the ch!cktionary

    2 Apr 2011

    Hey New Yorkers! Here are some cool events you should check out this week and next. (And help spread the word to folks you know!) I’ll be moderating at the Ain’t I A Woman Panel on the 11th if you wanna say hi :) 4th Annual Roe on the Rocks Benefit Concert for Planned Parenthood of New York CityFeaturing Sara Benincasa, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Ana Egge, The Bloodsugars, & Pearl and the Beard Monday, April 4, 2011Doors open at 7PM Bowery Ballroom at 6 Delancey Street, between Bowery and Chrystie $25 General Admission | $75 VIP | Tickets available online At a time when our right to basic health care is under attack, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Ana Egge, The Bloodsugars, and Pearl and the Beard will play the fourth annual Roe on the Rocks benefit concert at Bowery Ballroom. Comic Sara Benincasa, of Wonkette, Comedy Central and CNN, will be the evening’s emcee. All proceeds from the event will go to Planned Parenthood of New York City. The Roe on the Rocks concert is held every year to recognize the anniversary of Roe v Wade, the historic Supreme Court Case which 38 years ago confirmed women’s right to privacy and thus access to abortion services. The show couldn’t come at a more important time - following three months of the worst attack on not just reproductive rights but the right to basic health care, that our country has ever seen. Past acts have included Regina Spektor, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and others. Ain’t I A Woman: Women of Color Speak On ActivismFeaturing Latoya Peterson, Elizabeth Mendez Berry, Lori Adelman, Aimee Thorne-Thomsen, Jessie Daniels, PhD, & Anna Holmes with music by DJ Lobotomy Copter Monday, April 11, 2011Mixer 6PM | Panel 7-9PM | Party 9-12AM (RSVP on Facebook)Galapagos Art Space at 16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY$10 Suggested Donation | Event Hashtag: #AIAWLong after Sojourner Truth pondered the question - “Aint I A Woman?” we continue to face a white supremacist culture that undermines women of color, young women, undocumented immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. We’re convening this panel to ignite a discourse about the experiences of women of color in the femini…st movement and beyond. On this night, six outstanding feminists and activists will go head-to-head to discuss race in the feminist movement today.We know that the movements to eradicate racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia and sexism are inextricably connected. We reject the silencing and subjugation of women of color and aim to create a safe and courageous space to raise our voices, confront tensions, celebrate our triumphs, create collective solutions and share our stories. Through this sharing, we can create a united front so that, instead of surviving through silence, there can be a dialogue on how to battle institutionalized oppression.Speaking our truth is crucial to our survival. By gathering together and learning from our shared and individual tales of love and struggle, we will each emerge with new perspectives that will enable us to engender the change we envision for the world. In the words of bell hooks, “There can be no feminist revolution without an end to racism, classism, ageism…” Book Launch Party for Hey, Shorty!: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the StreetsFeaturing Joanne N. Smith, Meghan Huppuch & Mandy Van Deven from Girls for Gender Equity. Wednesday, April 13, 20117-9PM | Free AdmissionBluestockings Inc. at 172 Allen StreetAt every stage of education, sexual harassment is common, and often considered a rite of passage for young people. It’s not unusual for a girl to hear “Hey, Shorty!” on a daily basis, as she walks down the hall or comes into the school yard, followed by …a sexual innuendo, insult, come-on, or assault. But when teenagers are asked whether they experience this in their own lives, most of them say it’s not happening.Girls for Gender Equity, a nonprofit organization based in New York City, has developed a model for teens to teach one another about sexual harassment. How do you define it? How does it affect your self-esteem? What do you do in response? Why is it so normalized in schools, and how can we as a society begin to address these causes? Geared toward students, parents, teachers, policy makers, and activists, this book is an excellent model for building awareness and creating change in any community.

    Hey New Yorkers! Here are some cool events you should check out this week and next. (And help spread the word to folks you know!) I’ll be moderating at the Ain’t I A Woman Panel on the 11th if you wanna say hi :)

    4th Annual Roe on the Rocks Benefit Concert for Planned Parenthood of New York City
    Featuring Sara Benincasa, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Ana Egge, The Bloodsugars, & Pearl and the Beard

    Monday, April 4, 2011
    Doors open at 7PM
    Bowery Ballroom at 6 Delancey Street, between Bowery and Chrystie
    $25 General Admission | $75 VIP | Tickets available online

    At a time when our right to basic health care is under attack, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Ana Egge, The Bloodsugars, and Pearl and the Beard will play the fourth annual Roe on the Rocks benefit concert at Bowery Ballroom. Comic Sara Benincasa, of Wonkette, Comedy Central and CNN, will be the evening’s emcee. All proceeds from the event will go to Planned Parenthood of New York City.

