Alison: thanks so much for the profile and your inspirational project.
Bon 2009!
Review: Damian Hagger, Half My Mind August 21, 2004
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Anya Marina Review: SugarMamaPR.com February 3, 2004
Indie Music Review: Anya Marina – Exercises in Racketeering
Written by Jianda Johnson
Published February 04, 2004
Published February 04, 2004
<br>
ANYA MARINA: “Exercises in Racketeering” EP
Like any great art, Exercises in Racketeering is deliciously hydra-headed. Each track on this singer-songwriter’s release is grand coffee-joint fare: angelic overtones, jangly guitars, well-crafted lyrics of love, loss and love-again…
And luscious harmonies!
Still, dripping from the candy-covered underbelly of the songs, Marina’s lyrics raise eyebrows. Make the cocktail glasses clink–are the stuff of dank, dark dive bars. Case in point: “I hope you die a fiery death/I love you/God, I need you…” (“Clean and Sober”).
Dammit, bartender, it’s both at once, ain’t it? Yes, another refill, and be quick about it for Pete’s sake!
Produced with Scott Russo (Unwritten Law) and recorded in San Diego, Marina’s prelude to her upcoming long-player (“Miss Halfway”) makes you root for all the girls in these mini-films. “I can’t keep up with the lovers on the street,” Marina confides in us (“Come Back to Bed”). Still, you can’t keep a good girl down. “You’re gonna feel a little sting/a little like a Prick!” she chirps in “Lovesick.”
“Rommy’s Pants,” placed dainty as a chocolate in the middle of the mix, adds a dash of absurdity…. Then, we’re dashed back through beauty and betrayal, hums, oohs, aahs and la’s. It’s haunting and heartening, all at once.
Frankly, we think Anya’s channeling two Beatles at once–John, and Paul. “I’m gonna burn a pie now and then…” she sings in “Miss Halfway,” adding, “I’m gonna burn and shine and multiply.”
Whether you’re a musician, music lover, or grrl-rock / indie-rock fan, you’ll find your candy in Anya’s passion-filled EP. You can’t help but to fall in love with, and alongside her.
Each radio-ready cut makes its way into your spirit, soft and bittersweet, like a highschool crush (in other words, “hard.”) You’ll find yourself singing along to these tunes. And achingly eager to listen to each one anew, like she’s singing each story to you, and only you, for the first time.
Yes, more, Anya, please? More.
reviewer: jianda johnson
Originally published at SugarMamaPR.com
Please buy Anya Marina’s “Exercises in Racketeering.” Your Valentine’s Day Heart Will LOVE YOU for it!
Published at Blogcritics.
God Is In the Details: John Francis Peters’ Art January 26, 2004
GOD IS IN THE DETAILS: MY TESTIMONY
Nature is Divine. The universe has more than six senses, and love has eyes in the back of its head. In the planet’s more rare, exquisite artists, we see beyond what they render in their creations–we sense and feel them. The pieces live with us. The collective unconscious makes itself known through their hands and hearts, and blesses us.
John Francis Peters’ artwork places high, higher, highest in those ranks, holding its arms open for you, asking you to commune with it.
The Divine presence of his work called to me, unfolding its soft, loving magic, not unlike holistic, subtle healing therapies, moving me forward along the path. I’d find myself inspired to send cards to friends, family, or to business correspondents. I’d feel moved to post them on the walls, my front door, in notebooks.
I’d be running somewhere in a hurry, find a fallen piece of his art and pause, suddenly calmed and tapping into the cosmos.
Thirsty, I sought more of the feeling the works captured. Soon, I bought larger prints, and another, still. Nestled in the beauty of his themes (magic, peacefulness, dreams, healing, just-plain-IS-ness), I became renewed. Heartened. Restored.
All of John’s cards, prints and original paintings vividly reflect the time he spends living with his ideas, living in nature, and bringing his love of life to fruition. Each unique piece guides you into other worlds and dimensions, yet ironically you’re always completely at home within them.
