Watch the All New Searching for Angela Shelton for FREE!
This is really exciting! The official version of Searching for Angela Shelton, complete with never-before-seen footage, is available to watch completely free of charge! This is so great because the documentary tells the story of not only a part of Angela Shelton’s life, but also the lives of countless women around the world. For those who aren’t already familiar with Searching for Angela Shelton, it is a multiple award-winning documentary that follows filmmaker Angela Shelton around the country as she surveys other Angela Sheltons. While her journey was simply to take a survey of women in America and to see how we’re all doing as a gender and what we’re doing with our lives and in the lives of others, she found that 24 out of the 40 Angela Sheltons that she spoke to are survivors of rape, childhood sexual abuse and/or domestic violence.
Searching for Angela Shelton is uplifting above all else. Angela Shelton single-handedly gave me the courage and the motivation that I needed to truly make my healing from my own childhood sexual assault and date rape possible. It is a movie that is changing lives and now everyone can watch it for free! Click on the image below to be directed to the movie on SnagFilms or click here.
Healing Through Creativity Calls for Artists, Performers & Presenters
Healing Through Creativity has begun accepting submissions from artists, performers, and presenters for their week-long October art festival.
From Healing Through Creativity:
Trauma Survivors and Supporters of Survivors of Trauma are invited to share art, music, writing,
poetry and other creative forms at the Healing Through Creativity Festival.When: October 17-24 2009
Where: Heart of Virginia Foundation Center for Integrated Arts
Grandin Gardens, 1731 Grandin Rd,
Roanoke, VirginiaThe experience helps trauma survivors and promotes community understanding
Healing Through Creativity accepts artwork in various forms, such as writing, poetry, painting, crafts, music, drama, among others. They also hold many different workshops and have many different speakers.
I absolutely love what Healing Through Creativity does for survivors, as well as supports of survivors. Many survivors, especially those who have went through abuse and trauma at a young age, grow up not knowing how to effectively deal with their emotions and/or anger. A great deal of different emotions run rampant through the minds of survivors and many people go on to isolate themselves, become hermits, and trust no one; at least that is what has become of me due to my own abuse and trauma endured at a young age. I began writing poetry when I was in the eighth grade and the reason why I started is because I had no other outlet for everything that I was feeling inside of me. I have always had explosive anger and I have always had trouble expressing myself and my emotions outside of writing. Writing has been the saving grace in my life. It has been what has gotten me through some of the worst and some of the hardest years of my life and it means so much that there are people who are working to not only support artists, but to also give them a space to share their work.
If you are interested in submitting your work to be shown at Healing Through Creativity view the entry guidelines and submit your work through their website.
Born Into Brothels
I watched the 2004 Academy Award winning documentary Born Into Brothels last night. Yes, I know I’m about five years late with this, but thanks to Netflix I have been watching a ton of movies I should have seen a long time ago–As well as some movies I wish I never came across that left me wondering how they managed to get funding to make it–But that’s what you get when a company tries to cater to everyone–They also cater to people with sucky taste in movies.
Born Into Brothels is a chilling documentary that brings you right into the red light district of Calcutta, India. But instead of its focus being on the lives of sex workers, it brings you into the lives of the children who were born into the red light district; the girls who are being bred to take after their mothers and grandmothers as prostitutes and the boys whose lives won’t be much better. Photojournalist Zana Briski lived in Calcutta for several years and teamed up with Ross Kauffman to make this film. Although the people of the city being enraged over having their pictures taken, or worse, the women being “found out” for being sex workers, Briski found that the children of the red light district were intrigued by the camera; and so she gave a group of eight children ranging in age from 10 to 14 cameras to take pictures of their own with. She also met with the children to teach them more about how to use the camera and how to get the best results when taking pictures of their subjects.
Throughout the documentary, we sit in on the children’s lessons with Briski and we see their creativity soar and their self confidence rises just by being given the chance to experiment with a form of art. Though she has made a tremendous effort to bring art into the lives of these children, Briski knows that there is so much more to be done, saying that without her help, these kids are doomed to fall into the same life of their parents. Lives of prostitution, poverty, and nothing else. Because these kids yearn for a life outside of the red light district, she begins to take measures to help them escape that life and searches for boarding schools that will accept children born to sex workers; but she finds that very few will.
