#women's voices

[cunning-pope]

When Judy Grahn wrote of the Greek poet Sappho she suggested that she was not the first woman poet in Western civilization, not a solitary female voice rising out of an otherwise barren plain. On the contrary, Grahn said, hers was the surviving voice, the last voice in a long line of women poets and artists. Sappho's works [are] so badly fragmented because they were systematically destroyed.

Grahn wrote: “And what was the nature of Sappho's wealth? She praised it often enough: love, beauty, grace, flowers, appropriate behavior to the gods, lovely clothing, intelligence, tenderness. Her poems are filled with the color purple, the color gold, the sun, flowers, especially the violet and the rose, and altars, deer, groves of trees, and the stories of the gods. Love, she said, is a tale-weaver. Wealthy? We own no kind of money that would buy us Sappho's wealth. In her world, women were central to themselves; they had to have been to write as she did. She lived on an island of women, in a company of women, from which she addressed all creation. And oh, how they listened.”

Bettina Aptheker, 1989

[vifetoile]

Because this generation is serving as the midwife for the rebirth of the Shechinah, we will have to be familiar with the ancient knowledge and traditional prayers which invoke her, at the same time that we are creating new forms. In this ancient/future subculture we will need poets and prophets, rebels and rabbis, musicians and mothers.

What is clear is that we have the beginnings of a movement without a hierarchy, a central leader, or a single organization.

This Goddess who shines on us as we study sacred texts is found in redwood groves and apple orchards. She is coming to us in the wind and the water, in the ocean and the mountains. Like the underground Goddess herself, this movement comes from the subterranean parts of the human psyche. It emerges from a place of discovery and awe, from a place of wonder and worship.

Rabbi Léah Novik, collected from The Goddess Re-Awakening collection by Shirley Nicholson

Note that "Shechinah" means, literally, "the presence of God" and it is a multifaceted concept in the Talmud, in Midrash, and in the Mishnah. Rabbi Novik's points are, I think, applicable to a lot of Goddess-oriented activities, but the words "Shechinah" and "Goddess" are not interchangeable.

[prochoice-hall-of-fame]

Women don't regret abortions and if you disagree you deserve to be shamed :)

[atheismvids]

"I am, and always will be, an unapologetic black atheist."

[crazycatsiren]

In my opinion, one thing to not lose sight of is that women's issues can still be women's issues.

Yes, not all women go through them because not all women are AFAB. Yes, not only women are affected by them because there are those who are AFAB and aren't/don't identify as women.

That doesn't mean they aren't women's issues. And women who do deal with them should be allowed to talk about them as women's issues.

[field-cryptobotanist]

Women with deep low voices this. Women with raspy voices that.

We all already know that's hot!

Where's the love for women with high pitched bubbly voices that say the most cryptic, ominous and unsettling things with childlike glee?

[scrumptiouswordsthings]

Mass Hysteria & Dark Academia Connections

Hysteria & Women have a long and tense relationship (not going to dive deep here - if you just type those words into a search engine you will see *so many* results). However, there's plenty of interesting commentary on the power behind or because of mass hsyteria.

The Salem Witch trials are a popular proving ground for this in American media. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is the tip of the iceberg here. I want to point out two recent works of media that home in on the intersection of mass hysteria and the academia - specifically high school girls and who gets believes/who gets to speak up in the public arena.

Conversion by Katherine Howe is a 2015 dark academia YA novel with a dual narrative. One takes place in a 21st century intense all-girls college prep school, St Joans while the other takes the same story from Miller's The Crucible and alters the narrative perspective. These two narratives weave back and forth on each other with the main narrator in the 21st century even reading and analyzing The Crucible to form her own conclusions on what is going on with the girls at her school. Howe was inspired to write the novel when 16 girls in nearby LeRoy, NY all ended up experiencing a slew of similar physical symptoms. The book takes a deep look at what controls the lives of young women and what power these girls hold over their own lives and voices in both the modern day and earlier in American history. I can't say it is a favorite book of mine, but what Howe has done is fascinating! If you have any interest in public perception of hysteria I'd adore hearing what you think of the book.