Because HE has fallen in love with nature, you, too are captivated–protected, even–nestled in the solidity, grace, and gravity in his work. Like the intricacy of a snowflake, the galaxies in a child’s bright eyes, John’s work is “simply complex.”
THIS ART LIVES AND BREATHES. Owning John’s work is like having a small, elegant plant in your house (his cards). Or a tall, stately tree (medium prints). Or a full, lush garden (larger prints, originals).
Each element cares for you as you care for it, unearthing more detail as its dimensions change. Awe shows up in small, or large ways, becoming clearer and clearer to you. As you’ll find in nature, each new day with John’s work unearths a new change: you’ll see a shape, form, color or movement you hadn’t noticed before.
When I allow myself to focus, to commune with his art, it can be as real to me as having a loving spirit, burgeoning bloom, or small, adoring animal in the house.
This incredible printing process that John’s co-pioneering truly captures that magic–the magic of the artist’s original painting, his original intentions…you notice every nuance, every detail.
Much like a star-filled night in the middle of the desert, or an oceanside sunrise on a quiet, cozy beach, you must witness it with your own eyes, mind, soul and heart to appreciate it.
This man and his artwork truly complements any appreciation you have for everything you see, are, and enjoy in life. John Francis Peters gives new meaning to the words: “art heals.”
- Jianda Johnson
Writer, Artist, Musician, Editor
SugarMamaPR.com / Jianda.net
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please visit:
www.JohnFPeters.com
Mike Bertino Review January 18, 2004
“TRIGGER” HAPPY: Mike Bertino’s Antiheroes Rule
Written by Jianda Johnson
TRIGGER comic zine (issue one)
by Mike Bertino
Mr. Fox (if that IS his real name!) is in a bad way–and it seems no one can help him. He’s forced to save his manical, paranoid, yet intriguingly creative self between the scant pages of his self-penned (literally / figuratively) tome.
True, TRIGGER may not be autobiographical, yet San Diego indie comic kid Mike Bertino explores whirlwind-snippet musings on paranoia, creativity, lonerhood, and all things pathetic. Somehow, you’ll find yourself giggling at the fragility that’s just as much yours as it is his.
Anti-superheroes and flaccid cohorts abound, and yet somehow, you know the artsy geek guy’s always gonna get the upper hand–some-strange how…
Bertino’s stark, pronounced shapes, post-mod chiaroscuro lines, and filmic attention to storyline and detail (lest the slacker motif fool you) makes for one cool comic. And for a mere two bucks, I say you hook it up with Bertino, pronto.
reviewer: j. johnson
originally published @ sugarmamapr.com
——-
What’s The Point,
Indeed!
Buy: TRIGGER
get it? got it? good:
Mike Bertino: triggercomics@hotmail.com
3060 suncrest dr. #9 san diego ca 92116
visit: www.mikebertino.com
Corday Review December 2, 2003
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Originally published at Women of MP3.com
Review: Lisa Cerbone October 24, 2003
Artist URL:
Lisa Cerbone is, among many other wondrous things, a seasoned performer, a prolific songwriter, and a talented singer and guitarist. One might call the tonality of her work “chiaroscuro.” Still, her passion for life remains vibrant, always captivating the listener, breaking your heart open, just a little bit more, with each new song. An Ichiban Records “alum,” Cerbone’s shared the stage with the Cowboy Junkies, Ben Harper, Lloyd Cole, and Lori Carson. These stalwart performers are her peers. Her lyrical tomes of love and loss have been featured in various movies, and the lilting, insightful quality of her body of work charms and challenges your soul. Her work is exquisite—just lovely–and she collaborates quite often with Mark Kozelek from Red House Painters. This is truly a treat.
Picks-to-Click MP3s: “Only Good Thoughts My Love,” “Sweep Your Hair From Your Eyes.”
