Dude. I heard you liked bags.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Weekend Reading

Welcome to the weekend! We made it! AGAIN! To celebrate, here's a list of longer reads to enjoy in your 'freetime.' Feel free to leave links to what you're reading/writing in the comments!



Teresa Frohock has an excellent piece about the fun about writing women over 40, and the dearth of them in modern pop culture in Women Made of Chrome
There is something freeing about being forty. For a woman who has reached emotional maturity, she no longer cares what people think of her. There is no “leaning in.” Women over forty know how to navigate conventional prejudices and will subvert those biases with a word. A woman over forty will speak her mind.

Ah, but people will say, because there are those who say these things as if saying them over and over will somehow make them true: Ah! But fantasy is like history and in history, women only existed to be saved or raped or murdered.

I call bullshit. Women ruled not just kingdoms but their homes as well. There were chrome-assed bitches in the days before chrome.
The ever amazing Julie Pagano has a fantastic about her thoughts on boundaries and consent in geek culture: Late Night Thoughts on Boundaries & Consent
When topics like boundaries and consent come up, people often think of very serious triggering topics. Some people seem to think that boundaries and consent are only important when it comes to sexuality. Haleigh’s talk did a great job of pointing out that boundaries and consent also matter elsewhere.

Boundaries and consent matter at every level. You need to train yourself to understand them in a variety of interactions and relationships. We need a culture that respects boundaries and consent. In technology, this can apply to things like how we present information to our users or what we do with their information. In our day to day lives, this can apply to things like physical touch and discussion of triggering topics.


Andrew Wheeler has a great article comparing DC and Marvel in regards to their treatment of female characters in Girl Fight: The Marvel/DC Rivalry Finally Extends To Winning The Female Audience
There’s currently an unspoken contest between Marvel and DC to see who can produce more comics aimed at a female audience. It’s possible the contest only exists in my head, as I’ve been keeping a tally of solo titles with female leads for the past several months — but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that editors at the two publishers have also been keeping track.
Rebecca Mead has a just thorough profile piece about the kick ass Mary Beard, classics professor at the University of Cambridge and Troll Slayer.
Beard, in her unapologetic braininess, is a role model for women of all ages who want an intellectually satisfying life. She estimates that she works thirteen hours a day, six days a week. On more than one occasion, I have e-mailed her at 8 p.m. or later from New York, expecting to hear from her by morning, only to discover an immediate and exhaustive reply in my inbox. Among those in the audience for “Oh Do Shut Up Dear!” was Megan Beech, a student at King’s College, whose spoken-word ode “When I Grow Up I Want to Be Mary Beard” was posted on YouTube last summer. (“She should be able to analyze Augustus’s dictums, or early A.D. epithets / Without having to scroll through death, bomb, and rape threats.”) Peter Stothard, the editor of the Times Literary Supplement, where Beard is the classics editor, sometimes appears with her at literary festivals; together they conduct a seminar on how to read a Latin poem. “Afterwards, a few people will come and talk to me,” he told me. “And there will be a line of schoolgirls and middle-aged women lining up to have their photo taken with Mary.”


Lisa De Bode of Al Jazera America has a great profile of Mitchelene Big Man: Woman Warrior.
Originally from the Crow reservation in Montana, she outlasted the hard life she found growing up. She is a survivor of sexual assault in the military. She is a mother who was often overseas when her own children lived with their grandmother, and is now a parent to four other children from her reservation, raising them at her home in Pueblo, Colorado, with her husband, also a veteran.

And she is the founder of the Native American Women Warriors (NAWW)), a color guard of female veterans from Indian Country. They perform a jingle dance, which some tribes regard as a healing rite traditionally performed by women. The members of the NAWW perform to heal from injuries that cut deep and they dance for others, such as Piestewa, a Hopi who loved the dances of her tribe. Since the group’s appearance at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, invitations for the group have poured in.

