FCW SOCIETY (LA) & Gaia Grove supports this upcoming event at The Talking Stick, Venice, CA. FIERCE AND FABULOUS FEMALE MUSICIANS . . . FREE SHOW!
FREE!
FEED YOUR HEAD WITH GREAT MUSIC & LYRICS,
FEED YOUR BODY WITH TASTY FOOD FROM THE TALKING STICK,
FEED YOUR SOUL WITH MAGIC AND LOVE,
AND FEED THE MUSICIANS (IF YOU ARE ABLE).
ENJOY!
www.amyclarke.com
www.gaiagrove.org
www.netteradio.com
We had our third Social for the F*cking Cool Women Society Twin Cities Sunday at Jen’s house and I think it went off beautifully! We had lots of yummy food and the effin’ cool women flowed in and out in abundance. And we actually have locations slated for the next TWO months too! THREE if no one volunteers for April because I’ll do it again! Seriously check out this spread:
And we didn’t have a lot of sweets which I find can sometimes be a “problem” with these things. But enough about the food – I was so happy to have all the women join us that did.
Please join the FCW Society as we kick off DECEMBER with a holiday fiesta like no other …
Sunday, December 7, 2008 3pm – 7pm
It’s a Clothing Swap – clean out your closet and pick up some new fancy clothes
It’s a Holiday Gift Sale – buy products sold by FCW Society members (Soaps, Scarves, Greeting Cards, Photographs, Biz Card Cases and more …see the Facebook page for links)
It’s a PARTY to Eat & Drink & Be Merry – bring food to share & BYOB!
(BAR will be closed to public – food should be easy to serve – plates/napkins will be provided)
Hope to see you on Sunday, December 7
FCW Society Holiday Fiesta
Angels & Kings
500 E 11 St @ Avenue A
To the FCW and the FCMEN they love U are invited to join the FCW Society to kick off of the Vagina Festival 2008 (VF-08)!
(MARK YOUR CALENDAR Festival dates: 10/24-26/08)
Cocktail Party
Tuesday, October 14
from 7pm – 9pm
Lolita bar, 266 Broome St, @ Allen
F/J/M/Z at Delancey and Essex is the closest subway stop
F/V at Second Avenue (Allen and Houston)
B/D at Grand and Chrystie
Meet the VF-08 Organizers & Performers including the FCW Hostess, the Luscious Lifestyle Diva, Yolanda Shoshana “Shoshi” and other surprise guests!
Help raise money for the the VF-08 – - special guest host: Bluestocking Bookstores 
will be selling some FC products for women and their vaginas!! Proceeds of purchases will go to VF-08 – available products: The Keeper, Diva Cup – if you don’t know what these are – then this is your chance to discover something AMAZING!! Trickydame will be there to share some stories with you!!
Happy Hour from 5pm – 8pm – proceeds from the “Lolita” cocktail will also go to VF-08
Please join us … it’s going to be a FEEL GOOD EVENING !!
Special thanks:
Bluestockings Bookstore (http://www.bluestockings.com/)
Bluestockings is a radical bookstore, fair trade cafe, and activist center in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Lolita bar (http://www.lolitabar.net/)
Located on the edge of New York City’s Lower East Side, Lolita bar and event space is a bit off the beaten path but definitely worth the trip. The eclectic décor, spacious back room and downstairs lounge make this a perfect place for any type of party or event.
VAGINA FESTIVAL is an opportunity to have conversations we don’t typically get to have. In ways we don’t typically get to have them.
Through visual art, performance, and interactive activities, Vagina Festival forms a welcoming space for exploring sexuality, body image, personal identity, health and well-being.
At Vagina Festival, we exchange ideas, challenge cultural norms and celebrate women.
http://www.vaginafestival.com/
from one woman to another …
Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman.
A woman who honors her experiences and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.Imagine a woman who has acknowledged the past’s influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates her body’s rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her precious life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who trust her inner sense of what is right for her.
Who refuses to twist her life out of shape to meet the expectations of others.Imagine a woman who values the woman in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself she forgets.Imagine yourself as this woman.
It’s no secret that the Bush administration has disdain for any government program aimed at helping minorities compete in a marketplace. But do you know how close it has come to wrecking the leaps made by women entrepreneurs?
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government entity that aims to provide support services, guidance and, in some cases, funding for small businesses with an emphasis on helping minority-owned businesses take root.
Back in 2000 Congress passed Public Law 106-554, which, in a nutshell, mandated that 5% of all federal contracts be awarded to women-owned businesses. Yes, that’s just five percent. But it was a start.
Yet, in a jaw-dropping move, Bush cronies attempted to reduce that number by having the SBA propose a rule, in December 2007, that would have wiped out this assistance for women-owned businesses.
