writing life

Well, I’m back in NYC after a month of traveling for Women’s History Month talks and both my cat and my fiance seem to still recognize me, so all is well. Phew! April is all about book proposal writing for me, so I will definitely be trying to practice what I preached at the session I moderated at WAM! this weekend, on Writing Book Proposals. Can’t wait to read the books those in that audience are going to write one day, as I heard a ton of great ideas. Folks have been asking where I’m teaching next, so I thought I’d post the Spring workshop roster again here:

April 7 – Breaking into Anthology Writing (with me and Daphne Uviller)
MediaBistro @ NYC

April 13, 17 – Finding Your Subject, Finding Your Voice: A Seminar in Personal Nonfiction (with both me and Alissa Quart)
Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership @ NYC

April 26 – What You Should Know about Blogging and Why
Council on Contemporary Families Conference @ University of IL, Chicago

May 10 – Writing Nonfiction Book Proposals
Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership @Ancramdale (Retreat center)

June 7 – Strategic Blogging for Organizations, Women’s Centers, and Feminist Experts
National Council for Research on Women Annual Conference @New York University

I’m headed off to the Women Action Media Conference in Cambridge today, sponsored by the Center for New Words and the MIT Program in Women’s Studies. On Saturday afternoon (2-3pm), I’m heading up a panel–“Writing a Book Proposal that Sells”–with my partner-in-crime Courtney and two amazing editors: Amy Caldwell, Executive Editor at Beacon Press, and Laura Mazer, an editor, journalist, and book consultant who has worked with publishers including Seal Press, Counterpoint Books, Soft Skull Press, Avalon Publishing Group, and Random House. Here’s the description:

Activists, advocates, and savvy writers everywhere have the opportunity to frame public debate about the complex forces shaping the lives of women and girls. Writing a “trade” book is one way to enter public debate and reach an audience far outside social justice movement worlds alone. This session brings together published book authors with editors at houses that publish feminist work. Panelists will discuss ways to shape a media career, the importance of finding your right subject, components of a successful book proposal, why marketing is everything, and the role of agents. Participants will learn why it’s essential to think about audience and “platform” and explore ways to use new media to garner visibility for their work well before your book hits the shelves.

If there, come join us!

Here’s a shot of yesterday’s intergenerational panel at SUNY-New Paltz–Amy Kesselman, Elizabeth Gross, me, and Heather Hewett, who graciously organized us all.

It was humbling to share the stage with Amy, a second-wave radical feminist/now historian, who shared a number of zingers herself, including: “Coming out of the 1950s, everything looks like progress.” Amy is currently working on the history of women’s liberation movement in New Haven and I can’t wait to read what she has found. Elizabeth–a very savvy sophomore who turned 20 yesterday and who heads up the only feminist group on campus, the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance–spoke beautifully from her heart. (Welcome to the 20s, Elizabeth! The 30s get even better!) We talked a lot about forms of social activism, current attitudes toward political engagement, what issues we’d fight for, and what “the personal is political” still means to women of different ages. And we talked about the role feminism plays in our life. Amy has written how “Feminism saved my life.” I talked about how “feminism launched my life.” And in Elizabeth’s words, “Feminism is me.” I’ve asked Elizabeth to do a guest post here on GWP, and she has agreed. Coming soon!

That pic to the right is the WomenGirlsLadies gang of 4 signing books at Eastern Michigan University last week. Our blog, offering “a FRESH conversation about feminism across generations” is now in full swing, over at: www.womengirlsladies.blogspot.com. Please do visit us over there and join the convo if so inclined!

Reproductive Justice: “the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic well-being of women and girls, based on the full achievement and protection of women’s human rights” (source: Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice)

SisterSong is putting together a special anthology on Reproductive Justice and is currently accepting submissions for consideration. Submit poetry, art, and manuscripts that have not been previously published, especially work by young writers, to

Guidelines for submission are available at www.sistersong.net. Submissions should include: 1) a completed cover page with identifying information (please remove all headers, footers, notes, and bibliographic entries from manuscript that might identify the authors); 2) three (3) copies of the manuscript formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition) and printed on standard U.S. paper (8 1/2 x 11); and 3) three (3) copies of an abstract.
DEADLINE for submissions is no later than June 1st, 2008.