- Review by Jianda Johnson
SXSW: 3.13.03 – Soul Mining With Daniel Lanois March 13, 2003
Written by Jianda Johnson
3.13.03 – SXSW: Soul Mining With Daniel Lanois
by Jianda Johnson
photo: j. johnson
Daniel Lanois, Keynote Speaker @ SXSW
When Keynote Speaker Daniel Lanois (www.daniellanois.com) hit the stage, all ears were on him. He wouldn’t have it any other way. Folks did their best to steer him toward “music biz Q&A” cookie cutter answers, but this renowned producer/musician/songwriter, having collaborated with everyone from Aaron Neville to U2 to Brian Eno to Emmylou Harris, simply demanded that we do one thing: “just listen.”
Eschewing questions, Lanois took it upon himself to create more questions
than answers, writing a poem rather than a keynote speech. Key ideas:
Of U2 and like-minded bands, early on, his poem intimated they had “belief that they can make a difference with caring.” Of studio sessions: “Are we not here to have a common language? I don’t want any hidden information in the studio. I don’t want my steering wheel to be a brake pedal.” And: We have synchronicity in our favor.” On our lot in life as artists, as music lovers: “Passion before commerce.” Of his signature steel guitar sound, Lanois
noted: “I play it every day as a way to stay connected with my early values.”
Of finding your own voice as an artist or producer, Lanois mused: “Mimic,
copy, then run away from your heroes, and find your own voice eventually.”
Of remaining passionate about music, especially in the music business, Lanois cooed, “Sonic experimentation is still my friend. We’ve reached a place where we have too much music. Silence is golden. Enjoy silence, or you might stop loving [music].” Aside from the quips and soft-spoken musings, Lanois was here to promote his latest release, “Shine,” and to keep our sparks lit no matter what part of the music biz we were in.
“Rawk Show” curator Nathan James
The tradeshow convention, in full swing, boasted everyone from Time Out New York, to Elixir guitar strings. From ASCAP and BMI to Austin City Limits. There’s even an SXSW music/art show here, as of tomorrow. We ran into its curator, Nathan James (http://www.tinderbox13.com). The Rawk Show’s a visionary art music collaboration featuring painters from rock band members including MP3.com artist Phoebe Legere, The Donnas, Hole, and others. You might also want to check out SXSW’s poster exhibit Flatstock, aside from the myriad of “rawk” showcases!
Truly, SXSW must be seen, heard and felt firsthand, but we’re doin’ our best.
Planning to exhibit or showcase our here next time around? Be a girl or boy scout about it, though, y’all: “be prepared.” There’s almost “too much” to do! Never a dull moment. Make a pilgrimmage out this way, you’ll thank yourself for it.
MAKING A “POISEFUL NOISE:” Artist Interview – Ilya March 9, 2003
Written by Jianda Johnson
Slowly, steadily, and sweetly in their own atypical way, the (he)art-rock project ILYA bestowed me with enough trust to interview with me not once, but twice. You see, they’re gentle in revealing their underbellies to folks. But when it comes to musical integrity and direction? ILYA is BRUTAL. Brutally-honest, brutally-lovely, brutally-raw, brutally-skilled. Taking no prisoners. Giving it all to you. Offstage, it’s a different matter entirely. I tried my best to respect their time, and talents. Maybe you can tell me how well I did. C’mon. Scale of 1-10:
JJ: You’d said the name “ILYA” is arbitrary: why do you want your band “NOT to represent,” as it were–what is the artistic statement this makes?
ILYA: The name “ILYA” (in the context of our music endeavor) is arbitrary – the meaning is not. ILYA represents: absence of judgement.
JJ: How long have you been together–how did ILYA come to be?
ILYA: Since February of 2001. ILYA came to be through six people getting together with the mutual passion to create something beautiful involving music, and the intent of forming a truly collaborative effort… no dictators. A platform where everyone could express themselves musically. It’s amazing how this works out. Although there are six of us, we always seem to figure out something that makes us all happy, and we are blessed to have this.
JJ: “Poise is The Greater Architect:” what’s the significance of this album title?
