Catch me at WAM! on Sunday, 11:30, for the panel “Going Group: How Blogging in Numbers Gets It Done,” with Racialicious’ Latoya Petersen, Shira Tarrant of GWP’s “The Man Files,” and Ebony Utley. And see you in the halls!

On Monday, I”ll be giving a bunch of talks and workshops at Framingham State College, hosted by GWP’s own amazing Virginia Rutter (the BEST hostess EVER!) Can’t wait….

Over at Broadsheet this week, Amy Benfer has a nice little post on “accidental” pregnancy in which she writes:

About half of American women will have an accidental pregnancy before age 45. So while we like to think of accidental pregnancy as a rare and catastrophic event that happens only to women who take extraordinary sexual risks, it’s actually rather common. Nevertheless most stories about accidental pregnancy focus on teenage girls whom many people feel entitled to automatically dismiss as unfit mothers. Thus I was initially excited to see that this month’s Self magazine leads with a feature that puts a face on those who constitute the vast majority of unplanned pregnancies, one with the subhead: “Forget Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol. The new face of accidental pregnancy looks like … you.” But while it starts out by allegedly showing that even “good girls” can get knocked up, it ends up reinforcing some very old stereotypes about what the choices women make say about them.

About 50 percent of unplanned pregnancies end in abortion,  but the article does not contain a single quote from a woman who had one.

Hmm…

(Thanks to CCF for the heads up.)

My latest at Recessionwire.com is now up: Love in the Time of Layoff: Her Expendable Career. I go all politico over subsidized childcare in this one, so please check it out, spread the link, leave comments, etc! It’s very Girl w/Pen-nish, this time.

Some folks told me they had trouble with the link from yesterday’s Today Show women’s history segment, so I’m indulging and posting the vid here. (I think by now my mother has sent the link to EVERYONE she knows — I’m getting emails from friends abroad — thanks for the props, Mom!)

What a serendipitous day for feminism this is turning out to be.

As I was being prepped in the green room at Rockefeller Center for this morning’s Today Show appearance (and stuffing myself with donuts and potato chips), I saw friend/mentor/icon Suzanne Braun Levine in the next chair over!  Suzanne was there to do the segment just before mine, in connection with her hot new book Fifty is the New Fifty.  Then, between Suzanne’s segment and mine, Kathie Lee bade a happy 75th birthday to our mutual friend (again for me, make that friend/mentor/icon) Gloria Steinem.  And now today, in honor of Gloria’s birthday, the Ms. Foundation for Women has launched an online social change campaign called Outrageous Acts for Simple Justice, a project designed to share and support outrageous acts in the cause of simple justice for women, families and communities.

How much better could this day get?!

Well check it out: Outrageous Acts is already catching on. Kymberly Blackstock of Alaska used Facebook to organize a rally protesting Governor Palin’s rejection of federal economic stimulus money; in a video, Claire Tran of FIERCE, a Ms. Foundation grantee in New York City, suggests that viewers commit an outrageous act by signing onto their white paper advocating for access to public space on the Hudson River Park for LGBTQ youth of color; and Jacki Zehner, a women’s leadership and workplace commentator brought her outrageous act to CNN when she appeared to discuss the impact of the economic crisis on women while wearing a Wonder Woman t-shirt. (That’s my Jacki – go Purse Pundit go!)

I feel like so many of us are experiencing the current crisis as, among other things, opportunity.  Says Ms. Foundation prez Sara Gould, “The times demand this kind of creative action….[P]eople are poised to create change from the grassroots. And on the heels of an historic presidential election, we’re reminded of just how effective outrageous acts — from bake sales and buttons to signatures and songs — can be.”

For Gloria’s take on it all, watch the video, here.

And for a celebratory piece on Gloria’s birthday, see here (Thanks to my other favorite Gloria–Fedlt–for the heads up!)

Women’s History. Who knew?!

Ok ladies and gents, let’s see if we can start a Women’s History Meme here.  I’m posting six quiz questions to complement the quiz I’m doing on The Today Show tomorrow with Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kobt (10am ET).  Take the quiz below, see how you do, and if you have a blog, feel free to post the quiz there AND ADD ONE ADDITIONAL QUESTION OF YOUR OWN.  Don’t forget to post these same instructions when you post the quiz on your blog, so that others then can do the same!  If you send me the link once you’ve posted, I’ll do a roundup next week.  Just email me at deborah (at) girlwpen (dot) com with the header “Women’s History Meme.”  Alrighty then.  Here we go:

1. In 2009, women make up what percent of the U.S. Congress?
A.  3%
B.  17%
C.  33%
D.  50%

2. How many CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are female?
A. 15
B. 28
C. 59
D. 84

3.  Who was the first First Lady to create her own media presence (ie hold regular press conferences, write a daily newspaper column and a monthly magazine column, and host a weekly radio show)?
A. Eleanor Roosevelt
B. Jacqueline Kennedy
C. Pat Nixon
D. Hillary Clinton

4. The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced to Congress in:
A.  1923
B.  1942
C.  1969
D.  1971

5. Who was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature?
A. Phyllis Wheatley
B. Alice Walker
C. Toni Morrison
D. Maya Angelou

6. What percentage of union members are women today?
A. 10%
B. 25%
C. 35%
D. 45%

ANSWERS:

1:B, 2:A, 3:A, 4:A, 5:C, 6:D

Because I’ll be there!  I’m doing a segment with Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb for Women’s History Month.  I promise to post linkage here.  It should be lotsa fun!  A hint: we’re doing a pop quiz….

You KNOW I try to refrain from cat blogging over here, but I couldn’t resist this one: My 6 month old kitty Tallulah (aka Tula) sometimes forgets to stick her tongue back in her mouth. Marco caught her in the act in this shot.

As I wrap up this liveblogging session from the Brooklyn Museum, a gooey little confession about how the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art holds a special place in my heart:

This summer, the month before I married, instead of the traditional (cough cough) bachelorette party, friends organized a picnic accompanied by a private tour of Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party, housed at the Center.  What better way to mark the moment, we figured.  And what an amazing opportunity this was to learn about this pivotal piece of feminist art, long buried, and to reconnect with it as members of a new generation.

So it is with extra special love that I wish the Center many happy returns–and TONS of future visitors–on this, its second birthday!

For those of you just joining, here, in chronological order, are 5 posts blogged live from “Women’s Visions for the Nation: What’s It Going to Take?”, a speakout held by the intergenerational feminist thinktank, Unfinished Business, celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the Elizabeth Sackler Center for Feminist Art on this sunny March afternoon.  Quite a gathering of feminists and ideas.  Enjoy.

Liveblogging Women’s Visions for the Nation @ Brooklyn Museum

Elizabeth Sackler Revs It Up

C. Nicole Mason Keynotes

Laura Flanders Emcees

Esther Broner and Ai-jen Poo Take the Stage

Let the Intergenerational Speakout Begin

What Will the Feminist New Deal Look Like?

Closing Thoughts from Esther Broner, Ai-jen Poo, and HipHop Artist Toni Blackman

Liz Abzug Brings It Home