Silent Sunday : Inspiring and Thought Provoking Blogs Written by Women

Someone White suggested that an "Honest Conversation" on Race can't include Racism at Gradient Lair

Quick Fixes like Changing Gun Control Laws would not have made a difference for 13 UK women killed through suspected male violence in 2013 by Karen Ingala Smith

The Silencer: An Open Letter to those quick to defend but slow to reflect at Everyday Victim Blaming

Whites being "Not Racist' is NOT Enough by Gradient Lair

Is anger always bad? by Respectfully Raising

White, Cis and Silenced at Bottomface

Rape Threats: It's a Free Speech Issue at Quite Irregular

On the pain of Violent Men, or, Why I'm not sorry about Max and Montle at Africa is a Country

Divide and Conquer by Feminist Borgia

Not that girl at Belle Jar Blog

On Becoming a Radical Feminist by Carrgonnen

I Support You at One Women's Thoughts

A Family Secret at Filthy Freedom

Online Misogyny and Magic Buttons by Bottomface

I am a Black Radical Womyn : guest post at Danielle Paradis

Why this disabled woman no longer identifies as a feminist at Disability and Representation

10 thoughts ... on mental illness, abuse and survivors at Are Women Human Too?

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Silent Sunday: Inspiring and Thought-Provoking Blogs

Male Violence Not Gender Based Violence at Sisterhood is Powerful

Male Speak with Radical Feminist Translations at Medusa's Gaze

Necrophilia at Femonade

#RadFem2013: As the Misogyny continues, Whataboutthemenz at Frothy Dragon and the Patriarchal Stone

Transabled: Just Another Disability? at The Liberation Collective

Exited Women: Prostitution is Violent and Unfree at Pass the Flaming Sword

Becoming. Unbecoming: A True Account of Fictionalised Events at Everyday Victim Blaming

Scapegoating Single Mums on Benefits at SianandCrookedRib

Transcending the Norms of Gender: The Left Hand of Darkness at CounterPunch

Gaslighting in the Age of "Misgendering" at CounterPunch

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Barbara Black Koltuv's The Book of Lilith

I'm in two minds about Barbara Black Koltuv's The Book of Lilith. I found the history of the myths surrounding Lilith, and her previous incarnations in other cultural traditions, utterly fascinating. This is a history of women and myth that I knew nothing about. Koltuv's choice to quote large sections of original text were of immense value. On the other hand, I was less fond of Koltuv's use of psychoanalysis because I felt it involved an essentialist construction of women as being either Eve or Lilith. This is obviously an odd criticism considering Koltuv is a well-respected psychoanalyst but the constant reference to the power of modern women's sexuality detracted from the origin myths of Lilith. 

Prior to reading this, I knew nothing of Lilith and I will have to reread this book as there is just so much information packed into such a short text that I feel I have missed out on pieces of Lilith's story.  I knew Lilith was the first woman in one version of the Christian tradition but I did not know about Lilith's construction within Jewish texts. I certainly did not know that Lilith is purported to be one of the two "mothers" of the infant in the Biblical story the Judgement of Solomon. I want to know more but I found myself distracted by Koltuv's inclusion of her current patients. Koltuv's use of psychoanalysis to read the stories of Lilith throughout history was really powerful and riveting but the references to her modern practise were simply not. 

Lilith's rewriting as mother and whore, as the moon but also a deity fascinates me. So, if anyone has any excellent recommendations to read on the story of Lilith [and written by women!], please let me know.

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Bristol Women's Literature Festival: Or, Where Stewie Would Rather Be this Weekend.

(Image from here)

Anyone who is familiar with this blog will know why I'd rather be at the Women's Literature Festival this weekend. A whole weekend dedicated to celebrating women writers and combatting cultural femicide: what's not to love? Unfortunately, and after consulting several maps, I am led to believe that Bristol is located not only nowhere near my house but also not on a single non-environmentally destructive form of public transport. (sulks)

Anyway, for those of you lucky enough to live in Bristol or within traveling distance, do check it out. The whole weekend looks fabulous.