After finding boarding schools that will accept the red light kids, Briski takes the measures to enroll these children into the programs she has found. The filmmakers were extremely respectful of the children’s wishes, they made their own decisions whether or not to attend the boarding schools and by the end of the movie, after filling out endless forms for the children and also ensuring that none of them were HIV-positive, the children did decide to attend the schools and to escape life in the red light district. They were also given the opportunity to travel when their photographs were shown at an art gallery.
By the end of the movie I was full of more questions than I was given answers to. We were caught up on the lives of the children up to the point of when the film came out and most of the children either dropped out of the boarding school they enrolled in or were taken out of school by their parents. I wanted to know what happened to them; if they were taken out of school to follow in the footsteps of the females who came before them and now working as prostitutes to provide for their families. If photography is still a part of their world and if they are still being encouraged to pursue art.
Overall, Born Into Brothels is heartbreaking, especially knowing that most of the children did not get to receive an education, as all of them had seemed overjoyed by the opportunity to do so. However, this is one of the best documentaries that I have seen.
For more information on Born Into Brothels, check out Kids with Cameras for a bio on each of the children, their photographs, and more about the film and you can also purchase the book Born Into Brothels, a book of photographs taken by the children of Calcutta.
Viva la Menstruation!
I came across Viva La Menstruacion a few months ago through some social networking site or another, honestly I cannot remember for the life of me how I found it, but I loved it. I loved the website and even more so, I loved that it was a website selling menstrual calendars.
A woman’s body is something that she should be proud of and love unconditionally. Furthermore, a woman should have a complete understanding of her body. However, this is not always the case, on both accounts. Sure, we can make fun of men about not knowing their way around the body of a woman, but a great deal of women are also kept in the dark about their bodies. The menstrual calendars at Viva La Menstruacion work to demystify the menstrual cycle.
I used to get entirely confused when I would notice that my menstrual cycle bounced around. I thought that because it came on one day one particular month, it should arrive the next month on that same, exact day and when it didn’t, I noticed that I too was in the dark when it came to my body’s behavior. Having a menstrual calendar gives you something you can actually see, making it much easier to understand the behavior of your body. It works like a little diary for your body, if you will, and the calendar also contains the moon phases of the year, for those women who are into Lunaception.
The woman who makes these calendars has been making them for seven years and first started distributing them through a zine.
The first thing you’ll notice about these calendars is that they are truly unique in function as well as in design. The cartoons on these calendars are based on the illustration Menstrual Dreamer by Mari Chan and throughout the past seven years, the calendars have evolved into twelve different doll models to choose from. The cartoons pictured on the calendars are meant to reflect us as strong, happy women who are proud of our bodies and the way they work and the use of blood is meant to eliminate the taboo that keep women ashamed of their nature.
To get your own calendar, visit Viva La Menstruacion. Each calendar is just $3 plus shipping. You can also get a poster of all twelve cartoon dolls standing together for $5.
Write, Collage & Play Your Way to the Life of Your Dreams
As we take our first few steps into adulthood we are often told that now is the time to “grow up.” To get serious about our futures, get a stable job that we are most likely going to hate in a few months yet still find ourselves there after 20 years, and make sure we can support ourselves and the family we’re supposed to start as soon as possible with whatever person who is willing to put a ring on our fingers. Before you know it, we’ve been living the “grown up” life for decades and forgot all about those dreams we had for our lives while we were growing up.
Life is fast-paced. Life is much like going 120mph in a 35mph zone. It waits for no one and if we don’t keep up, life is pounce all over us without a second thought. As an adult who is determined to live the life I’ve always dreamed of for myself, I look at my family and the jobs that they have and I wonder about the lives they wanted for themselves before adulthood happened to them. So few of us really get to do what we want with our lives and I find that so unfortunate that I often find myself urging the people close to me to do what they really want for themselves; to go after their true passions instead of just living a life that gets them by and that is exactly what the author of the Permission to Dream journal, Lisa Hammond, has done.
The Permission to Dream journal is all about giving yourself the permission to go back in time and think about the dreams you had when you were younger; before life got in the way. It is a spectacular journal that allows you to write, collage, play and get back in touch with the arts and crafts child, teenager and/or young adult in us and really fulfill our dreams. If you knew that you wouldn’t–couldn’t–fail, what would you do with your life? Would you go back to school? Start your own business? Become a dancer or a veterinarian or an archaeologist? We are the only ones with full control over our own lives and while some of us may forget that at times, the Permission to Dream journal reminds us.
