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!

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Quote of the Day

"About all you can do is be who you are. Some people will love you for you. Most will love you for what you can do for them, and some won't like you at all." Rita Mae Brown
It's true. Anyone who would ask you to be something other than yourself isn't worth your time. And when you find people who love you for you, cherish them.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Latin@ Heritage Month - Latinas in Space!

This is the first in a four-part series of posts about Latinas working in the Space Industry. You can read posts two, three, and four. There is only one Latina who has gone to space (so far), but there are many more working on the ground as engineers and scientists with NASA. Their stories are just as important and inspiring for young women looking at a career in STEM. And, as we saw in the recent LatinaStyle article, we desperately need more young Latinas in STEM careers.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a million new jobs are created every year in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math–better known as STEM– and by 2022 there will be nine million STEM jobs available. Although the U.S. Census Bureau states that Latinos are the largest growing minority group in the country, labor statistics demonstrate that Latinas only have two percent of all the STEM jobs currently in the U.S.; it remains a field dominated by white males.
I don't intend this to be an exhaustive list by any means. Simply an opportunity to highlight some of the amazing women working in the space program.

Ellen Ochoa
Ellen Ochoa was the first Latina in space. But that's only one of her many achievements in her career with NASA.

She grew up at a time when space exploration was just beginning. She excelled in school, in both the arts and sciences, but as as a girl she never dreamed of becoming an astronaut herself. She actually thought she'd grow up to be a professional musician. It wasn't until her friends encouraged her to take a closer look at Physics as an option.

She was hooked. Her love of math and science became her route to trying to figure out the world around her. She earned a BS in Physics from SDSU, and then a MS and PhD in engineering from Stanford. It was while she was studying at Stanford that Sally Ride joined the astronaut team, and a whole new world opened up for young women like her. She immediately began pursuing a career with NASA, joining the NASA research team studying optical systems. In fact, she is a co-inventor on three patents relating to optical systems.

In January 1990, she was selected by NASA for the astronaut program. Her first flight was aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1993. By the time she returned from her last mission she'd logged almost 1000 hours in space.

In 2002, she became Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations, and in 2006, she was promoted to Director. She has also served as the Chief of Intelligent Systems Technology at Ames Research Center. But most recently, in January 2013, she became the first Latina and second woman to be appointed as Director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

In addition to being the head of Johnson Space Center, she is also a classically trained flutist and a private pilot.
“I am committed to space flight, human exploration, learning how to do more and more. I like the fact that it is much bigger than myself, important to my country and to the world. I like being able to contribute in this way.”
Links: 
Ellen Ochoa biography on Wikipedia
Ellen Ochoa biography on NASA website
Ellen Ochoa profile on American Physical Society website


Serena Auñón
Serena Auñón is the second Latina to become a NASA astronaut.

Serena Auñón earned a BS in Electrical Engineering at George Washington University, and then an MD at the University of Texas Health Science Center in 2001. That might seem like an abrupt change in course. She explains she wanted to be able to apply the critical thinking skills she learned as an engineer to helping people. Medicine is her passion. She served her two residencies in internal medicine and aerospace medicine. She also earned a Master of Public Health degree in 2006.

She joined NASA as a flight surgeon, and in 2009 was selected as an astronaut candidate. Although she has yet to have her chance at space travel, she is a key person on the support team for the latest group of astronauts and cosmonauts heading to the International Space Station. She uses her medical expertise to support astronauts in space as well as helping to design equipment and technology.

In 2012, she piloted a DeepWorker 2000 submersible as part of a NASA/NOAA NEEMO 16 underwater exploration mission off the coast of Florida.
"Always follow your passion. If you go down a path you think others want you to follow, you'll be miserable. What you love is your passion, and everything else will work out."
Links: 
Serena Auñón biography on Wikipedia
Serena Auñón piece on NBCLatino.com


Candy Torres
Candy Torres is a strong advocate for girls, and especially Latinas, pursuing a career in STEM.

She grew up in South River, New Jersey. She knew early on that she wanted to be an astronaut, but being a Puerto Rican girl in the '60s, that wasn't necessarily in the stars. She had to confront the prejudices of the day, but she was determined to not let it get in her way. While she waited for her chance, she devoured as much science fiction as she could to keep her dream alive. She was mesmerized by the use of technology to solve problems in shows like SuperCar, Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, and, of course, Star Trek.

