London

UK Feminista Summer School (7/31 - 8/1/2010)

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre

London, England

UK Feminista was started by Kat Banyard, the author of The Equality Illusion: The Truth About Men and Women Today, who gave a particularly inspiring speech during the first panel, "The Importance of Feminist Organising."

The enormous strength of the first day of summer school was its focus on practice. The afternoon was split into workshops on different levels of involvement: from how to organize a Ladyfest to running effective campaigns, organizing demonstrations, and planning direct action. All the materials from the workshops will be available at the UK Feminista website in the coming days.

Simultaneously to the events, UK Feminista volunteers were tweeting, providing quote selections and links so well that I didn't feel the need to take many notes. Instead, I have an online record of what was being said under the #femschool hashtag on Twitter. It is a goldmine of news, information, and people!

What struck me about the event, aside from supreme organization, was the enthusiasm of everyone involved, organisers and participants alike. People were chatting away and forming new alliances all the time. There's no better feedback for an event than when people just don't want it to end.

The second day was a lot more opinion- and discussion-based, but great training was still being given. We learned how to use media and influence politicians, how to fundraise and include disabled people in campaigning, the importance of promoting diversity within feminist groups, and why is climate change a feminist issue. The two arguably biggest events of the day, however, were the opening and closing panels. The first was with Jess McCabe of The F-Word, Hannah Pool, and Kira Cochrane. All three talked about their experiences with the media, and all agreed that to be a female journalist takes more effort and more talent, but their examples showed it was possible, and important.

The closing panel, "Feminist Question Time" with Bidisha, Dr. Aisha Gill, Sunder Katwala, Karon Monaghan QC, and Julie Bindel, provoked a lot more controversy. Bindel said there was a lot of terrible anthropological research concerning women in the sex industry, and that they should not be treated as an anthropological field research group; she went so far as to say that if she had one bullet in a gun, it would not go for the pimp, but for the academic who's all into the sex industry. Bindel also said, "we make a lot of excuses for men to the point where we praise them for not being fuckheads," which made everyone laugh, but later someone angrily said that the men in the audience must feel very excluded in the current talk, to which both Bindel and Bidisha reacted heatedly.

Overall I am inclined to say this was the best summer school I ever attended. It was a really inspiring, great opportunity to learn, meet people, and acquire skills and information to proceed with conviction and fury.

Excerpted from Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things

Photo credit: Kirsty McCall-Thornley

Written by: Marta Lucy Summer, August 11th 2010

The Bradshaw Variations

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:57:00 +0000

By Rachel Cusk

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

In earlier times, a set of variations on a theme in classic art music was a chance for a composer to play around with a melody, try it on in various guises, and allow the audience to hear possibilities. Each variation was minute, an aural petit four to be savored briefly while one contemplated on the sweet yet temporal nature of life. Cusk’s novel The Bradshaw Variations is indeed a set of variations, each chapter holding their own like variations on the theme, offering a brief but blinding insight into life.

Questions of meaning within family, vocation, and sexuality arise as Cusk introduces her reader to the lives of Thomas Bradshaw, his wife Tonie, his daughter Alex, and his two brothers and their families. Thomas, the main character through which most of the action is understood, is taking piano lessons during his interim as a stay-at-home dad. His experiences practicing and learning works by Beethoven and Bach ground the entire novel in a specifically artistic linguistic; Cusk deftly uses musical metaphors throughout the work to create a story that is aural as well as visual and emotional, without succumbing to cliché or cheesy, florid prose.

Thomas, formerly a professional who commuted to work in London like so many other suited desk jockeys, has left his job to stay at home, while his wife Tonie has accepted a position as head of department at a university. Their nontraditional role-switching carries with it consequences for how their family members react and how they negotiate disapproval. Cusk weaves a believable narrative of these very human actors, creating a counterpoint of voices. Both Thomas and Tonie’s parents see the occupational switch as irresponsible and somehow wrong, but are unable to voice the exact nature of their disapproval; furthermore, Thomas feels as if he is in some tired and ambiguous rivalry with both of his brothers, whose temperaments are like night and day. Regardless of the parental disapproval, Thomas finds fulfillment in his days at home, looking after Alexa, playing the piano, and cooking meals. Questions of masculinity are never approached; however, Tonie begins to recognize her own yearning sexuality, and the effects of marriage, age, and work on her own fulfillment. A Freudian theme permeates the novel, apparent in both Thomas’s relationship with his daughter and Tonie’s sense of abandonment, and with Tonie’s own relationship with her father, as viewed through her mother’s eyes. This novel questions what it means to be a family, laying bare the hearts of one in particular and allowing the reader to see their struggles and their moments of connection.

