A Personal Change?...

At a party this weekend, two recently engaged female friends discussed taking their husband’s surnames. Both plan to, although one will probably continue to use her own name at work, and the other will keep her last name as a middle name. I said nothing. Wouldn’t do it myself. Hate the tradition....

Harpy Seminar: That’s So Raven...

Via londoninflames @ Flickr Welcome to Harpy Seminar, a regular feature we plan to have at regular intervals, unless we get too busy to have it at regular intervals, in which case it shall appear whenever we have time and inclination for it. Each Seminar begins with a question, which we discuss amongst...

You like feminism, you like books…...

…how could you not like The Feminist Press? In case you’re looking for something awesome to do in New York tonight, you might consider heading on out to Joe’s Pub (part of the Public Theatre) tonight from 6-8pm to celebrate the FP’s 40th Anniversary. Advance tickets are sold out,...

God Is Not A Segregationist...

This month, local news stations in Washington D.C. reported on a protest by Muslim women at the Islamic Center of Washington, who demanded the right to worship in the Center’s main prayer hall. The police were called and the women asked to leave. But they say their struggle will continue. The source...

Feminist Revolutions (and Why Ladyblogs ...

Recently, I’ve taken to firing sporadic, angry twitter messages in the direction of @SarahPalinUSA. This, in itself, is perhaps not a very odd thing to do. Sarah Palin seems to possess an uncanny ability to draw out vitriol from nearly all corners, turning liberals who pride themselves on their openness...

Why The Future Will Be Better...

I’ve been reading  Sonic Boom: Globalization at Mach Speed by Gregg Easterbrook, which has me feeling better in many ways about the world we live in. Easterbrook explains that despite the recent global recession, the future of humankind is definitely on an upswing: No matter how crazy and chaotic...

Ms. M on Living With Chronic Illness, a ...

Invisible chronic illness is one of the things made me a feminist. My whole life I have been sensitive to and advocated for parity for women in medical research and drug trials. Seeing how certain diseases are treated seriously, and others are treated as “all in women’s heads” –...

Mary Karr on the Vocabulary of Desire...

In my other life as a reader of pretentious literary fiction, I came across a Paris interview with the poet and memoirist Mary Karr that you might find interesting.  It’s not fully available online, but here is the excerpt I find particularly a propos: KARR: When I started Cherry [her memoir of...

Standing your ground when you’re o...

As someone who spends a lot of time reading, commenting, and writing online, I consider myself adept at arguing with people on the Internet. When I come across bigotry or ignorance or misinformation on the web, I enjoy educating, enlightening, refuting, and smackin’ down. But, as I was reminded...

Gender Studies for Kindergarteners (and ...

The Guardian recently published a list of feminist books for five-year-olds.  Being one of those feminists who wasn’t exactly trained from the cradle, this sort of thing doesn’t tend to catch my interest; it seems to me that children either will find their way to right-thinking or they won’t,...

The She-Devil Speaks...

Photo via Daily Mail. Yesterday, the Daily Mail–which loves to showcase women bashing feminism–devotes some space to a recent outing by Fay Weldon at a literary event in Richmond, England. Weldon made her mark with bitingly satirical novels like The Life and Loves of a She Devil and Worst...

Is Feminist Punditry Really Possible? (...

Lately I’ve been realizing that feminist discussions tend to go better in general when we all give each other the benefit of the doubt.  Just look at that sex work discussion we have two days ago before about comment 125 (although I admit, I have NOT been getting laid enough lately), and you’ll...