You Should Go: F To 7th Free Preview Screening And Launch Party

Hello friends, I am here to tell you another thing about F To 7th, the new lesbian webseries created by Ingrid Jungermann of The Slope. You may remember that I originally asked you to help Kickstart this series, and then last week I showed you an exclusive teaser video that included Amy Sedaris and all our favorite words. Now I’m going to tell you how you can see the webseries before it goes live on your computer screen, for exactly zero dollars! You just need to be in New York and free this Thursday night.

The Independent Filmmaker Project, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers as well as the premier advocate for them, is hosting a free preview screening and party to celebrate the launch of F To 7th at the ReRun Gastropub Theater in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The event will include performances by cast and crew members including Ann Carr, Charles Rogers and the all-female NY improv troupe, Wicked City. Also I’ll be attending, possibly with Lemon but probably by myself, and I’m going to need somebody to sit with, so you have to come, okay?

If sitting next to me during the screening isn’t incentive enough to go, here’s a refresher about what this funny new webseries is all about.

A spin-off of the web series The Slope, F To 7th follows Ingrid as she struggles to find her place in a world where sexuality and gender have left her old-fashioned lesbianism behind. The eight-episode first season features guest spots by Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy), Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer), and Gaby Hoffmann (Louie), each playing very different characters. Showalter plays a competitive dog owner with Isaiah Stokes (Louie) while Sedaris plays Ingrid’s conservative Aunt Kate who is a tad too interested in her sex life.

F To 7th premieres online on Monday, January 21; new episodes will air every Monday.

The free preview screening / launch party is on Thursday, January 17 at 7pm. ReRun Theater is located at 147 Front Street, Brooklyn, New York.

You Should Go: ‘Mosquita y Mari’ at The Brooklyn Museum

As part of the Tribeca Youth Screening Series and launched as HerStory Now: Celebrating The Power of The Everyday Woman, Mosquita y Mari is set to screen Monday, January 14th (today!) at the Brooklyn Museum.  I’m going to be there. You should too. Maybe we could hold hands in the dark. If that’s too weird for you that’s totally understandable and don’t worry because the Tribeca Film Institute has grander plans for us than just showing this film. The Youth Screening Series is one of those arts based education programs that make me love New York and any other cities that recognizes the importance of embracing and dissecting the world of visual arts with kids and teens.

The Tribeca Youth Screening Series is a free-of-charge program that brings New York City public middle and high school students and teachers to screenings at Tribeca Cinemas and during the Tribeca Film Festival…Students are exposed to independent films, filmmakers, and subject matter not typically explored in mainstream Hollywood fare, and teachers are supplied with a film text that can serve as a unique supplement to their humanities curriculum.

This entire program is a hallelujah moment for someone like me, who is new to being an educator but has a background in independent DIY filmmaking. There’s so much undoing that has to happen when I talk to the teen participants in my photo/video program about films. Fuck it, there’s so much deconstruction that takes place when I discuss films with my friend who don’t work in the arts. Here’s a mainstream movie viewing experience, that everyone myself included is guilty of:

1) See awesome trailer on YouTube

2) Squee!

3) Buy tickets.

4) Sit in the dark with strangers plus one barrel of popcorn and a river of soda.

5) Watch 15 minutes of trailers for other movies kind of like the one about to play and one random trailer for a movie that might suck worse than anything you’ve ever seen.

6) Thunderous sound effects, opening credits, movie, end credits.

7) Everyone leaves.

8) Tumbl, tweet, facebook about movie while eating somewhere. Maybe discuss movie over beers. Forget about movie in a few days.

9) Repeat.

That isn’t enough, especially when some films dive into our DNA find the bits that makes us who we are and blast them onto a screen. That isn’t enough when some films transcend the grandiose Wal-Mart quality of an AMC theater, push past our easily swallowed assumptions of each other and give birth to the glorious heartbreak of reexamining the world. The Tribeca Youth Screening Series provides the space needed to digest these groundbreaking films and the proper tools to do it as a community of educators, regardless of age or titles. And we get to do all of this, with the brilliant individuals who created and produced the films in the series.

So reserve a ticket, bring your class or your baby sister and come see Mosquita y Mari with me and stay for the discussion with the cast & crew.  I’ll also be writing a review of the film but in badass brief-ery, here’s a little about Aurora Guerrero’s debut feature film from the official Mosquita y Mari website:

Mosquita y Mari is a coming of age story that focuses on a tender friendship between two young Chicanas. Yolanda and Mari are growing up in Huntington Park, Los Angeles and have only known loyalty to one thing: family. Growing up in immigrant households, both girls are expected to prioritize the well-being of their families… As their friendship grows, a yearning to explore their strange yet beautiful connection surfaces… Mounting pressures at home collide with their new-found connection, forcing them to choose between their obligations to others and staying true to themselves.

[vimeo 34977089 w=500 h=281]

Details:

Monday, January 14, 2013
Reserve tickets for: Mosquita y Mari at The Brooklyn Museum
5pm: Screening
6:30pm: Workshop
7:30pm: Reception

2013 Golden Globes Liveblog and Open Thread

Welcome to the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards! Unlike the Grammys, Oscars, Emmys and Tonys the Golden Globes have neither a catchy name nor any real value in terms of prestige. So why am I watching this constellation prize showdown? Because Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting and they are the funniest most amazing people in the world! For real! Look how adorable and perfect they are:

This year I basically didn’t see any movies. Well, I mean I saw a lot of movies but they were mostly comedies, super heros and things released in 3D. I can be better, I promise. So I’m using this years Golden Globes to sit back, laugh at some hilarious women and figure out what I need to see before the Academy awards. I am however completely up to date on every TV show ever and I have very strong feelings about all of it.

And (some of the) nominees are:
Best Motion Picture, Drama
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Marion Cotillard, “Rust and Bone”
Helen Mirren, “Hitchcock”
Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”
Rachel Weisz, “The Deep Blue Sea”

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Emily Blunt, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
Judi Dench, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
Maggie Smith, “Quartet”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Meryl Streep, “Hope Springs”

Best Animated Feature Film
Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
For You, “Act of Valor”
Not Running Anymore, “Stand Up Guys”
Safe and Sound, “The Hunger Games”
Skyfall, “Skyfall”
Suddenly, “Les Miserables”

Best Television Series, Drama
Breaking Bad
Boardwalk Empire
Downton Abbey
Homeland
The Newsroom

Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical
The Big Bang Theory
Episodes
Girls
Modern Family
Smash

Let’s do this starting at 8pm EST.

7:55 EST: Let’s get this shit started. I may have spent other liveblogs eating delicious cheese and drinking red wine, but this time I think I’ll save that for the Oscars. So tonight all I’m armed with is a bowl of Annie’s mac and cheese, a bottle of seltzer and this really comfy sweatshirt blanket I have.

7:58 EST: I’m a sucker for red carpet photos

8:03 EST: “Ricky Gervais is no longer technically in show business.” Ha. Love it.

8:06 EST: NOOOOO. Meryl Streep is out sick!!

8:08 EST: This might be the first time I’ve ever actually laughed multiple times during the host’s introduction. Like ever.

8:10 EST: Welp we’re gonna hit the ground running on this shindig. Best supporting actor goes to Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained . I think he’s going to cry and/or vomit on stage right now.

8:12 EST: Best supporting actress in a TV show, mini series or TV movie goes to Maggie Smith, no surprise there. Too bad she didn’t take the flight in. She’s probably saving it for the Emmy’s.

8:19 EST: I’m surprised Game Change wins best miniseries. I love Julianne Moore like crazy but I thought Game Change had mixed reviews. It only has a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes.

8:25 EST: Welp looks like the Globeys liked Game Change better than the critics. My favorite gay-for-pay Julianne Moore wins for best actress in a miniseries or TV movie. I guess everyone loves a good Sarah Palin impersonation.

8:28 EST: Tina Fey talking about Hunger Games? I think I had a dream about this once. But everyone was wearing less.

8:29 EST:Wow the HFPA president is actually kind of funny. It’s really weird though that everyone sits at tables eating during the Golden Globes. Shouldn’t they be awkwardly stuffed into theater chairs?

8:31 EST: I just decided I’m rooting for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. In other news, please don’t let Jon Hamm win for Madmen. I’m so over it.

8:35 EST: Oh thank god. Damian Lewis wins for Homeland. Of course, Homeland is like the one TV show I’m not watching right now. Should I be watching it? Is that what all the cool kind are doing?

8:36 EST: That awkward moment when the whole Golden Globe system breaks down and no one knows what to do or say.

8:38 EST: I guess all the cool kinds are watching Homeland since Homeland wins for best TV drama.

8:43 EST:When I see John Goodman, I just think of him in The Flintstones movie.

8:44 EST: I feel like it has been a really long time since I last saw JLo. JLo, where you been at? I missed you!

Is there any doubt John Williams is going to win for best origional score for Lincoln?

8:46 EST: Welp, I feel dumb. Mychael Danna wins best original score for Life of Pi.

8:48 EST: Okay but well all agree that Adele is going to win for “Skyfall” right? Because: Adele.

8:50 EST: Yup there it is. Adele wins the Golden Globe for best original song. I love that Adele seems genuinely surprised that she won. I mean, we all knew it right?

Taylor Swift is not pleased.

8:55 EST: Wait. Did Tina Fey just sneak into that dude’s seat and pose as him? Hilar. Less importantly, Kevin Costner wins for best actor in a miniseries or TV movies for Hatfields & McCoys.

8:58 EST: What on earth is Bill Clinton doing here!?!?! Holy shit they actually got a former president to talk about the movie Lincoln. Obviously because it’s Bill Clinton he sells the fucking hell out of it. I honestly didn’t much want to see this until now. Oh Bill.

9:00 EST:
Amy: OMG that was Hilary Clinton’s husband!
Tina: That was William Rodham Clinton.

So happy right now. Also this happened earlier:

9:05 EST:Yay JLaw wins for Silver Linings Playbook for best actress in a comedy!! I love her forever! But she will always be Katniss in my heart.

JLaw: I beat Meryl!

9:12 EST: Wow Kristen Bell is so super pregnant! How did I miss that one? Also best supporting actor in a tv show/miniseries or movie goes to Ed Harris for Game Change which I think is sort of a shame because I really like Max Greenfield on New Girl.

9:15 EST: Anne Hathaway wins best supporting actress for Les MisérablesGod could Anne Hathaway look any cuter with that short hair? I love her. No seriously. She just said “blerg” and is crying. Adorbs. Although her hair does look a little old school Biebs.

9:19 EST: Damn I want a snack but my kitchen is too far away to get there and back before the end of the comercial break. My life is so hard.

9:22 EST: Will I ever not associate Amanda Seyfried with Mean Girls? I think not. Maybe I just don’t want to. Regardless Quentin Tarantino wins best screenplay for Django Unchained Although he sounds a teeny tiny bit crazy, I totally know what he’s talking about when he says reading his work aloud to his friends helps him to hear it through their ears. I totally do this whenever I’m not sure if something is funny.

9:27 EST: Lucy Liu looks fucking amazing. And just so all of you know, Debra Messing went to Brandeis where Rachel and I went! So no big deal it’s a big deal. While I always want Big Bang Theory to win everything, it’s nice to see Don Cheadle win best actor in a TV show for House of Lies. A few weeks ago my friends and I got into a pretty heated discussion over how to pronounce Cheadle. She thought it was pronounced Shield. I said Chee-Dal. Based on that announcement, I won. I love winning.

9:34 EST: Yay time for best foreign film! I have this rule where I watch whatever foreign film wins! This year the winner for best foreign film was Amour. It appears to be about sad old people so maybe I’ll save this one for when I have a hangover.

9:37 EST: I feel like Lea Michele is so talented it makes me sort of sad that she’s presenting instead of receiving awards. Obviously Glee isn’t wining any awards, but I would love to see Lea in a live sung musical (I think post-Les Mis there will be many more).

9:40 EST:Claire Danes wins for best actress in a TV drama for Homeland. I love Claire Danes forever but is it okay that I just don’t want to watch a show about terrorism? I just don’t.

9:42 EST: I know you guys were on the edge of your seats about the whole “Lizz is hungry” situation. I ran up for a snack. Taleggio and crackers just FYI.

9:45 EST: I don’t think Sacha Baron Cohen is funny at all. Also even though I obviously want Brave to win for best animated feature, I feel sort of like Wreck-It Ralph deserves a little love too. And Hotel Transylvania. Don’t judge me.

9:48 EST: No surprise but still awesome, Brave wins for best animated picture. I hope this encourages Disney to produce more animated films feature independent girls with no love interest!

9:53 EST: Just saw the clips from Life of Pi. I don’t want to see the movie because, um, I read the last ten pages of the book.

Now time for the most important category! I watch, literally every show in the best actress in a comedy category. I’m not sure Lena Dunham is actually better than Tina Fey, Amy Poehler or Julia Louis-Dreyfus but she has done a great job tonight making me feel like I haven’t done anything with my life. Just to be clear, by “not sure Lena Dunham is actually better” I mean I think that she’s not and Amy Poehler got ripped off. I think the Golden Globes are mostly just rewarding Lena Dunham for being young and being on HBO.

9:58 EST: Wait can anyone tell me if The Mindy Project could have qualified this year? Because Mindy Kaling is the funniest woman on television.