Cusk’s tactile engagement with the characters and their surroundings, coupled with her brilliant use of musical vernacular, create a community of very human characters that I could relate to, over boundaries of class, country, and gender. I read this novel twice, during my morning commutes to work and found myself captivated despite the rush hour bustle.

Written by: Cristin Colvin, August 4th 2010

Reclaiming the F Word Book Launch (6/3/2010)

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:59:00 +0000

The University Women's Club

London, England

I went to the launch event for Catherine Redfern and Kristin Aune's book Reclaiming the F Word at The University Women's Club. When I signed up to the event on Facebook, I just assumed from the name that this was perhaps a part of the University of London and was expecting to just wander down the road from where I work and into a student union building. On closer examination (i.e. after some Googling) I discovered it is a private members club in Mayfair, and perhaps an unusual place to host a gathering of rowdy young feminists! Slightly pleased I'd worn a nice frock for the occasion, I set off from work to catch the tube to Green Park and finally meet a woman I've admired for a long time.

When I first discovered The F Word website in 2001, it was quite a revelation. Full of articles by young women on a variety of subjects from a feminist perspective, it satisfied my need for something intelligent and 'bite-sized' to read and also inspired me to write. I wrote seventeen feature and review articles for the site over the next couple of years (you'll find me listed as Lorraine Smith on the contributors page) and every one was sent to Catherine Redfern before publication. We never met, as I lived in Manchester at the time, but we chatted a bit via email and so I was a little bit sad to see her step down as editor in 2007. However, this was because she wanted more time to devote to writing a book with Kristin Aune and so I was keen to see the results of all her hard work.

Last night I got my hands on a copy of Reclaiming the F Word and Catherine kindly signed it for me. Everyone in that room was there to celebrate the work Catherine and Kristin had done, but also to celebrate feminism. The mood was one of excitement, hope and optimism. Now the book is out there, we can all help to promote it and get the message across that feminism is not dead or outdated. After finally getting to say hello to Catherine, I caught up with Helen and Hannah and then, surprisingly for someone who is usually extremely shy in many social situations, I chatted to a lot of new people. People I've encountered online but had never met in person. People I admire.

I met Sarah Barnes who is the brains behind the fantastic Uplift Magazine. I said hello to Holly Combe who has written an outrageous number of articles for The F Word site over the years. I chatted to Suraya Sidhu Singh, editor of Filament Magazine, about the magazine and the lack of decent 'boylesque'. I said hi to Jess McCabe and promised to write for The F Word again soon. I even approached Laurie Penny and told her how much I enjoy reading her blog. I'd been discussing with Hannah earlier in the evening about how it was Laurie who helped me understand my privilege, so it was wonderful to be able to say hello in person... although the wine seemed to help me forget all the eloquent things I wanted to say!

I started reading the book on the train home and I'm really impressed so far. However, as I'm a notoriously slow reader, please don't wait for a review from me before you buy yourself a copy. Come on, join the gang. Let's reclaim the f-word!

Cross-posted at Rarely Wears Lipstick

Written by: Lori Smith, June 9th 2010

Yes, My Darling Daughter

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:36:00 +0000

By Margaret Leroy

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

“Such a pretty girl. Four years old; well loved by her young mother, Grace. But there’s something...'off ' about the child.”

The above excerpt sets the scene for Margaret Leroy’s Yes, My Darling Daughter. Margaret Leroy offers a novel that is so original and suspenseful it pulls you in from the first page. The story involves Grace, a single mother who works full-time at a London flower shop, and Sylvie, her four-year-old daughter. Things become complicated and strange when Sylvie begins to display behavior that is out of her nature and involves mean-spirited actions at preschool and with friends. She begins to have tantrums, outbursts, and a strange fear of water. These sudden changes seems mysterious, and Sylvie's psychiatrists blame Grace.

Grace knows there's something happening to her daughter that can’t be explained and is beyond her control. To help understand Sylvie's trouble, she decides to seek help from Adam Winters, a university professor who has studied paranormal behavior. Adam has theories about what is happening to Sylvie that prompt the three to travel together to Cold Harbour in order to understand Sylvie’s connection to the area, particularly to the house she continuously draws thought she has never been near it.

Set in London and Ireland, Yes, My Darling Daughter provides a backdrop full of characters that are intriguing and moves along with a past life twist told by an uninvited character. Leroy’s words entice readers into a nonstop and exciting murder mystery. If you enjoy the idea of visits from the other side, this book will satisfy your paranormal appetite.

