In the weeks leading up to the launch of She’s Shameless: Women write about growing up, rocking out, and fighting back, we’ll be posting sneak peak excerpts from the book. Our first post is Red Bars, by Catherine Graham.

Catherine Graham is the author of The Watch, Pupa, and The Red Element. She teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto, the Haliburton School of the Arts, and through the City of Burlington. Her work has been anthologized internationally and published in The New Quarterly, Literary Review of Canada, Taddle Creek and The Fiddlehead. You can find out more about her at www.catherinegraham.com

Red Bars
by Catherine Graham

I was sitting in the backseat, fingering the silver seatbelt, half-listening to Mom and her friend Eleanor. We were taking the back route, the safe route, to the mall, instead of the highway, so Mom wouldn’t make those sharp intakes of breath (no transport trucks to pass us). Still, she seemed high-strung, her mouth tight as she nodded in response to Eleanor’s yammering.

Start of another season of swim classes. I was trying for my Bronze Medallion this time round and my green Speedo left indents on my shoulders. Red bars.

With both hands on the wheel, Mom was oblivious to me watching her. I stared at the squiggles congregating on her nose, red like her hair.

Her hair had grown back soft and thin, in opposition to Eleanor’s coarse, black spikes.
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I have mixed feelings about the new Star Trek movie. While I quite enjoyed it as an adventurous space romp, my nagging issues with the original series re-emerged in spades.

I grew up on the later series, so I’ve always found it difficult to enjoy the terrible special effects and campiness of Kirk’s bridge. I also hated the lack of women, except as girlfriends for Kirk, and the fact that female officers would wear miniskirts and go-go boots on the bridge. In what universe would that be practical?

I was much more invested in Captain Janeway, Major Kira, and my favourite female characters in the Star Trek Universe: the sexy warrior Klingon co-captains, the Duras Sisters.

Don’t mess with the best.

So let’s just say I was a bit peeved that J.J. Abrams’ new movie cut the female cast from two to one and that Uhura was once again wearing a miniskirt. I expect a bit more from the man who gave the world Felicity, Sydney Bristow, and Olivia Dunham. I was genuinely surprised that he could not do better than this new Uhura, a woman who spends the whole movie bickering or staring meaningfully at a not-very-logical Spock.

Ellen Lawrence, in her article for Playtime Magazine, perfectly summarizes - in the light of Roddenberry’s original vision - exactly why it was so illogical to make the future sexist. Although I may take slight issue with her positive reading of the “equality” in the later series (no one will ever be able to convince me that Troi, with her low-cut leotards and her “emotional” job description, was cool), I think her criticism of this new movie, which had a chance to create an entirely new Star Trek universe, is spot on.

What did you think of the new Star Trek? What would be your hopes for a sequel?

I love to cook, but honestly baking has never really been my thing. I’m well known in my circle for producing oddly shaped birthday cakes and cookies that taste….um…“unique”.

That being said, if anything were ever going to make me attempt to bake again, it might just be these amazingly fun vegan Gingerbread Punks submitted by Isa on the Post Punk Kitchen.

I love the punks, but I’m thinking of decorating mine as Joan Jett, Patti Smith, Pat Benatar, and maybe Karen O. Oh, and M.I.A., because a gingerbread gal would look amazing in her beautiful baby-belly bearing Grammy outfit!

Who would yours be?

If you make them, be sure to let us know where we can find pics of your rebel baking masterpieces!

There’s still space left in this incredible event happening in Toronto this weekend. And leading one workshop is our very own art director (and genius) Sheila Sampath. Full (exciting) details below from Michelle Cho from the Urban Alliance on Race Relations:

Ever wonder why we see the same kinds of images of women in the media all the time? Wanna see women in the media as being something more than just a video ho? Tired of the lack of diversity in the media? Want to see your story? Want to learn how to make your own media (video, podcasts, magazines)?

Come to the Making Noise Media Camp for Young Women!

For women 14-25
Saturday May 30
rsvp: michelle cho, 416-703-6607 x 3
michelle@urbanalliance.ca

Challenge stereotypes about women; bring your own t-shirt to silkscreen; meet other young women from around the city! Free breakfast and dinner, free TTC tokens, free childcare.

