Karen Harrington is away promoting her new release, Janeology. But not to worry! Join guest blogger Grace Andreacchi during the month of April for further ruminations on the the fabulous life of the emerging writer. It’s a fine gift to be able to say what you mean, and when I say a gift I also [...]
A Look at Harriet Beecher Stowe’s The Minister’s Wooing and Married/Involved Women Today
by Nicolette Westfall Well, I did it: I got through all 578 pages of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s The Minister’s Wooing. I survived the flowery 19th century language and constant satirical jabs at puritanical bible-beating of the religion Stowe grew up with—Calvinism. It’s a significant work of American literature that offers a romantic contrast (and poor [...]
This Writer’s Life
What could you tell about me from this picture of my aunt and mother (right) taken in 1959?Mothers and daughters: these are the relationships I most enjoy writing about. There is arguably no other relationship that is more influential on a young woman than that of her mom.It’s true what that great Irish Proverb says, [...]
Margaret Atwood’s The Edible Woman: Stay Single or Be Eaten Alive
by Nicolette Westfall Single hood —it is a fate that not many choose, but it is far more appetizing for this body than the alternative; even when I was with the Gentleman. He was the most recent relationship I had and it lasted 3 ½ years. (4 if you count his syrupy sweet courting while [...]
Ireland’s Rich Literary Tradition
In observance of St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to dust off some of my favorite books penned by Irish writers. C.S. Lewis. James Joyce. William Butler Yeats. Frank McCourt. Alas, where were the Irish women of my collection? Painfully absent. That is, until now. In preparing for today’s blog, I found many I now want [...]
Koren Zailckas’ Smashed: Boozing Up the Anger — A Cue for Girls Gone Wild Women
by Nicolette Westfall There are so many angles the issue of getting drunk and losing control can take. I decided to go with the angle of female reactions to the fact that many men do not respect or treat women as autonomous beings with their own minds. I chose the “Girls Gone Wild” video empire [...]
Sex and the Signature
Have you ever wondered how or why many female authors have written under male or gender-neutral pseudonyms? As it turns out, there are quite a few. James Tiptree Jr. (1915-1987) was the pen name of Alice Bradley Sheldon, American sci-fi author. According to Tiptree’s biography, she was notable for breaking down the barriers between writing [...]
The Pen and Brush Celebrate Opening of Full Circle Exhibit
by Diane Saarinen Art lovers crowded into the Pen and Brush for the opening of “Full Circle: A Tribute to the Cultural Diversity of Women’s Art.” Heavy rain and thundershowers could not hold back the crowd from visiting the Pen and Brush, New York on March 8, where awards were announced for the latest exhibition, [...]
Biancamaria Frabotta: Pushing Boundaries
by Shannon K. Winston Biancamaria Frabotta is one of the most politically engaged poets in Italy today. She has been at the forefront of the woman’s movement in Italy and, as previously mentioned, she has written extensively about the polemics surrounding the category of an exclusively “women’s literature.” In the 1980s, she was the editor [...]
Sisters in the Dark
by Mary Anne Zammit Gender violence is a challenging problem affecting all societies, and the trafficking of women by international crime organizations is one form of violence that has been kept in the dark. It is quickly becoming one of the biggest challenges in the western world, yet the international community is largely unaware of [...]
