Monday, October 26, 2015

Performing Feminisms: kinds of knowledge, tracing influences Butler & Bechdel


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From You Tube: Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home on Broadway [SIV396]
https://youtu.be/A9vD7Nc0L3k
Published on Apr 22, 2015
"4/17/15: Vermont cartoonist Alison Bechdel published her graphic novel Fun Home in 2006. The best-selling book told the tale of the author’s tumultuous childhood in rural Pennsylvania and the complex events that lead to the tragic death of her closeted father.

In 2013, a musical adaptation of Fun Home was mounted at The Public Theater in New York with book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and music by Jeanine Tesori. In March, Fun Home moved to Circle in the Square Theatre and opened to rave reviews on April 19th.

The musical depicts three versions of Alison (small, middle and 43-years-old) and jumps frenetically through time, slowly unfolding her emotionally charged tale. Playing the role of Alison’s little brother is 11-year-old Vermonter Oscar Williams. Oscar got Stuck in Vermont in November of 2014 when he shared his dream of performing on Broadway - which has now come true.

Eva and Seven Days’ cofounder Pamela Polston got temporarily unstuck from Vermont to see the show and meet up with Alison and Oscar on Broadway.

Music: Al Jolson, “I’m Sitting on Top of the World,” Fun Home, Music by Jeanine Tesori, Book & Lyrics by Lisa Kron

Note: Alison’s childhood home in Beech Creek, PA which plays such a large role in the book and the musical is now for rent by new owners. Alison and some of the cast stayed there and you can too!"
 
http://funhomebroadway.com/

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>>>EXPERIENCE SET THREE: INTERSECTIONAL IDENTITIES, ZINES & PERFORMING ACTIVISMS<<<

Tuesday, 27 October – Performing feminisms: investigating kinds of knowledge and tracing some influences of Octavia Butler and Alison Bechdel

Experience Set 3 Resources for Assignment 3 & for this week!

>> ZINES:
• You went to the UMD Zine library last Thursday and watched a video last class.
• Check out the DC Zinefest online: https://dczinefest.wordpress.com 

>> MATRIX OF DOMINATION:
• Read and reread the handout you got last Thusday in section: "The Matrix of Domination" fr Collins. 2002. Black Feminist Thought. Routledge. pp. 224ff. https://books.google.com/books?id=WMGTAgAAQBAJ&q=matrix+of+domination#v=snippet&q=matrix%20of%20domination&f=false

>> BUTLER'S INFLUENCES:
• Check out Octavia's Brood and find essays and stories you want to read. Be ready to say which.
• Explore the Octavia's Brood website: http://octaviasbrood.com  
• Note Butler’s description on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_E._Butler
• Read about Earthseed on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthseed
Note the link there to an interview with Butler, and the video we watched parts of last week. 

>> BECHDEL'S PERFORMANCES:
• Check out the Bechdel book you picked to examine and choose parts to share in your discussion section. Be prepared to say which one it is and why you chose it. 
• Note Bechdel's description on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Bechdel 
• Explore Bechdel's website: http://dykestowatchoutfor.com 
• See the strip archive: for example: DTWOF episode #527: May 13th, 2008 | Strip Archive: http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/dtwof-episode-527

We begin to learn about different kinds of knowledge, esp. the differences between subjected knowledges about the world that locations from oppression require, what we call "epistemic privilege," and the ways in which a very different kind of "social privilege" and power actually make it difficult to know about how the world is really operating.



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From YouTube: Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements
https://youtu.be/lZ1B_BEsYuw
Published on Jun 20, 2013
Octavia's Brood, co-edited by Walidah Imarisha & adrienne maree brown, is an anthology of radical science & speculative fiction written by organizers & activists, based in the idea that those working to change the world are sci-fi/speculative thinkers! https://www.facebook.com/octaviasbrood. Contribute today at Indiegogo: http://igg.me/at/OctaviasBrood/x/3210370 or search: Octavia's Brood.


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>>VIDEO FOLLOWUP: 

THINK-PAIR-SHARE: Check out Octavia's Brood and find essays and stories you want to read. Be ready to say which you chose and why.

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Some different ways to use the term "privilege": which do you already know and use and when?