10:00 EST: Robert Downey Junior is one of my favorite actors because I don’t in any way distinguish between him and Tony Stark. And I love Tony Stark. I couldn’t tell you why he’s roasting Jodie Foster now. Is it just because she’s awesome? Whatever, I’ll always take a tribute to a talented lezzie.

10:06 EST: Also JFos looks stupidly good for 50. OMG is she about to come out?

10:07 EST: HOLY SHIT Jodie Foster just came out officially! Like on TV! Holy shit!!


10:12 EST: Um. Oh my god that just really happened.

10:15 EST: Okay I’ve collected my thoughts and pulled myself up from the floor. I think Jodie Foster pull that off perfectly. She got everyone all tense and nervous for a second, made a joke and then was like, “look, everyone knows I’m gay.” She got to have a moment to talk about privacy while still officially confirming her sexual orientation which, at this point in time I think is important. Wow.

10:18 EST: I’m surprised it wasn’t Lincoln, but Ben Affleck wins best director for Argo. Who ever thought Ben Affleck would become a legitimate grown-up Hollywood figure?

10:21 EST: I feel like Girls is going to win best comedy but I really want Big Bang Theory or Modern Family to win.

10:23 EST: And there is it. Girls wins best comedy. I haven’t done anything with my life. I need to write a pilot and get famous immediately. It does crack me up that Lena Dunham is somehow the only person at the Golden Globes reading from notes.

10:28 EST: I’m exhausted. These are long. Also, should I be watching Smash? I’m seeing a lot of ads for it tonight. I’m a big sucker for advertisement.

10:30 EST: Christian Bale never fails to look totally creepy.

10:32 EST: Jennifer Garner is so pretty and amazing. My sister-in-law has met her a bunch because she comes into her shop in Boston. Apparently she is super nice. Hugh Jackman wins for best actor in a comedy or musical for Les Misérables. I always forget he’s Australian until the moment he starts speaking. More importantly I feel like whenever I see him in a movie I’m always thinking “It’s so cool that Wolverine has an acting career now.” I also love how many people have been so wholeheartedly thanking and loving their partners. I really appreciate it. Its just nice to hear that some people really do love forever.

10:36 EST: I know you guys probably can’t see it because of “local news” but there was just the funniest comercial for one of tonight’s news pieces. It’s about the trials and tribulations of a local (Providence/Rhode Island) marching band. I hope your local news ads are as good as mine.

10:38 EST: Whoa aftermath of 911. That shit got serious fast. It’s not that I don’t want to see Zero Dark Thirty, it’s just that I don’t really want to see any movie about war ever. It’s a thing.

10:40 EST: OOOhhhh! Here comes best comedy or musical! I’m kind of rooting for Moonrise Kingdom.

10:42 EST: But I’m not a member of the HFPA and the award for best comedy or musical goes to Les Misérables I guess it does seem pretty impressive when you get to play “Do You Hear the People Sing” as the cast and crew walks up.

Also can we talk about Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried’s on-stage spooning situation? Adorbs.

10:47 EST: I just learned the other day that George Clooney had Bell’s Palsy, a dysfunction of cranial nerve five that causes one half of your face to paralyzed, sometimes forever. I think that he should speek out about this more because it’s really scary when it happens to people. Also, Jessica Chastain wins for best actress in a drama for Zero Dark Thirty. I hate when Helen Mirren loses. She’s my fave.

10:50 EST: I can’t believe Meryl Streep is out sick. George Clooney you are no substitute for the most amazing actress in the world. Oh, and Daniel Day-Lewis wins best actor for portraying a great American president.

10:55 EST: I think it’s time for more Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. I needs the funnies. Actually, I think all that’s left is the award for best drama.

10:58 EST: Is Julia Roberts wearing a pants jumpsuit romper thing? I like that she and the other presenters seem to be plahing it so loose and casual.

10:59 EST: Best drama goes to Argo. Once again, I still can’t believe that Ben Affleck became a real human. Remember him in Dogma?

11:00 EST: That’s a wrap! Tonight was actually really entertaining! I actually wasn’t bored, which is really saying something for an award show. Well, plus Jodie Foster came out. Wowza.

Amy Poehler: Goodnight everybody! We’re going home with Jodie Foster!

Oscar Nominations Are More Exciting than the Oscars Will Be

Another year, another slew of movies I haven’t seen. Feb. 24th Seth MacFarlane is hosting the 85th Academy Awards. Personally, I’m hoping he will do the entire thing as Stewie but if not, I’m sure he can pull off “white male comedian” which people love so much.

Anywho, everyone seems confused about the Achievement in Directing category. Tom Hooper (“Les Miserables”), Ben Affleck (“Argo”) and Steven Spielberg (“Lincoln”) all got snubbed but I don’t really care. Mostly I’m pissed about Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty”) because she’s a woman and that’s the only reason I need. Give her the damn nomination because lord knows how long it’ll be before they deem some other woman even “worth mentioning.” I hope she flips the camera the bird.

Usually I put the movies into three categories: movies I wanna see, movies I don’t really wanna see but feel like I have to yet still probably won’t, and no way in *uck I’m seeing this movie. Right now leading the pack for movies (not including documentaries) I want to see is “Beasts of the Southern Wild” with nine year old Quvenzhané Wallis, the youngest ever nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Emmanuelle Riva, 85, also made history as the oldest actress in the same category. Outside of that there’s “Silver Linings Playbook” because of Jennifer Lawrence (and I love Bradley Cooper cough cough you didn’t read this). I just want there to be a category for comedies honestly. Now for the nominations I decided to include. You can find the rest on the official Oscars site.

Best Picture
“Amour”
“Argo”
“Beasts of the Southern Wild”
“Django Unchained”
“Les Miserables”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“Silver Linings Playbook”
“Zero Dark Thirty”

Achievement in Directing
Michael Haneke (“Amour”)
Ang Lee (“Life of Pi”)
David O. Russell (“Silver Linings”)
Steven Spielberg (“Lincoln”)
Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts”)

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper (“Silver Linings”)
Daniel Day-Lewis (“Lincoln”)
Hugh Jackman (“Les Miserables”)
Joaquin Phoenix (“The Master”)
Denzel Washington (“Flight”)

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”)
Jennifer Lawrence (“Silver Linings”)
Emmanuelle Riva (“Amour”)
Quvenzhane Wallis (“Beasts”)
Naomi Watts (“The Impossible”)

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin (“Argo”)
Robert De Niro (“Silver Linings”)
Tommy Lee Jones (“Lincoln”)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (“The Master”)
Christoph Waltz (“Django”)

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (“The Master”)
Sally Field (“Lincoln”)
Anne Hathaway (“Les Mis”)
Helen Hunt (“The Sessions”)
Jacki Weaver (“Silver Linings Playbook”)

Adapted Screenplay
Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts”)
Tony Kushner (“Lincoln”)
David Magee (“Life of Pi”)
David O. Russell (“Silver Linings”)
Chris Terrio (“Argo”)

Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (“Moonrise Kingdom”)
Mark Boal (“Zero Dark Thirty”)
John Gatins (“Flight”)
Michael Haneke (“Amour”)
Quentin Tarantino (“Django Unchained”)

Animated Feature Film
“Brave”
“Frankenweenie”
“ParaNorman”
“The Pirates! Band of Misfits”
“Wreck-It Ralph”

Documentary Feature
“5 Broken Cameras”
“The Gatekeepers”
“How to Survive a Plague”
“The Invisible War”
“Searching for Sugar Man.”

Documentary (short subject)
“Inocente”
“Kings Point”
“Mondays at Racine”
“Open Heart”
“Redemption”

What have you seen? What do you want to see? What are your picks? Who do you think got snubbed? How do you think MacFarlene will do?

You Should Go: Writeous! Celebrates the Lesbian Writer’s Fund at NYC’s Greene Space

You may have caught my interview last month with Astraea’s executive director J. Bob Alotta. Those of you who commented were both excited and surprised to learn that, as Alotta wrote, “basically every heavy hitter in lesbian writing of the last 20 years” has been a part of their Lesbian Writer’s Fund.

Stick to your plan to get more involved in your community this year and join fellow queers this Friday, January 11th, for an evening of readings, performances, and music celebrating Astraea’s Lesbian Writer’s Fund. Proceeds from the event will support the Global LGBT Art’s Fund.

Writeous! will feature the words of Urvashi Vaid, Lenelle Moise, Staceyann Chin, and Jacqueline Woodson.  Quite an all star line up, this group includes both the fifth Poet Laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts, Moise; and  the Director of the Engaging Tradition Project at Columbia Law School’s Center for Gender and Sexuality Law, Vaid.

In addition to these artists and activists, the evening will offer the music of vocalist and composer Imani Uzuri. DJ Tikka Masala, whom you may know from That’s My Jam and deejaying the freaking White House, will DJ the event.

Please note the event has changed location to the Green Space! 

You can purchase your $20 tickets (no one turned away for lack of funds) at the door or online.

Venue is wheelchair accessible through ramp in rear courtyard. If you need any further information about accessibility, please email development@astraeafoundation.org

Time to Share Your Autostraddle Air Mail

Hey everyone! Some 800+ of you (at least!) should remember our super-awesome pen pal project from this summer. Have you sent a letter to your Autostraddle pen pal lately? We hope you’ve been keeping up with your new buddies, but who could blame you for letting yuletide stress swallow up some of your lesser obligations?

Now that it’s post-finals and post-holidays, it’s time to pull out your snowman stationary and send your pen pal some love. Or perhaps you could make your pen pal some cookies? Laura sent me her famous homemade Oreos earlier this semester and it made my week. You, too, could engender this same sense of joy! (Just remember, you don’t want to make your vegan or peanut-allergic pen pal cry, so make sure to ascertain any dietary restrictions or preferences they might have before you send off your baked goods).

Do you have any excellent pictures, quotes, stories, etc. that you’ve received or sent so far that you want to share with the class? With permission from your pen pal, pull out the shoebox from under your bed where you’ve been stashing all the cute things and send that love our way email-style to julia [at] autostraddle [dot] com or laura [at] autostraddle [dot] com. We’ll feature it in a gallery in January!

(Also, if you’re having trouble reaching your pen pal, please contact us at the above emails, and we’ll send your pen pal a line and see what’s up.)

Drinks, Debauchery, and Oh Yeah, Art: A Queer Goes To Art Basel

Tons of people go to Art Basel***, but I’m not the typical attendee: I’m not a Chelsea gallerist, a rich collector, an art handler, or even an art history major. I’m one of those queers who loves Gossip Girl and fancy things and glamour and glitter. Somehow the desire for celebrity run-ins, a tan, a visit with my bestie Monica, and the practical need for art world knowledge (I am an artist, after all) hit a breaking point and I gave in to my FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Between airline miles, my friend Rob’s couch, and press passes (thanks Autostraddle!) I realized I could actually make the trip sans trust fund. I packed up my costumes & wigs, color-coded a google doc of events I was obsessively RSVP-ing to, emptied my memory cards, and headed south to the great unknown in search of tits, truth, & tropical weather.

*** WTF IS THIS ART BASEL STUFF? Art Basel Miami Beach (not like the herb, pronounced bahhhzel) is, according to it’s site “the most important art show in the United States.” The sister site to the original fair in Basel, Switzerland, it takes place over a weekend in December every year and has tens of thousands of visitors. It’s like, a really big deal. For art people. Or rich people. Or Miami businesses. But, you know, not a big deal for most people. Whatever. To some un-named Miami Natives it’s the week when a wave of snobby people create traffic jams.

Monica and I prepared for Basel-war by over-hydrating, doing yoga, eating more vitamins than we could ever possibly need, and constantly refreshing our Gmail to see what events we could get invited to. To give a little insight: there are 22 satellite art fairs spread across the beach and mainland (a 20 minute drive apart, minimum) which do not include museums, outdoor installations, gallery opening, parties, open bars, cute girls I might want to chat up, or friends I might want to run into. I had no idea what I was in for.

 

 

THE DRINKING

 

This alcohol was sugar free & lo carb & made locally. Obvi.

 

Since I’d be writing an Autostraddle queer guide to Art Basel I figured I should be eating at mouth-melting places and taking instagram photos of it. But honestly… with all the running around I completely forgot to eat the first day. After that I always had a cliff bar in my bag, although I did nibble at Wynwood Walls & Yardbird – which are both worth sitting down and shelling out a pretty penny or two.

 

 

 

Truth is, I’m pretty sure Art Basel is synonymous for “champagne & cocktail IV drip”. One group, Las Carpinteros, even built an installation on the beach that functioned as a bar. I was hesitant to visit it because I heard the drinks were expensive and I had gotten used to the whole “not paying for alcohol” thing. When I got there I found it was closed for a private event. Because of course at Basel, art-installation-bars are very exclusive. I finally hustled my way in, only to find out that the night featured an open bar, so that made it final: I never paid a dime for a drink all weekend & neither should you. (Unless you need to go to a dive bar to hide from the utter pretension of it all.)

In Sum: Survival of the lushest- drink lots of water or miss half a day of prime Basel-ing cursing the bright Miami sun in bed.

 

THE LINES

Get a bunch of rich people on an island with millions of dollars of product, and it’s the perfect recipe for privilege overload (don’t even get me started on the “design for dogs” store). The funny part is even the important people who have probably never ever waited for a goddamn thing had to wait in line here. Is art basel the great equalizer? Thank you Jeffery Campbell for inventing heels that make standing in line painless, because all the waiting was worth what lay beyond the velvet rope (except David Lynch’s pop-up nightclub Silencio, which reportedly sucked.)