Written by: LaToya Rogers, September 22nd 2009

Detroit /Fabric 45 and Fabric 46

admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:41:00 +0000

By Omar S and Claude Von Stroke

Fabric Records

These two albums are the products of London’s Fabric nightclub’s monthly CD series. Fabric’s musical offerings span the electronic dance spectrum, and while they are super club with three distinct dance spaces, the sounds of Omar S on Detroit/Fabric 45 are refreshingly minimal. Referencing the famed early 1980s Detroit House scene, the album’s beats are loaded with reverb and recall the work of groups from the 1980s such as Liquid Liquid and ESG. It’s hard to imagine the tracks of this record reverberating on a huge dance floor, as the beats are accented with melodic electronic bleeps that sound like they could have been produced by a Nintendo Gameboy circa 1990.

In contrast to Omar S’ minimalism, Claude Von Stroke takes a more upbeat approach with his remixes, combining vocals and a variety of instrument and percussion samples which he layers over simple, danceable house beats. The album’s tracks flow together seamlessly, and each carries Claude Von Stroke’s distinctive techno touch. The disc could be a club-worthy dance party in itself if one wanted to recreate the Fabric experience at home. While neither album appears especially innovative, they are solid samplings of what is happening in contemporary, electronic dance music. As part of Fabric’s CD series and its FabricFirst program, where members get the monthly CD’s weeks before they arrive in stores, as well as discounts on club entry and a chance to skip the queue, club–bound Londoners should take note.

Written by: Eleanor Whitney, June 17th 2009

Love All

admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:21:00 +0000

By Elizabeth Jane Howard

Palgrave MacMillan

Fans of Elizabeth Jane Howard won't be disappointed with Love All, her first novel since 1999's Falling. Set in London and the fictional village of Melton in the late 1960's, the novel's title is a bit odd, considering that none of the characters can seem to find the love they are looking for.

As usual, Howard's strongest and most likable main characters are female. There's 23-year-old Percy, who is drifting between unsatisfying romances and office jobs; her feisty aunt Floy, who is determined to keep up with her house and her garden design business despite health problems that are taking their toll; and long-suffering Mary, who steps in to raise her niece and rescue her brother Thomas from despair and alcoholism after his wife is killed in a car accident. All of these characters meet up when one of Floy's clients, the rich, brash businessman Jack, hires Floy to reconstruct the splendor of Melton, which used to be Thomas and Mary's family home.

Leave it to some more minor, but no less well-drawn characters, to romantically complicate what begins as a mere landscaping assignment: Thomas' brother-in-law Francis, whom Mary has pined after for years; Jack's alcoholic, aging secretary, who in turn pines after Jack and nearly burns down his house; Reggie, Francis' spoiled, self-important father, who expects Mary to be his maid; Thomas, who fancies himself to be in love with Percy; and Hugh, the ne'er -do-well youngest brother in a local aristocratic family, who can't seem to tell the truth or keep it in his pants. Thomas' 10-year-old daughter, Harriet, is far and away the most sensible of the lot; her caustic and grown up exchanges are some of the book's most delightful moments.

Howard’s characters are portrayed so well that you actually find yourself making a real connection with them, to the point of getting pissed off at them once in awhile. On that note, the book's sole disappointment is Mary's domestic martyrdom to Thomas and his self-absorbance. After more than 400 pages, you really want to throttle her and tell her to get on with her life, rather than catering to his every whim.

Written by: M.L. Madison, March 15th 2009

The Clothes on Their Backs: A Novel

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:48:00 +0000

By Linda Grant

Scribner

To be particularly honest, I am partial to any and all texts set in Britain, and The Clothes On Their Backs is set in London. So I was already loving the book before I started reading. My love only grew as I went on.

The story is of Vivien Kovacs, daughter of Jewish Hungarian immigrants. Vivien grew up in Benson Court, with parents who much preferred staying home than going out. Her quiet and sheltered childhood is spent reading and imagining, interrupted by a brief visit by her uncle Sándor Kovacs. Her parents slam the door in Sándor’s face—for he is a notorious slumlord, vilified in the media.

Sándor becomes an integral figure in the book. Niece and uncle meet in a park after Vivien has gone to university, married, become a widow, and moved back in with her parents. He hires her to help him write his memoirs. The two pretend to not know they are related, though each really knows the truth. Vivien digs for information about her past and her family, trying to come to an understanding of why her parents are the way they are. She is also looking for information about why she is the way she is.

The theme of clothing runs throughout the book in subtle ways. The most obvious connection is that Vivien’s family fled Hungary with just the clothes on their backs. The idea moves from there. As a teen and young adult, Vivien wears vintage clothing as a way to define herself: someone slightly alternative, bohemian yet educated. She briefly dates a young man who dresses in a roughed-up leather jacket, showing that he is not from the same class background as she is. Her most vivid memory of the first meeting with her uncle is clothing. Her uncle wore an “electric-blue mohair suit, black hand-stitched suede shoes... And the black girl on his arm, in a nylon leopardskin coat with matching pillbox hat, carrying a plastic crocodile handbag with a gilt clasp.” Much can be inferred from one’s clothing.