At the age of 14, she joined the Civil Air Patrol where she learned marching, drilling and wilderness survival. Oh, and she learned to fly a plane. She graduated from high school in 1971, and attended classes at Douglas College (now part of Rutgers), where she managed to cobble together a self-made major in space sciences from classes in vastly different fields such as geology, engineering, and astronomy. It was her professor in astronomy that helped her land her first job after graduation, working on the Copernicus OAO-3C Satellite at Princeton. From there, she was hired to convert large data files for NASA. The work was being done by hand, and was time consuming and quite boring. Torres, ever the innovator, taught herself FORTRAN so she could write a program to do the conversions in a more systematic way.

In 1983, she drove for 21 hours to be on site when Sally Ride made her historic journey into space. She knew that this would be an important opening for other young women to join the space program. And then, only a few weeks later, she was offered her dream job: a contractor position with McDonnell Douglas working on the software for the Space Shuttle program. Since then, she has also worked on projects supporting the International Space Station.
"I had a very curious mind, and I was not willing to let go of that."
Links: 
Candy Torres biography on STEMWomen.net
Candy Torres biographical piece on CNN
Candy Torres piece in The Atlantic


Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintrón
Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintrón is the chief of NASA Johnson Space Center Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office. What started out in 1979 as a two year plan to create the Biochemistry Laboratory turned into a full-fledged career spanning three decades.

Born in Puerto Rico, she traveled often during her childhood, following her Army father around the world. After his retirement, the family settled in Puerto Rico, where she excelled in school, and was a self-driven learner when it came to the sciences and math. Even at an early age, she dreamed of being a scientist. She earned a BS in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, and in 1972 entered the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, earning her PhD there in 1978.

She applied to the Astronaut Corps and passed the finals, but poor eyesight limited her to earth-bound work. But it was her academic credentials that impressed the folks at NASA, and they offered her a position as a NASA scientist. In addition to her work on the Biochemistry Laboratory, she also served as the project scientist on the Space Lab 2 mission as part of the shuttle Challenger launch in 1985.

NASA sponsored her studies at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where she graduated in 1995 with her MD, specializing in internal medicine. She was named the director of the Life Sciences Research Laboratories in support of medical operations, a position that enabled her to continue to focus on both the science and medical aspects of space travel.

She was awarded the Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement, the highest science honor given by NASA. And in 2004, she was inducted into the Hispanic Engineer's National Achievement Awards Conference Hall of Fame in Los Angeles.
"In everything you do, always do you very best, be your very best. Everyone has skills and talents, and if you do your very best with them, you will always be a winner."
Links: 
Nitza Margarita Cintrón biography on Wikipedia
Nitza Margarita Cintrón biography on Latina Women of NASA

Sunday, September 28, 2014

She's Crafty - Birds of a Feather Edition 2

It's starting to feel like autumn around here. And that means the winter birds are starting to return from their summer journey north. I don't think it's much of a surprise to folks who know me, but you dear reader may not have figured it out yet. I'm a bird nerd. So, obviously, that means I am more likely to collect links of cute or clever bird crafts than the average Jane. Here's the latest collection:



Hello my little chickadees! I love seeing (and hearing) my chickadee pals in my trees out back. They're out back singing right now as I type this. So super cute! Just like these super cute little hand-painted chickadee earrings from Kirstin Stride. In fact, her whole shop is filled with adorable earrings, brooches, cards and more. All hand-painted, and all lovely!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Weekend Reading

Welcome to your weekend! Here are some great longreads for your reading pleasure!

Friday, September 26, 2014

Follow Friday

Here's your weekly list of great folks to follow! Feel free to leave your links in the comments!



I think you already know how much I love great cosplay. And one of my favorite cosplayers in Jay Justice! Seriously, take a look at those photos above? And you know what was probably the hardest part for her making that header there? Picking only 30 photos from her legions of costumes! To keep track of her ever-growing collection, and for some really great geeky posts, follow her on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and Instagram.



The Scientista Foundation is dedicated to promoting and supporting women in the sciences. As such, they're always posting great, smart content. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook.



In spite of the name, I really love Princess Free Zone and all the work they do to promote gender equity in media and products for kids, as well as sharing great stories about kick ass girls breaking down gender barriers. Follow them on both Twitter and Facebook.



One of the first people I followed on Google+ was Jennifer Ouellette. She's always posting so many great articles and fostering smart discussions. Check out her blog at Scientific American and follow her on Twitter and Google+.