Essentially, the SBA proposal said that to qualify for a government contract, a woman-owned business would have to document “under-representation” within an industry and show direct discrimination by a government agency to attain “protected status”—meaning qualifying for the 5% plan.
As any person actively running a small business knows, time and resources are tight to begin with, let alone the costs involved in having document so-called “under-representation.” It’s easy to predict how the proposed statue would limit the number of government contracts given to women.
All in an effort to reduce the already paltry 5% figure.
Disgusting.
Fortunately the Senate Appropriations Committee halted the implementation of the SBA rule last week.
But that’s how close it came to seeing the light of day.
For the moment, business owners should tip their hat to the following Congressional leaders, listed in alphabetical order: Sam Brownback (R-KS), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Patty Murray (D-WA). Also, John Kerry (D-MA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are said to have thrown in their support to block the implementation of the bogus documentation proposal.
But will these leaders continue to support the issues of women’s entrepreneurs? And what happens now that Hillary Clinton will not be president?
It appears the effort to help protect that 5% figure was guided in large part by Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), a bi-partisan group of women in business. The WIPP correctly contended that the proposal would set dangerous new legal precedents that would undermine existing programs for women and minorities.
It is now lobbying for the proposal to be formally withdrawn.
But the final nod will have to come from the next head of the SBA. Currently, the nominee for SBA Administrator is Sandy Baruah.
Ladies, it’s time to speak up to protect our federally mandated 5% and to point that 5% isn’t nearly enough !
Last month, I went to an event in Newark, NJ with my friend, FCW Alicia Prendergast of Prendergast Management. I had no idea what I was attending – Alicia was going and it had the word Millions in it so I thought, what the hell. It’s all about stepping into the life you want so if you want Millions – go to Newark, NJ!
I was completely inspired that day more than I could have ever imagined! The women who organized this event are so fucking cool. Nell Merlino, the co-founder and president of “Count Me In” As the driving force behind Count Me In’s goal to getting 1 million women entrepreneurs to a $million in revenue by 2010, Nell has energized and engaged stakeholders in making this vision a reality!
How great is that! There were over 500 hundred people in attendance – 5% men – the rest women from the tri-state area. The energy in that room was exciting – exhilarating – Awe-inspiring. I never imagined myself saying I am a millionaire artist – but I have been recently! Why? Because what I walked away with on that afternoon in May … was this image.
Imagine a room full of men, any number – all of these men are millionaire business owners. NOW See a room full of the same amount of WOMEN and they are all Millionaire Business Owners! The energy in each room – so different – invest in women businesses means you invest in protecting the world! Women businesses generally have more of a social responsibility to give back to their communities.
Check out this site – join – its free! Make Yours a Million $ Business!! A fucking cool BUSINESS!
Make Mine a Million $ Business is a program of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence – and founding partner, American Express OPEN(SM). The program provides a combination of money, mentoring, marketing and technology tools that women entrepreneurs need to help grow their businesses from micro to $millions.
Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence introduced the Make Mine a Million $ BusinessTM program and our Micro to MillionsTM program to help women micro entrepreneurs grow and build sustainable enterprises, create jobs and develop innovative products and services.
Make Mine a Million $ Business is a program of Count Me In — and founding partner, American Express OPENSM. The program provides access to money, mentoring, marketing and technology tools that women entrepreneurs need to help grow their businesses. Count Me In launched the dynamic movement of Make Mine a Million $ Business to inspire one million women entrepreneurs to reach annual revenues of 1 Million $ by the year 2010.
Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence is the leading national not-for-profit provider of business resources and education for women entrepreneurs. Count Me In provides access to financing up to $45,000 along with other resources for women who are starting or growing their businesses.
To find out more about Count Me In, visit the Count Me In website at http://www.countmein.org
I am grateful I know so many inspiring FCW … Mary Birdsong is one… here’s an recent article about her … FCW are everywhere!!
Mary Birdsong may possibly be one of the most talented women in America. She is an actor who has graced both stage and screen. She has starred opposite Martin Short on Broadway and she was recently featured in Made of Honor with Patrick Dempsey, who was in a film called Can’t Buy Me Love. Her character Cherisha Kimball on Comedy Central’s Reno 911 (which returns with all-new episodes on May 22) is the quintessential girl-next-door, if you live next door to a lady that wears a uniform and is a bit bisexual, asexual and lesbian all rolled-up into one fun-filled package with a Southern accent.
She was also in one of the greatest alt.country bands of the past decade, Cottonhead, and her new band/performance-art project 99 Cent Whore is probably the coolest thing that you aren’t listening to currently.
If she had spare time, she would probably be finding a cure for cancer and dealing with the current global warming trend/conspiracy. Mary Birdsong does more before Tuesday at 11 a.m. than you will probably be doing all week. And she is also quite lovely and one the coolest people that old Pop-Rock Candy Mountain has ever talked to on the rotary phone. We would throw her a ticker-tape parade if we could.