“We’re trying to get recognition for the Native American female veterans,” Big Man said. “A lot of people think we don’t exist in this country anymore, but we are here and we also serve in the military.’’


Ilana Lipowicz has a fantastic interview with Lisa Mullis, avid runner and cyclist, on her motivations
If you had asked my 20-year-old self, I’d say “I’m nothing special.” If you asked my 30-year-old self you’d probably get “I wish I was something special.” Now, in my 40’s, I’ve discovered that it has always been the people I choose to surround myself with that make me, me. I choose to insulate myself with people who challenge me and who encourage the people around them. I find these people are often advocates for a better world, and by world I mean even if it’s a fifty foot radius around them at the moment, they choose to make that space better. I have excellent friend picking skills.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Follow Friday

Here's your weekly list of great folks posting awesome things around the net!



I love Daniela Titan's fun and informative science videos on YouTube. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
Geek Girl Diva: blog, Facebook, Google+, and Tumblr.



Mz Maau is one of my faves on Google+. She's always got some great links and commentary. She also collects great videos on her YouTube channel.



Princess Mentality Cosplay is full of fantastic geeky cosplay! She can also be found on Twitter.



Whenever I need a hearty dose of kickass women doing kickass things, I check out the images on FuckYeahCollegeSoftball's Tumblr page.

Feel free to leave links to your pages in the comments!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Music Break - Beyoncé

When you're alone all by yourself, and you're lying in your bed, reflection stares right into you... Are you happy with yourself?

This is a message we've been hearing a lot lately. And I'm glad. We get so many messages that we need to please those around us, we forget that the only person whose approval really means anything is us.

I'm pretty sure Beyoncé has figured it out as well. Yes. Yes, I do.



Pretty Hurts

Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst
Perfection is a disease of a nation, pretty hurts, pretty hurts
Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst
We try to fix something but you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

Mama said, "You're a pretty girl.
What's in your head, it doesn't matter
Brush your hair, fix your teeth.
What you wear is all that matters."

Just another stage, pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down, down

Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst
Perfection is a disease of a nation, pretty hurts, pretty hurts
Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst
We try to fix something but you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

Blonder hair, flat chest
TV says, "Bigger is better."
South beach, sugar free
Vogue says, "Thinner is better."

Just another stage, pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without flling down, down, down

Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst
Perfection is a disease of a nation, pretty hurts, pretty hurts (pretty hurts)
Pretty hurts (pretty hurts), we shine the light on whatever's worst
We try to fix something but you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

Ain't got no doctor or pill that can take the pain away
The pain's inside and nobody frees you from your body
It's the soul, it's the soul that needs surgery
It's my soul that needs surgery
Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far
Then you break when the fake facade leaves you in the dark
You left with shattered mirrors and the shards of a beautiful past

Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst (pretty hurts)
Perfection is a disease of a nation, pretty hurts, pretty hurts
Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst
We try to fix something but you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

When you're alone all by yourself (pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
And you're lying in your bed (pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Reflection stares right into you (pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Are you happy with yourself? (pretty hurts, pretty hurts)

You stripped away the masquerade (pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
The illusion has been shed (pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Are you happy with yourself? (pretty hurts, pretty hurts)
Are you happy with yourself? (pretty hurts, pretty hurts)

Yes
Uh huh huh

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Kickstart This!

Here's your weekly list of Kickstarter projects that deserve your attention.



I love the trend of re-working classic stories from the perspective of a strong, brave female protagonist.
Valor is a comic anthology of re-imaged fairy tales showcasing the talent of some of the top creators in the field of digital comics. The purpose of this book is to pay homage to the strength, resourcefulness, and cunning of female heroines in fairy tales. Some of these are recreations of time-honored tales. Others are brand new stories, designed to be passed to future generations.