• "It's a great privilege to be here today": "an advantage or source of pleasure granted to a person."  Perhaps the ordinary use of the word: Good thing, maybe even something to proud of. (From Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/privilege )

• "This is an example of unearned white privilege": "the sociological concept that some groups of people have advantages relative to other groups. The term is commonly used in the context of social inequality, particularly with regards to social class, race, age, sexual orientation, gender, and disability." A current political use of the word: Not good, unethical but also structural: experienced personally and to be opposed politically. (From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privilege_(social_inequality)

• "Standpoint theory works out just how epistemic privilege works, how people see more and less of what is really happening out of their struggles and lives" : "some social locations, specifically marginalized locations, are epistemically superior in that they afford hitherto unrecognized epistemic privilege, thereby correcting falsehoods and revealing previously suppressed truths. Thus, as Sandra Harding puts it, "Standpoint theories map how a social and political disadvantage can be turned into an epistemic, scientific and political advantage." [2004; 7-8]" A technical term in feminist theory and philosophy, oddly almost the opposite of the other meanings: A good thing if difficult and possibly a result of suffering, a location of knowing (epistemic) that comes from one's experiences of struggling against inequality, one's own, and sometimes that of others. (From Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/fem-stan/ )

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Hooks 1984. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. South End Press.

Mexican segregation in Texas
Her story here about the small Kentucky town is a now classic statement of what feminists sometimes call "standpoint theory." Here she makes it clear that segregation meant that black people moved across the railroad tracks, and -- correctly -- saw the town on both sides. The town was literally larger to them than it was to the white people who stayed on their side of the railroad tracks, whose reality was thus more narrow and circumscribed. This violates any assumptions that "privilege" or having more or being advantaged means that you "know more" -- usually understood as having been better educated or schooled. But this work on standpoint claims that such education doesn't account for the knowledges about living in the world that are greater among oppressed people: what is sometimes called "subjugated knowledge." [Pic from: http://www.beinglatino.us/uncategorized/the-longoria-affair/ ]

This does not mean, however, that having privilege means having no way to know what subjugated people know. Or that oppressed people are even always aware of what it is that they know in these ways. Standpoint theory says that all of us need to raise our consciousness, to learn more about how to know what we know as oppressed people, and how to acquire knowledge about what we don't know as privileged ones.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Set 3 under construction but up here SOON! keep checking back! :)

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What to prepare next? LOOK UP:

=intersectionality
=zines

Have as much to say about each as possible!
Pay close attention to differences among kinds of intersectionality and zines!
THEY ARE NOT ALL THE SAME! how?

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Wondering about Experience Set and Assignment 3? Your teaching/learning team is working on a great fun project and writing it up this week! It will go up on the website AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! :) Keep checking here for updates! 

Experience Set 4 and its assignment will go up shortly after that too. 


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PEEK INTO EXPERIENCE SET 3! 
INTRO TO OCTAVIA BUTLER:
• Read about Earthseed on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthseed

• Read about the 10 Ways that Reading Octavia Butler will change your life! http://www.bustle.com/articles/73251-when-you-read-octavia-butler-be-prepared-for-these-10-things-to-happen

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Octavia Butler: Science Future, Science Fiction
Uploaded on Mar 10, 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgeyVE3NHJM
"Clips of Octavia Butler. For more about her, see http://OctaviaButler.net . This is from a panel discussion at UCLA in 2002, moderated by Arthur Cover. The full panel is on Frank Herbert's Dune DVD."

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FeminEast Makes Zines
Published on Oct 22, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHuIGC5xKzo
"We follow FeminEast, the Wellington East Girls' College Feminist club, as they make their first collaborative zine. Caitlin, Bella and Jess, three young feminists who run the club, introduce us to zine-making and its potential to share feminist ideas."

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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Today for Ass 2 sign in at BEGINNING of class with your TA! BEST IF YOU GET TO CLASS 5 MINS EARLY!

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Think FESTIVAL! 

>>Be sure your TA has a list of everyone in the group, first and last names both, and the TITLE of your event! 


>>Assemble as a group right away, and as a section as well. We will go in order of section number, and each TA will order their section's groups. 

>>PREPARE FLYER FOR POSTING AND DISTRIBUTION! 

>>You will have only 4 mins for EVERYONE in your group to talk! Be sure your group has prepared! 

a) give the group’s definition of feminism, 
b) describe the event
c) describe how these connect
d) describe the flyer and publicity, 
e) describe group process and name some insights into CR or feminist process that came out of the project. 
Do this quickly but thoroughly! Give some great details but have it planned out.

>>We will need for everyone to get onto the front area of the classroom to present QUICKLY as the previous group exits! One right after another in quick time! 

>>So prepare to do that, group by group, section by section. 

Remember, this participation is required for full credit for the assignment and experience set. 

MORE FESTIVAL! 