 

In Sum: don’t feel bad if you’re in line. Oh, and leave those shoes that “almost” fit you at home or be forced to buy some on the boardwalk at the last minute when your blister just can’t take it anymore.

 

THE ADVENTURE

 

 

HOLY SHIT. You have no idea. It’s totally possible to get to ride a boat to a mansion for a balls-to-the-chandelier vogue party (think “Paris is Burning”, not the magazine), watch Metric play front row, dance the night away in a room full of your idols, end up at a 5AM warehouse party with a Gil Greene film installation, and see A$AP Rocky onstage at a Playboy party from the luxury of a cabana on the pool. These are things that happen at Art Basel. You talk to the woman in the corner and, of course, she writes for the New York Times or directs a major private international art collection.

 

In Sum: When someone invites you on a boat, just say yes. Obviously.

 

THE CELEBRITY

 

Fuck all the rest of the celebrities that I may or may not have spotted this week. All you need to know is that Susan Mikula was showing at Aqua Art Fair.

 

Why is she so important? Well, if you’re as good of a stalker as I am, you’d know she makes super dreamy naked girl photographs, AND is Rachel Maddow’s lady. In my duty to Autostraddle, I moved heaven & earth (or really, I overcame my heart attack) at the press opening to bring you this:

In Sum: Rachel Maddow is actually really sweet in person. Like, really really sweet.

 

Post Script: Walt Whitman was also at Scope Art Fair- hiding in a wooden box. There was a crowd of people hanging out while I used the phone to talk to Walt Whitman about his homo tendencies & poetic crushes on young men.

 

 

THE GAYS

 

You know what’s ridiculous? If you ask the PR person at the fair about gay artists, they won’t have any answers for you. Ask about just about anything else, and they’ll give you a list of booths, but there’s still an art “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Or at least, that’s what it felt like. (Notable exception: San Franciscan based A&O PR bad-ass Lainya from Untitled Art Fair who pointed me to epic-ly dark Participant Gallery). What was I to do? Thankfully, the informal queer network is useful for something beyond dating, and I was able to find rad queer artists & curators to feature. Oh, and sometimes glitter rainbow shoes can be a giveaway. There’s nothing like asking an artist if they’re a homo to make a moment instantly awkward.

 

In Sum: You know all the queer artists you’ve slept with and broken up with because they’re too dramatic but who are still fun so you still keep in touch with them? Ask them if any of their friends are showing at Basel. Then you’ll know where the gay art is.

 

THE HARD FEMME

 

 

I can’t tell you how much work took up the panty dropping combination of strength and femininity, and how pleased I was to document it. Not all of these artists are queer, but arguably, feral-knife-holster-stripper-shoes and needle filled pearl bonnets deserve honorary Q cards, no?

In Sum: Someone buy me a razor-bra, yesterday.

 

THE OTHER ART

 

 

So much of the art bored me. Call it Stendhal Syndrome, call it shitty overpriced emperor’s new clothes, call it Najva is a raging judge-gy bitch – but here’s the good news: every once in awhile, across the hall from the corner of overdone & crappy, I’d see a piece I’d walk up to and for just a minute, everything stopped. You’d think I’d like more considering how much rhinestones and glitter was used… but I kinda want the work around me to, I dunno, mean something? I want art that’s funny, smart, interactive, worth a double take, or um – the giant Sugar & Gomorrah roller coaster. Really, there was a rollercoaster, with naked people making out inside instead of jumping out to scare you. Since you weren’t there, here’s some highlights:

 

 

In Sum: Much of the art sucks. Some doesn’t. Don’t pay full price for the actual convention. Just don’t.

 

 

THE TITS

 

At some point at Scope Art Fair I was walking around with Ian, a Miami photographer charged with the difficult task of making a NSFW gallery of Basel, and in protest of the difficulty in finding gay art, I started shaking my glass of bubbly & screaming “show me the tits!” which was probably the closest Basel got to Bourbon Street. I found some though. However, I should note that I was sorely disappointed that most NSFW pieces were made by dudes. We need to step up our gay game. Here ya go:

 

 

In Sum: There should really just be a “naked chicks” section for all of us philistines.

 

THE BABES

 

THERE WERE SO MANY GOOD LOOKING TALENTED PEOPLE THERE- someone said it felt like an artsy-freak class field trip. That sounds about right. I mean, I was floored by the super-high ratio of Sure, I didn’t get a chance to capture everyone because sometimes I was too busy dancing and passing a joint to snap a shot of photographer Io Tillet Wright or performance artist boychild – but that’s part of it right?

 

 

In Sum: How come I didn’t make out with any of these people? Next year I am fixing this. #Justkidding #Notreallytho

 

THE CONCLUSION

 

I left Basel with aching feet, piles of business cards, a mild tan, and some heavy inspiration. Monica & I skipped out Sunday night and went up to Ft. Lauderdale, home of the great gayborhood of Wilton Manors. When I finally passed out I slept straight through ‘till Monday afternoon, dreaming of rhinestone studded knives, champagne baths, and a solo show at Basel 2013. You’re invited.

We’re Queering the F*ck Out of Musical Theater, Wanna Help?

While the other lesbians in my high school were playing softball, I was the girl who did every show, headed the drama club, and sang in the halls. Essentially, I was Rachel Berry, but less abrasive and with a lot more black in my wardrobe. I rented documentaries on Broadway from the library and dreamed of the day I would get to be up on that stage. I was excited to go off to college with my tap shoes in tow, where I was assured I would meet girls like me: girls who lived for musical theatre and wanted to make out with other girls.

Upon arriving at conservatory, I was excited to be around so many out queer people. I felt happy hearing all the boys talk about the other boys they wanted to date. “You guys are just like me!!!!” I would have said, if anyone had stopped competing for the spotlight long enough to talk to me. After several weeks, I figured out that I was pretty much the only self-identified lesbian in the whole school. I had entered a field that was seemingly devoid of lesbians.

This lack of lesbians has led to some interesting experiences over the years. I have repeatedly stayed in the closet because of assumptions that I don’t correct. I’m never sure how to respond in these situations because my personal orientation has nothing to do with the work I am doing. But at the same time, all of my work is based around sexuality. Most of the work I am doing is pretending to fall in love with men. There is an assumption that women in musical theatre are straight. Sometimes I correct it, but sometimes I’m standing in front of Sutton Foster and 50 other workshop students and it just doesn’t seem like a great time to come out of the closet.

When Rachel Kunstadt, along with co-creator/producers Thirza Defoe and Teresa Lotz, came to me and asked if I would be interested in performing in Lezcab, I jumped around in excitement for a bit before wondering why nobody had ever done this before. I am so excited to be part of something that recognizes, showcases, and celebrates queer women in musical theatre. It’s nice to actually do a song without having to flip the pronouns in my head — I get to do what I love without having to face assumptions about my sexuality. I wish that I had this as my confused and lonely adolescent-self, which is why we’re bringing a little piece of queer lady musical theatre to those of you not able to visit it in person.

Here is a clip of the amazing talented Marie Eife singing “Never Neverland” by Scott Alan from the first LezCab. Maggie Keenan-Bolger will also tell you a little bit about her younger days.

Rachel on starting Lezcab:

“I started LezCab because I’ve been involved in musical theatre my entire life, and I’ve witnessed a huge community of gay men in musical theatre, yet there’s very little representation of queer women in musical theatre.  People always talk about how open and accepting (and queer) musical theatre is, but I’ve found that it’s geared towards men.  I thought that there has to be a group of us out there, and seeing as the community structure didn’t exist, I decided to create it.  I approached Teresa and Thirza, who are classmates of mine at the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU/Tisch, and they were on board.

Being a queer writer in musical theatre, I definitely see a lack of material out there.  There aren’t many female musical theatre writers to begin with, and so just seeing women writing is amazing.  While the industry has many queer male musical theatre writers, which has been the case for a long time, there is not much as to queer content in musical theatre, male or female.”

I was super excited walking into rehearsal. These girls were so talented and cute and queer! If we’d all been in an audition room with 500 other girls up for the same role, we would’ve blended in with the masses, so it was nice to realize that I wasn’t alone. I don’t yet know if my experiences mirror any of the other performers’, but I do know this is fairly new territory and we finally have a venue where we can explore questions.

One of the performers I’ve been singing alongside is Holly Marie Dunn, who’s so talented and has an amazing fiancée who records all of her performances, which mean you guys get to see them. Isn’t that cute? Here’s a recording of Holly singing “Expectations of a Man.”

Because we don’t all have amazing fiancées who record our singing, Lezcab is looking for someone with an awesome camera and some skills to record future performances. If you’re in the New York area and think this might be you, please contact lezcab1 [at] gmail [dot] com. Otherwise, we hope to see you at the next “Lezcab” on Dec. 16th. RSVP here! There’s an after party, so if you want to get your drink on with some cute girls, you can RSVP for the party here. If you’re far away, don’t worry! You can send us good vibes and wait for some more stories and cute singing girls in video form.

You Should Go: Subjectified Screening in Brooklyn

I don’t know about you, but I am forever complaining about the lack of women’s voices in conversations that center around women and sex. You’d think by being one of the subjects we’d automatically be considered one of the experts on the topic, but oh no, that would be way too reasonable. Instead we’re relegated to the background while society serves up images of what “sex” and “sexuality” mean in relation to women, and if we dare comment we’re deemed either a “slut” or a “prude” or my personal favorite, “crazy.” It really seems that despite placing the idea of women in the foreground of so many conversations about sex, nobody actually wants to hear from us what we think or feel about the matter. Until now.

Subjectified: Nine Young Women Talk about Sex from Melissa Tapper Goldman on Vimeo.

Subjectified: Nine Young Women Talk About Sex is a documentary directed and produced by Melissa Tapper Goldman that has a mission as straightforward as its title: allow women to talk about sex. No weird outside narrative. No horrific commentary from bros who want to argue the reality of rape culture. And no direction or restrictions on what can or cannot be said. This film is quite literally nine young women talking about sex. They are diverse and they are honest and they are perfect, not because I agree with everything they said (I don’t) and not because I see myself in each and every one (how could I?) but because they are talking openly about sex and in a world that makes a habit of telling women to shut up, the mere act of speaking up is revolutionary.

I guarantee you won’t agree with every word each woman utters, because they offer nine very different perspectives on an extremely personal subject, but I can also guarantee that you will be on the edge of your seat throughout the whole film, because the concept itself is so very exciting: nine young women talking about sex! It bears repeating over and over because it is so rare. This is a film wherein not one, not two, but nine young women are given a space to tell their stories. It is a response to the silence that usually shrouds this subject, not because women have nothing to say about sex but because we are actively silenced. Subjectified takes women out of the demeaning role of “object” and into the powerful role of “subject” and it is so satisfying and yet so simple, one wonders why it hasn’t been done before.

But it hasn’t, not really, and the truth in that statement becomes clearer as the film progresses. When women tell stories we are told we are over-indulgent or self-absorbed or frivolous or overshares. When men tell those same stories, slotting women in over and over as the same one-dimensional characters, they are lauded as honest and brave. This film, which is both honest and brave, uses a very simple medium to expose voices that are rarely heard, and it does so in a respectful and open way. Nothing about the interviews seems gratuitous or titillating for the sake of an audience, and the one-on-one format gives audience members the impression that the women speaking have been made to feel as comfortable as possible. Really, no matter how intimate the conversation becomes, the only feelings of awkwardness stem from the realization that women’s voices are rarely heard in the dialogue about sex, and yet they are essential.

If you’re interested in hearing these voices yourself and engaging with the filmmaker behind this project, you’re in luck! There will be a free screening followed by a Q&A with Melissa Tapper Goldman this Wednesday, December 5th at 7pm at the YWCA of Brooklyn, 30 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, co-sponsored by Subjectified and Sadie magazine. RSVP is preferred, but not required. If you’re unable to make the screening, never fear! There are many other ways you can engage with the film and its mission. Check out the “YOU!” tab on the film’s website to learn how to best use Subjectified as an individual learning tool and as a resource for campus groups, educators and institutions. 

You Should Go: LezCab New York City

If you’ve been craving a Broadway fix of the Sapphic kind, you’re going to be very excited to learn about LezCab, a monthly cabaret by, for, and about queer women. And if now you’re thinking, Hmmm, LezCab sounds familiar, it’s because the brand-new monthly event kicked off its awesomness during International Autostraddle Meetup Week, when Autostraddle’s very own risen star Haviland Stillwell performed and all proceeds went toward this very website and Unicorn Plan-It. This may be a brand new event on the New York City entertainment circuit, but it’s one you’re gonna want to get to know really fast, trust me!

The ladies behind LezCab are all MFA students in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts: there’s Grammy Award winning artist Thirza Defoe, librettist/lyricist and Autostraddle bruncher extraordinare Rachel Kunstadt, and composer, playwright, and musician Teresa Lotz. In their own words, the creators of LezCab say that the program “seeks to produce and host musical-theatre events by and about queer womyn in order to foster support and a forum for queer womyn in the musical theatre community,” but the vibe is super inclusive at the same time. “We’re creating a community here, not an elitist cult,” the FAQ page explains in response to a query about having to be a queer woman to participate. “If you’re an ally, you’re a part of this! We might not be singing songs about you, but you’re just as important to us!”

