Watch two dramatic works from Filipina-Australian poet and performer Merlinda Bobis on her website. 'River, River' is adapted from her short story 'Fish-Hair Woman' and has been performed internationally and broadcast on ABC Radio. 'Cantata of the Warrior Woman Daragang Magayon' has also been performed across the globe as a solo and collaborative work featuring opera, piano and chanting.
Melinda Tankard Reist on those photos of Jennifer Hawkins
Melinda Tankard Reist has spoken out about Marie Claire's latest unairbrushed photos of Jennifer Hawkins, that are supposed to inspire body confidence in readers:
How can these pictures possibly help women feel good about themselves?
Labelling hips, a little dimpling on the thigh (anyone got a magnifying glass?), a small waist crease (which looks like what happens when any woman sits down) and supposedly uneven skin tone as "flaws" is already problematic. Who decided these were flaws and not part of being a woman? And if these are "flaws", how are other women supposed to feel?
Mary Daly (1928-2010) died on Sun 3 January in West Massachussetts. Mary Daly was a giant of the women’s movement and a foremost radical feminist thinker. Her theoretical works changed the ways in which we think. She was the author of The Church and the Second Sex, Beyond God the Father, Gyn/Ecology, Pure Lust, Outercourse, Websters' First New Intergalactic Wickedary of the English Language and Quintessence as well as numerous influential articles. Spinifex Press published her autobiography Outercourse in 1992. It is the only edition of this book still in print.
Spinifex poet Louise Crisp has collaborated with musician Tom Fitzgerald on Grasses, a poetic text on the water and environmental issues around the Snowy River. Listen to Grasses on ABC's Poetica.
A new review of Spinifex classic The Idea of Prostitution by Sheila Jeffreys has been published online at Ciaroscuro:
"The book questions liberal notions about what it means to be a woman in today’s society in which certain practices are still tolerated or have been normalised, showing an underlying view of women that is entirely patriarchal and misogynous."
Sandy Jeffs' memoir, Flying With Paper Wings: Reflections on Living With Madness got a great wrap in The Age a couple of weekends back. Reviewer Carmel Bird enthused: '...again and again the narrator comes back from the hell that lives in her own head - comes back with wit and grace and a kind of poetic flourish'.
NSW Government Whip, Greg Donelley MLC has expressed dismay at Cotton On's ongoing promotion of raunchy baby t-shirts, despite promises to remove them from outlets. Donnelly cited the American Psychological Association's 2007 Task Force Report on the Sexualisation of Girls as clear evidence of the negative impacts on child development of our increasingly pornified society. He went on to highlight Getting Real as a 'status report' on the issue, saying that, 'Australia can be proud that we have some of the world's most outstanding advocates and activists on this most important public policy matter'.
Susan Hawthorne will discusss art and nature with historian and biographer Janine Burke and curator Susan McCulloch at Eltham Bookshop, Thurs 10 December.
Where: Long Gallery, Montsalvat, Hillcrest Ave, Eltham (near the swimming pool) Time: 7-9pm Date: Thurs 10 December Cost: $10 (includes refreshments)
Bookings and enquiries: Eltham Bookshop, tel 9439 8700 or elthambookshop@bigpond.com
An article on Getting Real, 'Girls gone wild: One woman is trying to say no to our increasingly sexualised culture', was printed in the West Australian on the 11th of November. It features an interview with Melinda and notes that 'the pieces in Getting Real are far from prudish. They pull no punches'. You can find an excerpt from the article with our other Getting Real reviews.
The Hobart Mercury published an article 'Calls for girls to fight ad sexism', coinciding with the Tasmanian launch of Getting Real. It includes Melinda's 'hit list' of brands to boycott:
Pepsi, for its 'Score Every Hour' advertising campaign for mobile phones, teaching men how to 'score' with various female stereotypes.
Dove, for its 'Real Beauty' campaign that used airbrushed models, as well as its skin whitening products.
Lynx for highly sexualised advertising.
Playboy, for targeting young girls with its products.
Ms Tankard Reist also urged young girls to stop reading magazines like Dolly, saying they were still sending wrong messages about topics like underage sex.
Performance pieces by Merlinda Bobis 
