…to see what all the fuss is about over there. And this here is the picture I uploaded there. Note: I am NOT catblogging; just sharing a little picture is all. Yes, that is my cat, Amelia Bedelia.
Ok, wait, I think I just officially catblogged.
See you on Twitter?!
This week my authors’ group, the Invisible Institute, was treated to a private talk with James B. Stewart, a staff writer at The New Yorker and author of 8 books. We were eager to hear about the trajectory of Jim’s career, what sustains him, how he started, and how he’s made it all work. Stewart teaches journalism at Columbia University and I’m currently reading his how-to book, Follow the Story: How to Write Successful Nonfiction. I wanted to share this passage from it with you, because it applies to the work that so many of us do, whether that be writing or research:
“The essence of thinking like a writer is the recognition that what’s most interesting is what’s unknown, not what is known. Thinking like a writer prizes the question more than the answer. It celebrates paradox, mystery, and uncertainty, recognizing that all of them contain the seeds of a potential story.”
It’s so tricky when you’re writing a book proposal and you must state your argument often before you really know all the questions! But Stewart’s reminder is an important one, and also makes me think of my favorite quote from Rilke, in Letters to a Young Poet:
“Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”
Ahhh.
In keeping with my philosophy of always trying new things here in cyberland, I just created my first blog poll. It was supereasy of course, as all things Google Blogger generally are.
The reason for my poll: I’m really eager to hear what you, GWP readers, would like to see more of here, so that I can stay in tune with what you crave. So please please take the poll and let me know, k? It’s over there –>
Thanks!
At long last, some links from my last blogging workshop (Strategic Blogging for Organizations, Women’s Research Centers, and Feminist Experts, June 7). Here’s a sampling of sites and resources to check out from around the blogosphere. Apologies for the crazylong delay…!
Directories
Blogher.org lists blogs by topical categories written by and for women on a wide variety of topics.
BlogCarnival.com lists blog carnivals that provide round-ups of the best blog writing on the web on specific topics.
Women’s organization blogs
Women’s Media Center – Majority Post
NARAL – Blog for Choice
White House Project – Change Everything
Ms. Foundation – Igniting Change
(did I miss yours? please post urls in comments!)
Blog communities & aggregators
BlogHer
MotherTalk
AlterNet
Political blogs
Huffington Post
Talking Points Memo
Feminist blogosphere
Feministing
Pandagon
Racialicious
Feministe
Broadsheet
XX-Factor (Slate)
Vivalafeminista
Culture Kitchen
WIMNsVoicesBlog
Shakesville
The Curvature
F-Word Blog
Momosphere
The Motherhood
WorkIt Mom
Chicago Moms Blog, Silicon Valley Moms Blog, DC Moms Blog
Blogs by academics
A Blog without a Bicycle
BitchPhD
Feminist Law Professors
Feminist Science Prof
Culture Cat
Afrogeek Mom
Hugo Schwyzer
Baxter Sez
Quod She
Blog hosting
Blogger
WordPress
Livejournal
Typepad
Photo Libraries
Flickr
LOC Photostream
Widgets
Springwidgets
Nonprofit resources re new media communications
Idealware
Spin Project
Tech Soup
Pro-Media Communications
Problogger
For a very thorough post on last week’s forum on gender, race, class, age, and the media’s coverage of the 2008 elections, sponsored by the White House Project, the Women’s Media Center, and the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, check out Marcia Yemen’s latest in HuffPo. A report based on the findings and recommendations from that forum–drafted by yours truly–is coming soon! I’ll post more details when it’s ready, later in the summer.
Meanwhile, Carol Jenkins offered a great turn of phrase at that forum when she noted that members of the media have embedded themselves in the war room of this election, turning themselves into “embedded pundits.” Case in point: I’m sitting here watching MSNBC and on flashes the headline “Does Obama Need Clinton as Much as the Media Thinks?” I’m screaming back at my tv: “Who the BLEEP cares what the media thinks?” Talk about simulacrum, I tell ya.
I’m still lamenting having had to miss NWSA’s annual conference this year, if only because I miss seeing colleagues (hi Alison! hi Astrid!). Thanks to those of you who have been sharing reports and highlights with me. If anyone who attended would like to do a guest post on the conference here at GWP, door’s open! Just shoot me an email at girlwpen@gmail.com and let me know.
Meanwhile, I’m loving that the theme for the 2009 Council on Contemporary Families conference is THE FUTURE OF RELATIONSHIPS: Men, Women, Sexuality, and the Prospects for Gender Equity. Planning is underway. The conference will take place on April 17 and 18 at the University of Illinois, Chicago. CCF’s conference is one of my faves and I’m definitely hoping to go.
…
Here’s Elizabeth Curtis, with more bloggy tips for ya’ll this morning–some you may already know, and some you may not! Enjoy. – GWP
Getting Active Online (Part 1)
In an increasingly wired culture, you probably find yourself spending more and more time online – for work, for fun, for shopping, and more. Wouldn’t it be great if you could effortlessly transform some of that time into powerful activism? These simple steps listed below will help you to become an activist on the internet – the easy way.
Join a SOCIAL NETWORKING website.
Social networking websites allow you to quickly and easily connect with individuals who share similar interests. Because of their rhizomatic nature, these websites facilitate strongly networked collaborations between people who may have never otherwise connected because of geographical or other constraints.