Inspired by the idea that mighty feats can be accomplished by the smallest mouse, amazing teen Louise Scott has launched Mary Mouse Designs to help fund her tuition for dance school.
The hard work of dance school in Scotland truly paid off, when I discovered I'd been awarded a chance to study for a Performers Diploma in Professional Dance at the highly prestigious Urdang Academy in London. With over 1600 applicants for 100 highly coveted places, the opportunity to attend this 3 year course is already a dream come true.

However, a new obstacle has arisen in the form of financial difficulties. Due to various loopholes, I didn't receive a bursary and can't get funding through the normal channels. Again, this disappointment has not deterred me and with support from my mother, older sister Anna - and hopefully you too - I believe I can fulfill my purpose and move closer to my dream of creating a career as a professional dancer.


Virginia Paton has already written and illustrated book one of Year of the Marachi, the story of a young slave girl in the 1930s and her journey to freedom and finding her place in the world.
Year of the Marachi is a four-part graphic novel series about a group of young people thrown together by circumstance, trying to find their way in a changing world. As inside and outside forces threaten their small, developing country, they find themselves at the center of a revolution.


Hey, remember when Mitt Romney gave us that hilarious Binders Full of Women meme? VIDA: Women in Literary Arts (the folks who bring us the annual VIDA Count - where they take annual stock of the gender disparity in major literary publications and book reviews) are blowing up all the binders with their Out of the Binders: Symposium On Women Writers Today.
On October 11 and 12, 2014, we'll convene in New York City for a symposium on/for/by women in the literary arts and film/TV, with a pragmatic approach to shaking up those pie charts: panel discussions on women in the newsroom, starting to write after forty, and challenges faced by women writers of color; professional development workshops on pitching and accounting for freelancers; literary agent "speed dating;" and networking opportunities for everyone from journalism and creative writing students to new freelancers to seasoned professionals


The wonderful folks behind "Princeless" and "Vacant" have a new project!
"Illegal" follows the story of Gianna Delrey, an undocumented immigrant living in the shadows of an enormous city. All citizens received a microchip that tracks their movements and stores the history of their lives. Anybody without a chip is an 'illegal.' They can’t be tracked, but if they’re caught, they wind up in the deportation camps - where the wait to be deported has become so long that most people die just trying to survive.


Women business owners are one of the fastest-growing and most successful entrepreneurial demographics. The documentary team working on "Dream, Girl" are hoping that by telling the stories of these women they can redefine what it means to be a boss.
"Dream, Girl" will showcase the empowering stories of women-run companies and the founders whose ambition and dedication drive them. We will examine their journey, their struggles, and discover what makes them successful. We will talk to investors and cultural experts about why women are worth investing in, and learn why there has never been a more exciting and promising time for female-run businesses.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Quote of the Day


"You should never be surprised when someone treats you with respect, you should expect it."
Sarah Dressen, Keeping the Moon
I've been thinking about this concept for a while now. If you've ever been in a dysfunctional relationship (whether personal or professional, or even just interacting with too many jerks online), you know how easily it can be to become acclimated to being treated poorly. In order to survive, you focus on finding ways to cope, especially when you're not in a position to make changes to the situation, and eventually you may even forget what "normal" feels like. When people treat you with basic dignity it is almost a shock. You're thankful.

But then something shifts in your thinking. Someone or something reminds you that you are worthy of respect. And eventually, you believe it yourself. You not only expect respect, you demand it. And not only for yourself, but for everyone.

And then, in an ideal situation (sadly, rarely achieved), you can stop demanding respect, because it has become a given -- something that is as common as their air we breathe.

I see the effects of the first type of behavior quite often online, and especially where people are talking about a social issue, usually related to inequality. When watching these conversations, it's very easy to spot people who are still stuck in this way of thinking. Even when it comes to how they treat other people. They are proud of their ability to give respect to others. They are practically showing off to everyone else, like being decent and respectful is some kind of novelty behavior worthy of reward or praise.