    The Roe on the Rocks concert is held every year to recognize the anniversary of Roe v Wade, the historic Supreme Court Case which 38 years ago confirmed women’s right to privacy and thus access to abortion services. The show couldn’t come at a more important time - following three months of the worst attack on not just reproductive rights but the right to basic health care, that our country has ever seen. Past acts have included Regina Spektor, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and others.

    Ain’t I A Woman: Women of Color Speak On Activism
    Featuring Latoya Peterson, Elizabeth Mendez Berry, Lori Adelman, Aimee Thorne-Thomsen, Jessie Daniels, PhD, & Anna Holmes with music by DJ Lobotomy Copter

    Monday, April 11, 2011
    Mixer 6PM | Panel 7-9PM | Party 9-12AM (RSVP on Facebook)
    Galapagos Art Space at 16 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY
    $10 Suggested Donation | Event Hashtag: #AIAW

    Long after Sojourner Truth pondered the question - “Aint I A Woman?” we continue to face a white supremacist culture that undermines women of color, young women, undocumented immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. We’re convening this panel to ignite a discourse about the experiences of women of color in the femini…st movement and beyond. On this night, six outstanding feminists and activists will go head-to-head to discuss race in the feminist movement today.

    We know that the movements to eradicate racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia and sexism are inextricably connected. We reject the silencing and subjugation of women of color and aim to create a safe and courageous space to raise our voices, confront tensions, celebrate our triumphs, create collective solutions and share our stories. Through this sharing, we can create a united front so that, instead of surviving through silence, there can be a dialogue on how to battle institutionalized oppression.

    Speaking our truth is crucial to our survival. By gathering together and learning from our shared and individual tales of love and struggle, we will each emerge with new perspectives that will enable us to engender the change we envision for the world. In the words of bell hooks, “There can be no feminist revolution without an end to racism, classism, ageism…”

    Book Launch Party for Hey, Shorty!: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets
    Featuring Joanne N. Smith, Meghan Huppuch & Mandy Van Deven from Girls for Gender Equity.

    Wednesday, April 13, 2011
    7-9PM | Free Admission
    Bluestockings Inc.     at 172 Allen Street

    At every stage of education, sexual harassment is common, and often considered a rite of passage for young people. It’s not unusual for a girl to hear “Hey, Shorty!” on a daily basis, as she walks down the hall or comes into the school yard, followed by …a sexual innuendo, insult, come-on, or assault. But when teenagers are asked whether they experience this in their own lives, most of them say it’s not happening.

    Girls for Gender Equity, a nonprofit organization based in New York City, has developed a model for teens to teach one another about sexual harassment. How do you define it? How does it affect your self-esteem? What do you do in response? Why is it so normalized in schools, and how can we as a society begin to address these causes? Geared toward students, parents, teachers, policy makers, and activists, this book is an excellent model for building awareness and creating change in any community.

    24 Mar 2011

    Join Walk For Choice This Saturday!

    I won’t be able to make it because I’m in California, but I wanted to let everyone know that the second Walk For Choice is happening this Saturday at multiple cities in the U.S., including Boston.

    Walk for Choice 2011 was created directly in response to the events in Congress surrounding the anti-choice bills H.R. 3 and H.R. 358, eliminating Title X bill defunding Planned Parenthood, Head Start and other federal support for women, children and families.

    Women and allies around the world are coming together to peacefully protest measures limiting the right to safe, legal abortion and supporting our right to bodily autonomy and supportive health and family care.

    The second Walk for Choice will take place in multiple cities on March 26, 2011. The first Walk For Choice event took place on February 26, 2011 and attracted thousands of protesters across the country.

    On the eve of the last Planned Parenthood rally, I wrote:

    I’ve written before about why Planned Parenthood serves and is for everyone, but if it bears repeating, this is not just another issue in the abortion debate. Preventive care comprises 97 percent of Planned Parenthood’s funding. They offer cancer screenings, pap smears, vaccinations, and other basic medical services. Abortion is being politicized to defund health care for the people who need it most.

    People often ask me how I see feminism intersecting with other social justice issues. Well, this is a prime example. Please show up and march proudly! (Feel free to reblog this post and invite your friends to the Facebook event.)