Now onto the film - The Falling is a 2014 British mystery film starring Maisie Williams (oh, and introducing Florence Pugh so it looks a little star-studded in retrospect). It is an unsettling film that is, similarly to the 21st century timeline of Conversion, set at an all-girls school. It follows two best friends, a growing obsession, and power and control regarding sexuality. Then death and mysterious fainting spells increase resulting in psychiatric wards and the shutdown of the school. Sex, power, death, friendship, and yes, hysteria, all feature on screen here.

Together it is fascinating to lump together and connect the thread (and the mental thought is perhaps stirred as I also just read Mary Beard's Women & Power about who gets to speak in the works of the classical Western literary canon) of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Conversion by Katherine Howe, and The Falling directed by Carol Morley. Perception, belief, hysteria, and female power concoct some fascinating discussion about voices in today's world.

[countessravengrey]

Hell yes

#2 a reminder to trans femmes

[thebellaedit]

"I love the rebellious spirit Virago was born out of. The women who founded Virago – an entirely women-led business – recognised that women’s voices were not being heard and took action, despite industry criticism, to change that. It showed the industry that there was a hungry and passionate readership for voices from the margins – in the 80s, Virago was the only British publisher to take a chance on Dr Maya Angelou and we’d be much the poorer had they not."

Celeste Ward-Best quoted in The Flip newsletter 'Female Leadership in Publishing interviews' on 21 March 2024

(If you use my link, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org whose fees support independent bookshops.)

[womenindiplomacyday]

Platform of Women Leaders.

The meeting of women Heads of State and Government is convened during the High-Level week of the UN General Assembly each September to discuss priority issues on the international community's agenda and to identify solutions to today's complex and interlinked challenges. The meeting benefits from the presence of women world leaders in New York and amplifies their voices during the high-level week.

Platform of Women Leaders.

[shamster]

We only hear so many bad things about women and great things about men because women weren't allowed to have a voice for so long. Men told great things about men and other men agreed. Men told bad things about women and other men agreed.

[cunning-pope]

Deleting male authors from my Goodreads TBR list. Even Garth Nix, whom I love. Toodle-oo Paul Tillich and Adrian Tchaikovsky. Stephen King, I've read plenty of you, goodbye.

The one exception is Kurt Vonnegut, but once I get Cat's Cradle in from the library, my TBR will be a Y-Chromosome free space.

[vifetoile]

Scarecrow

I'm liking the name, Scarecrow, and the way my spine roots me to the earth; some of me Tree, nailed to its DNA the old spade of my arms, shoulders; my first thought the last straw as rain christens me. I am girl, maybe boy, under this stuffed shirt, this stove-pipe hat; field poet, dirt-poor, solo.

But I scare them, martyred between cloud and soil, aye, they keep their distance; and my verse moves from the wormy draft at my root, by way of the wren-heart coy in my suit, to thunder, verb, lightning, noun, the lit-up image of a fleeing hare. Wild planet.

I compose this whole whirled world and I am it.

Scarecrow, by Carol Ann Duffy

[internationalwomenday]

Indigenous Women's Voices on the Barriers and Opportunities Towards their Inclusive Socio-Economic Development (CSW68 Side Event).

The Government of Canada, in collaboration with the Province of Manitoba, and the Ontario Native Women's Association will host a side event framed to demonstrate the economic experiences of Indigenous women, and how economic prosperity is closely interlinked with safety and poverty. This side event will centralize female Indigenous voices in a moderated panel discussion on socio-economic development, including on remaining barriers and potential paths forward. The panel will feature speakers who will speak to empowerment, entrepreneurship, academia and opportunities for economic advancement.

This panel will highlight the lived experiences of Indigenous women, including but not limited to those who are survivors of gender-based violence, while also sharing stories of prosperity and healing. Presentations will also consider opportunities to strengthen global understandings of the unique experiences of Indigenous women, and share best practices in centralizing and understanding the diverse voices and experiences of Indigenous women.

This event will enable conversation and collaboration across Indigenous organizations and international partners working to advance the rights of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit Peoples.

[atheismvids]

Video description:

In this episode, I dive into the process of deconstructing from conservative Christian ideologies. Join me as I ask seven essential questions to re-examine your faith and encourage introspection. Explore the foundations of your beliefs, challenge notions about God's character, and navigate the complexities of morality and intellectual integrity. As we delve into these crucial topics, I aim to promote personal growth, authenticity, and a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.