Charlotte Roche - Wetlands

Today's Guardian Weekend supplement featured a piece on Charlotte Roche, author of the not-yet-published-in-the-UK Wetlands Roche, herself, is a feminist but her book, with it's lead character's lack of personal hygiene, explicit masturbation and fascination with the body, seems to be arousing much debate (see also: The Telegraph) as to whether it is feminist work or just pure smut.

The book will be released in the UK on the 5th Feb. 2009.


Laura W.

Update 4/2/09 - you can read Gill's review of Wetlands on the blog.

Ladyfest Goldsmiths: Women, Words, Music and Fun

Ladies of London, or those with the taste for taking the train there, Goldsmiths Student's Union are hosting the first event of the Ladyfest Calandar 2009.

The events announced so far are as follows:

MUSIC FROM:
Das Wanderlust
Kasms
An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump
We Rock Like Girls Don't
November Fleet
The Lovely Eggs
The Bobby McGees
Helen McCookery Book
Vulgarians
+ more to be confirmed.


PERFORMANCE FROM:
Dockers MC
Sophie Parkin


COMEDY FROM:
Rosie Wilby

TALKS:
Women in Music Journalism - Frances Morgan, Plan B magazine
Women in art, NOW (title to be adapted) - Various


WORKSHOPS:
Make your Own Zine
Guitar Playing

The event is open to all, and with plenty of room for more acts and ideas I would highly recommend emailing h.bott@gold.ac.uk or wandering over to the facebook group and offering to get involved.

Tickets are available from www.wegottickets.com

All inclusive ticket: £7/£6 concession
Evening only ticket: £5/£4 concession

Charlotte Cooper

Global Women Strike and International Women Count New Year Events

The Global Women’s Strike and International Women Count Network have organised five events with a wide range of speakers from Bolivia, Canada, England, Guyana, haiti, India, Iraq, Ireland, Palestine, Peru, Spain, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, USA and Venezuela.

1. Grassroots Struggle Against Sexism and Racism: An International Comparison
   Saturday 31 January, 9.30am-5.30pm
   Bolivar Hall, Venezuelan Embassy, 54 Grafton Way, London W1 5AJ
2. Our Debt to Haitians - the First to Abolish Slavery
   Sunday 1 February, 10.30 -5.30pm
   Bolivar Hall
3. Rape and Prostitution - A Question of Consent
   Tuesday 3 February, 6.00 – 8.00pm
   Committee Room 6, House of Commons
4. Invest In Caring, Not Killing: Valuing the Work of Caring for People and the Planet
   Saturday 7 February, 9.30am - 5.30pm
   Bolivar Hall.
5. Rediscovering Tanzania’s Ujamaa - Tribute to the Great Ntimbanjayo Millinga and the Ruvuma Development Association
   Sunday 8 February, 1.30 - 5.30pm
   Bolivar Hall

More information on the events can be found here or you can contact the group:

Crossroads Women’s Centre, 230A Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2AB
Tel: 44 (0)20 7482 2496 Email: womenstrike8m@server101.com

Originally posted on The Femilist 19.12.08

Charlotte Cooper

A Pledge for Women in Technology, Ada Lovelace Day 2009

"I will publish a blog post on Tuesday 24th March about a woman in technology whom I admire but only if 1,000 other people will do the same." — Suw Charman-Anderson

To celebrate women in technology Suw is looking to sign up 1000 bloggers to write about women in technology, as I write 826 men and women across the web have signed up - don't miss your chance to make it in the first 1000.

Check out Suws blog to find out a little more about Ada, one of the great parents of modern technology, and hop to the pledge page to proffer your allegiance to women shaping the past, the present and the future.

I'll be contributing my words at the Under the Microscope blog, let everyone know where you're posting your blog in the comments.

Charlotte Cooper

Maternity leave - your thoughts

French justice minister, Rachida Dati, is back at work less than a week after the birth of her first child by cesarean. Today's Guardian carries a feature discussing how this may impact on French women's confidence to claim and take the maternity leave they are entitled to.

The right to paid maternity leave came about as the result of a hard fought battle, led by feminists for the benefit of women and their children. Does voluntarily returning to work without taking maternity leave undermine the argument for maternity leave?

Should women take their full maternity entitlement to assert and protect the right to it (eg like the right to vote - use it or loose it)? Or is it perfectly acceptable to choose not to take maternity leave, or to cut that leave short?

Could women feel social pressure to take maternity leave, just as they may feel pressured into not taking it?

It would be great to read your thoughts on this in the comments.

Gill

The Fawcett Society Consultation on Women and the Criminal Justice System

The Fawcett Society do a lot of good work, and make a lot of good t-shirts (check your copy of Subtext Issue 6 now!) and so I can only thoroughly recommend everyone volunteering their help for the societies new consultation on women and the criminal justice system.

They are seeking opinion and information from female suspects and offenders, female victims of crimes, organisations working with female offenders or victims and women working in various penal and legal positions.

We are interested in the experiences of women working within the criminal justice system, women who have experienced the criminal justice system as suspects, defendants or offenders as well as the experiences of women victims and survivors of crime.

We would also welcome views from organisations working with female offenders, victims and survivors of crime or reform of the criminal justice system.

Questionnaires can be accessed on the Fawcett Society website.

Charlotte Cooper

Million Women Rise March 2009 Announced

2008 saw the Million Women Rise march bring 5000 women and children to the streets of London to call for an end to violence against women. The march rallied a truly diverse group of women willing to call out against atrocities faced by sisters across the world.

If you missed the solidarity last year, or made it and are simply screaming out for more you will be happy to hear the march has been announced for 2009 as taking place on March 7th. Meeting at Portman Square, marching through Oxford St, Regent ST & Piccadilly Circus ending in a rally at Waterloo Place.

Check out their facebook group for more info, and the chance to volunteer to help the event get off without any hitches.

Women’s right to live free from violence and / or the fear of violence has not been achieved. Women continue to be attacked and violated in many different ways, in our homes, on our streets, on our public transport, at our places of work. The government, the TV and newspapers do very little to address this issue; instead they often blame women for wearing the wrong clothes or being in the wrong place.

If you think this needs to change, then join us on a public demonstration to show those in power that it’s just not good enough! We need to show our mass dissatisfaction; we need to be strong together and in large numbers. Unity is strength; the voices of many are louder together than a single voice.

Charlotte Cooper