    1 Dec 2010

    Video promo for WAM!’s feministy radical 80s prom, going on this Friday in New York City. I’ll be there, probably clad in a tutu and a sequin vest? (I have no idea what to wear. I was 3 when the 80s ended, okay?!)

    Also, I have no prom date, because the Roomie is staying in Boston this weekend, but I think there will be enough booze and familiar faces to counteract any awkwardness.

    Here’s the blurb:

    It’s the radical, hysterical, gender-bending prom you wish you’d had! All ’80s, all night, with an all-out costume contest with fabulous prizes from Babeland, cheesy retro prom photos, drinks and more!

    Fashion contest judges will be Jill Filipovic, Twanna Hines, Deanna Zandt, and Jamia Wilson.

    Be there by MIDNIGHT for the contest results/prizes and an hour of world-premiere 80s mashups created just for this event that will totally blow. your. mind.

    $12 at the door. All proceeds go to WAM! (Women, Action and Media), an independent nonprofit that connects and supports programs for media makers, activists, academics and funders working to advance women’s media participation, ownership and representation. (Full disclosure: I interned at WAM!’s Cambridge headquarters this past spring.)

    RSVP on Facebook and spread the word, kids! I know you know people.

    4 Nov 2010

    Anonymous asked: What are some of your favorite blogs to read?

    I was just discussing the topic of good online reads with Therese Shechter this afternoon. (Follow the Tumblr for her upcoming documentary, “How To Lose Your Virginity”.) Even though I write a blog, I don’t have a lot of time to peruse others’, but I do have some consistent favorites that I keep on my dashboard. If you’re into smart, incisive critiques on gender and sexuality, these are the bloggers you should be following:

    I also occasionally peruse Jezebel, Feministing, The Frisky, and all the bigger blogs and follow personal blogs to keep up with friends and colleagues (though of the above list, I only know the last two writers in real life). But most of my feministy news comes from mailing lists, policy reports, and, surprisingly, Twitter.

    Any blogs you guys want to add to the list or recommend to me?

    More burning questions? Ask Lena Chen.

    17 Oct 2010

    Filed Under: Awesome Feminist Things I'm Missing

    I’m NOT pleased about the massive number of events I’ve missed over the past week while I’ve been in Los Angeles. Boston has a lot of unpleasant attributes: unrelenting winters, an excessive number of tourists, the list goes on. BUT it’s also a total hotbed for radical thought and I love that there’s always a lecture or panel or screening to attend. My inbox overflows with this stuff and half the time, even when I AM in town, I can’t go anyway. I totally take it for granted that these opportunities are at my fingertips, even though I know that they’re not as readily available in less college-y towns.

    Anyway, my point is that someone should go to the following event tomorrow and report back, because it sounds fascinating and because it’s Fat Talk Free Week. And definitely, definitely send my way any similar events that you think I might be interested in. (I used to post a lot more of this stuff but haven’t been keeping up!)

    —

    The Gender, Politics and Society Study Group at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies is proud to announce a talk entitled:

    My Body, My Self. The Biopolitics of Beauty between Feminism and Commodification in Germany
    By Paula-Irene Villa, Department Head and Professor of Sociology/Gender Studies, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich

    Monday, October 18, 2010
    4:15 PM - 6:00 PM
    Location: Cabot Room, Busch Hall

    The Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies
    Harvard University
    27 Kirkland Street at Cabot Way
    Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
    (617) 495-4303

    21 Sep 2010

    A very sweet deal for Bostonians at one of my favorite nail salons in the city. MiniLuxe will give you the most meticulous (and sanitary!) manicure you’ve ever received, but it comes at a hefty price ($18 for the most basic service, though this coupon is valued at $26). Here’s a chance to experience the magic for free this Saturday ;) I wish I weren’t in Germany! MiniLuxe296 Newbury StreetBoston, MA 02116

    A very sweet deal for Bostonians at one of my favorite nail salons in the city. MiniLuxe will give you the most meticulous (and sanitary!) manicure you’ve ever received, but it comes at a hefty price ($18 for the most basic service, though this coupon is valued at $26). Here’s a chance to experience the magic for free this Saturday ;) I wish I weren’t in Germany!

    MiniLuxe
    296 Newbury Street
    Boston, MA 02116

    9 Sep 2010

    The Lucky Star Chinatown Bus Has Wifi!