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Monday, October 19, 2015

ASSIGNMENT 2 IS DUE! Groups create feminisms through actions in solidarity: definition & event!! BRING HARD COPY TO CLASS TODAY! YOU NEED TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES FOR FULL CREDIT!

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Tuesday, 20 October – Raising our Consciousness: What is Feminism?
• DUE ASS. #2: feminist event project elements

Everyone will say something today! Everyone should be in class today, working with their group, and talking about the experiences that coalesce around this set of projects. Prepare with your group before hand so that your group’s presentation will allow everyone to be introduced and talk about feminist process and CR, and discuss how definitions of feminism entail collective action. See the Assignment TAB 2:Event for specifics for preparation!

YOU MUST TURN SOMETHING IN TODAY IN HARD COPY TO TA!
If, for any reason whatsoever, you do not have your hard copy of ANY ELEMENT of Ass 2 now, you must turn in a piece of paper with your name and explanation/s.


AS YOU COME INTO CLASS TODAY, FOR OUR FESTIVAL OF FEMINISMS! 
=make sure your TA has a list of your group members and create a TITLE for your collective work.
=prepare your flyer for display and distribution!
=be sure your team can present quickly as soon as the previous group is done: we want minutes to hear about your stuff, not to wait for folks to gather themselves. 


>>Each group has only 4 mins to do their presentation! Each person in the group will introduce themselves by first and last name. You should know first and last names of everyone in your group too! Everyone in the group must say something to the whole class. Each group should briefly: a) give the group’s definition of feminism, b) describe the event, c) describe how these connect, d) describe the flyer and publicity, e) describe group process and name some insights into CR or feminist process that came out of the project. Do this quickly but thoroughly! Give some great details but have it planned out so we can get through all the groups in one class! [CLICK HERE for tips on speaking out in class! ]

>>Individually you will turn in a page of writing on who did what work and offer your own thoughtful analysis of it all. While working together and reading about CR in hooks, Reed, and online (you might look around for additional stuff too), consider how this project gives you some insight into the issues raised in these. Especially consider the issues of process and consciousness-raising: How does this affect everyone’s thinking about feminism? What does it take to create a feminist process as well as a feminist event as well as a feminist definition of feminism? Be sure to know everyone’s first and last names, list all these on all materials, and discuss in detail who did what work, how the group conducted meetings, who could meet when and why, what sorts of conflicts or just differences if any emerged and around what issues. What work did you do in particular and what role did you play in the group? Write this out carefully and thoughtfully. As appropriate include footnotes and bibliography when you paraphrase or quote someone else’s words. (This is essential in all college papers by the way.) [CLICK HERE for everything you wanted to know about feminism....]

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Wondering about Experience Set and Assignment 3? Your teaching/learning team is working on a great fun project and writing it up this week! It will go up on the website AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! :) Keep checking here for updates! 

Experience Set 4 and its assignment will go up shortly after that too. 

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PEEK INTO EXPERIENCE SET 3! 
INTRO TO OCTAVIA BUTLER:
• Read about Earthseed on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthseed

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Octavia Butler: Science Future, Science Fiction
Uploaded on Mar 10, 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgeyVE3NHJM
"Clips of Octavia Butler. For more about her, see http://OctaviaButler.net . This is from a panel discussion at UCLA in 2002, moderated by Arthur Cover. The full panel is on Frank Herbert's Dune DVD."

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FeminEast Makes Zines
Published on Oct 22, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHuIGC5xKzo
"We follow FeminEast, the Wellington East Girls' College Feminist club, as they make their first collaborative zine. Caitlin, Bella and Jess, three young feminists who run the club, introduce us to zine-making and its potential to share feminist ideas."

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Thursday, October 8, 2015

What sort of “art” is protest?

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Tuesday, 13 October – The Art of Protest
• Read Reed Intro, Ch 1-2, and look over the whole book as an event itself!
• Examine Reed’s book website: http://art-of-protest.net/tvreedhome.html
• Check out his teaching site: http://libarts.wsu.edu/english/TV%20Reed.html
• Look at his cultural politics resources: http://culturalpolitics.net/about

What sort of “art” is protest? How do social movements create culture? Which social movements do you know the most about? Which ones would you like to learn more about? Which arts have engaged the feminist issues you care about most? How do you know? How is women’s studies involved?



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EXAMINING A BOOK AS AN EVENT! 