Have you seen the documentary Miss Representation? If so, you already know how important media literacy is for girls and women and people who love them. For more stories follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Weekend Reading

Welcome to the weekend! We made it! As celebration, here's a collection of longer reads for your pleasure!


Wonder Woman, introduced in 1941, was a creation of utopian feminism, inspired by Margaret Sanger and the ideals of free love. Jill Lepore uncovers the remarkable and complex feminist background of Wonder Woman in her New Yorker piece, The Last Amazon
Superman débuted in 1938, Batman in 1939, Wonder Woman in 1941. She was created by William Moulton Marston, a psychologist with a Ph.D. from Harvard. A press release explained, “ ‘Wonder Woman’ was conceived by Dr. Marston to set up a standard among children and young people of strong, free, courageous womanhood; to combat the idea that women are inferior to men, and to inspire girls to self-confidence and achievement in athletics, occupations and professions monopolized by men” because “the only hope for civilization is the greater freedom, development and equality of women in all fields of human activity.” Marston put it this way: “Frankly, Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world.”


For another fantastic and detailed piece about women in comics, check out Lisa Hix's piece Women Who Conquered the Comics World in Collectors Weekly.
Messick’s sexy and stylish character, which took great inspiration from Nell Brinkley, eluded kidnappers, jumped from airplanes with a parachute, and got stranded on desert islands. “One of my favorites is where Brenda Starr joins this teenage gang,” Robbins says. “The gang leader is a blonde, and all the other members wear blonde wigs. She disguises herself with blonde hair and pretends to be a teenager so that she can join this gang of girl juvenile delinquents. Another time, she’s kidnapped by this albino Polynesian princess and winds up on this island where she discovers that her true love, the Mystery Man, Basil St. John, who is also being held prisoner by the Polynesian princess because she wants him to marry her. Messick came up with great stuff.”


[TW: rape, sexual assault, domestic violence]
Sara Bernard has a poignant story about a group of folks in rural Alaska who are taking on abusers in their midst: Rape Culture in the Alaskan Wilderness
Then, last year, Jane joined the Tanana 4-H club, a newly minted outlet for local youth of all ages to gather and play games and craft things like blueberry jam and beaver hats. It’s run by Cynthia Erickson, owner of Tanana’s general store and native of Ruby, a village 100 miles downriver. Erickson says she started the program because of suicide: Three years ago, there were six in Tanana. At first, she just wanted to give Tanana’s kids a place to do things with their hands, to go on field trips, to feel supported. But what began as a diversion quickly became a safe place for kids to share all kinds of traumas they were witnessing and experiencing: sexual and domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse, death after brutal death. The discussions they’d have were rarely prearranged, Erickson says. Instead, the kids would launch the conversation by saying, “Did you hear what happened?”
Joann Weiner has a fantastic interview with up-and-coming Rwandan activists, Nadine Niyitegeka: I’ve seen the future of Rwanda, and her name is Nadine
Spend just a few minutes with a charismatic 22-year-old Rwandan woman with bright, sparkling eyes and a lilt in her voice and you’ll know you’ve seen the future of Rwanda.

That beacon of hope is Nadine Niyitegeka, a woman whose photograph as a shy 2-year-old is displayed on the wall of Kigali’s Genocide Memorial Center as one of the thousands of innocent children slaughtered in Rwanda’s genocide 20 years ago.

“I’m still alive,” Nadine needlessly explained during our hour-long interview. “And I’m going places!”


In his photo essay, The Women of West Point, Damon Winter captures the daily life for the U.S. Military Academy’s 786 female cadets.
From its founding in 1802, on George Washington’s earlier recommendation, until 1976, West Point admitted no women. Since then, more than 4,100 have followed in the steps of the first 62 female graduates in 1980. Many more are on the way, too, now that the American military will be opening combat positions to qualifying women by 2016. The 263 female cadets who started at West Point this year made up 22 percent of the incoming class, a record number, up from 16 percent last year.

They and their fellow first-year cadets, or plebes, reported for Reception Day on July 2, which marked the beginning of six weeks of cadet basic training, a k a Beast Barracks, and the end of their civilian lifestyles. “I knew I was going to need to step it up in the physical realm,” Danilack says, referring to her own early days on campus. “But I never knew it was going to be as hard as it turned out to be.” Upon graduating, she and her classmates received their commissions — and their bars — as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.