ILYA: Well…in the current music world it seems that brut force both musically and lyrically seems to be “the way to go” and very popular…we just feel that more “poise” and a gentler approach can be just as powerful, if not “greater.”
JJ: How are songwriting and lyrical duties split up, if at all?
ILYA: Matthew and Blanca use personal songs and poetry written years ago, or spontaneously create lyrics inspired by music ILYA plays during rehearsals.
JJ: How do you generate such atmospheric sounds–what kind of gear do you use?
ILYA: Pedals…experimentation and creativity with pedals…we have a lot of pedals. We really learned how many we had when we just had to bring them to Japan for tour.
JJ: You control your sounds and levels very masterfully, but–how much noise is too much? How do you craft the sound to be ‘just so?’
ILYA: Thank you for noticing. We all just know where we fit as individuals into the sound of ILYA. Nobody steps on each others “musical toes”. We know our place. There are a few points in our songs were we do get loud/noisy, but we do it in a dynamic way…we are very big on our dynamics.
JJ: How much would you say dreams and the unconscious influence your work?
ILYA: Dreams and the unconscious rarely influence our work – at times, they are the aftermath of our work.
JJ: Who does your artwork and photography–and what’s the concept for your CD cover art about?
ILYA: Our artwork and website is done by Duane (guitar). The photos were taken by Chari Verespej while she was in school for photography. Duane saw the photo (before it was the cover of course) and felt it visually fit the sound of “Poise…” and ILYA. He presented it to the rest of the band and everyone liked it.
(coverfoto)
ILYA: The cover photo is very much open to interpretation…just like our music.
But one way we look at it is that it’s very powerful, while still being gentle…which ties in with the title of the record.
JJ: How did you wind up in San Diego, or are all of you SD natives?
ILYA: All of us grew up in the San Diego area except Duane. He moved here in 1994 for his career as a professional skateboarder.
JJ: What is your work/studio ethic if any?
ILYA: Puntuality, accountability, respect, and HUMOR are our studio ethics.
JJ: What other modes of art would you say influence your work?
ILYA: Cinematography, photography, and literature.
JJ: Who are some of your favorite artists?
ILYA: We all have broad tastes in music, and they don’t all overlap…so, we don’t know if naming particular artists is fair to everyone in the band.
JJ: What’s a ‘dream collaboration for you–someone you have yet to work with but who you’d love to work with?
ILYA: There is probably only one person so far that we’ve discussed that would be a ‘dream collaboration,’ and that person is Nigel Godrich. For people who do not know him he’s the producer that worked with Radiohead on their last three records…especially OK Computer.
But surely, we’ll talk more about this subject before our next record.
JJ: How easy was it for you to find distribution for your music?
ILYA: Actually, as of now “Poise…” is self-released…so we have no distribution. We’re “feeling” around to see what’s best for ILYA. But so far, outlets like MP3.com have been a big help, as well as Better Looking Records (betterlookingrecords.com) for letting us sell the record on their site.
JJ: Thanks so much for allowing us this vantage point, this insight into your music. We wish you continued success.
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Nab a copy of “Poise is the Greater Architect” and support indie-thinkers, indie-expression, and indie music. Sonic, heart, mind, body, soul, spirit voyages are guaranteed. This music is illustrious. For every ugly eep, bleep, bop and boombip, there is a sweet, soft, gentle ooh, ah, and summery whisper to keep their sound at once edge, balanced and challenging.
VISIT ILYA’S OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE @:
http://www.ilyamusic.com
CHECK OUT AN EXCLUSIVE AUDIO INTERVIEW @
Internet Archive: Details: Jianda – SugarMamaPR.com Interview w/ILYA
Artist Interview: Rivka Solomon March 4, 2003
Written by Jianda Johnson
Bravery. Courage. Chutzpah! and… Femininity? Womanhood? Girls? More often than not, that last little bit doesn’t get thrown in with lion-like qualities. Though the “mother lifting car by power of love and adrenaline” scenario does come to mind when prodded, it’s certainly not the first image to come to mind when one things of motherhood or feminine power. Enter Rivka Solomon, who, with her latest tome “That Takes Ovaries!: Bold Females and Their Brazen Acts,” is rewriting the script before our very eyes with the help of a handful of brave, modern-day goddesses. Read on:
- What was the breaking point that made you collect all these stories, and kept you putting it together through all the peaks and valleys of the process?