The inaugural LezCab boasted a packed house and was hosted by Maggie Keenan-Bolger. She will return to host November’s LezCab, which takes place next Monday, November 26th. That performance will feature In The Heights and Bring It On’s Stephanie Klemons, as well as many other talented queer women in the musical theatre community, from seasoned Broadway professionals to up-and-coming talent. It’ll be like Glee but with more openly queer characters, less horrific plot lines, and absolutely zero Ryan Murphy — plus it’ll be real life not teevee! Which is to say, it will be perfect. Have fun!

LezCab takes place next Monday, November 26th at The Duplex Cabaret and Piano Bar, located at 61 Christopher Street in the West Village. The performance begins at 9:30pm. Reservation required: call 212-255-5438 or visit www.theduplex.com. For more information, visit the LezCab Facebook event page.

College Lesbianage Class of 2016: NaNoWriMo Hopes and Dreams

Hello and welcome to a special mini NaNoWriMo edition of Autostraddle’s College Lesbianage. Follow along as Nita and Kate write all the words with all the struggles and all the feelings.+

Nita

The University of North Carolina Greensboro

This month, I decided to embark on a whirlwind literary adventure and attempt to do NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, is a month-long literary challenge in which the writer (yourself) tries to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. (For comparison, 50,000 words is about the length of The Catcher in the Rye). I did NaNoWriMo before back in 2009 and won, but since my writing has vastly improved since then I thought I’d give it another shot.

As of right now I’m 13,324 words into my novel, not bad for being on day 11. I’m using Scrivener to write, which is an absolutely fantastic word processing software for anybody considering a new one—plus, it syncs with my Dropbox so I can write on the go. (Well, it’s bad when I realize I’m supposed to be at 18,888 words but whatever). I’ve decided to write about a lesbian romance in 1969 between a high school senior and the local preacher’s daughter. It’s going pretty well, except for the fact that my characters don’t want to do what I tell them and I’m having a hard time getting enough research on Southern life in the late ’60s. So, if anyone wants to help me out with that research, I’d be more than happy to listen. I’ve been reading Dorothy Allison and Rita Mae Brown’s Rubyfruit Jungle for inspiration.

I don’t know if I’m going to finish this novel or even get to 50,000 words, but NaNoWriMo is all about the journey—and quantity over quality, which is a huge deal for me since I’m such a perfectionist. I’ll fill all of y’all in on my progress at the end of the month and if I’ve made it across the finish line, but for the meantime, you can keep track of me on NaNoWriMo’s Website, and here are the opening paragraphs to my novel.

Had my mother not made me deliver a pie to the new preacher and his family, none of this would have happened. I’m not saying it was my mother’s fault, after all, but she has to see what she set in motion—that one small incident marked the rest of my year, the turning point in my adolescence. It was what made me decide to leave my town, and it was how I met the girl I would ultimately fall in love with.

It was August of 1969, and I was just shy of 18. Woodstock was all over the news, though the hippie movement never quite made its way to Alliance with the exception of a few of the high school students–it was too afraid of change, too afraid of anything different. Besides, our town was in the midst of its own turmoil, with the departure of our most recent pastor in a scandal involving a school board member. While the politics of the church may not seem so important, in a town as small as Alliance, the church was the town, the representation of our whole way of life. So the frantic search for a preacher had been well underway, and by the end of that summer, they finally found one–Brett Sommers, who, along with his family, moved into the house right behind mine.

I watched them on moving day, sitting on my back porch and peeling an apple with a knife from the kitchen. We never got strangers in Alliance—no one ever came in and no one ever left, except me and Jesse—the preacher’s daughter. Because she came in and tore everything apart, and I… well, afterward, I was hell-bent on leaving.

+

Kate

Wellesley College

My NaNoWriMo has gotten off to an unimpressive start, with me clocking in at…about 600 words at the time I write this. In my defense, I opened a play this weekend that continues until next weekend, and have thus has no free time at all for almost three weeks. But, the play is now in full swing and has been going very well, and I’ll have all of Thanksgiving weekend to write, since I’m not going home.

Content-wise, I’ve decided to do 50,000 words of journaling and writing exercises this year. I lost my journal in the move over here, and thus have not written down anything about my first three months of college. This is a travesty. And since I much prefer writing Literary Nonfiction to Fiction, I’m going to go through one of my textbooks from a Lit-Nonfic class I took last semester and do ALL of the exercises. (For those of you who care, the textbook is called Tell it Slant and it is amazing.)

2. November. 2012.
At this moment, I am sitting in the Shakes Haus at 4:58 on a chilly Friday afternoon. I just finished running some scenes from Henry IV and I’m waiting for 6pm to rehearse the Welsh song, and then we have fight call at 7. The show is in full swing as we head into tech week, rehearsals are running late into the night and the Haus is always a-bustle with people sewing and ironing and setting up and adjusting. Meg brought home (yes I call it home in my head) some vegetables and is making a soup with kale and leeks and beans and garlic (“I think you guys need some green vegetables right about now,” she said,) and the whole house smells like healthy food. It’s the feeling you get around holidays when you know it’s cold outside but it’s warm inside and everyone is happily busy and content to share space with one another. It’s great and so…homey.

I am still overly optimistic that I will be able to pull 50,000 words out of my ass in two weeks. If I can do it, you can too! How’s your NaNoWriMo going?

A Bailout You Can Believe In: The Strike Debt Rolling Jubilee is Here

Carmen’s Team Pick:

“Debt” has been in my vocabulary too long. Let’s get rid of it.

Today is the Launch Party for Strike Debt’s Rolling Jubilee, in which the huddled masses yearning to breathe free finally will be.

Rolling Jubilee is a Strike Debt project that buys debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, abolishes it. Together we can liberate debtors at random through a campaign of mutual support, good will, and collective refusal. […]

Jubilee comes from many faith traditions including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. A jubilee is an event in which all debts are cancelled and all those in bondage are set free. It worked in Biblical times and it can still work today. For example, a kind of jubilee happened in Iceland after the 2008 economic crisis: instead of bailing out their banks, Iceland canceled a percentage of mortgage debt. What these examples show is that debts are just a promise which can – and should – be renegotiated or cancelled when the circumstances warrant. Strike Debt believes that now is the time for a jubilee for the 99%.

Strike Debt, on offshoot of Occupy, is going all-out with a variety show telethon to prove that solutions to debt exist – if we want them to. Today, they’ll hold their sold-out event and stream it live from Le Poisson Rouge,  collecting donations as they go and working their way toward $3,502,802 in collected funds to abolish collective debt. For every dollar donated, 20 dollars in debt disappears.

Just like that.

You can learn more and contribute here.

You Should Go: Lesbian Herstory Archives Marathon Reading – Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich

Feature image by Kathryn Kendall via the Lesbian Herstory Archives

The Lesbian Herstory Archives will be hosting a marathon reading this Saturday, November 17, from 12pm-12am to celebrate Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich, “whose work and presence as poets, theorists, activists and teachers inspired decades of anti-racist, feminist, and lesbian feminist thought and activism.” Each hour will be facilitated by a different organization, who will read from their poetry and essays, as well as Audre Lorde’s biomythography, Zami, and Adrienne Rich’s autobiographical reflections, Institution of Motherhood. The event organizers also encourage people to share their memories and thoughts, so that in celebrating these two important, remarkable women, we can also celebrate the impact they have had and continue to have on our community.

According to event organizer Shawn Smith, the response so far has been incredible. “People have been extremely excited to convene at the Archives, sit with other lesbians, friends, families, women who were there, women who were affected, and read from the words of Audre and Adrienne,” she said.  “We received an email from Adrienne Rich’s son thanking us for doing the event.  This is after receiving a phone message and letter from Audre Lorde’s daughter, thanking us for placing her mother’s collection in the care that it deserves, and for the hard work that we do.”

Smith expects a “renewed relevance to arise” through the merging of community voices with the voices of Lorde and Rich. One of the most exciting parts of the event, she said, is that original audio clips from the LHA collection will be played at the  beginning of each hour, featuring the writers reading their own work.

Event organizer Alexis Clements adds that she’s hoping the event will give her and everyone who attends the opportunity to gain an intimate, personal understanding of Lorde and Rich through the personal testimonies of people who knew them. “I really crave that deeper sense of people’s humanity these days,” she said. “Not necessarily ‘warts and all,’ more like, don’t forget they laughed and loved and had families and made mistakes while they were fighting.”

Some of those personal testimonies will come from LHA co-founders Joan Nestle and Deb Edel. According to Smith, “Although Joan is in Australia, she wrote a very personalized essay which will be read in the first hour detailing her personal experiences with Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich, and how they were each instrumental to the curation of the Archives in the early days… Joan describes Audre’s donation of boxes that were pulled from under her mattress, while Audre’s at the time, very young son waited quietly by the door, peeking in.”

Other facilitators include SAGE, members of the Archives’ own Lesbian Studies Class, In The Flesh Magazine, Black Women’s Blueprint, Alicia Anabel Santos and New York City Latina Writer’s Group, The Belladonna Series, R. Erica Doyle, brooklyn boihood, Rivers of Honey, Kelli Dunham and Queer Memoir. The full schedule is on the event page, so if you are like me and unlikely to appear anywhere at noon on a Saturday, you can figure out which facilitators you want to arrive in time for.

There were approximately 60 cute, nice Autostraddlers at the meet-up at the LHA last month, most of whom had never been to the Archives. If that many of you showed up to watch me overcome my fear of public speaking to give a tour to more people than I ever have before (ok, maybe you didn’t know that’s what you’d be getting, but it’s what you got, so), think about how great THIS event will be! According to Clements, many of the people associated with the event have never been to the Archives before either, so it’s going to be a great opportunity to build community.

There’s a suggested donation of $5-$10 at the door, but no one will be turned away. The organizers hope to raise three thousand dollars for the Archives, which is an all-volunteer organization that needs funds to preserve and digitize its artifacts.  “Both Audre and Adrienne have been advocates of the LHA’s existence, the preservation of lesbian herstory, and the space as a home for us to share our stories,” said Smith, and in that spirit, the Lesbian Herstory Archives is as much a part of the event as the women being honored. Clements added, “Every time I’m there I am reminded of the fact that the simple act of preserving and displaying this herstory is a steadfastly political act, particularly in a society that in so many ways works so hard to diminish the lives and voices of women.”

You can visit the event page for more information, and RSVP on Facebook (but you don’t need a Facebook to come). I hope to see you there!

The Lesbian Herstory Archives is located at 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

You Should Go: MIX 25 – New York City’s Queer Experimental Film Festival

Gabby’s Team Pick:

Is anything ever gay enough? Even gay events sometimes lack that John Water’s-esque level of queer. You know, the type of queer aesthetic that makes Candy Land an actual place, pushes gender presentations into malleable art installations and somewhere someone is turning on a projector to show you what their world looks like. Say hello to MIX 25 – NYCs Queer Experimental Film Festival. Since 1987, the MIX festival’s focus has been on provocative, sensory teasing and underground films that explore queer identities, politics and the multitude of intersectionalities that fill up our daily dance cards and give us reason to keep on keepin’ on.

From the shocking to the familial, from internationally curated collections of shorts, to unique narrative, documentary and experimental features, MIX once again shakes up the film-going and art-seeking world.

MIX 25 is a week-long event in NYC. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by which day(s) to attend, here’s my pick within a pick: Wednesday Night. On Weds, MIX presents Exploding Lineage! created by San Francisco’s Queer Rebels. Are you ready for 14 films by 17 filmmakers, investigating queer/LGBT histories of experimental art? You better be because the Queer Rebels are a movement:

Queer Rebel Productions showcases queer artists of color, connects generations, and honors our histories with art for the future. Founded in 2008, Queer Rebel Productions emerged out of K.B. Boyce’s solo performances as TuffNStuff, Drag King of the Blues. Launched amidst recession and a dwindling African American population in San Francisco, Queer Rebels fills a void by asserting the presence and critical contributions of African Americans and LGBT people of color.

— S/N Queer Rebels meet Latino Rebels. Rebeldes del mundo unite! —

Katrina Casiño and I will be in attendance this Wednesday night for an official fairy bro date. Please join us and make it a queer film rebel party! If that’s not enough to get you out of your house, here’s what the beautiful Queer Rebels had to say about why they exist:

Directors K.B. Boyce and Celeste Chan state, “We do this to energize our community through the arts, to create our own culture, and to inspire hope.”

  Buy your tickets now! Hope to see you there. Queer movies for everyone! Bring your $3 bills and rebel spirits.

“Anyone But Me” Is Coming To DVD, London, an Exciting End

Remember how much you loved Anyone But Me and how sad you were when it ended ended after three beautifully honest seasons? Well get excited because in addition to streaming the series online, you can buy seasons 2 and 3 on DVD starting today! If the promise of seeing Nicole “Those Lips” Pacent and Rachel “That Voice” Hip-Flores on my television isn’t incentive enough (because real talk: life-size lesbian love is something we could all use a little more of in our lives) the DVDs feature commentary and never-before-seen video.

To celebrate the DVD releases, Rachael Hip-Flores and Nicole Pacent are going to appear in person on November 7th in London’s (in)famous Candy Bar from 6:30 to 8:30pm for an exclusive DVD signing! And because the “Amazing Lesbian Web Series” hotel is now looking to fill vacancies in our hearts, executive producer/writer team Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward will be teach a Marketing Indie Websites class at Raindance the night before on November 6th. London, I’ve never wanted to be in you so badly.