Meet CEO Martine Rothblatt, a transwoman who founded Sirius radio, pioneered AI, and so much more!
In person, Martine is magnificent, like a tall lanky teenage boy with breasts. She wears no makeup or jewelry, and she inhabits her muted clothing—cargo pants, a T-shirt, a floppy button-down thrown on top—in the youthful, offhand way of the tech elite. Martine is transgender, a power trans, which makes her an even rarer species in the corporate jungle than a female CEO. And she seems genuinely to revel in her self-built in-betweenness. Just after her sex-reassignment surgery in 1994, her appearance was more feminine than it is today—old photos show her wearing lipstick, her long, curly hair loose about her shoulders. But in the years since she has developed her own unisexual style. She is a person for whom gender matters enough to have undergone radical surgery, but not enough to care whether she’s called he or she by people, like her 83-year-old mother, who occasionally lose track of which pronoun to use.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Follow Friday

Here's your weekly list of great folks to follow!


I've been following BlackGirlDangerous for a while now on Twitter and Facebook, and I love the no-holds-barred truth factory you're always sure to find there. What started out as the brainchild of Mia McKenzie, has grown into a collection of writers for the blog, and an ever expanding reach to bring more voices of marginalized people into the fore. Please be sure to check out their Editor-In-Training Program and help them with their amazing work!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Music Break - La Santa Cecilia

I love La Santa Cecilia, and have been listening to them a lot lately. This song, in particular, has been rolling around in my head. I love their take on the Beatles' classic. It's exactly as you'd expect it to be. Only more beautiful and poignant.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Kickstart This!

Here's your weekly list of fantastic crowd-funding projects that need some attention!



She and the Sea, The Pacific Northwest by Kara Sparkman, is a creative journey and exploration into the lives and spirit of women who surf the Pacific Northwest.
Three artists/surfers will take two months to travel along the coasts of Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver Island, B.C. Our journey is focused on exploring a unique minority community: the strong and spirited women who surf this rugged and wild cold-water region. We think their bond with the ocean and the beautiful landscape they inhabit is inspiring and worthy of exploration and acknowledgement. And we are curious about what makes them, and the region they call home, special and unique.


I'm really excited about Moon Hunters. In addition to our monthly tabletop game nights, we host a couple of LAN and smaller friends-online/console-gaming nights a month. We're always on the look out for local co-op games.
On your search for the missing moon, you will travel the world with your fellow Hunters, build up your tribe, and become a living legend for your deeds. Your choices each become part of the myth, joining your tribe's pantheon of heroes. How will you be remembered by your tribe in generations to come?


The Sisterhood of Shred is a documentary about women riders pushing personal limits on and off the bike, while supporting each other and providing daily motivation.
Finding women who are free riders, dirt jumpers, and skate park riders can be hard; however, these women use various methods to establish connections and build community through outreach using social media, videos, as well as hosting their own women’s events. Doing this allows these women a place to go where they feel accepted while simultaneously building skills, confidence, and lasting friendships which spread to these women’s other social networks. This has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of women riders who are seeking out more female oriented events and people who share these commonalities. From all walks of life and different points around the globe, each woman has different reasons for taking part in the Sisterhood but ultimately seemed to find what they never knew they were looking for; a supportive woman oriented community.


Girls on Games: A Look at the Fairer Side of the Industry, by Elisa Teague, is a compilation of essays by women in the tabletop games industry about past and current struggles and secrets and tips for new designers.
After compiling stories and advice for years, Elisa decided to write a book on the matter, and there is no better way to discuss such important topics than to include many voices with important viewpoints on the subject. So, we've gathered together some amazing contributors to each add a chapter on various game topics for a book that has never been see before!
I'm intrigued, and will probably back it. But I do have to register my disappointment that all the contributors appear to be white. I want to support the women of color in gaming as well.



MisSpelled: A Fantastical Witchy Web Series, by Lindsey McDowell, on the other hand, has a fantastically diverse cast!
Have you ever wished there was a witch show showcasing women NOT knowing exactly what to do as soon as they acquire powers? Ever wished for a show that showcased different ethnicities and sizes working together for the common good?

MisSpelled is the tale of five very different young women who must learn to work together after they mysteriously acquire magical powers. The girls will have to save themselves and each other from their own magical mistakes. A dark comedy with lives on the line, MisSpelled is a thrilling and comical journey for five young women who aren't necessarily down for the ride. With a new dark presence growing in power, will they be able to save themselves from impending doom?

