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)

SHE’S SHAMELESS: Co-editors Megan Griffith-Greene and Stacey May Fowles have compiled She’s Shameless: Women write about growing up, rocking out, and fighting back, an anthology of fearless and funny non-fiction about strong, smart and shameless young women. With wit and honesty, the writers share stories of their teen experiences (both positive and negative) on everything from pop culture to high school principals. The book is founded on Shameless magazine’s tradition of smart, sassy, honest and inclusive writing, and reaches out to young female readers who are often ignored by mainstream: freethinkers, queer youth, young women of colour, punk rockers, feminists, intellectuals, artists, and activists.

SHE’S WRITING: Acclaimed writer and educator Ibi Kaslik will conduct a late afternoon workshop at The Gladstone Hotel with five teenaged girls from across Toronto. Kaslik will guide the emerging writers through the process of creating a short piece. The girls will present their five monologues later that evening at the launch for She’s Shameless.

STACEY MAY FOWLES is an author, journalist and editor. She has contributed to numerous online and print periodicals, Open Book Toronto and The Walrus Magazine. Her first novel, Be Good, was published to wide acclaim. Most recently, she collaborated with artist Marlena Zuber on the illustrated novel, Fear Of Fighting She is the publisher of Shameless magazine. Fowles lives in Toronto.

SHANNON GERARD is an author, author and educator. Gerrard’s recent installation Playing Doctor brought together various components of her multimedia projects, Boobs and Dinks: Early Detection Kits. She teaches a course at The Ontario College Of Art. For more info, visit: www.shannongerard.etsy.com

MEGAN GRIFFITH-GREENE is an author, activist, designer and editor. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Shameless magazine, a Contributing Editor at Chatelaine, and the Editor / Designer of The New Pollution. Her work has appeared in such publications as The Walrus and THIS Magazine. Griffith-Greene has long been an active advocate of youth rights, social justice and education issues. She lives in Toronto.

IBI KASLIK is a writer, journalist, and teacher. She graduated with her master’s degree in Creative Writing from Concordia University and her short stories and articles have appeared in literary magazines such as Matrix and Geist. Kaslik’s debut novel, Skinny, was shortlisted for Amazon’s Best First novel award and the CLA Best Young Adult book is her second book, The Angel Riots, is her critically acclaimed follow-up, called “beautiful” by the Globe and Mail. Kaslik has taught creative writing in a variety of settings, notably high schools and The University Of Toronto. She lives in Toronto.

ZOE WHITTALL is a widely respected poet, novelist and performer. Her bestselling debut novel Bottle Rocket Hearts was on the Globe & Mail’s “Best Of Year “list. Whittall won the Dayne Ogilvie Award for Best Emerging Gay Writer in Canada, and was selected by NOW Magazine as emerging author of the year. Her poetry books include Precordial Thump. Whittall lives in Toronto.