If you stil haven’t seen Anyone But Me, clear your schedule. It’s not one of the most critically-acclaimed web series for no reason. Let’s celebrate the DVD release together by watching every episode back-to-back (you can buy Season 1 on Amazon to catch up!) and buying blonde hair dye after watching Season 3.

Buy Season 2 and Season 3 of Anyone But Me

Let The NYC LGBT Center Help You Find A Gay-Friendly Job

Vanessa’s Team Pick:

The most annoying thing about people saying, “Finding a job is a full-time job!” is that they’re right. Looking for work can be stressful, soul-crushing, difficult…the list of negative feelings that come along with searching for (and not finding) a job goes on and on. It doesn’t help that we’re in a shit economy and that as members of the LGBTQ community we often have extra baggage when it comes to looking for a job that pays us enough to live: Will our employers be homophobic? Will our pronouns be respected? Will we be able to be out at work? It’s hard out there for an unemployed queermo.

But! If you’re job hunting and you live in New York and you’re free tomorrow (and hey, let’s be real — the one perk of being unemployed is that you’re always free tomorrow!) you officially have a reason to rejoice. The Center, the LGBT Community Center, is hosting a Career Fair, and there are many reasons to attend. Let us count the ways.

1. There will be around 30 exhibitors looking to network and fill positions, including CBS Television Network/Showtime Networks, Inc, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Home Depot, MTA – Metro-North Railroad, New York University, and Starbucks.

2. There will be workshops and industry insidery panels throughout the day, and our very own Carly Usdin will be speaking at the “She Works Hard For The Money: Working As An Out Woman” panel! Stef recently wrote that she would like Carly “on every panel we ever have for everything,” so I feel like seeing Carly on a panel is definitely something everyone should experience at least once in their lives. Maybe that time is tomorrow at the Career Fair! You can also check out a complete list of the workshops and panels on The Center’s website.

3. The whole fair is 100% free. It shouldn’t cost you money to find a way to make money, duh, and The Center is badass and recognizes that. The Center prefers that you register in advance (you can do so here) but you don’t have to, so no pressure.

Seriously though, if you’re job hunting and can go, you should totally go. What do you have to lose? Nothing! And what do you have to gain? Well, seeing Carly on a panel, and potentially a job! At the very least you’ll network a bit and gain some new contacts in a safe space. That sounds like a good start to the week to me.

The Career Fair will take place tomorrow, Monday, October 15 from 10am-3pm. The LGBT Community Center is located at 209 W. 13th Street in Manhattan. For more information check out the Facebook event page or The Center’s website.

Lesbian Avengers and the East Village Panel Is Happening Today and You Can Watch It

Feature image by Carolina Kroon

Hey you! Yeah, you! What are you doing today? I mean, after brunch and before going to a Meet-Up. Nothing?

Well, you’re in luck: today Autostraddle is a proud sponsor of a very exciting Lesbian Avengers event happening in at Dixon Place in New York City. (Did you read Kelly’s post yesterday about the Avengers? Go read it!) But since only some of you live in NYC, this event is actually going to be live-streamed from 3pm-6pm est, which means you can watch and ask questions/chat from wherever you are, as long as you have a computer in front of you! This is the first time we’ve sponsored a live-streamed event, and we’re really excited about it.
Some more about the event: this is going to be a panel/roundtable discussion about the East Village and the Lesbian Avengers featuring playwright and Avenger co-founder Ana Simo, performer Carmelita Tropicana, filmmaker and Avenger Su Friedrich, videomaker and Avenger Harriet Hirshorn, musician and Avenger Eve Sicular, and other special guests.

The East Village of the ’80s and ’90s was a hotbed of dyke activism, a laboratory of queer identity, and flashpoint of a nationwide culture war declared by Pat Buchanan at the 1992 Republican National Convention. As our rights as queers and as women hang in the balance of the upcoming election, it’s never been more urgent to revisit the strategies of our radical roots, and ask: are the Lesbian Avengers ancient history, or are they just what we need to reignite the revolution?

This is an incredible opportunity to talk to some Lesbian Avengers and hear their amazing stories. Hope to see you there!

Live broadcasting by Ustream

It’s All Happening: Welcome To International Autostraddle Meet-Up Weeks!

International Autostraddle Meet-Up Weeks start today! Do a little dance, make a little love and all that jazz, because we’re all about to meet each other and aside from panicking about what I’m going to wear, I literally could not be happier!

In case you missed our monster post announcing this epic event, here’s a quick recap.

We promised that if we hit $60,000 [in our fundraiser] we would host an International Autostraddle Meet-Up Week, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. And actually, because we’re overzealous and wildly optimistic and just wanna hang out with you all the damn time, we’ve turned it into International Autostraddle Meet-Up Weeks, and it will officially take place from Friday, October 12 – Sunday, October 28.

Today is Friday, October 12, which means we’re about to embark on the best adventure ever and make so many new friends and attend so many brunches! Find your meetup below, take some deep breaths, and go meet your fellow weirdos. If you still want to host an event in your area, just email autostraddlemoderators [at] gmail [dot] com the details. We’ll continue to update both this post and the original meetup post all the way through the end of the month.

Also! Also also also. It is our greatest hope & dream to create a giant photographic recap of all these meetups at the end of the month, but in order to do that we need some photos from you. So if you are planning to attend an event, please take a couple of photos! Camera phones are okay but real cameras are better. And of course, please check in with everyone at the meetup, make sure they know your photos may end up on the Internet, and do not take their picture if that makes them uncomfortable, because duh.

We hope you know how much we love you, and how much fun we had planning these meetups for you, and how appreciative we are to all the readers who are hosting meetups in cities all across the globe. And we’re proud of you for being brave and attending a meetup! You’re awesome (and smart, and funny, and your hair looks really good, seriously). We love you so much. Now go enjoy yourself — you’ve definitely earned it!

Happy International Autostraddle Meet-Up Weeks!

PS: Although Autostraddle is a safe community, unfortunately not everyone on the world wide web is as lovely as we are. For your own personal safety, please do not post your phone number in the comments and if you are writing an email address, format it like this to avoid spam and heartache: weloveyou [at] forever [dot] com. Thanks!

United States

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Fairbanks, AK

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Montgomery, AL

Phoenix, AZ

Harvest Potluck & Pumpkin Party
Host: Amy7
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: We’ll be eating foods, drinking drinks and decorating pumpkins! BYOP and something delicious to share with your new/old friends (vegan & nonvegan options appreciated, all the fall food your heart can stand, pumpkin everything maybe, go crazy).
Location: Amy7’s Place
Time: TBD
RSVP TOTALLY REQUIRED.

Happiest Hour Bar Skedaddle
Host: Laneia & Cynthia
Date: Monday, October 15
Activity: It’s a teeny tiny happy hour bar crawl, a bar scoot, a bar skedaddle. We’ll start out at SanTan because duh, then make our way to Irish Republic. After that, who even knows??! Bourbon Jacks? Coach & Willies? Maybe bring your passport just in case.
Location: SanTan Brewery (8 South San Marcos Place, Chandler)
Time: 4pm
RSVP

Hipster Ghosts Under The Stars
Host: Laneia
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Let’s take over a huge corner of Casey Moore’s patio and just queer the fuck out. Will we see the ghosts? I hope so.
Location: Casey Moore’s (850 South Ash Avenue, Tempe)
Time: 9:30pm
RSVP

Nooner Hike
Host: Laneia & Megan
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: We’re going streaking! JK we’re hiking up South Mountain via the ‘easy to moderate’ Javelina Canyon trail. Learn more about it here. Dogs are welcome! Bring snacks and water!
Location: Meet at the cul-de-sac parking lot at 8800 S. 46th St., just south of Baseline Road.
Time: 12pm
RSVP

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Los Angeles, CA

Queeraoke
Host: Alex Vega
Date: Monday, October 15
Activity: Karaoke
Location: Dimples in Burbank (3413 West Olive Ave, Burbank)
Time: 11pm-2am
RSVP

Runyon Canyon Hike
Host: Sarah Croce
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: We’re walking around outside! Puppies more than welcome!
Location: Runyon Canyon (2001 N Fuller Ave., meet at the entrance at the top of Fuller Ave)
Time: 10am
RSVP

Brit Pub Takeover
Hosts: Tali & Jess
Date: Tuesday, October 23
Activity: Ladies take over a British Pub
Location: The Fox and Hounds Pub (11100 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, CA)
Time: 8pm – 1:30am
RSVP

Boobs, Booze and Burritos Brunch
Host: Brittani
Date: Sunday, October 28
Activity: A park potluck!
Location: Barnsdall Park (4800 Hollywood Blvd)
Time: 12-4pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Let us know what you’re bringing on the Facebook wall for the event. Either a mix-in for the burrito (eggs, soy churizo, etc.) or beverage (champagne, OJ, etc.)

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San Francisco/East Bay, CA

Castromendous Day of Fun
Host: Marni
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Tour of the GLBT Museum and drinks in the Castro
Location: Meet up at the GLBT Museum (4127 18th St.)
Time: 2pm
RSVP

Temescal Yoga + Din
Host: Jaclyn
Date: Friday, October 26
Activity: Donation based yoga and post class chat and chow across the street.
Location: Flying Yoga Shala (4308 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland and beyond)
Time: Yoga starts at 6pm, goes til’ 7pm, dinner and drinks til’ whenever.

BYOBasket Picnic In The Park
Host: Marni
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Picnic at Lake Merritt in Oakland
Location: Exact location by the lake TBD
Time: 2pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Bring your own beverages and, if you want to be extra nice, a snack to share!

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San Diego, CA

Brunch @ Bourbon Street City
Host: Kristin & Nicole
Date: Sunday, October 21
Activity: Brunch @ Bourbon Street. Eat some eggs. Drink some coffee. Meet some friendz.
Location: Bourbon Street (4612 Park Boulevard)
Time: 11am
Special Instructions: RSVP to krisaerickson[at]gmail[dot]com. We’re making reservations, so RSVPing is important.

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Colorado

General Shenanigans
Host: Dana Henderson
Date: Friday, October 12
Activity: Coffee/tea drinking, card playing, general shenanigans. I’ll make cookies! Come hang out. You don’t have to bring anything, just your smiling face! Or whatever face you have that day. It would help if you wore an Autostraddle shirt, but I’m hypocritical because I don’t have one. Be there or be square!
Location: Pike’s Perk Coffee & Tea House (14. S Tejon, Colorado Springs)
Time: 7pm
RSVP

“8” Play Date
Host: Hansen
Date: Monday, October 15
Activity: “8” The Play
Location: Denver Center for the Performing Arts (1101 13th St, Denver)
Time: 7pm
RSVP

Volunteer & Potluck
Host: Hansen
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Volunteer & Potluck
Location: Art for the Nations (Denver)
Time: 3pm
RSVP

Taproom Crawl
Host: Hansen
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Local Brewery Taproom Crawl
Location: Fort Collins Brewery (1020 East Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins)
Time: 1pm
RSVP

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Washington, DC

The Revival
Host: Carmen & Morgan
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Attend a performance of THE REVIVAL and the official after party. Flag that you’re here / queer with AS gear.
Location: American University Kay Spiritual Center (4400 Massachusetts Ave NW)
Time: 7-11pm
RSVP: Tickets

Self Evident Truths Photoshoot
Host: Carmen
Date: Sunday, October 14
Activity: The self-evident truths project is an amazing photography-based piece of activism that presents lgbtq people across the spectrum as human beings and the photographers have set aside a block of time for Autostraddle ladies!
Location: Meet up at Logan Circle
Time: 1-2pm
RSVP

Queeraoke
Host: Carmen & Morgan
Date: Thursday, October 18
Activity: Karaoke at Phase One w/ a pregame. WEAR AN AUTOSTRADDLE SHIRT!
Location: Phase One Eastern Market (525 8th St SE)
Time: 9pm pregame, 10:30pm at the bar
RSVP

Pet All The Puppies
Host: Carmen & Morgan
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: PUPPY PLAYDATE AND PICNIC POTLUCK: bring blankets, food, and drankz.
Location: Adams Morgan Leashless Dog Park
Time: 1-4pm
RSVP

Pumpkin Carving
Host: Carmen & Sophia Bonde / Skinz
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Pumpkin Carving with Sophia & Carmen: bring a gourd and probably your favorite leather jacket.
Location: Sophia Bonde’s house (2-time camper)
Time: 3-6pm
RSVP

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Orlando, FL

Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Host: Intern Chelsey
Date: Sunday, October 21 (DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED)
Activity: Let’s go be geeky at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Also, butterbeer.
Location: Universal Orlando – Islands of Adventure
Time: 2pm (park closes at 8pm)
RSVP
Special Instructions: If you don’t have an annual pass, buy tickets through the website!