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Quote of the Day


"I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others." Amelia Earhart
The first part of this quote resonates with me. I know that drive to do the thing that might not make sense to others. It's part of why I created this blog. There are so many stories that I want to share. Far more than I can actually get to. It's almost overwhelming in a way. My list of future posts grows every day.

But when I see this quote, I also think about all the ways that women and girls are still overcoming the socialization that prevents us from taking risks. The fact that many of the stories I want to share are remarkable is kind of sad in a way. So many of them really shouldn't be remarkable in this day in age.

There's been some talk lately about the "confidence gap" and how girls aren't taught how to fail well. Failure is all a part of living, and yet many girls are convinced to just give up rather than push through. That's not a personal problem. That's a systemic problem. I want girls, and women, to feel like their failures are just part of the process. So they can learn that when things get tough, they will have the determination and strength to learn from their mistakes and continue moving forward.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Music Break - Megan Washington

I can't tell if this is a break-up song, or a morning-after song, or what. Regardless, I like it. It feels honest and a little vulnerable.

The song is really catchy. It reminds me a lot of those moody songs I'd listen to as a teenager in the 1980s. And the video is perfect. It captures the ache of loss and regret.



Limitless

Though you saw it coming it was not your fault
Oh, in the morning gave you what you want
No, you couldn't hold in your lowered head
Oh, you shoulda told me this was limitless
There's a certain kind of lonely
Where you sleep in your jeans
And I know that kind
You can tell me that you know me
When you know what that means
And that you don't mind
Special kind of dreaming
When you sleep with the television on
And with the lights on
And with your clothes on
And with your shoes on
Though you saw it coming it was not your fault
Oh, in the morning gave you want you want
No, you couldn't hold it in your lowered head
Oh, you shoulda told me this was limitless
Ooh
There's a certain sort of lonely
Where you sleep in your jeans
And I know that sort
You can tell me that you know me
When you know what that means
And it's what you want
Special sort of dreaming
When you sleep with the television on
And with the lights on
And with your clothes on
And with your shoes on
Will you please remember to mention me
To the ones who loved you
Do you feel the sinking, sinking feeling
When I'm thinking of you
Though you saw it coming it was not your fault
Oh, in the morning gave you what you want
Oh, it was as if I'd been a gift to you
Oh, it was as if because I wanted to
Though you saw it coming it was not your fault
Oh, in the morning gave you what you want
Oh, I didn't mean to fall into this mess
Oh, you shoulda told me this was limitless
Won't you please remember to mention me
To the ones who loved you
Do you feel the sinking, sinking feeling
When I'm thinking of you
Won't you please remember to mention me
To the ones who loved you
Do you feel a sinking, sinking feeling
When I'm thinking of you
Ooh, oooh
Ooh, oooh

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Kickstart This!

Here's your weekly list of fantastic crowd-funding projects that need some attention!



I love how Samurai Bike Messengers combines a brave young team and cycling!
The Samurai Bike Messengers story centers around the adventures of female heroine Mona-Star, a determined young bike messenger who together with her team, must save New York City. An invasion by the villainous Guzzle Thugs, ordered to eliminate all cycling and walking, challenges Mona to become a team leader and pushes her into new unknown challenges.


Here's a game for all you fans of Animal Crossing, The Sims and Farmville. You know who you are.
Pumpkin-Online is a farming/dating sim MMORPG, wildly different than any other out there. Instead of level grinding with battle and combat, Pumpkin-Online is a relaxed game. You can role-play a profession, craft items, customize your own private farm, go on quests, have fun with NPCs, and more, all with friends!




I just love this project. There are so many great stories that need to be told and Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong is working to make sure they are.
Walk In My Shoes is a six-week digital storytelling workshop for immigrant and refugee teenage girls at Oakland International High School. With this project, I will be supporting girls as they invite readers to walk in their shoes: see through their eyes, hear the soundtrack of their lives, and follow the path of their journey.

The project will offer girls practical training in self-definition and the crafting of rich stories, increase their proficiency with media and digital technologies, help them to interrupt immigrant stereotypes that restrict their life paths to doctors or domestic workers with no middle ground, foster cross-cultural connections, and bolster confidence.


Know what I hate about crowd-funding? The wait for products that I want RIGHT NOW. Like this.
In Jelly God, you become the only hope for an otherwise grey and barren world. Breathe life into this new plane by cultivating a tribe of jelly people (jellies), and developing the emerging landscape. Expand your village of jellies by collecting resources, building homes, unlocking new colours, and discovering new ways to combine items.