The Permission to Dream journal is a one of a kind journal with sections like ‘Remember Your Dreams,’ ‘Building Your Dreams,’ and ‘Living Your Dreams.’ Each section begins with a wish list and a prompt that will get your in the mindset to really let your dreams take off. It brings you from simply thinking about your dreams and how you want to live your life and into thinking about what it would take to accomplish it. Not only is the sky the limit in this journal, but it will get you thinking in terms of doing and no longer just wishing.
Feminist Media Cannot Survive without YOU!
In mid-September Bitch Magazine released a call to action to keep independent, nonprofit feminist media going through this economic devastation we have been facing. Luckily, Bitch Magazine was saved but because of how much it costs to keep Bitch Magazine going every month, the funds they received from that call to action didn’t last very long.
Feminist voices are important and deserve an outlet. For that reason, Bitch has launched a new hangout for people dedicated to keeping Bitch Magazine alive, the B-Hive! Bitch recently released The Best B Movie Ever:
Help Bitch reach their goal of 500 dedicated bitchin’ bees by joining the B-Hive.
Hounddog
I just finished watching the movie Hounddog; I received it over a week ago but because I’ve been working a lot lately, it took me a little while to get the time (and emotional energy) to sit down and watch it. On that note, waiting over a week to watch it was a big mistake because this movie is phenomenal.
Hounddog is about healing–From having to grow up way too early, from sexual assault and from betrayal; it shows life in its sometimes unpleasant and ugly, but also inspiring glory. Dakota Fanning plays a young girl in the American south who lives in a world where so much is expected from her and so much tries to destroy her; from a family who feels as if she is to grow up and even as a young child, expects her to be a woman of the house, to a sexual assault. Hounddog shows you the aftermath of sexual assault, how one can become so sick because of it, but it also shows you hope and a girl who is determined to save herself with the help of a friend.
Hounddog has had a very bumpy road thus far, from Sundance where it was criticized and deemed the ‘Dakota Fanning Rape Movie’ to online reviews that I read after watching it that tear it apart. As a survivor, I loved Hounddog and the only criticism I do have is that I wish it were longer and had a more solidified ending. I loved the hope that it gives to people watching it and most of all, a particular monologue in the movie was so powerful that one moment I was laying on my couch, taking the movie in and the next was sobbing because the words that were spoken were so dead on and were so profound that it really made the entire movie. Those words were exactly what I and what so many other survivors needed to hear and it is because of everything that is said in that one, short monologue that really sums up why no survivor can let their abuser destroy or take their spirit from them.
Every survivor of sexual assault should see this movie. It will stay with you and it will give you that gentle push that so many of us often need to speak up and break the silence surrounding sexual assault. Hounddog is a movie that exudes hope and infuses survivors with a resonating voice that says ‘I understand, it isn’t your fault, now take back what is yours.’
Bitch Has Been Saved!
In just three days people everywhere have donated to save Bitch Magazine and have saved it from having to close shop. Due to the overwhelming generosity Bitch has received, the next issue of Bitch will hit newsstands on December 1.
A message from Bitch:
We’re thrilled to announce that in just three short days, you’ve rallied together and propelled us beyond our $40,000 fundraising goal. In fact, by the time we looked up from our computers, you’d already donated $46,000! On top of that, you’ve spread the word far and wide, and offered powerful and inspiring words of support.This tremendous and swift outpouring has been honoring and humbling—particularly because you’ve offered it during the worst days the U.S. economy has seen this year. Thank you. We’re deeply grateful.
Please help us keep the momentum going and continue donating and offering your feedback and ideas. We know many of you have ideas and concerns about Bitch’s future and sustainability, and we’re grateful for the critical feedback and ideas you’ve offered so far. We’re listening. And we assure you we’re hard at work on a sustainable vision, based on your feedback (and we’re at work on a survey to help facilitate this process).