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Atlanta, GA

Pride Dyke March Social
Host: Brooke & Joy
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Atlanta Pride’s Dyke March (Pre-Party Social & Crafting)
Location: Piedmont Park Charles Allen Gate
Time: 4:30pm
RSVP: By emailing bwex29[at]mail.com
Special Instructions: http://atlantapride.org/events/festival-weekend-events

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Iowa City, IA

Boston, MA

Queeraoke
Host: Cara
Date: Thursday, October 11
Activity: Queeraoke takeover + Pre-party at Cara’s!
Location: Cara’s apartment and then Midway Cafe (3496 Washington St, JP)
Time: Meet at Cara’s place in JP at 8pm or find us at Queeraoke at Midway Cafe around 10pm
RSVP

Pool & Drinks
Host: Boston ‘straddler Britta + Lizz
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Flat Top Johnny’s – Come play pool, drink drinks and hang out in a place where you can actually hear each other talk. It’s also a good pre-gaming option if you’re heading to DykeNight at Machine later on (we will be!).
Location: Flat Top Johnny’s (1 Kendall Square, Cambridge) / Machine (1254 Boylston St, Boston)
Time: FTJ’s at 5pm; Machine after 10pm
RSVP

Regatta Ragamuffins
Host: Carrie
Date: Sunday, October 21
Activity: Head of the Charles Regatta Meetup – Come sit by the river with Boston area queermos and watch some rowing! Bring your own blanket and a fall snack or drink to share if you want (i.e. muffins, cider, pumpkin-anything).
Location: Meet at the riverside near the John W. Weeks Bridge — we’ll be east of the bridge on the Cambridge side. Wear an Autostraddle shirt if you have one!
Time: 1pm
RSVP

GirlSpot Halloween Party
Host: Carrie
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Drink specials and cute queers in costumes!
Location: Harvard Square — The venue will be announced by GirlSpot on the week of the event
Time: 9pm
RSVP

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Northhampton, MA

All Things Fall
Host: Michelle Gonzalez
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Let’s meet at the park, watch the leaves fall, and decorate pumpkins; we’ll bring decorating tools, you bring your own pumpkin and yummy snacks to share. After that, we’ll go back to our place for mulled wine & cider!
Location: Childs Park
Time: 3pm
RSVP

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Baltimore, MD

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Ann Arbor, MI

Drinks With Batman OR Circus Clowns
Host: Rachel
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: I have not confirmed this with my own eyes but I am told there is a Batman-themed bar in Ann Arbor. If I cannot confirm that this actually exists, we can meet at the circus-themed bar, which I do know exists. Optional brunch attendance the next day at AutBar, the gay bar with brunch!
Location: Batman Bar OR Circus Bar & Billards (210 S First) / AutBar (315 Braun Court)
Time: 9pm Saturday night at the bar, 10am the next day at brunch
RSVP

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St. Louis, MO

Indie Drag Show
Host: Heather
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Come check out Off the GRID, the (free) Genderfuck Retro-Alternative Indie Drag Show hosted every second Saturday at St. Louis’s sex-positive coffeeshop, Shameless Grounds.
Location: Shameless Grounds (2650 Sidney Street)
Time: 9pm
RSVP

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Minneapolis, MN

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Durham, NC

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Albany, NY

FuZeBoX FuN
Hosts: Emily & Natalia
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Totally 80’s party! Drinks & dancing!
Location: Fuzebox (12 Central Ave)
Time: 11pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Send Emily a facebook message if you want to meet a bit earlier for pregame drinks!

Fallbany Brunch
Host: Ariel
Date: Saturday,October 27
Activity: Brunch in the park! Bring along your favourite fall foods and blankets and hang out with cool people. Maybe a fall craft will be involved?
Location: Washington Park (exact location TBD)
Time: 12pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Please respond on Facebook with what you plan to bring, so that we don’t have 200 cups but no cupcakes.

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New York City, NY

Lesbian Herstory Archives Tour
Host: Gabrielle
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Take a private tour of the Lesbian Herstory Archives with coordinator and Autostraddler Gabrielle; optional drinking & dancing afterwards
Location: Lesbian Herstory Archives + Gingers (484 14th St, Park Slope/Prospect Park, Brooklyn + 363 5th Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Time: 7:30pm
RSVP

Tour de Bronx
Host: Gabby Rivera
Date: Sunday, October 14
Activity: Tour de Bronx : 25 mile bike ride through the Bronx! There’s also a 40-mile ride if you’re a pro. This ride is amateur-friendly and open to kids and families and hippies like me.
Location: Bronx County Building (Grand Concourse and 161st St)
Time: Check in time 9:30am – 25 mile route departure: 10:40am
RSVP: Register on your own and then email me lunagabby[at]yahoo[dot]com and let me know to look out for you.

Lesbian Cabaret
Host: Rachel K.
Date: Sunday, October 14
Activity: LezCab, by womyn for womyn (boys allowed) seeks to produce and host musical-theatre events by, for, and about queer womyn in order to foster support and a forum for queer womyn in the musical theatre community. Proceeds will benefit Autostraddle and Unicorn Plan-It and risen star Haviland Stillwell will be performing!
Location: The Duplex (61 Christopher Street at 7th Ave)
Time: 7pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: You must make a reservation here — if you do not make a reservation you won’t be able to attend! (RSVPing on FB is not enough!)

Fall Into Fall Picnic
Host: Vanessa & Lemon
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Let’s decorate mini pumpkins, drink cider, eat pumpkin pie, and play in the leaves. Pumpkin-decorating supplies will be provided but please BYOP (bring your own pumpkin) and bring something delicious to share (pumpkin flavored beer, pie, your grandma’s Thanksgiving stuffing…whatever makes your gay little heart scream “fall!”). Feel free to wear your Halloween costume or a grandpa sweater.
Location: McCarren Park (meet at the corner of North 12th St & Berry St and we’ll pick a nice grassy spot)
Time: 2pm
RSVP

Tea & Brooklyn Flea
Host: Vanessa
Date: Sunday, October 28
Activity: Come drink tea and explore the famous Brooklyn Flea. We’ll meet on the lawn outside the Flea at 11am; bring your own thermos of tea and hang out for an hour or so. At 12pm we’ll venture into the market and everyone can browse at their own pace; if you get there after noon just go right in and look for girls in Auto-swag. (Wear some Auto-swag! Yes, I keep saying swag! Come hang out with me anyway!)
Location: Brooklyn Flea, East River Waterfront (between North 6 + 7 St, Williamsburg)
Time: 11am
RSVP

OktoberPHRESH
Host: Katrina “KC Danger”
Date: Sunday, October 28
Activity: Hair Force One Presents: OktoberPHRESH, a queer pop-up barbershop and block party
Location: TBD
Time: 4-10pm
RSVP

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Syracuse, NY

Coffee & Burritos
Host: Whitney
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Nom on coffee and vegan baked goods at Recess, the local coffee shop and roastery in the Westcott neighborhood; possibly burritos after at Alto Cinco
Location: Recess Coffee House and Roastery (110 Harvard Place) 
Time: 2pm
RSVP

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Cleveland, OH

So Much Yum
Name: Tiara
Date: Monday, October 15
Activity: Veggie Dogs and Coffee
Location: Happy Dog (5801 Detroit Ave)
Time: 4:30pm
RSVP
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Columbus, OH

Rugby Is So Gay
Host: Intern Grace
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: OSU Women’s Rugby Game vs. Michigan, free admission
More info to come ASAP

Picnic Time
Host: Intern Grace
Activity: Picnic
More info to come ASAP

Pot Luck
Host: Rachael
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Potluck event. All the pies.
Location: North Campus / South Clintonville
RSVP

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Philadelphia, PA

Drink & Dance
Host: Kate
Date: Monday, October 22
Activity: Tigerbeats @ The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave). No cover. Bump and grind to awesome music (set list favorites are Beth Ditto and Le Tigre) and get drunk with each other.
Time: 10:30pm
RSVP: Just show up / email kateseverance[at]gmail[dot]com

Queer Rittenhouse Extra Awesome Potluck / QREAP
Host: Kate
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: We’ll have lots of blankets and a nice sunny spot in Rittenhouse Square. Bring something delicious to share, i.e. beer, quinoa, cupcakes, and other picnic items. There will be excellent music and possibly crafts.
Time: 12pm
RSVP

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Pacific Northwest

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Providence, RI

Roller Derby!
Host: Lizz
Date: Sunday, October 14
Activity: Let’s watch some roller derby!! Come watch the Sakonnet River Roller Rats vs. The Providence Mob Squad at the RI Convention Center.
Location: To find each other, meet inside the Starbucks at the Biltmore Hotel (11 Dorrance St). Latecomers join up at the convention center.
Time: Doors open at 5pm, so meet at 4:30pm
RSVP

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Nashville, TN

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Austin, TX

Karaoke!
Host: Mary Ann
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: Karaoke!
Location: Austin Karaoke (6808 North Lamar Blvd.)
Time: 8pm
RSVP

Choose Your Own Adventure
Host: Julia
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Brunching at Bouldin!
Location: Bouldin Creek Cafe
Time: 12pm
RSVP

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Dallas, TX

Night Out in the Gayborhood
Host: Christina
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: Night out in the Gayborhood. Let’s meet at Sue’s and see where the night takes us!
Location: Sue Ellen’s + ?
Time: 9:45pm
RSVP

Queer Brunch! 
Host: Christina
Date: Sunday, October 21
Activity: Brunch! Bottomless mimosas! Queers! L
ocation: Mattito’s – Routh St.
Time: 11am
RSVP
Special Instructions: Please RSVP so we know how many to expect

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Houston, TX

Potluck Picnic
Host: Marisa
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Potluck Picnic! We will meet in the park between the Menil and the Rothko Chapel.  Please bring a food/drink/dessert to share with everyone.  I will make sure we have plenty of blankets.  I’m incredibly flexible and open to any other ideas as well.
Location: Menil Park. Right by the Rothko Chapel/Menil Collection.
Time: 3pm
RSVP: Email crowdeddeclaration[at]gmail[dot]com

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San Antonio, TX

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Seattle, WA

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Montreal, Quebec

Queeraoke
Host: Judyna, but might go as ‘Judacris’ for the evening
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Warm up your vocals, ‘straddlers! We’re taking over Club Date and crooning to classics such as Call Me Maybe and so forth.
Location: Club Date (1218 rue Ste-Catherine East)
Time: 9:30pm
RSVP+

Collective Munch @ Brunch II
Host: Judyna
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: For those who couldn’t make it that earlier weekend of the meetup, here’s take 2! Come munch and brunch!
Location: La Petite Marche (5035 St-Denis, metro Laurier between Laurier and blvd St-Joseph)
Time: 12am
RSVP+

Hummus Hike!
Host: Queer McGill
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: We’ll be hiking up Mount Royal and enjoying hummus, fall colors, and good company up there at the summit.
Location: Meet at the George-Étienne Cartier Monument on the eastern base of the mountain (Avenue du Parc & rue Rachel ouest)
Time: 4:30pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Hummus and various dipping things will be provided, but you’re welcome to bring your own snacks as well.

Collective Munch @ Brunch II
Host: Judyna
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: For those who couldn’t make it that earlier weekend of the meetup, here’s take 2! Come munch and brunch!
Location: TBD
Time: 11am
RSVP+

Festive Fucking Gourding & Potluck
Host: Kristen
Date: Sunday, October 28
Activity: Meet up at Jean Talon Market to peruse and pick the perfect pumpkin. Head back to my place (short walk!) to carve and consume.
Location: Jean Talon Market (7070 Avenue Henri Julien) and Kristen’s place
Time: 1pm
RSVP

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Mexico

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Mexico City, Mexico

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Europe

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Vienna, Austria

Coffee/Beer & Cards
Host: Lina
Date: Friday, October 19, 20, 21 (any of these dates)
Activity: Food / drinks
RSVP: Email Lina if interested lila.apfel[at]hotmail.de

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Rome, Italy

Better Than A Bar Crawl
Host: Aline
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Gelato Crawl + vintage stores
Location: La Gelateria Frigidarium (Via del Governo Vecchio, 112)
Time: 2pm
RSVP

Utrecht, Netherlands

Brunch at the Bakkerswinkel
Host: Angela (MileHighFemme)
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Brunchin’ it up at the Bakkerswinkel
Location: De Bakkerswinkel
Time: 12pm
RSVP

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Glasgow, Scotland

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Santiago, Spain

Coffee/Beer & Cards
Host: Laura
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: Drink coffee and/or beer, play cards, have fun!
RSVP
Special Instructions: Laura is very flexible so head over to Facebook (via RSVP link) to make plans!

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London, United Kingdom

Club Lesley
Host: Twat Boutique
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: drinking, dancing and chasing honies
Location: Dalston Superstore (117 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2PB)
Time : 9pm – 3am
RSVP

Drinky Dinner and Dancing
Host: Anna
Date: Tuesday, October 16
Activity: A dinner in Soho followed by a trip down to Ku Bar’s Ruby Tuesdays
Location: Provisionally Soho Joe (£5 lovely pizzas), followed by chatting & mingling at an audible bar, then we’ll head on down to Ku Bar’s Ruby Tuesdays.
Time: 7:30pm
RSVP

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Manchester, United Kingdom

Let’s Plan Something!
Host: Mollie Staples
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: We’re going to pool ideas and come up with a thing on the events page, so TBC for the moment
RSVP: The fb event will be private. Message Mollie Staples (studying at University of York) on Facebook to be added

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Australia & New Zealand

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Adelaide, South Australia

International Autostraddle Meet-Up Weeks: You’ve Earned It

I’m usually not this forward, but I’ve got a pretty serious question to ask you, so I’m just gonna take a deep breath, close my eyes, and go for it.

can we hang out?