While I've never been to CONvergence, I have been to PAX. And I know the amazingness that comes from getting a bunch of geeks all together. As my friend Cat say, "It's like Christmas for grown-ups." Kate Norlander's project, Geek Culture, wants to share that awesomeness with everyone.
CONvergence is an annual sci-fi and fantasy convention in Minnesota run entirely by volunteers. It draws thousands of people each year. In 2013, I attended CONvergence along with photographer Emmerlee Sherman and her assistant, Russ Gamache. We gathered stories and photos throughout the four-day convention. Geek Culture is the result of our efforts.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Quote of the Day



"One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are, what you believe in and where you want to go." Sheila Murray Bethel.

I've been thinking about this concept of self-knowledge quite a bit lately. As I get older, I find I am more comfortable with myself. Things about myself that used to make me worry about how other people might judge me don't really seem all that important anymore. Things that I would like to change about myself are part of the work-in-progress that I am. I don't carry around nearly as much shame as I used to. Although there are still pockets of it here and there in my psyche. And when I encounter it, I try to remind myself that I am still worthy of love, and that those feelings are just signs marking a construction zone that call for extra care.

I know what I believe in. I tend to trust my gut more, and really listen to it when it tells me something doesn't jive with my beliefs. I still second-guess my actions sometimes, but not nearly as often, and usually when I'm pushing the edge of my own comfort level, but when I step back and look at it through the lens of my beliefs, I'm usually right. And when I'm not, I apologize sincerely, and chalk it up to a learning experience (that I actually do learn from).

I can't say I know where I want to go specifically, but I have a pretty clear idea of what it looks like there, and what direction will get me closer. And I am always moving that direction.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

She's Crafty - Back to School

It's Back to School time! And to celebrate, here's a collection of awesome crafty items with a school theme!


Back to School time means Autumn is nearly here! What a great way to celebrate both with a Lambswool Pencil Scarf! Actually Sara Carr's shop has lots of really lovely and fun scarves!



Feeling little bite-y about having to go back to school? Or, maybe awesome? Well, here's the perfect pencil case either way! This Shark Pencil Case is both bite-y and awesome! Heck, I'm not even taking classes this year, and I want one!



I found these adorable little Best Friends Charms in La Petite Artist's BlueBumbershoot shop. What a cute idea for a back-to-school themed bracelet or earrings!



What's more perfect than settling into a night of reading (for homework, of course!) with a super comfy blanket? Like this Composition Notebook Coverlet by Snuffykin. Super easy to make, and will certainly keep you inspired to jot down some notes, right?



And while you're snuggled up and reading, wouldn't you love to have a cup of tea this cute Notebook Paper Mug? In fact Sikiu Miller-Perez has a great collection of notebook paper themed ceramic items in her MangoTreeCeramics shop.



These Mathematics Earrings are perfect for anyone who loves math and language! That's two of the 'Three Rs' right there! Louise Annable's shop, Bookity, can be found on both sides of the Atlantic: Folksy and Etsy.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Weekend Reading

Welcome to the weekend! Here's a collection of longer reads for your pleasure!



I'd always wondered what the link was between women working and feminism. I assumed that most early feminists had been teachers mainly because that was one of the few occupations open to educated women. Rebecca Traister has a great interview with Dana Goldstein, author of The Teacher Wars.
"[Almost as soon as teaching was feminized] new opportunities opened up for women, which in turn had an impact on the teaching profession. A great example of this is Belva Lockwood, who starts teaching at the age of 14 in an upstate New York one-room schoolhouse. She’s hit by the feminist bug [in the mid 19th century] and within a matter of years she’s become an attorney, lobbying to become the first woman to argue before the Supreme Court, and eventually she runs for president ... two times! But a lot of her feminism is driven by her anger that she’s getting paid less than male teachers."


A recent study by Jong-Eun Roselyn Lee shows the importance of race in online gaming, and in particular MMOs.You can read the original article in Discovery: Skin Color Still Matters in Video Games, but you should also read the great write-up by Victoria McNally at The Mary Sue: New Study On Virtual Avatar Skin Color Demonstrates Why Diversity Matters
But this study is still interesting because it speaks to a wider discussion about race and diversity in gaming. It’s easy for players in the majority to dismiss calls for more customizable skin tones and features (“games based on European cultures wouldn’t have darker people anyway,” they often say, forgetting that these games also have elves and oh yeah are fictional), but for people who actually look like that in real life, it can be yet another jarring reminder that they are not considered part of the target audience for these games.


