Portland is a mecca of greatness. The city claims the Bitch offices, more coffee shops than you can shake a stick at, bicyclists galore and tons of musicians. Some better-known Portland acts include M. Ward, The Shins, Spoon and The Decemberists. But woe unto you if you think the Portland music scene ends there. There’s much more to be heard!
Artist Jessie Rose Vala,
based in Portland, Oregon, has a way of mixing utterly beautiful
graphite detail with dark, often mythological narratives. I first saw
her work at Motel Gallery for the exhibition: The Tortuous Veil.
In it, Vala explores the archetypes of the vampire, werewolf, zombie
and shape-shifter, using them as metaphors for our own over
consumption, complacency, mob mentality and environmental degradation.
Other works of Vala include explorations of inner struggle despite the
security and comfort we create for ourselves in something as mundane as
our living room (Future Remnants of Dreamvilles), as well as scenes that mix modern female figures with ancient myths and tropes. (more after the jump)
Friday nights are going to be odd without Battlestar Galactica. Yes. You read right. I'm a huge fan of the show (in case you couldn't tell by the first sentence of this post). One of the most consistently well-written and acted shows I've ever seen, Battlestar signed off last week in an epic two-hour finale. While I have mixed feelings about the finale itself, I nevertheless will always remember the show's bold tackling of important and current issues that most television shirks, as well as the obvious respect and reverence the writers and actors had for the characters.
Kowtowing to all those involved in Battlestar Galactica is definitely due in large part to the way the women of Battlestar Galactica were represented: as three-dimensional characters. As humans. What a wonderful, beautiful concept.
Larry Summers and I go way back. He first caught my attention back in 2005 while we were both living in Boston and he, while serving as the President of Harvard University (hold your applause), said in public that the reason why we don't see as many women as men in the fields of math and science is perhaps because they lack an innate talent in those fields. Oh boy. Now he's back! This time as an economic adviser to President Barack Obama (hold your applause), and don't worry, folks: his ideas are just as rotten.
Wednesdays can be rough. They're just a bit too far from the previous weekend to complain that you're bummed it's over and not quite close enough to the next weekend to revel in its proximity. In order to help you get through your Wednesday, I've thoughtfully selected a fantastic video by the amazing Athens Boys Choir. Check it out:
The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is a nonprofit that consists of over 900 book reviewers who are actively writing. Each year a 24-member Board grants an award to the best book in six categories—autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—and honors two accomplished reviewers from within its membership.Announced on March 12, 2009 at a ceremony held at the New School in New York, and covering books published in 2008, this year none of the NBCC Awards Winners are women.
As most of you are aware, a few of us from Bitch Headquarters traded rainy Portland for sunny Austin, Texas, last week where we spent six days burning our Pacific Northwest skin to a crisp and listening to some bands at SXSW. The highlight of the week for me, without a doubt, was GAYbiGAYGAY, a fabulous backyard party filled with queer bands and artists (and the queers who love them.)
Well, we're back from Austin and from fulfilling our arduous duties as Bitch correspondents at sxsw. As many of you know (due to our complaining), we were without internet access during our trip. That means that throughout this week we'll be posting photos and reviews of all of the shows we saw and the people we were lucky enough to meet. Read on for a brief highlight reel! Here is a photo of some Bitch fans with some cutie pie matching leg tattoos to get you started:
Goldberg's investigation into the intersection of the war on
reproductive freedom and the global war for power spans four
continents. From the HIV/AIDS epidemic to female circumcision to
overpopulation to infant mortality to abortion rights, Goldberg
analyzes how the means of reproduction influences the health of whole
societies--even as women's rights have been sidelined by governments
and social movements, and even as reproductive rights are weirdly
isolated as "women’s issues" only. Goldberg emphasizes how the struggle
to control women's bodies is the next great human rights struggle of
our globalized world.
Goldberg found time in her travels through Buenos Aires to answer questions for Bitch about this struggle and about her book
Michelle Goldberg’s groundbreaking book comes in like a lion this April. 
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