There are some moments that feel unresolved or unnecessary; Vivien’s abortion and her brief marriage to Alex don’t really seem to move the book forward. Other than that, the book reads quite well. Linda Grant writes artfully, and was deservedly on the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize.

The book evokes feelings of melancholy and raises questions. In telling the history of Hungary before World War II, and the history of London during the post-war era, questions of immorality and goodness are raised. Vivien’s question of knowing how to live is also left up to the reader to answer for oneself.

Written by: Kristin Conard, February 27th 2009

Cafe Eterno

admin — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 16:48:00 +0000

Covent Garden

London, England

Airline travel is always uncomfortable for me; practically the minute I'm off the plane, regardless of how long (or short) the flight, I go hunting for espresso.

When my husband and I visited London in April, I wandered the local coffee shops near our Covent Garden hotel in search of an iced mocha. No one, short of Starbucks (and I didn't want to go there), seemed to know what I wanted. Was it a milkshake? A cocoa?

I found what I wanted - and much more than espresso - by accident on Neal Street.

Cafe Eterno, a cozy, brightly-colored cafe that's in one of London's most popular shopping destinations, has belonged to London City Mission for more than a century. A former hospital for those without medical care, it's now a cafe that serves a healthy and delightful range of food and drinks. You can get kalamata olives and hummus, panini, espresso drinks, snacks and brands of bottled drinks that give a percentage of profits to charity, all for insanely reasonable prices in an otherwise outrageously expensive city.

While much of the neighborhood has changed - it used to be poor and overcrowded - the Mission's good works have stayed. The proceeds from the cafe help support the nonprofit's centers, where those in need can get food, clothing and shelter. The day I found the cafe, one of the staff gave coffee, food and shelter information to a woman who had wandered in off the street. Paying for my drinks, I blurted out, "That was so nice of you - that's what Christians should do!"

At the hotel later, excitedly, I called my dad, a retired clergyman who's nauseated by today's brand of corporate Christianity, and shared the story. "That's what Christians should do!" he said.

I fell in love with Cafe Eterno's staff; notably Diane, whose last name I regrettably didn't get, although we discussed American politics; and Shirley Phillips, the cafe manager, who told me that she "wanted nothing of religion - just faith."

If you're ever in the area, check it out. You'll get more than what you pay for.

Written by: M.L. Madison, June 9th 2007

Foreign Exposure: The Social Climber Abroad

admin — Mon, 28 May 2007 12:57:00 +0000

By Lauren Mechling, Laura Moser

Graphia

Lauren Mechling and Laura Moser’s third book in the Social Climber series finds the 10th grade heroine, Miriam “Mimi” Schulman, spending a summer in Europe, continuing her high school journalistic exploits. The popularity of the series is evident in the relatable characters. Complete with excerpts from email correspondence, the “realness” of the characters mixed with the glamour of the narrative makes an excellent foray into youths’ pleasure reading.

The plot takes the reader through Mimi’s summer travels. First, she goes to Berlin to partake in a dysfunctional relationship with her professor mother and her mother’s boyfriend. After undergoing nanny hell taking care of two eight-year-old twin boys, who are allergic to everything under the sun, Mimi flees Berlin by herself (and unbeknownst to her mother) to a safe haven of a high school friend named Lily staying in London. There, Mimi interns at a gossip magazine, thanks to Lily’s rich and powerful connections. Through a series of mishaps, boy attraction and moral dilemmas, Mimi manages to run away from some problems while resolving others.

An easy read and generally well-written, I recommend this book with some caveats. First, the dialogue of all British characters is often stilted and awkward. Although it is written from an American perspective, the awkwardness can be distracting at some points. Second, from a feminist perspective the story does little to address ideas of empowerment, solidarity or accountability. As part of a young adult a genre, I understand the book’s aim to create a glamorous yet believable plot. At the same time, most of the character development and plot turns focus on Mimi’s relationships with boys. Even though most of the book takes place in Europe, it begins and ends with her contemplations about the boys and men that surround her at home. This makes me wonder, why did Mimi need to take a trip to Europe? While Mimi’s flight from Berlin was an impressive feat of youthful female independence, “girl power” even, the jet-set, upper-crust context just reinforces the notion that the only way for girls to pursue their dreams is through men and money.

I wish I could recommend this book more enthusiastically, since there are many elements of it that are charming and likeable. However, it does very little to stretch or challenge the young adult genre for young women, and comes across as superficial overall. While I can understand its appeal to teenage girls, parents and librarians might have to supplement it with more empowering and complex fare.

Written by: k. terumi shorb, May 28th 2007