My intergenerational feminist panel went out together to see Caryl Churchill’s play, Top Girls, the other night. Courtney wrote it up over at feministing yesterday, and hence I point you over there. C writes that it got her thinking about women’s lives, childbirth, sacrifice, our feminist legacy–and it got me thinking too. This pic is from the first scene, which is a nutty dinner party with women from different points in history. And speaking of dinner parties, I’m going to see Judy Chicago’s version at the Brooklyn Museum in a few weeks. In lieu of a “bachelorette” party, my friend Rebecca arranged a private tour. I’d love to hear what other brides-to-be out there have done to revamp the ole “bachelorette.” Share?!

Well, speakin’ of reproduction! This just in via Elaine Tyler May, who currently teaches at the University of Minnesota and was twelve years old in 1960 when the Pill was approved by the FDA. Although not yet old enough back then for the event to have had any personal significance for her, she was already interested in the subject because her father was one of the clinical researchers who helped develop the Pill, and her mother was a founder of free birth control clinics in Los Angeles. She’s now doing research for a book and asks that this query be passed around widely. Please pass it on!

To learn more about Elaine and her oevre–which includes the groundbreaking book Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era—click here.

Dear Friends (and friends of friends…),

The Pill is often considered one of the most important innovations of the twentieth century. As I investigate this claim for a new book—set for release on the 50th anniversary of the Pill’s FDA approval (Basic Books, 2010)—I’m looking to include the voices and stories of real people. I hope yours will be one of them. I’m eager to hear from men as well as women, of all ages and backgrounds.

Have you or any of your partners taken the Pill? Why or why not? How did it work for you—physically, emotionally, and ethically? How has it compared with other contraceptive methods you or your partners have used?
· What has been the impact of the Pill on your sex life, relationships, political or social attitudes, and beliefs about the medical or pharmaceutical establishments?
· Do you have opinions about public policies related to access, availability, approval or limitations on the development and distribution of the Pill and related contraceptive products (the patch, the “morning after pill,” long-term injections, etc.).
· Anything else you think I should know?

Send me your most richly detailed answers to any and all of these questions (and don’t forget to include your age, gender, where you live, occupation, ethnic/religious/racial background, sexual orientation, marital status, political party affiliation, or any other biographical info you think is important). If you would like to participate in my study but would prefer to respond to a questionnaire, please let me know and I will happily send you one.

I’m interested in hearing from men and women who have used the Pill and those who have not, those who used it briefly or a long time ago, or who use it now. I am also eager to hear from people who work in fields that relate to the use and availability of the Pill (such as medicine, public health, social work, education, etc.). You will remain anonymous. I will use your contact information only to respond to you directly and to let you know when the book will be available for purchase (at a discount to contributors!).

And just one more thing. I not only want to hear your voice, but the voices of those you love, teach, preach to, learn from, and work with.

Please pass this request on! The more responses I receive, and the greater the diversity of respondents, the more the book will reflect the wide range of experiences and attitudes that have shaped the Pill’s history over the last half century. I hope to hear from you. Please write to me at elainetylermay@gmail.com.

Thanks very much! Elaine Tyler May

Ok ok, confession contagious. While I PROMISE that this site will not become Girl with Pen: Bridging Feminism and Fertility, I’ve had an interesting week and without getting into the subtext (which you will no doubt figure out) I must throw this question out there to all you gals out there who I know have gone down the fertility road: Why do they refer to it as being treated for “infertility” when really it’s just expediting one’s fertility? I mean, doesn’t “in-” means “un”? Words hold psychological and ontological power here, people, and methinks the medical establishment might consider redefining its terms. But then, I would think that, being an English major and all. Rant over. Back to being UNconfessional now.

…But I’m curious. What do others think? Rhetorical question perhaps, but is this why folks turn to midwives? Do they use different language over there?

