A few months ago, I had the chance to attend a presentation at the Roots of Change conference called "Hip Hop and its Exploitation of Communities of Color" by Tracy Wright from the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Althea Hart from the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault. The way Tracy and Althea used hip hop to address sexual and domestic violence issues was engaging, entertaining, and left me wanting to hear more from this dynamic duo. Lucky for me (and you!) they agreed to record a Bitch Radio podcast about their work. Listen in as they discuss Jay-Z's "Glory," the history of female emcees, and strategies for using hip hop and pop culture in conversations about sexual and domestic violence.
"Pathologized, terrorized, and confined, trans/gender-non-conforming and queer folks have always struggled against the enormity of the prison industrial complex." The anthology Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex, which came out this summer from AK Press, addresses trans and queer identity and prison industrial complex. From the disproportionate incarceration of trans people, to the politics of immigration, to imagining a world where we don't rely on prisons and the state for safety using a queer/trans analysis, this anthology is a must-read for anyone who cares about gender rights and justice. Its contributors include people formerly and currently incarcerated, activists, and academics approaching the topic with a diverse range of perspectives on different aspects of the PIC inside and out.
Eric Stanley, co-editor of the book, Ralowe T. Ampu, a contributor, and Toshio Meronek are currently doing a book tour for Captive Genders, and I got to sit down with them while they were in Portland to further discuss the PIC, why gender and gay rights activists should care about prison abolition, and how pop culture and media re-inforce harmful narratives about quote-unquote criminals.
Stream below, more after the jump!
For this week's podcast, Kelsey, Jyoti, Ashley and I talk about the movie Pariah, the feature-length film by Dee Rees that's already garnered lots of critical praise. The movie follows Alike (pronounced Ah-lee-kay, and played by Adepero Oduye), a young black lesbian living in Brooklyn, who deals with the trappings that come with being a teenager: crushes, annoying parents, drama with friends, and trying to fit in. You can watch the official trailer here (which we excerpt in the podcast), and watch the interview with the director we mention here.
Portlandia season two premieres next week on IFC. To tide you over until then, today's episode of Bitch Radio features Carrie Brownstein, Fred Armisen, show creator Jonathan Krisel, and show producer Andrew Singer answering pressing Portlandia questions. Wondering which scenes were the hardest to shoot, or what to expect from season two? Tune in and find out! (Be warned: This Q&A happened at a press luncheon, which means lots of fork clanging in the background.)
If my two gift guides (Music Lover's Edition, Part I, Music Lover's Edition Part II) and Bitchtapes aren't enough for you, here's some more music selections from 2011, including a teen rockband from Norway, a 17-piece disco orchestra, and Jean Grae's take on a Kanye West song. (Warning: In my attempt to avoid using the word "awesome" to describe everything, I ended up using the word "amazing" approximately a billion times instead.) A full playlist after the jump.
Tune in to this episode of Bitch Radio to hear an audio version of "We're Here, We're Beer, Get Used to It: Brewing up a tasty new paradigm for female beer enthusiasts" from the Underground issue of Bitch.
For this week's episode of Bitch Radio, we're featuring a segment from fellow feminist podcast, The F-Word. In October, Katherine Don, Bringing Up Baby guest-blogger, spoke with Laura Wood about the politics of choice and childbearing, as well as representations of birth and maternal health. If you'd like to check out the full, 50-minute F-Word podcast, you can check it out here!
Given all the conflicting messages young women get about their sexuality from all sides—media, church, family, friends, and more—how do we figure out what we want to say "yes" to in the first place?
As a young feminist growing up on the mean streets of Portland, Kelsey dreamed that one day a kickass, independent, feminist media organization would move its headquarters to her beloved home city. Well kids, Gabrielle was right: "Dreams can come true"! Bitch moved to Portland, and one MA in Media Studies from the University of Oregon later, Kelsey moved in as web editor. She hasn't looked back since.
When not editing the interwebs at the Bitch office, Kelsey can be found lecturing reluctant students, listening to podcasts, and hanging out with her French Bulldog, Edith. She also enjoys making things out of fabric and watching pretty much anything on television (preferably at the same time, and preferably with Edith). If you're looking for a new pal who loves both LOLcats and Linda Ronstadt records, she's your gal.
What I'm watching:
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
What I'm reading:
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
What I'm listening to:
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
What I'm listening to:
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
What I'm watching:
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
I work to improve B-Word's web presence by beefing up our blog, working on our podcasts, managing Bitch's social networking sites (be my friend?), and spreading the good b-word all 'round the Net.
Always into what you have to say! Email me at online{at}b-word.org with suggestions or kind words.
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For this week's podcast, Kelsey, Jyoti, Ashley and I talk about the movie Pariah, the feature-length film by Dee Rees that's already garnered lots of critical praise. The movie follows Alike (pronounced Ah-lee-kay, and played by Adepero Oduye), a young black lesbian living in Brooklyn, who deals with the trappings that come with being a teenager: crushes, annoying parents, drama with friends, and trying to fit in. You can 
Tune in to this episode of Bitch Radio to hear an audio version of "We're Here, We're Beer, Get Used to It: Brewing up a tasty new paradigm for female beer enthusiasts" from the 