Step 1: Find the social networking website that is right for you.
Popular Social Networking Websites:
–Facebook
–MySpace
–LinkedIn
–Second Life
Good News: Feeling overwhelmed by the number invitations to join these websites that you receive? Google is working on streamlining the online social experience with Open Social.
Step 2: Use your new network to connect with individuals doing similar work, to support causes you believe in, or to raise awareness about important issues.
Organizing Activism: Ms. Magazine (Winter 2008) recently reported on “an underground movement†of individuals who organized via Facebook to protest sexist advertising in the tube system by placing stickers with messages on them has gained national attention in the United Kingdom. Increasingly, off-line activism is being organized online.
Find Your Cause: Facebook allows users to create “Causes†around specific issues and to fundraise for specific non-profit organizations. Many individuals and organizations report success in social networking-based fundraising.
The Women’s Media Center has just announced an opening for a Media Director. Know anyone? Pass it on! This is a fantastic job for the right person. Here’s the scoop. -GWP
Description: The Women’s Media Center (WMC) is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2005 by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem to make women visible and powerful in the media. The WMC is looking for a Media Director in its New York City office starting immediately. This person will build relationships with press (print, broadcast, local, national, entertainment and news), pitch women-centered storylines and spokespeople to the media, act as a resource to journalists and train women to become better media spokespeople.
Job Responsibilities
• Build and maintain relationships with media professionals including print, broadcast, local, national, entertainment and online reporters, editors and producers
• Pitch stories to media professionals, resulting in maximum coverage and visibility for women’s perspectives
• Oversee and administer media spokesperson training program in New York City
• Identify, research and document trends and developments within the media industry and recommend/implement WMC media campaigns
• Provide rapid response media support to organizations and individuals trying to raise the visibility of issues of importance to women and lead the WMC’s rapid response efforts
• Field media requests-sometimes on very tight and/or off-hour deadlines-maintaining contact databases, organizing resources, assisting reporters with stories of importance for women and assisting WMC-identified spokespeople with booking & preparation for interviews
• Plan, write, edit and send materials including press releases, alerts, e-mails and letters to media professionals
• Monitor assigned media outlets on a daily basis and track issues pertaining to the WMC.
Qualifications
• *Required: Strong written and oral communication skills (writing samples will be requested)
• *Required: At least four years of work within media or communications in some capacity
• *Required: Demonstrated success in media relations (examples of media placements – written or broadcast – will be requested)
• *Required: Demonstrated knowledge of women’s issues.
• Media rolodex a must
• Demonstrated project management skills and ability to work under pressure
• Excellent relationship-building skills and extremely positive attitude required
• Must demonstrate strong organizational skills, ability to manage multiple tasks to meet deadlines
• Web knowledge and savvy a must
• Background in being interviewed by print, online and broadcast media a plus
• Demonstrated commitment to team work among staff and volunteers
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse races, ages, ethnicities and sexual identities
• Research skills a plus
• Bachelor’s degree a must
• Excellent knowledge of word processing, database programs, internet research
(Lexis Nexis and Bacons) and spreadsheet programs
Supervision:
The Media Director is supervised by the Vice President of Programs and Administration.
Compensation:
Salary is between $68-75,000 depending on experience. Benefits include, but are not limited to: Escalating vacation beginning with three weeks; Paid sick days and holidays; and Organization-paid health benefits for employees.
Contact:
Glennda Testone
glennda@womensmediacenter.com
No phone calls please.
Note: The Women’s Media Center cannot pay for relocation at this time.
Well now THIS is interesting, a mea culpa (of sorts) from the Public Editor at the NYTimes: Pantsuits and the Presidency.
(More from me in a little while…)
In an article in yesterday’s Newsday, Lisa Witter issues a rousing plea to the media to unfetter our potential first ladies’ intellect on the campaign trail. Excerpts:
The new focus on Obama’s hair and hemlines comes right on the heels of the gender-biased way the media covered Clinton’s campaign. If we let this go on, we risk losing an important opportunity to have a national dialogue about sexism. We should be holding the media accountable for perpetuating stereotypes. If a white woman is strong, she’s considered cold – as the coverage of Cindy McCain has shown. If a black woman is strong, she’s obviously angry – so go the accusations about Michelle Obama….
While America’s women and girls lost the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the top job this round, what we can’t do is lose the opportunity to change the way women – and first ladies – are portrayed. It’s a tough line, no doubt. For the most part, we want to feel and look beautiful. We love our families and feel proud about our personal and professional accomplishments. But if we let the conversation about the first ladies focus mostly on the role and status of the conventional “Mrs.,” we’ve lost a huge opportunity to reframe gender and marriage dynamics in our country. We all need to take it upon ourselves to strike up a conversation about how we can end sexism in America. Contact the press when they get it right – and not so right. And I’m going to write Michelle Obama to let her know that when she portrays herself as strong, I feel strong, too.
Well said, Lisa. For more from Lisa, do check out the just-released book she coauthored, titled The She Spot: Why Women Are the Secret to Changing the World and How to Reach Them. Lisa is chief operating officer of Fenton Communications, and an inspiration to many. I definitely recommend her book!