The examples of the second are often harder to find, but they are there. They are usually the folks demanding that mainstream social movements made a space for the marginalized voices, reminding us that true equality cannot be achieved without addressing the many ways that gender, class, race, sexuality, and so many other factors intersect and impact each other. They are the ones reminding us that it is our goal to have everyone living in a world where respect is expected, and given.

Examples of the third phase are even rarer, and I have only ever experienced them in close relationships and small, tightly-knit groups. I am hopeful that as more people experience the freedom that comes from no longer having to be vigilant against hurtful behavior, the more they will be able to create spaces where others can feel safe as well.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Weekend Reading

Here's a collection of long reads for your weekend pleasure. It's a short list this week. I've been busy with getting adjusted to a new online gig (paid, yay!), and haven't been able to really look for more interesting things to share!

Please feel free to leave links to what you're reading (or writing) in the comments!



Jack Moore has written a thought-provoking article about how important Mo'Ne Davis is to everyone who loves sports: Mo'Ne Davis is Just the Beginning
The narrative of the gimmick girl in sports is doubly damaging. Not only does it foster a lower expectation of women’s abilities — in both genders — it also creates an assumption that women aren’t earning their spots when in reality they are almost certainly facing even higher standards than the men they compete against.If the sports world is truly going to house gender equality, we need to give girls the freedom to choose their sports. We need to stop pressuring them to take the path of least gender resistance. And we need to stop holding them to a higher standard when everything else is already working against them.
I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Laura Ingalls Wilder's memoir, Pioneer Girl, scheduled for November. It promises to be a grittier, more realistic version of her life than was shown in the beloved Little House series, as explained in this excellent Christian Science Monitor article: Gritty memoir from the author of 'Little House on the Prairie' to hit shelves this fall
While "Pioneer Girl" clearly wasn't for kids, the idea that the original autobiography is full of shock and scandal "isn't exactly true either," according to Lauters. She told the Associated Press that the first version of the beloved classic books was more "blunt" and "honest," but isn't to be read as a scandalous tell-all version of the classic series.

According to The Pioneer Girl Project, a blog detailing the ongoing process on Wilder's book, the edition coming out this fall will feature numerous annotations to better tell the real-life story of the Ingalls family in full, historical detail.


Cod Coddliness on G+ shared this excellent post about Nancy Wake, the Allies’ most decorated servicewoman of WWII, and the Gestapo’s most-wanted person.
Six months after they married, Germany invaded France. Slowly but surely Nancy drew herself into the fight. In 1940 she crossed the line between observation and action, and joined the embryonic Resistance movement as a courier, smuggling messages and food to underground groups in Southern France. She bought an ambulance and used it to help refugees fleeing the German advance. Being the beautiful wife of a wealthy businessman, she had an ability to travel that few others could contemplate. She obtained false papers that allowed her to stay and work in the Vichy zone in occupied France, and became deeply involved in helping to spirit a thousand or more escaped prisoners of war and downed Allied fliers out of France through to Spain.
And then, when you're done reading, be sure to check out this amazing short film, Pumzi by the amazing director Wanuri Kahiu of Kenya.
In a dystopian future 35 years after an ecological WWIII has torn the world apart, East African survivors of the devastation remain locked away in contained communities, but a young woman in possession of a germinating seed struggles against the governing council to bring the plant to Earth’s ruined surface.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Follow Friday

Here's your weekly roundup of awesome folks you should be following!
The ever-awesome Julie Pagano has "left" Twitter, but you can still follow her on her blog with her routine Firebee Dispatches -- which are chock full of feminist banter breaking down the patriarchy!



Julia Wilde is pretty much my go-to for awesome science stuff! She's got a great Tumblr board, and also publishes regular YouTube videos about science and geeky stuff. You can also follow her on Google+ and Twitter.