This year, we’ve started a program called Making Noise which is a media literacy initiative for young women in this city to connect the negative portrayals of women in the media with the gender violence women face on our bodies, in our neighbourhoods in our homes. We want to talk about the politics of media ownership but also give spaces for young women to create their own media, with the sole goal of launching a summer campaign against street harassment.

Summer is almost here, and rates of violence always go up in the summer…we’re tired of being hollered at the in the streets and feeling unsafe, but want more creative ways of challenging gender violence.

We’ve organized a media camp FOR THIS SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2009 to start to bring young women together to plan a summer campaign to challenge street harassment in Toronto using media they’ve created themselves. We want to talk about how violence is experienced differently by women of colour and how it is made invisible by the media or sensationalized to be soley about being because they do not fit into the “mainstream”.

i.e. Jane Creba - Her story flooded the media and was seen as this ‘bright light’ that was taken away from our city…

vs. Chantel Dunn - her murderers who are still not found…a case which got way less coverage and funding…

vs. Reena Virk, 14 year old South Asian woman that was killed by a group of seven girls and one boy. The media coverage that followed became all about girl on girl violence and not about racism.

vs. Aqsa Parvez, strangled by her father, grew up in a home with abuse issues, but the media framed it as an “honour killing” and became an attack on “fundamentalist Islam”.

We want to use popular education, pop culture and media creation to talk about how we can support each others work and build a movement together where an analysis of violence includes a critique of gender violence, including one that is critical of violence against queer folks…but in a fierce, media savvy way.

I know in some way, all of us have built spaces for young women, but we also need to make spaces for young men to talk about masculinities, gender roles, homophobia etc and how this is tied into how we experience violence different in our communities.

This Friday 29 May 2009, from 7:00pm - 9:00pm
at Shaika Cafe, 5526 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC

Because there are no stupid questions (The Sense Project)

“The Sense Project at Head & Hands hosts its annual celebration event to recognize all of the dedication that this community has shown to its goal of breaking the silence surrounding sex, and to celebrate the Sense Project’s 2nd year anniversary of sex education workshops and youth peer-to-peer health support.

Sex in the media will be our focus, with the launch of the Sense Project’s new website.

This is a great chance to check out this amazing new online resource and community, which features a youth-led blog and an anonymous Q&A forum.

Come for the interactive website launch, and stay for the:

• Screening of a *fabulous* film produced by the Sense Project Peer Educators


• A raffle with prizes donated by Lickety Split, the Coop la Maison Verte, Nomadic Massive, Worn Fashion Journal and Head & Hands!


• “Cervix undergoing LEEP procedure”, an art installation by Lynn Worrell


• Free safer sex supplies!


• Interactive Sex Ed Q&A!


• Refreshments and good company!


• Opportunities to donate and get involved!


• That warm fuzzy feeling of sex-ed solidarity!
”

If you’re in Montreal this Friday evening, come get some Sense!

We’re gearing up for the She’s Shameless launch party, but we need your help!

As part of the event, five teen writers will spend the afternoon in a focused workshop with acclaimed author and teacher Ibi Kaslik, working together on short creative pieces. That evening, they’ll take the stage and read their work, alongside some of the book’s contributors including Dianah Smith, Zoe Whittall and Shannon Gerrard.

We strongly encourage youth from all communities to apply, including women of colour, First Nations women, women with disabilities, and transgendered and queer-identified youth.

The event will take place on Tuesday, June 23 at the Gladstone.

If you’re a teen writer and you’d like to participate (or know someone who you’d like to recommend), I’d love to hear from you! Send me an e-mail at megan@shamelessmag.com.

For those in Montreal who are interested in radio, public radio, feminist radio and campus radio, here is an upcoming event that could be really cool. There will be keynote speakers, workshops, and even field trips. I wish I could be there!

The Women in Radio Conference
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
ALL DAY - 9h00-18h30
Hosted by CKUT Radio, part of the annual National Campus-Community
Radio Conference happening June 7-13th.