Sistersong adds: “We understand that submitting a manuscript can be a daunting and often intimidating process. We would like to extend our help in putting together your contribution for this anthology. If you have an idea, a sketch of ideas, or a rough draft for consideration please feel free to contact any one of us so that we can help you through the process. For questions about your submission, please contact one of the co-editors below.” Send submissions to one of the following addresses:

Lynn Roberts, PhD, Co-Editor Or Loretta Ross, Co-Editor
Urban Public Health Program SisterSong Women of Color
Hunter College of the Reproductive Health Collective
City University of New York 1237 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., SW
425 East 25th Street, Box 766 Atlanta, GA 30310
New York, NY 10010 (404) 756-2680
(212) 481-5110 (404) 756-2684 fax
(212) 481-5260 fax Loretta@sistersong.net
lroberts@hunter.cuny.edu

Gorgeous shot of Gloria asking Courtney a tough question about women’s voting power on our panel this week! Lindsay Knake of the Central Michigan Life newspaper wrote a great article about the event (though please note that I said “economic opportunities”; not sure what “racial opportunities,” as the reporter writes, actually means!) The piece begins:

Writer Deborah Siegel and the other panelists of “WomenGirlsLadies” are looking to change the way people view feminism.

And as Courtney notes over at our group blog (WomenGirlsLadies), “Knake’s article was a great improvement over the pre-event coverage which lead with the cringe-worthy: ‘Students can take part in a university-sponsored ‘girl talk’ tonight.’ Pass the nail polish and don’t you dare freeze my underwear girlies!”

But seriously, a thousand thanks to everyone at CMU, especially Jill Taft-Kaufman who made it all happen. It was an absolute pleasure! We’ll soon have a podcast version of the panel, and I promise to post it when we do.

And I feel like a kid in a candy store. Having never gone to journalism school, this conference I’m at is like a speed education. Will report more Monday, when I head to Michigan for WomenGirlsLadies speaking engagements.

Speaking of, if in Michigan next week, do come say hi:

Central Michigan University, Monday, March 17, 7:30 pm, Mount Pleasant, MI 989-774-4000

Eastern Michigan University, Tuesday, March 18, 7:00 pm, Ypsilanti, MI 734-487-1849

Wishing everyone a happy Friday, and a wonderful weekend!

Yep, I’m in the Show Me State today, back in my native Midwest. I’m giving a talk tonight (“Who Framed Feminism? Popularizing Rhetorics Across Generations”) at 7pm at Pierson Auditorium at the UMKC University Center. If anywhere nearby and in the mood for feminism tonight, come out and say hi! I’m also doing a “Making It Pop: Translating Your Research for Trade” workshop from 2-4pm in the Alumni Room over there.

Loved meeting one of my hosts last night, Kathy Krause, along with faculty members Jane Greer in English and Jenny in Psychology. And Kansas City is my new favorite town. Who knew?! Well, the folks who live here certainly do.

Meanwhile, I’ve been reading up on what’s going on in the state, feministically speaking, and found this little gem, via my beloved feministing of course: “The Missouri legislature wants to reclassify mifepristone — the drug used in medical abortions — as a Schedule I controlled substance, a classification for drugs with ‘a high potential for abuse and no medicinal value.'” Oh dear. Read more over at Ms.

This week Miss Courtney Martin and I penned a joint rebuttal, of sorts, to dear Charlotte Allen’s oped and to other divisive pieces by women about divides among us around this election of late. And it’s going to appear in Sunday’s WaPo, in the Outlook section. Please visit, leave comments, and let us know what you think!

My first national oped was placed with the help of Kathy Vermazen at the Women’s Media Center, and my dear friend Heather Hewett, who shared a contact with me. Thank you, ladies! Needless to say, Courtney and I are damn ridiculously thrilled.

It’s always an immense pleasure to be invited by an organization to speak about Sisterhood, Interrupted, but when it’s the Alice Paul Institute–located at Paulsdale, birthplace and farm home of 1st wave icon Alice Paul–the pleasure is double. (Thank you Kris, Dana, Rhonda, and Becky!)

The crowd was intergenerational to the nth degree, spanning at least six decades–14 to 74, I’d say. My host Kris Myers and I brushed up together on ERA history during the car ride to Paulsdale, as Alice was its original author back in 1923. The talk was held in the Double Parlor of the historic home, in front of the fireplace. Being there put the whole conversation in a context that went back to early 20th century. Kris talked about generational differences between Alice Paul’s generation and Carrie Chapman Catt’s. I talked about the recent ones. We talked A LOT about the election.

The audience included founders of the Institute, South Jersey NOW members, mothers and daughters–and the group discussion afterward just rocked my world. I think I managed to get the whole exchange on video (hope my fussing with my MacBook wasn’t too distracting, to those of you who were there?!). I’m really interested in recording these intergen. convos this month whenever I can. I want them to have “legs,” as we say, beyond my little talks. Stay tuned.

And hey, speaking of, if you know of any interesting additional footage of women across gens talking about feminism out there, I’d love to hear!

Hey you femalesportsfans, check it out!

(Welcome new blogger, and thanks to Daph for the heads up)