    And it’s way better than Boltbus, because there aren’t outlets, it’s not as crowded on board, and the network is password-protected. Therefore, 25 other people aren’t slowing down my connection speed. It’s also $15 for a walk-up ticket to New York (literally just showed up to the counter at Boston’s South Station this morning), which is cheaper than Bolt and on par with the other Chinatown buses.

    But one thing you should note: the Lucky Star wifi password is LUCKYXXX*. The XXX is your bus number. Your bus driver probably won’t know this.

    For tickets and schedules, check out Lucky Star Bus.

    And that’s my public service announcement of the day.

    (Thanks to inflore for correcting me on the password for the wireless!)

    9 Jun 2010

    Congrats to my favorite cupcake connoisseur and erotica editor* Rachel Kramer Bussel who just released her bajillionth anthology to date: Fast Girls: Erotica for Women, named after the Sarge song, is here, hot, and pansexual! An original Kayla Perrin story, “Temptation,” the Tristan Taormino classic “Winter, Summer,” my “Whore Complex.” Buy it now! Order Fast Girls: Erotica for Women from: Amazon.com Kindle edition Bn.com Borders Powell’s IndieBound Cleis Press I met up with Rachel on Monday at Sugar Sweet Sunshine for some red velvety goodness before dinner. Her pick for best cupcakes in Williamsburg (where she lives and where I usually stay): Cupcakeland.  * I know, double alliteration is the cheapest literary ploy there is.

    Congrats to my favorite cupcake connoisseur and erotica editor* Rachel Kramer Bussel who just released her bajillionth anthology to date:

    Fast Girls: Erotica for Women, named after the Sarge song, is here, hot, and pansexual! An original Kayla Perrin story, “Temptation,” the Tristan Taormino classic “Winter, Summer,” my “Whore Complex.” Buy it now!

    Order Fast Girls: Erotica for Women from:

    Amazon.com

    Kindle edition

    Bn.com

    Borders

    Powell’s

    IndieBound

    Cleis Press

    I met up with Rachel on Monday at Sugar Sweet Sunshine for some red velvety goodness before dinner. Her pick for best cupcakes in Williamsburg (where she lives and where I usually stay): Cupcakeland. 

    * I know, double alliteration is the cheapest literary ploy there is.

    Reblogged: rkb

    16 Apr 2010

    vainforwords asked: Hi lena! I've been trying to find a pair of functional and cute headphones. A while back I read you bought the skullcandy ones. How do you like them? Is the construction durable? I'm a little unsure since I've read some mixed reviews. Thanks so much!

    I think you’re talking about these Skullcandy Lowriders in pink. I’m wearing them in the photos on my blog’s background. Though cute and compact (they fold up), they died on me pretty early on. I’ll admit that I primarily bought them for aesthetic reasons (and when they were on sale), so I can’t testify to whether the sound quality is that great compared to competitor brands.

    The company offers returns on defective products or 50% discounts on future products when yours breaks due to “aggressive listening”. I finally filled out the online form and am going to send in my headphones to see if they can be replaced.

    7 Apr 2010

    readersummer asked: Hi Lena,

    Me again. I remember a while back you and your boyfriend took a trip to south east asia and I wanted to ask you for some recommendations. I think I might only have 2.5 weeks there and definitely want to go to Thailand...which other country did you most enjoy/ would you recommend visiting? I was thinking of Laos or Cambodia? What kinds of things do you think I could fit in such a short amount of time?

    Thanks,
    Summer

    First of all, I would recommend not doing what I did, which was to race through four countries (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos) in 17 days. I could have easily spent two months in Southeast Asia and still not gotten around to everything I wanted to see and do. In the end, I kind of wished that I had a less extensive and a more intensive travel experience. That said, my favorite place was, by far, Cambodia.  I only spent three days in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, because I had a set itinerary that couldn’t be changed. I would suggest going with a semi-flexible schedule, because it’s hard to predict ahead of time where you’ll want to spend most of your trip. In large part, I enjoyed my time in Cambodia because I met the best tour guide of my entire trip: Sim Piseth, who also founded the non-profit Angkor Homestay. I’m still in touch with Sim and would recommend him to anyone interested in visiting the area.

    (Side note: I’m embarrassingly ignorant of world history beyond the West, so I read up a little bit on the various places I planned to visit. For Cambodia, I recommend reading Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare, which is a downer (to use a huge understatement), but it does a good job contextualizing the country’s situation over the last few decades.