We’ve all come a long way from Kansas! Feminism in The Wizard of Oz

We’ve all watched the MGM film The Wizard of Oz from 1939. But did you know that the original novel, written fully 39 years earlier, contained ideas about femininity that were quite progressive at that time and still are today? The feminist tendencies of his novels do not come as such a big surprise if… Read More

Women’s Mags and How They Hurt Us

This gem of a book, “The Vagenda: A Zero Tolerance Guide to the Media” is the child of the similarly named website, and takes on the challenge of convincing the new or soon-to-be feminist why we need feminism, and reminding the converted they are not alone in the cause. It takes some serious chutzpah to tackle… Read More

N.K. Jemisin’s Hundred Thousand Kingdoms – OMG I love Sieh

I was inspired to read “the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” after hearing the title repeated over and over again at this year’s WisCon. The tipping point for me was N.K. Jemisin’s guest of honor speech (which you need to read). She is a powerful speaker and a powerful woman, and I knew I had to get my hands on… Read More

A ghost, a wife, a motel room: bring on the tears

Last week I clutched my iPad closely to my chest after reading the last words of “The Motel Room” by Alyssa Cooper. My eyes brimmed with tears, but I couldn’t let myself cry. It was a rainy day, and I was on the bus en route to one of my evening MBA classes. The atmosphere… Read More