Are you asking what motivated me to spend 4.5 years collecting these stories, editing this book and now organizing the open mics? Well, two things. First, I just thought it would be fun.
You know, how totally cool to get hundreds of stories from women and girls about the gutsy, bold, audacious, outrageous things they have done! I get a real kick out of seeing a woman, any woman, being bold. I mean, isn’t it a rush to see a little girl walk into a room full of people and take charge? Or witness a teenaged girl take on some outrageous risk, and pull it off? It is just exciting to be around that stuff.
But I also compiled and edited this book for another reason. This book is about risk takers, women and girls who have pushed the boundaries, jumped over barriers, sailed around obstacles — often having fun while they did those things, often standing up for their own or others rights as they did those things. And, basically, I wanted to encourage that.
I wanted to celebrate female risk takers in a wide range of activities (in the world of work, in the world of playing and having fun, in the home, on the streets). I wanted to affirm women and girls who are already risk takers in their lives *and* I wanted to encourage others, readers who might not live their lives that way, to take the bold new step of being a risk taker.
I wrote this book because courage is infectious. I thought that if some reader who might not be living such a bold life now saw how another girl does something gutsy (like grabs the hand of a child molester groping her butt or tracks down wild guerrillas in Africa — two totally different stories in the book), then she might think, “Hey, if *that* woman can do something so outrageous, so adventurous, so courageous, then so can I!”
So in short, I wrote this book because I wanted to celebrate the fun, bold things women do, and also I wanted to do whatever I could to encourage even more women and girls to be risk takers. I feel that if women live more boldly, not only will they have more fulfilling, fun, adventurous lives, but *also* the more willing they’ll be to take risks in standing up for themselves and for others. And the more willing they will be to challenge “the system” and the sexism, racism, ablism, anti-Semitism, homophobia we live with (and usually try to just ignore) on a daily basis.
- Tell us more about the Open Mics. How are they going, what kind of a response are they getting?
The open mikes have been going really well and people are responding wonderfully to them! In the past 9 months there have been 40 That Takes Ovaries! readings and open mikes (and some dramatizations) held around the U.S. and India, all organized locally by women in the community. In case your readers don’t know: The book is coupled with a grassroots open mike movement for women’s and girls’ empowerment.
Because women and girls everywhere have gutsy deeds to brag about, we are holding That Takes Ovaries! open mikes all around the country — and world now, too. That way women and girls in any community can come together and share stories about times they were particularly courageous, or brag about times they were wild ‘n’ crazy. Guys can join us (and many do) by proudly bragging about the ovaries in their lives, their mothers, sisters, daughters. The open mikes can happen in your living room, with just your friends invited, or they can happen in a more public setting, like a bookstore, community center or as part of a pre-scheduled annual meeting.
Many of the open mikes are fundraisers for a local girls’ group and groups working to end human rights abuses against girls internationally, like female genital mutilation and sex trafficking. The beauty of this book and movement is that any woman interested in organizing a That Takes Ovaries! open mike in her own area can get the guidelines from the back of the book, from www.thattakesovaries.org, or from Rivka . First time organizers welcome.
Actually, we are looking for more people to organize open mikes. So if any of your readers want to come to one, or if they want to organize or host one they should check out the website www.thattakesovaries.org.
- Your Berlin Wall story is incredible! What is your favorite story in the book?
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed reading my story in the book!