As explained in this interview by Alison Flood in The Guardian, Margaret Atwood has been named as the first contributor to a fascinating public artwork project. I'm more than a little sad I probably won't be around to read her piece.
The Future Library project, conceived by the award-winning young Scottish artist Katie Paterson, began, quietly, this summer, with the planting of a forest of 1,000 trees in Nordmarka, just outside Oslo. It will slowly unfold over the next century. Every year until 2114, one writer will be invited to contribute a new text to the collection, and in 2114, the trees will be cut down to provide the paper for the texts to be printed – and, finally, read.

"It is the kind of thing you either immediately say yes or no to. You don't think about it for very long," said Atwood, speaking from Copenhagen. "I think it goes right back to that phase of our childhood when we used to bury little things in the backyard, hoping that someone would dig them up, long in the future, and say, 'How interesting, this rusty old piece of tin, this little sack of marbles is. I wonder who put it there?'"


Gabby at GirlsinCapes.com has a great interview with Olivia A. Cole, a poet, author, and vocal activist, discussing her new book Panther in the Hive which features a black female protagonist trying to survive in the post-apocalyptic land that was once Chicago.
A lot of my research for Panther in the Hive occurred before I started writing the book—and even before the idea of the book was conceived. My undergraduate degree focused heavily on social issues (racism, sexism, gentrification, healthcare, corporations, etc.) so when it came to writing the book, a lot of that information found its way into the pages on its own. It was a natural process.


Jenny Diski has written a piece in The London Review of Books about the process of being a writer discovering that she has inoperable cancer. (h/t: Longreads)
We’d hardly got home before I said: ‘Well, I suppose I’m going to write a cancer diary.’ The only other thing I might have said was: ‘Well, I’m not going to write a cancer diary.’ Right there: a choice? I’m a writer, have been since I was small, and have earned my living at it for thirty years. I write fiction and non-fiction, but it’s almost always personal. I start with me, and often enough end with me. I’ve never been apologetic about that, or had a sense that my writing is ‘confessional’. What else am I going to write about but how I know and don’t know the world? I may not make things up in fiction, or tell the truth in non-fiction, but documentary or invented, it’s always been me at the centre of the will to put descriptions out into the world. I lie like all writers but I use my truths as I know them in order to do so.


In years past, we've witnessed a lot (A LOT) of terrible examples of football marketing for women. But Jessica Luther has a piece in Vice Sports about how Charlie Strong's UT Women's Football Camp Gets it Right
For all that, one could still argue that splitting women off into their own camps is sexist because it starts from an assumption that women can't just attend a football 101 clinic or a fantasy football camp (in fact, women cannot attend the 2-day Texas Longhorns Fantasy Camp). To those people, I say, you're right. But at the same time, after celebrating UT football with a bunch of other female fans and then doing hours of rigorous and flat-out physical exercises that were new or unfamiliar for many of us, it was nice to have a space to share football with other women and do so without having to deal with men who assume we don't know or like football. Or even worse, men who would use the camp as an opportunity to perform their masculinity for UT football coaches and players.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Follow Friday

Here's your weekly list of great pages and folks that you should be following!



The National Women's History Museum is one of my favorite Facebook pages. Always so many great stories of kick ass women! You can also find them on Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.
Katie Mack is one of those feminist scientist types I just love. Besides sharing all kinds of great astrology and other science info, she's also dropping truth bombs like the one above. You can find her on Twitter, FacebookGoogle+, and her blog.



You may already be familiar with Rebecca Watson (aka Skepchick). I love watching her YouTube vlogs breaking down important science concepts as well as covering other geeky pursuits! You can also find her on Twitter, Google+, and on her own blog.



Tumblr is full of garbage, but there is also a whole world of awesome. One of my faves is WomanistGamerGirl. Such a great mix of pop culture, womanist commentary, geeky fun, and more. You can also find her on Twitter.



I have been following Brown Girl Collective for ages. I love their daily posts on Facebook covering awesome women and highlighting awesome stories about women and girls of color. Their Pinterest page, though, is a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours. They can also be found on Twitter and Google+.



New Moon Girls has a great Google+ page that deserves more love. They're always great for info and inspiration for people who love girls! You can also find them on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and their web page.

Feel free to leave your links in the comments!