(GO TO Pop-Rock Candy Mountain to read more…there are pics and clips!!)
Pop-Rock Candy Mountain (PRCM): How did you get into acting? Were your original aspirations to be a singer?
My trip to New Orleans was incredible. For those of you who don’t know why I went, V-Day held their 10th anniversary celebration at the Superdome in New Orleans, and I went to help out with that and to do other volunteering. (V-Day is the organization Eve Ensler started after writing the Vagina Monologues, and its mission is to end violence against women and girls). V-Day’s goal was to transform the Superdome into SuperLove, and to re-draw our attention to New Orleans. Because almost three years after Hurricane Katrina, it still really, really, really needs our help. More on that later.
One of the most powerful elements for me was that 1200 gulf coast women returned to New Orleans for the first time since they were displaced after Hurricane Katrina, many of whom had been in the Superdome. Can you imagine what it would be like to go back to such a place of fear and danger, and see it transformed? When I first got there for the volunteer orientation, all I could think was, “This is the creepiest place I’ve ever seen/been.” It is huge, and the thought of all those people seeking shelter there during Hurricane Katrina, afraid for their lives (from the hurricane and from people inside the Superdome), not knowing what was happening, not knowing where their family members were, not knowing how they were going to get food, to know when help was going to get there…well, you can still feel it. I really have to hand it to V-Day—they transformed a sports arena, a site of pain and suffering into a beautiful healing space, complete with a huge and gorgeous red tent, a stage, artwork all around, and more. It’s a bit hard to describe, but imagine Madison Square Garden all pink and purple with women everywhere and you’ll get a glimmer of what it was like.
As for what it was like to be in New Orleans in general, it’s a changed place. I went once before Katrina, and it’s so different, even the French Quarter. There are fewer people walking around, stores and restaurants are still closed and boarded up, and there’s a weird feel to the place. As I thought about it, I realized that it felt like NYC for the first couple of years after 9/11—people on edge, not wanting to talk about their stories, but spend a few minutes with them and they actually do want to talk about them.
It’s hard to avoid comparisons with 9/11 when talking about Katrina, especially for those of us in NYC and DC. After all, both were horrific, terrifying, and resulted in a huge loss of life, property, and security (innocence, some might say). That’s where it ends, though. 9/11 was localized in downtown NYC and the Pentagon; Katrina leveled a region. 9/11 was caused by terrorism, and Katrina was a natural disaster, aided and abetted by global climate change. 9/11 took place in the richest, most resourced city in the US and the Pentagon, and affected many wealthy people with a lot of resources and clout. Katrina, on the other hand, affected mostly working class and poor people, and people of color, in a region where municipal/governmen tal indolence was par for the course, and the people most hard hit have had the least clout. So three years later, once you leave the tourist and wealthy areas like the French Quarter and the Garden District, in many ways it looks like Katrina happened last month. It’s awful, ridiculous, and infuriating.
You’d think that they’d have at least taken care of all the falling-down houses; torn them down, etc. A lot of them have been, it’s true, but that’s the minority. Most are still standing, with roofs crushed in, spray-painted markings on the doors denoting how many bodies were found inside, what valuables were confiscated, if pets were found. You’d also think that there would be resources up the wazoo for people—mental health, job searches; nonprofits everywhere trying to do good works. There are nonprofits there, but they seem to be mostly focused on reconstruction, and not necessarily for displaced residents. Other supportive resources are hard to come by, violent crime is rampant, and domestic violence has spiked since Katrina.
I could go on…and on…and on, but really you have to see it for yourself. So we’re going to be doing a Red Tent volunteer trip to New Orleans this fall or winter. Because unfortunately, I have no doubt that there will still be plenty of work to be done. If that’s something that interests you, let me know and I’ll be sure to make sure you’re kept informed about that. Just so you know, it’s not all bad. The French Quarter’s lovely, the food’s great (although I could feel my cholesterol level spiking), the music is terrific, and people are soooo nice and happy to see that New Orleans hasn’t been forgotten.
That’s all for now. You’ll be hearing about our new programming in the near future. For now, please let me know what you think about our new mission, and keep letting me know what you’d like to see us do!
Take care,
Eryka and the board of the Red Tent Women’s Project
Mailing address:
Red Tent Women’s Project
Eryka Peskin, Director
338 4th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718. 866. 5859
www.redtentwomensproject.org
The Red Tent Women’s Project is a diverse and dynamic community of women who are catalysts for social change. By creating safe and empowered spaces we facilitate community building, information and resource exchange, and personal growth for women and girls.
Help support the Red Tent Women’s Project by donating now at http://redtentwomen sproject. org/_wsn/ page3.html