Now, regarding my favorite story in the book? That is an unfair question. I love them all. I have been living with and working with each of these 64 stories for the past 5 years. Some stories are light and playful, some are deep and political. I like both types, and I like the contrast. For example, some stories are about women having fun — instigating an erotic interlude with messy paints, tracking huge gorillas alone in West Africa, shaving hairy legs in playful stripes, skysurfing out of an airplane on a tiny surfboard.
Other stories are about more political things, like running your sister’s batterer out of town, bawling out a racist cop, spreading your legs hundreds of times to teach medical students how to properly care for women’s gynecological health, mounting a pee protest in demand of wheelchair-accessible bathrooms on campus, and saving a girl you doesn’t know from being beaten on the side of the highway.
The way I see it, both the fun *and* the political stories fall under the single umbrella of freedom and empowerment for women. Both the fun and the political stories are about women rejecting tired old notions — stereotypes, really — of how they are supposed to act (i.e. passive, cautious, weak, etc), instead of being who they really are: complete full human beings who can do whatever they set their minds on doing.
Both types of stories, the light or deep ones, are about not accepting limits placed on you from a sexist society. Sexism, we all know, tries to define what men are “supposed” to be like and what women are “supposed” to be like. Being your true self means ignoring those “supposed-to’s” whether it is in the way you work or the way you play — or the way you fight for your human rights.
- Your sections on sexuality and anger are particularly compelling in lieu of the fact they are grrl-centered stories. In your opinion, why do you think it’s still so hard for it to be “okay” for a woman to be angry, and to be sexually expressive or empowered?
Good question. And a complex question. So bear with me with this long answer.
It is hard because it is breaking the stereotype (that word again!) of what a woman is “supposed” to be like. In a sexist society, both males and females are directly and indirectly told to squash our whole complete lovely selves into a small itty bitty box of what a man or woman is “supposed” to be.
We all know what this looks like: males are conditioned to be the half of the species who can get angry, but are not allowed to feel sadness or cry. Females are conditioned to be the half of the species who can be sad and cry, but we must remain sweet, kind and never get mad. Even when someone is doing us wrong. That’s crazy.
If someone disses you or hurts you, it is a natural human response to feel anger. Women should not be denied access to this part of their humanity (and if they do it is at their peril: depression, eating disorders, etc.). Similarly, guys should not be denied access to their compassionate, gentle sides (and if they do, it is to *their* peril: look at all the violence that surrounds men who feel a need to prove their strength and “manhood”).
Anyway, my book has a whole chapter dedicated to real women in the real world who feel real emotions, including the emotion of anger. It shows that just like all human beings, we sometimes get mad. It shows that in fact having access to our ability to get angry keeps us able to defend ourselves. If you are busy thinking you have to be nice all the time, you may not try to stop someone from mistreating you. You may just grin and bear it, put up with it, let it slide. Of course then the abuse continues. Too many women are trained to be like that. My book offers examples of women being boldly and righteously mad.
Regarding your question about sexuality: It is hard to be a woman who is sexually expressive or empowered because it is, again, going against the norm.
Historically a woman was taught to be modest. She was the leg-crossing, no-saying figure who was the main obstacle to a sex act. When she finally did get sexual (after incessant pressure), it was always with a man, never a woman, and she was to react and respond, never instigate. It took guts to be an openly desiring female because being a sexual girl meant being a bad girl. She’d be discounted, ostracized. No longer “pure”, she’d fall on the other end of the spectrum labeled “slut.”
These traditional norms are still present in some women’s lives. What is tricky today is that the norms have morphed into a confusing mixed message. In today’s multimedia-based culture the so-called slut is actually promoted (though in real life she is still punished). She is the scantily clad, just-do-me-looking, hypersexualized young woman revered in ads, movies, magazines, and music videos. No longer the obstacle to sex, today’s girls and women are supposed to personify it; according to the media images, they are to look attractive, lusty, and be sexually available at all times for the men of the world. Women have learned to accept being on constant ogle-display. Worse, what is considered attractive is defined for them by the fashion and media industries. A woman’s value depends on whether her looks meet the industries’ definition — and how much male attention she gets.