=How can a book be an event?
=Which of the ways a book could be an event can you illustrate from Reed's book specifically? Pick the best example.
=Name a social movement that comes to mind! you will need to have checked out Reed's website links above to do this!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyWGTMSYA7g
SPARC: Great Wall of LA: Donna Deitch historical short film
Uploaded on Aug 8, 2011
1976-Present: The Great Wall of Los Angeles 1/2 mile long Mural/Education Project is one of Los Angeles' true cultural landmarks and one of the country's most respected and largest monuments to inter-racial harmony. SPARC's first public art project and its true signature piece, the Great Wall is a landmark pictorial representation of the history of ethnic peoples of California from prehistoric times to the 1950's, conceived by SPARC's artistic director and founder Judith F. Baca. Begun in 1974 and completed over six summers, the Great Wall employed over 400 youth and their families from diverse social and economic backgrounds working with artists, oral historians, ethnologists, scholars, and hundreds of community members.

Music "Black Man" by Stevie Wonder

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLzIsJqxC5I
Uploaded on Sep 2, 2008
A tribute to the Black Panthers.
In Oakland Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton founded the Black Panthers in 1966 with a ten-point platform for addressing racial and economic inequality in America.
http://www.bobbyseale.com
Edited by: Mateo
Music "Respect Yourself" by The Staple Singers ( • • ) Artist James Brown

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRQapdNY-F4
Poetry Everywhere: "What Kind of Times Are These" by Adrienne Rich
Uploaded on Mar 30, 2009

Adrienne Rich reads her poem "What Kind of Times Are These." Part of the Poetry Everywhere project airing on public television. Produced by David Grubin Productions and WGBH Boston, in association with the Poetry Foundation. Filmed at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. For more information, visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/poetryeverywhere/

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhafyI6-Bp0
The Freedom Singers Perform at the White House
Uploaded on Feb 11, 2010
The Freedom Singers perform "(Ain't Gonna let Nobody) Turn me Around" at the White House Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement.

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Sunday, October 4, 2015

Why is feminism defined collectively?

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<<<EXPERIENCE SET TWO: ACTIVISMS, MOVEMENTS, WOMEN’S STUDIES, CR>>>

Tuesday, 6 October – The F-word? Steps to taking Action
• choose your 5th book with Thursday seminar group this week and make sure your EVENT is up and running!
• what else do you need to consider for Ass. #2?

These readings with Reed are the beginning of the experience that culminates in Assignment #2: your group’s event, flyer, and collective definition of feminism. What do we learn about Women’s Studies as we go about deciding on a fifth book? Why is feminism defined collectively, in our project and in the world? Each feminist speaks from several collective locations. What are yours? Which collective locations might matter the most to you? To people you care about? To people you don’t know? What does taking action mean in Women’s Studies?


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Why is feminism defined collectively, in our project and in the world? 
=Each feminist speaks from several collective locations. What are yours? 
=Which collective locations might matter the most to you? To people you care about? To people you don’t know? 
=What does taking action mean in Women’s Studies? 

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/ceXFKzO7gZQ

Audre Lorde's last reading in Berlin in 1992 - Poem: "1984"
Published on Apr 10, 2013
Excerpt from the special features of the film
AUDRE LORDE - THE BERLIN YEARS 1984 to 1992 / now available on DVD:
http://www.audrelorde-theberlinyears.com



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"Audre Lorde (/ˈɔːdri lɔrd/; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde, February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was a Caribbean-American writer, radical feminist, womanist, lesbian, and civil rights activist. One of her most notable efforts was her activist work with Afro-German women in the 1980s. She spoke on issues surrounding civil rights, feminism, and oppression. Her work gained both wide acclaim and wide criticism, due to the elements of social liberalism and sexuality presented in her work and her emphasis on revolution and change.[1] She died of breast cancer in 1992, at the age of 58." From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audre_Lorde ; see more there. 

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Rich on YouTube: https://youtu.be/c03sWpt62vw 
Adrienne Rich reads Diving into the Wreck

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The whole poem online here at poets.org: https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/diving-wreck  

"Adrienne Cecile Rich (May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century",[1][2] and was credited with bringing "the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse."[3] Her first collection of poetry, A Change of World, was selected by renowned poet W. H. Auden for the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. Rich went on to write the introduction to the published volume. She famously declined the National Medal of Arts, protesting the vote by House Speaker Newt Gingrich to end funding for the National Endowment for the Arts." From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrienne_Rich ; see more there. 

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WHAT SORT OF ART ACTIVISM IS POETRY? 