No, seriously. I wanna meet you. We all do. That’s why we’re organizing two weeks worth of events in many different spaces and places. That’s what International Autostraddle Meet-Up Week is all about. Oh yes, you heard me right. Hang on to your laptops, kittens, because International Autostraddle Meet-Up Week? It’s a thing.

I understand that at this moment you might be hyperventilating from excitement, so let’s review what the heck is going on here. You might remember that we threw a fundraiser, and y’all blew us away with your generosity. We felt a huge snuggly sense of community and that warmth will probably never leave us, seriously it’s like wearing a sweater 24/7 and I love it. We’ve tried to express exactly how freaking thankful we are with our words, and I think y’all know how much you mean to us, and how tightly we’d like to squeeze you in a giant group hug that spans oceans and fields and moons and stars. But now we’d like to take our love and appreciation a step further. Shit’s about to get tangible.

We promised that if we hit $60,000 we would host an International Autostraddle Meet-Up Week, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. And actually, because we’re overzealous and wildly optimistic and just wanna hang out with you all the damn time, we’ve turned it into International Autostraddle Meet-Up Weeks, and it will officially take place from Friday, October 12 – Sunday, October 28. Lez be real you guys, that’s practically a month, and it includes Halloweekend. There are going to be so many hugs. (Also please don’t panic, if you’re not a touchy-feely person we will totally not hug you at all, everything that happens at these meet-ups will be 10000% consensual.)

Here’s the plan: Our team members are scattered all over the place, and we’re working hard to create multiple events for International Autostraddle Meet-Up Week(s) in the cities we call home. But we don’t live everywhere, and in order to make this truly international (and truly the absolute best most fun it can possibly be) we’re gonna need your help.

As with past Autostraddle meetups, if you’re interested in hosting / coordinating a meetup in your city, email autostraddlemoderators [at] gmail [dot] com with the following info. We’ll ask you to create a Facebook event (as that seems to be the easiest way for people to connect) and we’ll add your event to this very page.

Name
City
Date
Activity
Location
Time
Facebook Event URL
Special Instructions

Please bookmark this page and keep checking back, because we’ll be updating it a lot throughout the month and I don’t want you to miss a meetup in your city. That would be the saddest thing in the world. Probably I would cry. Please don’t make me cry — check back here often! I love you all and cannot wait for everyone to meet-up everywhere. Look at all these fun things you can do!

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New York City

Lesbian Herstory Archives Tour
Host: Gabrielle
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Take a private tour of the Lesbian Herstory Archives with coordinator and Autostraddler Gabrielle; optional drinking & dancing afterwards
Location: Lesbian Herstory Archives + Gingers (484 14th St, Park Slope/Prospect Park, Brooklyn + 363 5th Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Time: 7:30pm
RSVP

Tour de Bronx
Host: Gabby Rivera
Date: Sunday, October 14
Activity: Tour de Bronx : 25 mile bike ride through the Bronx! There’s also a 40-mile ride if you’re a pro. This ride is amateur-friendly and open to kids and families and hippies like me.
Location: Bronx County Building (Grand Concourse and 161st St)
Time: Check in time 9:30am – 25 mile route departure: 10:40am
RSVP: Register on your own and then email me lunagabby[at]yahoo[dot]com and let me know to look out for you.

Lesbian Cabaret
Host: Rachel K.
Date: Sunday, October 14
Activity: LezCab, by womyn for womyn (boys allowed) seeks to produce and host musical-theatre events by, for, and about queer womyn in order to foster support and a forum for queer womyn in the musical theatre community. Proceeds will benefit Autostraddle and Unicorn Plan-It and risen star Haviland Stillwell will be performing!
Location: The Duplex (61 Christopher Street at 7th Ave)
Time: 7pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: You must make a reservation here — if you do not make a reservation you won’t be able to attend! (RSVPing on FB is not enough!)

Fall Into Fall Picnic
Host: Vanessa & Lemon
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Let’s decorate mini pumpkins, drink cider, eat pumpkin pie, and play in the leaves. Pumpkin-decorating supplies will be provided but please BYOP (bring your own pumpkin) and bring something delicious to share (pumpkin flavored beer, pie, your grandma’s Thanksgiving stuffing…whatever makes your gay little heart scream “fall!”). Feel free to wear your Halloween costume or a grandpa sweater.
Location: McCarren Park (meet at the corner of North 12th St & Berry St and we’ll pick a nice grassy spot)
Time: 2pm
RSVP

Tea & Brooklyn Flea
Host: Vanessa
Date: Sunday, October 28
Activity: Come drink tea and explore the famous Brooklyn Flea. We’ll meet on the lawn outside the Flea at 11am; bring your own thermos of tea and hang out for an hour or so. At 12pm we’ll venture into the market and everyone can browse at their own pace; if you get there after noon just go right in and look for girls in Auto-swag. (Wear some Auto-swag! Yes, I keep saying swag! Come hang out with me anyway!)
Location: Brooklyn Flea, East River Waterfront (between North 6 + 7 St, Williamsburg)
Time: 11am
RSVP

OktoberPHRESH
Host: Katrina “KC Danger”
Date: Sunday, October 28
Activity: Hair Force One Presents: OktoberPHRESH, a queer pop-up barbershop and block party
Location: TBD
Time: 4-10pm
RSVP

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Syracuse, NY

Coffee & Burritos
Host: Whitney
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Nom on coffee and vegan baked goods at Recess, the local coffee shop and roastery in the Westcott neighborhood; possibly burritos after at Alto Cinco
Location: Recess Coffee House and Roastery (110 Harvard Place)
Time: 2pm
RSVP

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Albany, New York

FuZeBoX FuN
Hosts: Emily & Natalia
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Totally 80’s party! Drinks & dancing!
Location: Fuzebox (12 Central Ave)
Time: 11pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Send Emily a facebook message if you want to meet a bit earlier for pregame drinks!

Fallbany Brunch
Host: Ariel
Date: Saturday,October 27
Activity: Brunch in the park! Bring along your favourite fall foods and blankets and hang out with cool people. Maybe a fall craft will be involved?
Location: Washington Park (exact location TBD)
Time: 12pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Please respond on Facebook with what you plan to bring, so that we don’t have 200 cups but no cupcakes.

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Los Angeles, California

Queeraoke
Host: Alex Vega
Date: Monday, October 15
Activity: Karaoke
Location: Dimples in Burbank (3413 West Olive Ave, Burbank)
Time: 11pm-2am
RSVP

Runyon Canyon Hike
Host: Sarah Croce
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: We’re walking around outside! Puppies more than welcome!
Location: Runyon Canyon (2001 N Fuller Ave., meet at the entrance at the top of Fuller Ave)
Time: 10am
RSVP

Brit Pub Takeover
Hosts: Tali & Jess
Date: Tuesday, October 23
Activity: Ladies take over a British Pub
Location: The Fox and Hounds Pub (11100 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, CA)
Time: 8pm – 1:30am
RSVP

Boobs, Booze and Burritos Brunch
Host: Brittani
Date: Sunday, October 28
Activity: A park potluck!
Location: Barnsdall Park (4800 Hollywood Blvd)
Time: 12-4pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Let us know what you’re bringing on the Facebook wall for the event. Either a mix-in for the burrito (eggs, soy churizo, etc.) or beverage (champagne, OJ, etc.)

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San Francisco/East Bay, California

Castromendous Day of Fun
Host: Marni
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Tour of the GLBT Museum and drinks in the Castro
Location: Meet up at the GLBT Museum (4127 18th St.)
Time: 2pm
RSVP

Temescal Yoga + Din
Host: Jaclyn
Date: Friday, October 26
Activity: Donation based yoga and post class chat and chow across the street.
Location: Flying Yoga Shala (4308 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland and beyond)
Time: Yoga starts at 6pm, goes til’ 7pm, dinner and drinks til’ whenever.

BYOBasket Picnic In The Park
Host: Marni
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Picnic at Lake Merritt in Oakland
Location: Exact location by the lake TBD
Time: 2pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Bring your own beverages and, if you want to be extra nice, a snack to share!

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San Diego, California

Brunch @ Bourbon Street City
Host: Kristin & Nicole
Date: Sunday, October 21
Activity: Brunch @ Bourbon Street. Eat some eggs. Drink some coffee. Meet some friendz.
Location: Bourbon Street (4612 Park Boulevard)
Time: 11am
Special Instructions: RSVP to krisaerickson [at] gmail.com. We’re making reservations, so RSVPing is important.

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Cleveland, OH

So Much Yum
Name: Tiara
Date: Monday, October 15
Activity: Veggie Dogs and Coffee
Location: Happy Dog (5801 Detroit Ave)
Time: 4:30pm
RSVP
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Columbus, Ohio

Rugby Is So Gay
Host: Intern Grace
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: OSU Women’s Rugby Game vs. Michigan, free admission
More info to come ASAP

Picnic Time
Host: Intern Grace
Activity: Picnic
More info to come ASAP

Pot Luck
Host: Rachael
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Potluck event. All the pies.
Location: North Campus / South Clintonville
RSVP

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Atlanta, Georgia

Pride Dyke March Social
Host: Brooke & Joy
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Atlanta Pride’s Dyke March (Pre-Party Social & Crafting)
Location: Piedmont Park Charles Allen Gate
Time: 4:30pm
Special Instructions: http://atlantapride.org/events/festival-weekend-events

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Montreal, Canada

Queeraoke
Host: Judyna, but might go as ‘Judacris’ for the evening
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Warm up your vocals, ‘straddlers! We’re taking over Club Date and crooning to classics such as Call Me Maybe and so forth.
Location: Club Date (1218 rue Ste-Catherine East)
Time: 9:30pm
RSVP+

Collective Munch @ Brunch II
Host: Judyna
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: For those who couldn’t make it that earlier weekend of the meetup, here’s take 2! Come munch and brunch!
Location: La Petite Marche (5035 St-Denis, metro Laurier between Laurier and blvd St-Joseph)
Time: 12am
RSVP

Hummus Hike!
Host: Queer McGill
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: We’ll be hiking up Mount Royal and enjoying hummus, fall colors, and good company up there at the summit.
Location: Meet at the George-Étienne Cartier Monument on the eastern base of the mountain (Avenue du Parc & rue Rachel ouest)
Time: 4:30pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Hummus and various dipping things will be provided, but you’re welcome to bring your own snacks as well.

Collective Munch @ Brunch II
Host: Judyna
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: For those who couldn’t make it that earlier weekend of the meetup, here’s take 2! Come munch and brunch!
Location: TBD
Time: 11am
RSVP+

Festive Fucking Gourding & Potluck
Host: Kristen
Date: Sunday, October 28
Activity: Meet up at Jean Talon Market to peruse and pick the perfect pumpkin. Head back to my place (short walk!) to carve and consume.
Location: Jean Talon Market (7070 Avenue Henri Julien) and Kristen’s place
Time: 1pm
RSVP

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Newtown, Sydney

Picnic In The Park
Host: Crystal
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Picnic!
Location: Camperdown Park
Time: Midday
RSVP

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Drink & Dance
Host: Kate
Date: Monday, October 22
Activity: Tigerbeats @ The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave). No cover. Bump and grind to awesome music (set list favorites are Beth Ditto and Le Tigre) and get drunk with each other.
Time: 10:30pm
RSVP: Just show up / email kateseverance[at]gmail[dot]com

Queer Rittenhouse Extra Awesome Potluck / QREAP
Host: Kate
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: We’ll have lots of blankets and a nice sunny spot in Rittenhouse Square. Bring something delicious to share, i.e. beer, quinoa, cupcakes, and other picnic items. There will be excellent music and possibly crafts.
Time: 12pm
RSVP

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Phoenix, Arizona

Harvest Potluck & Pumpkin Party
Host: Amy7
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: We’ll be eating foods, drinking drinks and decorating pumpkins! BYOP and something delicious to share with your new/old friends (vegan & nonvegan options appreciated, all the fall food your heart can stand, pumpkin everything maybe, go crazy).
Location: Amy7’s Place
Time: TBD
RSVP TOTALLY REQUIRED.