Kimberly Chapman rocks my socks. She's smart, witty, kind (if you deserve it), creative, and so much more. She's pretty much only found on Google+, but in addition to posting all kinds of feminist and progressive stuff, she's also a science AND cake geek! Plus, she wrote a really awesome book, Finding Gaia.




SheHeroes is one of my favorite pages to watch on Facebook. They're always posting such great stories about women and girls out doing awesome things in the world! You can also find them on Twitter.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Music Break - Lauryn Hill

Ms. Lauryn Hill has released a sketch version of her piece Black Rage in honor and support of the protests in Ferguson, Missouri. It's poignant and powerful and deserves many, many listens. And then action.



Black Rage

Black Rage is founded on two-thirds a person
Rapings and beatings and suffering that worsens.
Black human packages tied up in strings,
Black Rage can come from all these kinds of things.
Black Rage is founded on blatant denial
Squeeze economics, subsistence survival,
Deadening silence and social control.
Black Rage is founded on wounds in the soul!

When the dogs bite
When the beatings
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember all these kinds of things and then I don't fear so bad!

Black Rage is founded: who fed us self hatred,
Lies and abuse, while we waited and waited?
Spiritual treason, this grid and its cages,
Black Rage is founded on these kinds of things.
Black Rage is founded on draining and draining,
Threatening your freedom to stop your complaining.
Poisoning your water while they say it's raining,
Then call you mad for complaining, complaining.
Old time bureaucracy drugging the youth,
Black Rage is founded on blocking the truth!
Murder and crime, compromise and distortion,
Sacrifice, sacrifice who makes this fortune?
Greed, falsely called progress,
Such Human contortion,
Black Rage is founded on these kinds of things.

So when the dogs bite
And when the ceilings
And when I'm feeling mad,
I simply remember all these kinds of things and then I don't fear so bad!

Free enterprise, is it myth or illusion?
Forcing you back into purposed confusion.
Black human trafficking or blood transfusion?
Black Rage is founded on these kinds of things.
Victims of violence both psyche and body
Life out of context IS living unGodly.
Politics, politics
Greed falsely called wealth
Black Rage is founded on denial of self!
Black human packaged tied in subsistence
Having to justify very existence
Try if you must but you can't have my soul
Black Rage is made by unGodly control!

So when the dogs bite
When the beatings
And when I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember all these kinds of things and then I don't fear so bad!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Kickstart This!

Here's your weekly list of Kickstarter projects that deserve your attention.



The story in Amya is beautiful and fantastical, and deserves to be shared with a larger public.
As Faye and her unlikely companions pursue an adventure that is greater than any of them could have anticipated, she discovers how heavy the burden she carries truly is. She is to be the pinnacle of the world's survival or destruction, and must decide if she wishes to sacrifice her own humanity for the world -- or the world for her humanity.


The Goddess Project is a fantastic group of women that has wrapped up their tour around the country interviewing amazing women to share their stories. They're now raising funds to finish their documentary The Goddess Project.
The Goddess Project will help usher in a new way of thinking; a positive affirmation that these stories, our stories, matter. If there is one thing we've learned throughout this journey, it's that no matter who you are or what you believe, there is someone out there just waiting to discover their possibilities in your reality. The women in this film have given us powerful tools that have transformed our lives, and we can’t wait to share their insightful wisdom with the world!


Rebecca Glenski Coppage's book My Perfect Little Secret is about a tough, sweet, real teenage girl with a secret. She looks like the perfect teenager from the outside, but inside is another matter.
Lilly thinks if she can just lose a few more pounds all her troubles will melt away. With coffee for breakfast, her favorite foods on the NO EAT list, and her dog getting fat from the scraps she’s feeding her under the table, Lilly is losing not only pounds, but herself. When Lilly collapses on the soccer field, she’s forced to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. Will she continue to lie to everyone she loves to hide her little secret and maintain her distorted version of a perfect body or will she have the courage to fight for her life and see herself for more than the reflection in the mirror?


