interview

Recently, I had the chance to talk with the three amazing women of Grass Widow about their spacey new album ("Spock on Muni" isn't a Star Trek IV reference), Girls Rock Camp (they love it), and getting back on the bike (you have to do it). Check out their excellent record Internal Logic, due on May 29th on their very own HLR Records.

Today, the conversation with Arigon Starr, the cartoonist behind Super Indian, continues! We discuss the history and future of Super Indian, her experience of being a woman of color in an industry dominated by white men, and a special sneak preview of her graphic novel investigating the origins of Super Indian. Check it out after the jump!

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?

So begins Jaclyn Friedman's fabulous new workbook. What You Really Really Want: The Smart Girl's Shame-Free Guide to Sex and Safety sets out to help readers move toward sex lives that are as personally fulfilling as possible. I sat down with Jaclyn at the 2011 Roots of Change Conference to talk about  her hopes for the book, sexual autonomy, pop culture, surviving haterdom, and whether that title is what you think it is. Care to listen in?

Dr. Rachel Griffin is a professor at Southern Illinois University and has been involved with gender violence advocacy for almost a decade. Her partner, Joshua Phillips, is currently a PhD student and also an advocate for gender violence with a focus on getting men involved with fighting against gender violence, and the author of 1,800 Miles. Rachel and Josh are keynoting (along with Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti!) at the upcoming Roots of Change conference, dealing with social justice, gendered violence, and the media. Rachel and Josh both use pop culture as a way of examining how messages of gender violence are reinforced or challenged (they do a session on Rihanna and Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie"), and how it can be used as a tool for deconstructing norms. Wrap up the end of Domestic Violence Awareness Month by taking a listen to these two advocates discuss how they use pop culture to talk about gender violence, their methods for reaching out to others and inspiring awareness, and their thouughts on Lil Wayne's "How to Love."

If you care about oppression and social justice and you aren't reading Riot Nrrd yet, you are in for a delicious feminist treat. The relatively new webcomic by RJ Edwards chronicles the nerdy adventures of Wren, Maria, and Sam. The tone of the comic is light and humorous, and the strong character-driven plots make for an addictive archive experience, much like Jeph Jacques' Questionable Content or last week's interviewee Danielle Corsetto's Girls With Slingshots. But the humor is tempered by a constant awareness of the kyriarchal forces that seek to oppress the cast of characters through racism, sexism, sizism, ableism, and cissexism.

This is the second time I've had the pleasure of interviewing the delightful RJ—you can check out my two-part 2010 interview with them here and here. After the jump, you can read their thoughts on the present and future of Riot Nrrd.

Lia Friedman is what some might call a super-librarian. She's the head of public services at the UCSD Arts Library, the staff librarian for make/shift magazine, and an active member of Radical Reference (an organization whose Portland chapter helped set up the Bitch Community Lending Library). Bitch recently caught up with Friedman, who told us a bit about where librarianship and social justice intersect.

Blogging as Ink-Stained Amazon on the Bitch blogs, Jennifer Stuller took on Barbarella, Lois Lane, and Tura Satana with her blog Grrl on Film. With her new book, Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology, released a few days ago, you can find even more on kick-ass women in popular culture. Read on for my interview with Jennifer about her new book, the cyclical nature of representation in pop culture, the women behind the superwomen, and future plans.

Audrey Bilger's article "Wife Support" appeared in the Art/See issue of Bitch and discussed how the word "wife" was evolving with the gay marriage movement. The article caught the eye of Seatte talk show the Menage, who intereviewed Audrey in December 2009. Here's the full rambunctious interview with hosts Julie Mains and Jennifer Austin. You can listen to the Menage online and read more on gay marriage by Audrey Bilger at the Huffington Post ("Why Straight People Should Be Following the Prop. 8 Federal Trial"). Transcript available for download

Balancing Act is a newly published work of fiction by architect and author Meera Godbole Krishnamurthy that demonstrates the challenge many stay-at-home-mothers – particularly ones with feminist sensibilities – face when reconciling their identities with the conflicting demands and desires of motherhood and working outside of the home. Although the topic being explored is not a new one, Meera uses her professional training to craft a work that offers a distinct vantage point through which to view this particular struggle. Building the self isn't so different than building a literal, physical structure, and everything constructed needs a solid foundation from which to grow.

Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: A Personal History is a memoir about one of the the more melancholy aspects of Danzy Senna’s childhood: her relationship with her father. Senna’s parents, an interracial couple, married in 1968 with dreams of being a part of an idyllic, multicultural family. This book is a complex blend of remembrance, internal exploration, and detective work, as Senna travels throughout the South to uncover pieces of her father’s story she never knew as a child and young adult.

Though Senna does ultimately finds something that resembles acceptance and understanding, Where Did You Sleep Last Night? does not have a tidy ending, which only lends the book its charm. I talked to Senna about the challenges of writing such a personal story, and what she gained in the process.