So to Speak / feminism + language + art: online website: http://sotospeakjournal.org



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"So to Speak, founded in 1993 by an editorial collective of women MFA candidates at George Mason University, has served as a space for feminist writing and art for nearly twenty years. So to Speak: a feminist journal of language and art publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and visual art that lives up to a high standard of language, form, and meaning. We look for work that addresses issues of significance to women’s lives and movements for women’s equality and are especially interested in pieces that explore issues of race, class, and sexuality in relation to gender. The journal is committed to representing the work of writers and artists from diverse perspectives and experiences and does not discriminate on the basis of race, class, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, culture of origin, political affiliation, disability, marital or premarital status, Vietnam-era status, or similar characteristics." http://sotospeakjournal.org/about-so-to-speak/ 

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"Sinister Wisdom is a multicultural lesbian literary & art journal that publishes four issues each year. Sinister Wisdom, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that publishes the journal and provides outreach and educational programs in support of building vibrant lesbian communities. Sinister Wisdom provide free subscriptions to women in prison and mental institutions; currently, Sinister Wisdom mails about fifteen percent (15%) of each issue of the journal to women in prison and mental institutions. Sinister Wisdom offers reduced price subscriptions for lesbians with limited/fixed incomes. To subscribe to Sinister Wisdom, click here. To donate to Sinister Wisdom and support the outreach and educational programs of Sinister Wisdom, click here:" http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/donate  

See also: Beltway Poetry Quarterly: Volume 15:4, Fall 2014:
“I’ll Settle for a Moment of Glory”: Lesbian-Feminist Poetry in Washington
by Julie R. Enszer: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/lesbian-feminist/

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"Founded in 1972, Feminist Studies was the first scholarly journal in women’s studies and remains a flagship publication with a record of breaking new ground in the field. Whether drawing from the complex past or the shifting present, the pieces that appear in Feminist Studies raise social and political questions that intimately and significantly affect women and men around the world. The journal publishes research and criticism that takes into account the intersections of gender with racial identity, sexual orientation, economic means, geographical location, and physical ability. No other scholarly journal also features artistic, creative, and activist output on the same scale: each issue contains multi-page full color art spreads alongside art essays, poetry and fiction, photo essays, and commentaries on newsworthy topics." http://www.feministstudies.org/aboutfs/history.html 

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WHAT IS CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING? 




"What Happened in a CR Group?


"NYRW began consciousness-raising by selecting a topic related to women's experience, such as husbands, dating, economic dependence, having children, abortion, or a variety of other issues. The members of the CR group went around the room, each speaking about the chosen topic. Ideally, according to feminist leaders, women met in small groups, usually consisting of a dozen women of fewer. They took turns speaking about the topic, and every woman was allowed to speak, so no one dominated the discussion. Then the group discussed what had been learned." http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism/a/consciousness_raising_groups.htm

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How to start your own consciousness-raising group: 
Reprinted from a leaflet distributed by The Chicago Women's Liberation Union (1971): https://www.uic.edu/orgs/cwluherstory/CWLUArchive/crcwlu.html

"It's easy to form a group of your own. Here's how:

"A consciousness-raising group consists of a small number of women (generally not more than 12) who meet informally once a week at a member's home or women's center. Ask friends to bring friends--it isn't necessary to know everyone. Sisterhood is a warm feeling!

"A different topic could be chosen each week, and everyone discusses it in terms of her own life. Go around in a circle, each woman talking in turn so that everyone speaks; this keeps anyone from dominating a discussion and helps keep on the topic. After everyone has talked (when you start your own group you will find it isn't hard to speak in a small, close group), you might want to discuss the information you gained as you went around the room.

"The first meeting: each person can talk about why she wants to join Women's Liberation, what she thinks the group will be like, and tells a little bit about her own background and how she came to be at the meeting. This breaks the ice very effectively. Topics: a different one each week or so. They should be both specific and basic."

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IF YOU GOOGLE IMAGE "consciousness-raising" YOU MIGHT GET PICS LIKE THIS ONE, taking you to websites such as this: http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=Sudsofloppen:_Consciousness-Raising_and_the_Small_Group_as_Free_Space  



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POETRY IS NOT A LUXURY: http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/lorde/activism.htm 



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Oyalogy – a poetic approach to African feminism: http://www.msafropolitan.com/2015/05/oyalogy.html 



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WHAT IS LITERARY ACTIVISM? http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2015/08/what-is-literary-activism/  



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IF YOU GOOGLE IMAGE "chicana murals" YOU MIGHT GET PICS LIKE THESE, taking you to websites such as this: http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/making_connections_chancellor_khosla_forges_community_ties_in_visits_to_cam  




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