Taryn Anderson wants to talk about race. And, specifically, how race intersects with the important and difficult issues we're facing in our time. In her adaptation of the O'Neill piece, Abortion: A Race Redux, she wants to foster a dialog that will continue long after the curtain drops.
As theatre artists, what is our responsibility and response to the way race is perceived on stage? How is race performed in the American theatre? This production of "Abortion" a short play by Eugene O'Neill, is geared toward asking the audience and ourselves these questions. Is an audience ever really color blind and does race, stereotypes and socio-economic status play a part in their perception of a characters guilt or innocence?



Megen Musegades is tired of the lack of good stories for women in Hollywood. So, she's taking a short story by Shannan Rouss and adapting it into her film The Three of Us to showcase two complex women.
Getting fed up with the lack of complex female roles, Megen's goal in all her screenplays is to make sure that the female characters take the lead. In a male dominated industry, many stories on the screen today still portray women as one-dimensional.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Longreads

Here's a collection of long reads for your weekend pleasure.


Alex Brown at Tor.com has an excellent piece about the problems with the still-really-awesome Guardians of the Galaxy. And she pretty well nails it!
Here’s the thing. You can’t give me Gamora then spend the whole movie slut-shaming her and locking her into an unnecessary romance, then expect me to be grateful a woman was even allowed a prominent role. You can’t merchandise the hell out of your male (and animal, and plant) characters and skip the female ones altogether. You can’t claim Guardians is the first Marvel movie written by a woman when it was so substantially re-written by a man that everything from the character personalities to the main story arc is entirely different. Marvel as a corporation may be winning the race against DC to be the most socially progressive of the Big Two, but that victory is due less to the increasing insistence on diversity and more to DC eagerly hobbling itself.
Deborah Pless has an in-depth discussion about the characterization of mothers in law in genre fiction in this week's Strong Female Character Friday: Queen Catherine (Reign).
So looking at this, the frustration of this trope, you would think that I really hate Reign's Queen Catherine (Megan Follows). She is, after all, the quintessential poisonous mother-in-law. She is so sure that Queen Mary (Adelaide Kane) will bring disaster on France if she marries Catherine's son Francis (Toby Regbo), that she is willing to attempt assassinations, use magic and fortunetelling, and even hire men to rape Mary. She is not a nice person.

I think she's a brilliant character, though. In fact, I think that the show, without Catherine, would be virtually unwatchable. Mary is all well and good, but the show works because of the way that Mary and Catherine are cast as opposites. Instead of the real conflict between them centering around Francis, their true disconnect is actually about their similarities, and Mary's reluctance to recognize how similar they really are.


Lauren Miller has a guest post on Viva La Feminista where she shares her Reflections on Anita Hill, Twenty-Three Years Later.
However, as Anita: Speaking Truth to Power reminds us, the truth is not easily digested by those unwilling to engage with it—those socialized firmly within a patriarchy that promises, among other things, to allow an otherwise rightfully deserving man to continue toward the prize he has earned. When Anita spoke out, many questioned, “Why could she not simply keep her mouth shut like she had done for so many years?”. One patronizing query from a member of the judiciary committee was, “Why in God’s name” would you ever speak to him again, Anita? This is wounding to listen to.
You probably already know the story of Solomon Northup from the movie 12 Years a Slave, but his story was almost lost to time if it hadn't been for a curious and determined woman named Sue Eakin:The Woman Who Saved Solomon.
What became an exercise in curiosity soon became an obsession. While she juggled her roles as a wife, mother, and freelance journalist, she spent every spare hour researching the life of Solomon Northup. As her eldest son Paul M. Eakin Jr., 71, now says, “We grew up with Solomon—we refer to him as our older brother.”

Afternoons would be spent driving to small courthouses to pore over records that would verify Northup’s story. “Her mission was to authenticate every fact,” says Dr. Eakin, a retired math professor. “Every name, every river, every distance, railroad, bridge, relationship.”