Happiest Hour Bar Skedaddle
Host: Laneia & Cynthia
Date: Monday, October 15
Activity: It’s a teeny tiny happy hour bar crawl, a bar scoot, a bar skedaddle. We’ll start out at SanTan because duh, then make our way to Irish Republic. After that, who even knows??! Bourbon Jacks? Coach & Willies? Maybe bring your passport just in case.
Location: SanTan Brewery (8 South San Marcos Place, Chandler)
Time: 4pm
RSVP

Hipster Ghosts Under The Stars
Host: Laneia
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Let’s take over a huge corner of Casey Moore’s patio and just queer the fuck out. Will we see the ghosts? I hope so.
Location: Casey Moore’s (850 South Ash Avenue, Tempe)
Time: 9:30pm
RSVP

Nooner Hike
Host: Laneia & Megan
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: We’re going streaking! JK we’re hiking up South Mountain via the ‘easy to moderate’ Javelina Canyon trail. Learn more about it here. Dogs are welcome! Bring snacks and water!
Location: Meet at the cul-de-sac parking lot at 8800 S. 46th St., just south of Baseline Road.
Time: 12pm
RSVP

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Colorado

General Shenanigans
Host: Dana Henderson
Date: Friday, October 12
Activity: Coffee/tea drinking, card playing, general shenanigans. I’ll make cookies! Come hang out. You don’t have to bring anything, just your smiling face! Or whatever face you have that day. It would help if you wore an Autostraddle shirt, but I’m hypocritical because I don’t have one. Be there or be square!
Location: Pike’s Perk Coffee & Tea House (14. S Tejon, Colorado Springs)
Time: 7pm
RSVP

“8” Play Date
Host: Hansen
Date: Monday, October 15
Activity: “8” The Play
Location: Denver Center for the Performing Arts (1101 13th St, Denver)
Time: 7pm
RSVP

Volunteer & Potluck
Host: Hansen
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Volunteer & Potluck
Location: Art for the Nations (Denver)
Time: 3pm
RSVP

Taproom Crawl
Host: Hansen
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Local Brewery Taproom Crawl
Location: Fort Collins Brewery (1020 East Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins)
Time: 1pm
RSVP

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Washington, DC

The Revival
Host: Carmen & Morgan
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Attend a performance of THE REVIVAL, and the official after party. Flag that you’re here / queer with AS gear.
Location: American University Kay Spiritual Center (4400 Massachusetts Ave NW)
Time: 7-11pm
RSVP: Tickets

Self Evident Truths Photoshoot
Host: Carmen
Date: Sunday, October 14
Activity: The self-evident truths project is an amazing photography-based piece of activism that presents lgbtq people across the spectrum as human beings and the photographers have set aside a block of time for Autostraddle ladies!
Location: Meet up at Logan Circle
Time: 1-2pm
RSVP

Queeraoke
Host: Carmen & Morgan
Date: Thursday, October 18
Activity: Karaoke at Phase One w/ a pregame. WEAR AN AUTOSTRADDLE SHIRT!
Location: Phase One Eastern Market (525 8th St SE)
Time: 9pm pregame, 10:30pm at the bar
RSVP

Pet All The Puppies
Host: Carmen & Morgan
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: PUPPY PLAYDATE AND PICNIC POTLUCK: bring blankets, food, and drankz.
Location: Adams Morgan Leashless Dog Park
Time: 1-4pm
RSVP

Pumpkin Carving
Host: Carmen & Sophia Bonde / Skinz
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Pumpkin Carving with Sophia & Carmen: bring a gourd and probably your favorite leather jacket.
Location: Sophia Bonde’s house (2-time camper)
Time: 3-6pm
RSVP

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Ottawa, Ontario

Meet Me At The Lookout
Host: Carolyn
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: We’re going to The Lookout for drinks and dancing.
Location: The Lookout (41 York St)
Time: 8pm – late
RSVP: With your presence. We will be flagging with “You Do You” bags.

Picnic In The Park
Host: Kristen Fardy
Date: Sunday, October 21
Activity: Picnic. Let’s eat lunch and run around in nature.
Location: The Park (TBD which one)
Time: 1pm
RSVP
Special Instructions: Can you bring something to sit on? Something to keep hot chocolate warm with? Something to play games with?

Potluck & Boardgames Night
Host: Carolyn
Date: Friday, October 26
Activity: Bring something delicious to share and something fun to play!
Location: Carolyn’s Apartment
Time: 7pm
RSVP: Maybe tell everyone else on the wall so we don’t end up with 23 containers of hummus and an accidental Scrabble tournament. Not that either would be a bad thing.

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Edmonton, Alberta

Hippie Hummus & Beer
Host: Malaika
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: The first-ever Edmonton meetup! Eat hummus and drink beer like good queer hippies.
Location: Remedy Café South Side (8631 – 109 St). Upstairs where all the big tables are.
Time: 7pm
RSVP: Email Malaika at a.s.meetup[at]gmail[dot]com and say “Hey! looking forward to the meetup!” if you plan to attend!

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Boston, Massachusetts

Queeraoke
Host: Cara
Date: Thursday, October 11
Activity: Queeraoke takeover + Pre-party at Cara’s!
Location: Cara’s apartment and then Midway Cafe (3496 Washington St, JP)
Time: Meet at Cara’s place in JP at 8pm or find us at Queeraoke at Midway Cafe around 10pm
RSVP

Pool & Drinks
Host: Boston ‘straddler Britta + Lizz
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Flat Top Johnny’s – Come play pool, drink drinks and hang out in a place where you can actually hear each other talk. It’s also a good pre-gaming option if you’re heading to DykeNight at Machine later on (we will be!).
Location: Flat Top Johnny’s (1 Kendall Square, Cambridge) / Machine (1254 Boylston St, Boston)
Time: FTJ’s at 5pm; Machine after 10pm
RSVP

Regatta Ragamuffins
Host: Carrie
Date: Sunday, October 21
Activity: Head of the Charles Regatta Meetup – Come sit by the river with Boston area queermos and watch some rowing! Bring your own blanket and a fall snack or drink to share if you want (i.e. muffins, cider, pumpkin-anything).
Location: Meet at the riverside near the John W. Weeks Bridge — we’ll be east of the bridge on the Cambridge side. Wear an Autostraddle shirt if you have one!
Time: 1pm
RSVP

GirlSpot Halloween Party
Host: TBA
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: Drink specials and cute queers in costumes!
Location: The venue will be announced by GirlSpot on the week of the event
Time: 9pm
RSVP: Just show up!

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Providence, Rhode Island

Roller Derby!
Host: Lizz
Date: Sunday, October 14
Activity: Let’s watch some roller derby!! Come watch the Sakonnet River Roller Rats vs. The Providence Mob Squad at the RI Convention Center.
Location: To find each other, meet inside the Starbucks at the Biltmore Hotel (11 Dorrance St). Latecomers join up at the convention center.
Time: Doors open at 5pm, so meet at 4:30pm
RSVP

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Ann Arbor, Michigan

Drinks With Batman OR Circus Clowns
Host: Rachel
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: I have not confirmed this with my own eyes but I am told there is a Batman-themed bar in Ann Arbor. If I cannot confirm that this actually exists, we can meet at the circus-themed bar, which I do know exists. Optional brunch attendance the next day at AutBar, the gay bar with brunch!
Location: Batman Bar OR Circus Bar & Billards (210 S First) / AutBar (315 Braun Court)
Time: 9pm Saturday night at the bar, 10am the next day at brunch
RSVP

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Pacific Northwest

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Orlando, Florida

Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Host: Intern Chelsey
Date: Sunday, October 21 (DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED)
Activity: Let’s go be geeky at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Also, butterbeer.
Location: Universal Orlando – Islands of Adventure
Time: 2pm (park closes at 8pm)
RSVP
Special Instructions: If you don’t have an annual pass, buy tickets through the website!

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Houston, Texas

Potluck Picnic
Host: Marisa
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Potluck Picnic! We will meet in the park between the Menil and the Rothko Chapel.  Please bring a food/drink/dessert to share with everyone.  I will make sure we have plenty of blankets.  I’m incredibly flexible and open to any other ideas as well.
Location: Menil Park. Right by the Rothko Chapel/Menil Collection.
Time: 3pm
RSVP: email crowdeddeclaration[at]gmail.com

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Austin, Texas

Karaoke!
Host: Mary Ann
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: Karaoke!
Location: Austin Karaoke (6808 North Lamar Blvd.)
Time: 8pm
RSVP

Choose Your Own Adventure
Host: Julia
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Brunching at Bouldin!
Location: Bouldin Creek Cafe
Time: 12pm
RSVP

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Dallas, Texas

Night Out in the Gayborhood
Host: Christina
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: Night out in the Gayborhood. Let’s meet at Sue’s and see where the night takes us!
Location: Sue Ellen’s + ?
Time: 9:45pm
RSVP

Queer Brunch! 
Host: Christina
Date: Sunday, October 21
Activity: Brunch! Bottomless mimosas! Queers! L
ocation: Mattito’s – Routh St.
Time: 11am
RSVP
Special Instructions: Please RSVP so we know how many to expect

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Santiago, Spain

Coffee/Beer & Cards
Host: Laura
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: Drink coffee and/or beer, play cards, have fun!
RSVP
Special Instructions: Laura is very flexible so head over to Facebook (via RSVP link) to make plans!

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Vienna, Austria

Coffee/Beer & Cards
Host: Lina
Date: Friday, October 19, 20, 21 (any of these dates)
Activity: Food / drinks
RSVP: Email Lina if interested lila.apfel[at]hotmail.de

Iowa City, Iowa

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Nashville, Tennessee

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Seattle, Washington

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Baltimore, Maryland

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Fairbanks, Alaska

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New Orleans, Louisiana

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Little Rock, Arkansas

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Durham, North Carolina

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San Antonio, Texas

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Calgary, Alberta

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Medicine Hat, Alberta

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Toronto, Ontario

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Vancouver, BC

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Mexico City, Mexico

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Glasgow, Scotland

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Wellington, Aotearoa NZ

Labour Day Picnic (Yes, Labour With A ‘U’)
Host: Nicole, Frith and Nicola
Date: Monday, October 22
Activity: Picnic lunch!
Location: Sound Shell Lawn, Wellington Botanic Gardens
Time: 12:30pm
RSVP

Potluck & Gig
Host: Nicola
Date: Friday, October 26
Activity: Potluck dinner and drinks, then gig celebrating Wellington Rape Crisis’ 35th Birthday
Location: Potluck in Aro Valley (address will be provided on Facebook closer to the time), then Meow Bar on Edward St.
Time: 7pm
RSVP
Special instructions: To see the event you may have to join the “Autostraddle New Zealand” Facebook group

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Auckland, New Zealand

Fall Cocktails
Host: seemsforever
Date: Saturday 1 December
Activity: Cocktails!
Location: TBD (check FB event page for updates)
Time: 8pm
RSVP

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Paris, France

Boire et Danser
Host: Jill
Date: Saturday, October 13
Activity: Drinks and Dancing at Le Troisième Lieu
Location: 62 rue Quincampoix, 3ème arrondissement
Time: 7pm
RSVP

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Toulouse, France

Drinks and Music
Name: Gemma
Date: Saturday, October 2o
Activity: Drinks/Music by La Garonne
Location: Prairie des Filtres
Time: 8pm
RSVP

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Marseille, France

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Utrecht, Netherlands

Brunch at the Bakkerswinkel
Host: Angela (MileHighFemme)
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Brunchin’ it up at the Bakkerswinkel
Location: De Bakkerswinkel
Time: 12pm
RSVP

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London, United Kingdom

Club Lesley
Host: Twat Boutique
Date: Friday, October 19
Activity: drinking, dancing and chasing honies
Location: Dalston Superstore (117 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2PB)
Time : 9pm – 3am
RSVP

Drinky Dinner and Dancing
Host: Anna
Date: Tuesday, October 16
Activity: A dinner in Soho followed by a trip down to Ku Bar’s Ruby Tuesdays
Location: Provisionally Soho Joe (£5 lovely pizzas), followed by chatting & mingling at an audible bar, then we’ll head on down to Ku Bar’s Ruby Tuesdays.
Time: 7:30pm
RSVP

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Manchester, United Kingdom

Let’s Plan Something!
Host: Mollie Staples
Date: Saturday, October 27
Activity: We’re going to pool ideas and come up with a thing on the events page, so TBC for the moment
RSVP: The fb event will be private. Message Mollie Staples (studying at University of York) on Facebook to be added

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Northhampton, Massachusetts

All Things Fall
Host: Michelle Gonzalez
Date: Saturday, October 20
Activity: Let’s meet at the park, watch the leaves fall, and decorate pumpkins; we’ll bring decorating tools, you bring your own pumpkin and yummy snacks to share. After that, we’ll go back to our place for mulled wine & cider!
Location: Childs Park
Time: 3 pm
RSVP

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Chicago, Illinois

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Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

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Madison, Wisconsin

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Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Adelaide, South Australia

You Should Go: The Queer Women of Color Poetry Revival Is Finally Here

I promised you a revival. And now it’s here.

If you’re into women, wine, spoken word, all of the above, or something completely different like good lighting, big living rooms, or warm sweaters you’re probably a human being built to go to THE REVIVAL, a salon-styled poetry tour that is actually happening potentially in a city near you!

Following their campaign, which raised over $5,000, the 9-day queer women’s poetry tour is hitting Toronto, Brooklyn, Chicago, Atlanta, DC, Durham, Detroit, and Cleveland. Honoring a queer tradition of demanding safe space, each event takes place in a local home. The works will explore sexuality, humanity – our lives.

“We are doing this because we have so many stories, and instead of begging the mainstream to tell them, we will tell them ourselves,” said producer Jade Foster. “That’s the point of a poet. To remind folks that they’re experiences, their trials and triumphs are real. That they matter. Just through the simple act of talking to each other, we become more than women, we become testament. That’s the point of the tour.”

You should probably buy your tickets sooner, and not later. And maybe bring tissues and a cigarette. Or a cute girl.

THE REVIVAL

[BUY TICKETS HERE]

Each Traditional Revival features light fare, a cash bar and a local guest poet.

+ October 5 – Brooklyn with Lambda Literary fellow Charan Morris
+ October 6 – Toronto with artist and activist Kim Crosby
+ October 7 – Detroit at LIV Resto Lounge
+ October 7 – Cleveland at Oberlin College
+ October 9 – Chicago at POW WOW Open Mic (with a workshop at Columbia College)
+ October 11 – Atlanta with Red Summer
+ October 12 – Durham with Mobile Homecoming Project’s Alexis Pauline Gumbs
+ October 13 – DC Welcome Home Concert with Rachel Eliza Griffiths & DC Youth Slam Team / Special Afterparty*

*Carmen Rios and Morgan McCormick are going to this, you know.