Her Circle takes a close look at the emerging world of self-publishing and the myriad of opportunities for the independent writer in the new landscape.
When Occupying Wall Street, Always Bring a Dog
Poet Eleanor Lerman discusses the Occupy Wall Street Movement and the short movie she and her brother, Phil, author and independent producer, made in seeking an opportunity to get involved: the intersection of revolution and creativity.
Creating Together: NaNoWriMo, a local and global perspective
Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo takes a look at National Novel Writing Month from a local and global perspective. “NaNoWriMo has eclipsed its quirky inception and evolved into what many consider a salient and relevant literary event…This could have been turned into a for-profit event, but instead they have followed the flow of the spirit of those who choose to participate: writing for the sake of writing itself and moving this generosity of spirit into the world at large, creating together locally and globally.”
San Francisco Inspires Change Through Literature, Poetry and Physical Presence
Lourdes Acevedo writes about being present for poetry and literary events in San Francisco furthering social change and free expression, as she experiments with free expression of her own.
Self-Publishing as a Feminist Act
Allison Moon discusses self-publsihing as an act of Feminism and why she chose self-publishing over the traditional route to print: “I chose to self-publish. Not because I couldn’t hack it in the traditional world, but because I didn’t want to turn my empowering self-expression into a guessing game of market trends… This egalitarian access to the production of art shares much with other democratic social justice movements…”
American Stereotypes in Film & Television: the Global Influence on Race
As a second part to her feature on The Help, Mayra David writes about the global impact of racial stereotypes in American films and television: “Clearly, there is need and desire for more black-oriented programming. And there are advocates, activists and executives pushing for the necessary change in America. At same time that these are empowering developments, it is also discouraging that the mainstream networks seem to have missed the opportunity to make these positive changes themselves. (…)So this is the actual trend for TV in the fall season of 2011: Segregation.”
The Help: Perpetuating the Mammy Stereotype & Limiting Roles in Film
Mayra David writes about The Help and the history of the Mammy stereotype in American film: “Yes, the image of an African-American person in a servile role can be quite powerful. And the execution of films that give us such images determine the message these images send.
To Be Or Not To Be A Feminist? (That is Barely the Question.)
Can the current challenges in feminism be found in the embodiment of the conflict between Alice and Rebecca Walker? Looking at the waves of feminism, Mayra David writes about where we are now, in terms of equality, motherhood and gender roles, and how all of that is playing out in the political sphere. She writes of Alice and Rebecca Walker: “So who’s the real feminist? Frankly, it all reads like a math problem: If Alice Walker is a feminist, and her daughter Rebecca is a feminist, but the feminism each ascribes to contravenes the other, who is the true feminist? If Alice came first, does that make Rebecca…?”
Read more from this month’s feature.
A Look at Women’s Participation in Writing Groups & Literary Programs
Shana Thornton writes about women in literary groups, finding an abundance of women participants as well as a broad spectrum of disciplines and occupations that use literary group work in their endeavors. She highlights several groups, including the Fiction Writer’s Co-op, and goes on the look at volunteerism and publishing rates.
Those Who Speak Through Poetry: An Exploration into Modern Women’s Poetical Dialogue
Kylie Grant wondered where second wave feminism could be resonating within the voices of contemporary women. She searched for voices of passion and revolution. When she opened a Christmas present and uncovered a book of contemporary women’s poetry, Kylie found what she’d been searching for, and this month, she writes about the voices of several of her favorite women poets.
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