Feliza at Girls in Capes has a great post on The Quiet Feminism of Anne Shirley.
After she’s taken in by the Cuthbert siblings, though, Anne’s value shifts: she starts attending school, where she becomes the intellectual rival of Gilbert Blythe. Though the rivalry stems from a rather childish and vain incident in which he calls her “Carrots,” Anne’s determination brings her to the top of the class, though maybe you could call it her stubbornness instead.

Here, readers start to see concepts of feminism coming into play, though a child would read the book differently. Anne starts to be treated as an individual with worth that goes beyond her ability to take care of babies, and her more unique talents for English and poetry are recognized not only by her teachers and classmates, but the rest of the town as well.
Emma at The F Bomb has a great piece On Being A Role Model for the young women she teaches at summer camp, and that kids are always learning from the words AND actions of the adults around them, not only in the class room, but in every aspect of their time together.
I was thinking, for the first time, about what our campers see in the way we see ourselves. How could I be so careful about what I say and never once stop to think about what it does to my young campers – particularly the girls – when they see me cover up in a towel or hear my coworker say how “disgusting” her arms look.

There are so many things I want my campers – especially my girl campers – to know. That how much fun they have on stage matters far more than how “talented” they are, that they light up our days with their humor, their smiles, their love. That we see, in their moments of deep compassion, patience, and kindness, and the thoughtful and considerate adults they will become. That they already are, and that we hope they always stay, brave and bold.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Follow Friday

I don't know how much of that Time article calling out Ironic Misandry I agree with. What I do know is that the parody account for Women Against Feminism is hilarious. In that totally laugh to keep from crying kind of way.

RethinkPink has a great podcasts exploring issues around gender, parenting, empowerment and all kinds of excellent stuff! You should also be following them on your favorite social media platform: Google+FacebookTwitterPinterest

S.E. Smith writes feminist and environmental pieces for several online publications as well as for ou's own blog. While I have ou in my RSS feed, I also follow ou on Facebook and Twitter for maximum share-ability.

















GrrlScientist writes informative and fascinating pieces for The Guardian, mainly about birds and science-related things. Even when tackling a complex scientific issue, she makes it accessible and interesting to the layperson.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Kickstart This!

Here's your weekly list of awesome Kickstarter (and IndieGoGo) projects that deserve your attention!



Happy Birthday, Marsha! is the story of two best friends, Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera, in the hours before the Stonewall riots.
When Marsha and Sylvia, self-proclaimed “street queens” – homeless, Black & Latina trans women – ignite the Stonewall Rebellion, they change LGBT politics forever. It's a hot summer day in June, 1969. Marsha throws a party, but no one shows up. Meanwhile, Sylvia gets stoned and forgets the party after unsuccessfully introducing her lover to her family. Throughout the difficult day, the friends struggle with harassment and alienation before converging at the Stonewall Inn to finally celebrate Marsha's birth. Unbeknownst to them, the NYPD has plans to raid the bar that night. Happy Birthday, Marsha! is the story of two brave best friends and the everyday decisions they made that changed the course of history.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Happy Birthday - Audrey Mestre

Today would have been Audrey Mestre's 40th birthday.


Audrey Mestre (11 August, 1974 - 12 October, 2002) was a world record-setting free diver*.

She was born into a family of snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts, and at a very young age, it was clear she was destined to spend her life in the water. Her grandfather would take her diving on the south of France every summer, and paid for swimming lessons in the winter. She was swimming by the age of two, and won a 25-meter swim match at the age of 2-1/2! By age thirteen was a seasoned scuba diver.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

She's Crafty - A Wrinkle in Time

In celebration of the hopeful news that Frozen co-writer and co-director Jennifer Lee has gotten the approval by Disney to adapt A Wrinkle in Time for a new production, I've put together this collection of super crafty items that I'm sure you will just love!



