Seeing that it’s the New Year, I thought I’d take a moment and first say THANK YOU to everyone here at Shameless, all the Shameless readers, and every Shameless Woman I have interviewed so far! You all rock!!!
Here’s the Shameless Women we’ve been introduced to so far:
* Coco La Creme - Skin Tight Outta Site Rebel Burlesque
* Zahra Haji - Yoga Goddess
* Carolina Smart - creator of Shebytches.com
* Kelly Thornton - Executive Director of Nightwood Theatre
* Jen Anisef - creator of Toronto Craft Alert
* Ebonnie Rowe - Phemphat CEO & Honey Jam creator
* Sarah Campbell - owner of The Rage
* Frankie Whyte - lead vocals/guitar of Frankie Whyte and the Dead Idols
* Rosella Melanson - N.B. Advisory Council on the Status of Women
* Rebecca Gallant - Crew Manager of NXNE Music & Film Festival
* Mary Claus - Not just Santa’s Mrs.!
Shameless Women who we’ll see in the next few weeks:
* Sarah Kramer - author of Vegan A Go-Go!
* Wendy Donnan - VP of Original Programming and Acquisitions for OUTtv
* Laura-Jean Bernhardson - Freedom Clothing Collective
* Viki Ackland - 2mile Jewelry
* Carmela Hutchison - DisAbled Women’s Network Canada
* and more that are top secret!
Now, Shameless readers, I want to know who you would like to see featured here on Shameless Women! I want to know about the ladies that you admire and look up to. I want to hear names of women from every profession and every background imaginable! Women who might normally be ignored by the mainstream media or who don’t often get the credit they deserve. Women who are daring to do something amazing and inspiring to other ladies!
Leave a comment below with the name or names (and any other info) of anyone you would like me to get in contact with, and I will!
Or, if you’d rather contact me by email, I’m at: dcole [at] desireeo [dot] com
Note: although we love and admire ladies from all over, being that this is a Canadian magazine/blog, please try to keep your choices to ladies of this land.
Thanks and rock on, you Shameless ladies!
:) D. Cole
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15 comments
I want to thank you D. Cole for doing this important feature here on SHAMELESS. We do not take the time to honour each other as women enough, and there are so many of us doing so many great things.
I sincerely appreciate learning about those who are paving their own paths, no matter where they are. This is a very big deal, and if we are to effect positive change, it's also about taking a look around to see who's moving and shaking already, or who would like to.
Posted by Jessica Yee
January 2, 2009, 3:50 PM
Thanks so much, Jessica!
And you're right, we don't take the time to honour each other and recognize the amazing things the women around us are doing. And that needs to change!
And we need to show the next generation of women that there are awesome ladies to look up to and who can help them along the way.
We need to remember that we are not alone. That there are other women out there just like us who are succeeding and doing awesome things in this world!
And, even more, that women who may at first seem completely different from you, may not seem so different once you read the answers to the questions in their interview.
I truly hope that this column not only acknowledges the amazing women out there, but also shows our readers that the world of feminists is just as diverse and wonderful as they are!!!
:) D. Cole Ossandon
Posted by D. Cole
January 2, 2009, 10:38 PM
Hey D., I have a question - how do you choose your Shameless women? Are they people who've personally inspired you, are they a part of your day-to-day life, or do you set out to find someone who occupies a niche you find particularly important and underrepresented? I mean, I imagine it's both, but I'm curious about your process. And what is it about a Shameless woman that particularly catches your attention? I know, lots of questions, sorry if it's annoying. I just find myself wondering who I would choose if I were doing your column, and what criteria would motivate me, so I'm curious about how you go about it.
Posted by Anna
January 3, 2009, 12:44 PM
Thanks for your questions, Anna!
"Are they people who've personally inspired you": Yes and no. Some are women who have inspired me personally. Others are women who have been suggested to me by ladies I trust.
I have to say though, even if I hadn't known of the women before the interview, there has failed to be a women yet that I have interviewed that hasn't NOW inspired me!
"are they a part of your day-to-day life": Not usually. Although when I first pitched the column idea to Shameless, I came ready with interviews from 8 women that I knew (or knew of), to give the ladies here an idea of what I wanted to do. So ladies like Sarah Campbell, Jen Anisef, and Frankie Whyte I had met previously through other projects that I work on (mostly through a biz I used to have called Babble). Other women, like Coco La Creme, Ebonnie Rowe, or Kelly Thornton (and more), were women who I came across (or searched out) for exactly the reason you mentioned in your third question, "do you set out to find someone who occupies a niche you find particularly important and underrepresented?".
Most of the women who I'll be profiling the in future I have no connection with whatsoever --- but I'm willing to contact anyone and ask for an interview!
So come on, ladies, let me know who you would like to see here on Shameless Women! :)
Posted by D. Cole
January 4, 2009, 6:45 PM
Oooo, I will nominate some women for you to write about, for sure.
Posted by Tiina
January 5, 2009, 11:19 AM
Thanks, Tiina!!!
Posted by D. Cole
January 6, 2009, 1:19 PM
I love this column. I would like to see Trey Anthony, black queer activist and writer/comedian who created Da Kink in My Hair.
Posted by Stark
January 6, 2009, 1:31 PM
There was a profile of Trey Anthony in a print issue of Shameless, back in the day... it would be great to get her again in blog form.
Posted by Anna
January 6, 2009, 7:25 PM
Oh yeah, and because I always want to see some MTL representation, here are some suggestions:
Sarah Mangle (okay, she moved away, but lived here for a long time): singer-songwriter, artist, writer, community organizer and creator of St. Henri zine distro
Amber Goodwyn: founder of Lickety Split zine (pansexual DIY/indie smut) and sex-positive advocate and educator
Sarah Spike and Jenny Craig: founders of The Greasy Goose community salon
Gretchen King: community news coordinator at CKUT 90.3 FM, activist, community organizer
Iron Wench from La Racaille, MTL roller derby team... I don't know her real name but DAMN she is awesome.
That's it for now!
Posted by Anna
January 6, 2009, 7:47 PM
Woohoo! Thanks so much Stark & Anna! Great list of names! I can't wait to start contacting some of these amazing women!!!
Posted by D. Cole
January 6, 2009, 9:52 PM
Oh, I just thought of someone else: Emilie Roby, AMAZING tattoo artist - her work is its own brand of art, and she runs her own studio. http://www.eroby.net/
Posted by Anna
January 13, 2009, 7:22 PM
Awesome! Thanks so much, Anna! Her tattoo work looks amazing.
Posted by D. Cole
January 13, 2009, 9:39 PM
Congrats D. Cole and ALL SHAMELESS WOMEN!! I look forward to continuing to read about all of you/us... HERE'S to being SHAMELESS!!
Blue Gaia
Posted by BlueGaia
January 19, 2009, 6:19 PM
I would like to see Amber O'hara profiled. She is an amazing woman from Toronto who has spent many years researching and documenting the hundreds of cases of Native women in Canada who have gone missing or who have been murdered. She has a website addressing this atrocity.
Although dealing with her own problems as a woman living with Aids she continues to give of herself in an unselfish way to bring this awareness to the public.
Posted by Eleanor
March 9, 2009, 10:42 AM
Thanks Eleanor!
Posted by D. Cole
March 9, 2009, 11 AM
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