I’ve been more interested in the response to Gawker blogger Emily Gould’s highly confessional 8,000-word cover story in this weekend’s NYTimes than in her article itself, which bugged me mostly because I found it not very well written. I was obsessed with the autobiographical as a field of study when in graduate school. I wonder what the scholars are saying ’bout this one.

In the popular realm:

Check out this clever response to the blogger takeover of prime old media real estate by my gal Alissa Quart over at CJR. “Take back the word count,” cries Q.

And this one, by Salon’s Rebecca Traister, which urges, “So rather than being troubled by the fact that Gould — or Bushnell, or Bradshaw, or whoever — has the spotlight, why not question why so few other versions of femininity are allowed to share it?”

What she said.

So a bit of confession this morning: I’d been having a bear of a time with my latest book proposal last week. I spent part of the week avoiding it and doing other things. Then I went to the beach for the weekend with my computer (and with Marco) and tried again. And then my writers’ group met last night and reaffirmed my faith.

So here’s a little shout out to my writers’ group, which is named Matilda, after the cat at the Algonquin Hotel, which is where we had our first meeting. And a shout out, too, to the Invisible Institute, my other writers group, which has been meeting now for 4 years. Yes, I am in two of these groups. Because writing groups keep me going, and this girl just can’t get enough.

And while I’m at it, a shout out to all the writers groups and communities out there that keep us writers going. Writing is SO much better when not tried alone.

Young Women’s Ethical Leadership Retreat (NY)
June 6-8, 2008
June Dinner Seminar (NYC)
June 18, 2008
Young Women’s Ethical Leadership Retreat (CA)
June 13-15, 2008
June Dinner Seminar
June 18, 2008
Raise Your Voices: An Intensive Non-Fiction Writing Retreat for Women (NY)
July 11-13, 2008 – Hey – I’m teaching at this one! Join me there?!
Young Women’s Ethical Leadership Retreat (NY)
August 8-10, 2008

It’s always interesting to me how classic feminist “issues” transmit from one generation to the next. A new study by University of California Santa Cruz professor Campbell Leaper and others finds that 90 percent of girls between ages 12 and 18 report experiencing sexual harassment. The most commonly report forms of harassment are unwanted romantic attention, demeaning gender-related comments, teasing based on appearance, and unwanted physical contact. The difference, according to researchers, is that there’s more awareness of the impropriety of such behaviors. The study acknowledges that girls who have a better understanding of feminism from media, parents or teachers are more likely to recognize sexual harassment. But as reported in Bizwomen, “What the study didn’t say is what they did about it.”

On the heels of yesterday’s post about progressives using video and YouTube to publicize causes comes a new video from the Girls Gotta Run Foundation—an org that supports girls in Ethiopia by supporting their atheletism. Research finds that girls who train to run over there are more likely to stay in school. Girls who stay in school are better able to improve their own lives and the lives of their families. The athletic shoes necessary for professional training and competition are expensive and out of reach for most of them. So a group of artists and others who care organized to raise money to buy shoes for the girls. You can check out the video here.

I’m a little slow getting back here today, but just wanted to post a heads up on an anthology I just learned about and will be talking about soon. It’s called Feminist Coalitions: Historical Perspectives on Second-Wave Feminism in the United States, edited by Stephanie Gilmore, Asst. Prof of Women’s Studies at Dickinson College. Sara Evans wrote the forward. The book comes out June 2. More soon!

I recently learned about GoLeft.org, a web-based project designed to assist small, local, progressive groups around the country by attracting volunteers and other resources to their work. What piqued my interest was their approach–they videos as their primary means of linking progressive non-profit organizations to similar and likeminded people across the country, and they’re also into the politics of pop culture. And ok ok, I admit, they got my attention because they just released a guide to help steer conversations after viewing “Sex and the City” later this month.

The discussion guide is available for download at GoLeft.org, where visitors also find blog posts tackling the day’s progressive issues and how they relate to current goings-on in the world of pop culture. I like the flavor of their news page and wonder if it’s possible to get it yet as a feed. Hmm.