Felty, the owner of Felt Like Helping (a shop dedicated to raising funds for Haiti Relief projects) made this adorable and detailed Aunt Beast doll. I want one to cradle my heart!
Appropriate to the planet where she lives, and and to the sightlessness of the inhabitants, Aunt Beast is quite plain and gray. The heart I created for Aunt Beast to cradle (as she cradled Meg) represents features of Aunt Beast that require more than the sense of vision to know they are there ~ healing love and the fragrance of spring.


Lynn Floor made this amazing stitched version of her friend's favorite A Wrinkle in Time book cover.



Lauren Delaney's etsy shop is filled with all kinds of adorable and awesome pieces for furnishing the most luxurious of dollhouses. What miniature reading room would be complete without its own copy of A Wrinkle in Time?



Hallie M. Gillett painted this amazing interpretation of A Wrinkle in Time as part of her Faerie Tale Feet series.



The amazing Madeline L'Engle doll by Debbie Ritter of UneekDollDesigns is just one of her many great author dolls!
For the fan of the author Madeleine L'Engle, I created this special art doll miniature. Madeleine wears stylish black pants with colorful floral shirt, and a knit lavender wrap scarf. She also has on dangling silver "earrings", and even carries a tiny replica of one of her books!

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Blog Around

Here's a collection of long reads for your weekend pleasure.



The always brilliant S.E. Smith writes about the benefit of hunting down the histories of women: Taking Back Women's Histories
The 20th century was a turbulent, difficult, and amazing one in women’s history. Even as it marked the emergence of women as a social power and force to be reckoned with, who would not be ignored or pushed into the corner, it also marked an era of repression and the continual emergence of new and sneaky methods to keep women in a position of lesser status. The strides of the women’s rights movement were critical, but by no means brought about total equality, which is why it’s so important to continue the fight today — and why the decision to fight to confront, preserve, and retain women’s history is so critical.


Claudia Roth Pierpont gives a thorough looking into how Nina Simone turned the movement into music in this The New Yorker article A Raised Voice
Simone had been singing out loud and clear about civil rights since 1963—well after the heroic stand of figures like Harry Belafonte and Sammy Davis, Jr., but still at a time when many black performers felt trapped between the rules of commercial success and the increasing pressure for racial confrontation. At Motown, in the early sixties, the wildly popular performers of a stream of crossover hits became models of black achievement but had virtually no contact with the movement at all.
Quora contributor and game designer Feifei Wang answers What's it Like to be a Woman Working in the Video Game Industry?
I think things are getting better. More and more game companies make a point to hire more women and other minority groups to make sure the working environment is more friendly and inclusive. So for you girls out there, come work for the gaming industry. The bottom line is, sexism is everywhere, if you’re gonna get it no matter what, you might as well choose a career that give you most for your trouble.
Katherine Cross takes a close look at ageism in The Kids Were Always Alright: Breaking the Spell of Ageless Ageism
The problems caused by thinking that young people are uniquely destructive are legion for activists: it fractures the energies of our movement and denies useful tools to those who may need them most.
Earlier this week The Sun reposted its fantastic 2006 interview with the late Nadine Gordimer.
Passion springs up from her soft voice as she talks about the Aficaness of her works, “You’re influences by where you live and the views of your friends and society.” As she was growing up in the racist apartheid South Africa, she felt an urge to fight against apartheid. “By the time I was twelve years old, I could see there was something very wrong with the way the country was and the way we were living,” she says. Her mother also felt the same way. “That’s how I became anti-apartheid before apartheid ended.”


Want to brush up on your knowledge of Women's Studies? Check out Autostraddle's Rebel Girls: The Illustrated (And Quite Condensed) History of Women’s Studies
According to Marilyn Boxer, the history of Women’s Studies lies deep within the history of women in academia. She envisions the institutionalization of the program — one which expands every year — as a natural next step for the movement to include women in academic work.