** Voices from the Underground: Women’s voices, women’s power **
Women in Radio Keynote Presentation by Audrey Redman
Ballroom, Shatner Building (3480 McTavish, McGill University)
Thursday, June 11 – 17:00-18:30

Audrey Redman, Host of Honour the Earth a First Nation’s news and
music program (formerly aired on CKLN community radio at Ryerson
University in Toronto). This lecture is co-presented with
Media@McGill, online at http://media.mcgill.ca.

The Women in Radio Conference (WIR) is a one-day conference held
during the week-long National Community Radio Conference (NCRC). This
year’s NCRC and the WIR conference is being hosted by CKUT Radio in
Montreal. During the WIR, feminist broadcasters and allies come
together to create spaces for greater participation by women through
skill-sharing, visioning and consciousness raising. By prioritizing
the voices of marginalized women, the conference addresses
institutional oppression and discrimination in the campus-community
radio sector. The conference also showcases the accomplishments of
women broadcasters in the sector and holds women-only trainings in
technical broadcasting. For more information and to read some of the
work by women in the sector, please go to http://ncra.ca/women.

WIR takes place in the Shatner Building (3480 McTavish, McGill
University) from 9h00-18h30. This conference is wheelchair accessible
and child care will be provided.

** WIR 2009 Schedule **
9h00-10h00 … Breakfast
9h15-10h15 … Caucuses: Funding Coordinators / !Earshot / Feminist / GroundWire
10h30-11h45 … Workshops: Recruiting Women Music Programmers / Feminist
Ethics / Trans Inclusion / Interview Skills 4 Women
12h00-13h15 … Workshops: Making Sound Art / Older Women in Radio /
Unlearning Patriarchy / Circuit-Bending 4 Women
13h15-14h15 … Lunch
14h30-18h30 … Field Trip: Montreal Street Art Tour & Hands On:
GroundWire Scriptwriting
14h30-15h45 … Workshops: Sexism, Misogyny & Homophobia in Music /
Trans Programming / Who’s in a Name: WIR? / DJ Skills 4 Women
16h00-17h00 … Workshops: Feminist Music Programming / Building a
Feminist Media Network / Station Accessibility for Kids / Documentary
Production 4 Women
17h15-18h30 … WIR Keynote: Audrey Redman
20h00-22h00 … Tara-Michelle Ziniuk Book Launch at Cagibi

To find out more about this year’s NCRC taking place at McGill
University in Montreal from June 7-13th, visit http://ckut.ca/ncrc.php.

Every other Thursday I profile a new incredible woman, each from a different walk of life. Different professions, causes, backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, and anything/everything else!

So without further delay, let me introduce the wonderful Julianna Yau…

Julianna Yau is an artist, advocate, tech enthusiast, film fan and “general overachiever.” After completing a Bachelor of Independent Studies from the University of Waterloo, she decided to persue her first true love - sculpting. Julianna is active in the arts community, working with various arts organizations and acting as an independent advocate for the arts. In 2008, she started the company 2Picas with her friend Adriana Alarcón to provide affordable, professional website and media design for the arts community.

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Save the date! She’s Shameless launches June 23rd in Toronto at The Gladstone Hotel! Join the facebook group here!

SHE’S SHAMELESS / SHE’S WRITING
Shameless magazine and This Is Not A Reading Series celebrates the launch of She’s Shameless: Women write about growing up, rocking out, and fighting back

What media event five years ago transformed the lives of teenaged girls across North America? Here’s a clue: it had nothing to do with a boy wizard or the misadventures of trust fund brats. In June of 2004, Shameless, a magazine for “girls who get it”, first appeared on newsstands. We’ve assembled She’s Shameless: Women write about growing up, rocking out, and fighting back (Tightrope Books). To celebrate the launch of the inaugural Shameless collection, such contributors as Zoe Whittall and Shannon Gerard will perform short pieces. Five teenaged girls will join them on-stage and present monologues from a writing workshop conducted that afternoon by acclaimed writer and teacher Ibi Kaslik. The evening will conclude with an early ‘90s-themed, Sadie Hawkins prom, featuring a noted local DJ. – A This is Not A Reading Series event presented by Pages Books & Magazines, Tightrope Books, Shameless, NOW Magazine, Gladstone Hotel and Take Five On CIUT.

Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St West, Toronto

Tues June 23; 8pm (doors 7:30pm) $5 (Free with Book Purchase)

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