The information below is taken directly from the Women's Literature Festival website:

Bristol Women’s Literature Festival brings together the country’s best women writers, academics and feminist commentators to the Watershed for a weekend of thought-provoking discussion, debate and activity.

Buy your tickets for the festival today.

The festival has three aims:

1. To celebrate the diversity and creativity of women writers
2. To counter the male dominance of literature and cultural festival line-ups
3. To promote women’s writing and literary history

Across the weekend of 16th-17th March, we’ll be hosting three panel discussions at the Watershed, along with a talk and film screening:

Out of the Ivory Tower: writing feminism for a non-academic audience

Women’s Writing today: contemporary women writers discuss their fiction

Bluestockings and Muses: a history of women’s writing

Bringing women’s issues to a mainstream TV audience + film

The Bristol Women’s Literature festival is entirely unfunded. If you would like to support this event, then please donate to us via the PayPal donate button.

Tickets still available!

Tickets have been going as fast as hot cakes and as a result Watershed has moved Saturday’s talks to a bigger room. Isn’t that great news? So if you’ve been worrying about getting tickets worry no more. We advise booking in advance to avoid disappointment but you are still probably fine to buy on the door. 

You can book your tickets by calling 0117 927 5100 or going online to Watershed. 

Book for Feminism on the Small Screen

Book for Women Writing Today

Book for Bluestockings and Muses

Book for Out of the Ivory Tower

So, what will you be booking?

A weekend ticket is available if you want to catch all four fascinating talks – to order yours just call  Watershed on 0117 927 5100 or go directly to the Box Office.

If you would like to hear renowned screenwriter Emilia di Girolamo talk about her career writing for Law and Order:UK and dramas like The Poison Tree, and how she brings women’s issues to a primetime audience you can book online now. Her talk takes place on 16 March, 11am along with a screening of Line Up.

To hear Stella Duffy, Helen Dunmore, Beatrice Hitchman and Selma Dabbagh read from their work and talk about Women Writing Today with Bidisha, you can book online now. They’ll be on at 3.30pm on Saturday 16th March.

Then, there’s Sunday. To book your tickets to discover the fascinating and often hidden history of women’s literature with Kate Williams, Dr Charlotte Crofts, Dr Marie Mulvey-Roberts, Professor Joan Adim-Addo and Professor Helen Taylor, you can go online now. This talk is happening at 2pm on Sunday 17 March.

And the festival finishes with a discussion on how writers today are bringing feminism to a new audience with Kristin Aune, Debi Withers and Josephine Tsui. Book your ticket now for 4pm on Sunday 17 March.

Individual tickets are £7/£6 and weekend tickets are £25/20. You can book via Watershed website or by calling the Box Office on 0117 927 5100

Book for Feminism on the Small Screen

Book for Women Writing Today

Book for Bluestockings and Muses

Book for Out of the Ivory Tower

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On Sisterhood: Kris Radish's The Sunday List of Dreams

I've blogged incessantly about my love for Kris Radish's My Elegant Gathering of White Snows which is fairly obvious considering I named my blog after it. I've been too scared to read anymore in case they aren't as good. I was totally wrong. I'm about 15% of the way into The Sunday List of Dreams and it is fabulous. I'll write a proper review later but I love this bit so much I had to share it now:

It is female communion. That astounding crossing of cultures and ages and time and place that wraps women together and makes them one. It is a holy moment, a sacred sharing of estrogen, a remarkable gift of love. It can happen in a public waiting room when a stranger asks another woman to hold her baby - her beautiful baby - when she needs to go to the bathroom. It can happen when you see a woman on a street corner and two guys are hassling her and you open your car door and she gets in without hesitation. It can happen when you see a woman at the grocery store crying because she is a dollar short and you pay her bill and carry her groceries to the car with kids and then slip her another 20 bucks. It can happen when you are at a play and that woman you saw arguing with that asshole man won't come out of the last toilet stall of the bathroom until you hand her some toilet paper and then she cries into your shoulder and you give her the phone number of the women's shelter. It can happen when your mother tells you about her first love and your heart stops because you realise your father was her second choice. It can happen anywhere - this female communion where women feel safe and close and absolutely as if they have touched a piece of heaven because of you. 

Is that not utterly beautiful? 

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