From women being told they are *not* supposed to be sexual, to being told they *should* be more sexual, our sexuality has been played like a Ping-Pong ball in a game of table tennis. So the truth is worth repeating (and that is what I hope my book does): A woman’s body is her body, and it shouldn’t be pushed around by anybody else. We all need to be in command of our own selves. We all need to make our own sexual decisions.
So today, a woman who is empowered sexually is a woman who is making her own decisions, not doing what others tell her to do. Today, empowered women are choosing for themselves. They say yes when they want to say yes, no when they want to say no, and they do the asking and initiating when it suits them. That is a sexually empowered female at the start of the new millennium.
- Personally, what gives you the strength to keep speaking the truth as a writer? As a female? Against so many odds–so many competing (indeed, aggressively opposed) voices?
There has been no negative response to my book or the open mikes, so actually it has not been hard at all to speak “the truth” — which, of course, is really just *my* truth. Though a big part of what “my” truth has been with regards to my work is really giving other women a place to speak their own truths. My book and open mike movement are about giving women and girls a place and a format for sharing stories about their own lives. Sharing personal experiences aloud is the foundation for any political movement. It is also the fuel needed for the long term *continuation* of any political movement, including the movement for women’s liberation, which we all know started a long time ago with the fight for the right to vote and continues to this day with the fight for the right to not be beaten at home, sexually harassed in the street, raped etc. It also includes our right to keep abortion safe and legal, get equal pay for our work and equal attention in the bedroom.
For any society to evolve, for any people to be free, before reality on the ground can be changed, the truth needs to be told. My book and the open mike movement is about women sharing women’s truths. It is showing what real women’s and girls’ lives look like, what are our struggles and what are our triumphs. And getting back to your question of what gives me strength, well, it is just that: hearing these stories gives me strength.
- Many of the people in our audience are female artists (musicians, writers, etc.). Any words of inspiration for them? And also what do you think males might get out of this book?”
Words of inspiration for *them*? No, they inspire *me*! Mostly I just want to say that I recognize that it is not easy being an artist — at least not in the U.S., where I live. I am not sure what country your website visitors are from, but in the U.S. artists don’t get a lot of respect or money for their work. Unless you are a big name, of course, then you get loads of dough.
But for the rest of us, if you are in the music, visual arts or writing industries, if you are an artist of any kind, you are likely waiting on tables or cleaning houses as a way to pay for food and rent. In reality, they/we are working two jobs and only getting paid for one. I have heard that in other countries artists get more respect and thus more money, without needing to be a big name. I just wish we could go back to the old days when artists had patrons, some wealthy, generous person who sponsors you and your art work.
Any way, that is what *I* desperately need. So any potential patrons reading this interview are welcome to contact me at rivka@thattakesovaries.org. :-)
What do I think men might get out of this book and our open mike movement? Well, men love the whole concept of That Takes Ovaries! They “get it” as soon as they hear it, and they love it. The men I know who have come to the open mikes really enjoy it. Men have been standing up at our events, just like the women, and they proudly brag about the ovaries in their lives — like last week one guy in his early 30’s just went on and on about how wonderful his younger sister is. At the same event even the bookstore manager stood up and told us how important his favorite teacher was in his life — a woman (and a feminist at that!).
- What project(s) are you currently working on?
I’m working on organizing the open mikes, book readings and the play. Mostly, with other women, I am organizing the open mikes in communities throughout the U.S., India and hopefully soon China. Also the book has recently been adapted into a play for the stage. We have a four week run of the Ovaries! play in Washington DC in March 2003 with Horizons Theatre(www.horizonstheatre.org), the longest running women’s theatre in the U.S. Very exciting stuff. Each Friday night we will hold an open mike after the play’s performance.
By the way, we are currently looking for other interested producers, theatre companies and celebrity actors. If you know anyone who’d be interested in looking at the Ovaries script have them contact me at .
——
Rivka, thank you so much. Courageous is infectious? So is inspiration! Let’s keep passing it on! – JJ