We’ve also discovered through this process that many of you weren’t aware that Bitch is a nonprofit organization, and that we rely on your ongoing financial support to continue our work. One of the advantages of being a nonprofit means that the money we raise above and beyond our fundraising goals simply goes back into the organization to secure our future and help us launch new projects and new ways of fulfilling our mission.
So please, if you haven’t already, we ask that you consider the value of the work we do and join this historic effort to secure the future of a critical voice in independent media and feminism. We’re in this together.
Keep Winnie the wiener dog growing! Give input on our direction, and spread the word!
On behalf of the staff and board here at Bitch, we offer our deepest thanks and appreciation. We’re thrilled to be demonstrating the incredible power of community-supported publishing with you.
Save Bitch!
Bitch Magazine is a non-profit, community-supported, feminist media organization. The people who work to bring us Bitch Magazine do it because it’s important; what feminists have to say about pop culture, the world, politics and so on is important and it is for that reason that I love Bitch.
I first found Bitch when I was at Borders Books & Music and the title alone caught my eye. Come on, with a name like Bitch, who is going to walk by and not be interested in what it is? So I picked it up and an hour later I was sitting on the floor of Borders unable to stop reading. Years later, nothing has changed; Bitch is full of intelligent, funny and thought-provoking articles that spark interest and importance in anyone who reads it. When independent publications are being forced to close shop, it is important to try to help where and when you can and I can’t think of another independent magazine I would support more in their mission to keep going and keep bringing feminist responses to the public.
Bitch’s fate is in our hands. Please donate today and make it possible for the vital voices of Bitch to keep going. Anything and everything helps, only if you send $5 or $10, it helps.
No Trespassing & Healing Through Creativity Art Festival
I have been writing creatively since the seventh grade. I have written poetry, prose, vignettes, short stories and have also written two novellas (that I have since lost, thrown out, will never see the light of day) throughout the past nine years. I wrote a vignette in 2007 and let it sit on my hard drive with the rest of my writing–All 100+ pieces that I have chosen to actually keep and let decay on my hard drive. Unlike the rest of my writing, however, one piece in particular, this vignette, has been changing my life in ways I have never even imagined possible. Just a few months ago, I first agreed to let a friend of mine and also a filmmaker, Dany Nieves, make it into a short, spoken word film that became part of a series of short films he has put together entitled ‘Cycle.’
I have spoken about the history of this piece on here once before and have also tried to keep everyone interested up to date on what has been going on with it and with that, I have some more exciting news!
‘Cycle,’ including the piece I wrote for it will be showing at Healing Through Creativity, an art festival for survivors of trauma and supporters of survivors which will include film, poetry, music, art, workshops and a lot more exciting events throughout a nine day festival. At the last Take Back the Night I attended here, a friend of mine commented about Take Back the Night being Christmas for survivors; if that’s Christmas, I can only imagine Healing Through Creativity being the New Years Eve, the bash of the year, for survivors.
The Healing Through Creativity Festival will be held October 10th-19th at The Davis Fine Arts Center at West Virginia State University in Charleston West Virginia. Not only will ‘Cycle’ be shown at the festival, but I will also be reading more of my work there, so it is a double-exciting-news event here. I really can’t encourage anyone who lives in West Virginia or can travel there during this 9 day event to do so enough. It is a great festival that helps the healing process for many, many survivors; plus I’ll be there from October 17th to 19th.
As for ‘Cycle,’ an image of the finished DVD can be seen below. I have the DVD sitting right here on my desk and no matter how many times a day I look at it, it never gets old seeing my name on a DVD, especially for writing; it’s a dream come true in many ways for me and I hope this feeling and this journey never stops.
Because of this DVD, the art festival, stepping forward and confronting my past abuse head on and years into the healing process, I have been greatly inspired to continue confronting my abuse and jumping over the hurdles that come with the healing process. I have always wanted to inspire people and I believe that I have started my journey with this and it certainly isn’t going to stop with this. I have been so inspired and in turn, have become so motivated to do more that I have a new project coming out so check back within the next few days to see the unveiling of that. I can’t tell you how excited I am about it and hope you’ll follow me on this incredibly journey.
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Out Campaign
The OUT Campaign allows individuals to let others know they are not alone. It can also be a nice way of opening a conversation and help to demolish the negative stereotypes of atheists. Let the world know that we are not about to go away and that we are not going to allow those that would condemn us to push us into the shadows.
