Blog posts from November 2011
New review: The Skin I Live In
by Ania Ostrowska // 30 November 2011, 19:40
Remaining spooked and preoccupied, Mhairi Guild still appreciates density and creativity of Almodovar's latest grotesque fairytale of not-only-gender identity, desire and power We staggered out of Pedro Almodóvar's latest offering somewhat shell-shocked. There is a huge amount to get out...
November Playlist
by Holly Combe // 30 November 2011, 13:39
Holly introduces the playlist for November. Soulful sounds lead the way, before a move into rock and indie, followed by a haunting moment from the usually more guitar-laden Suffrajett in preparation for a wintry finalé from Kate Bush
Good news quick hit: equal pay
by Laura // 29 November 2011, 21:53
It's gloom and doom everywhere you turn at the moment, so I was cheered to hear this piece of news from Birmingham, where 174 women who used to work for Birmingham City Council have secured the right to have...
Fawcett response to Chancellor's autumn financial statement
by Laura // 29 November 2011, 21:07
From Anna Bird, Acting Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society: "Today's policy announcements have made an already bad situation worse. Capping public sector pay will impact disproportionately on women who make up the bulk of the public sector workforce:...
Music paste up: Zola Jesus, EMA, or Angry Women part 2
by Cazz Blase // 29 November 2011, 19:06
Last week I went with friends to see the amazing Zola Jesus at Manchester Academy 3. I was expecting a lot from her, and she certainly didn't disappoint: Soul searingly powerful vocals and equally powerful pounding, pulsating, hammering drums....
No women on BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist
by Carrie Dunn // 29 November 2011, 10:22
A few weeks ago, I tweeted about a conversation I'd had with one of my journalism students. She asked me, "Why is there so little coverage of women's sport?" I replied, "Because OF THE PATRIARCHY." It was a joke,...
Weekly round-up and open thread, 21-28 November 2011
by zohra moosa // 28 November 2011, 14:12
Hi all It's been a really busy last week - here's this week's round-up of some of the bits around the internet we haven't had a chance to blog about. Please do add links in the comments section if...
Music paste up: Angry women
by Cazz Blase // 26 November 2011, 22:36
I was struck in compiling this music paste up by the way that the two videos I'd like to introduce you to, Eleanor Friedberger's 'Roosevelt Island' and Thomas Tantrum's 'Sleep' are both essentially angry in sentiment but in different...
New Review: Shattering seas: Tori Amos at the Royal Albert Hall
by Cazz Blase // 25 November 2011, 20:45
Tori Amos' recent performance at London's Royal Albert Hall served as an emotional reminder for Sophie Mayer of the power of song, and of teenage memories I confess: I vote Tori. I have since 1991, when I saw her supporting......
In support of teachers striking
by Guest Blogger // 25 November 2011, 15:50
This is a guest post by Joanne Fradley Striking teachers; does it get any more disruptive? Kids need looking after. Parents lose days at work. Companies lose their staff for a day. Students lose a day of education and teachers...
Care packages for unseen(uk)
by Guest Blogger // 25 November 2011, 15:24
A guest post explaining how buying some soap, shampoo, tampons, deodorant and moisturiser could make all the difference for a woman who has escaped trafficking.
25 November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
by Helen G // 25 November 2011, 10:40
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Women's activists have marked 25 November as a day against violence since 1981. This date came from the brutal assassination in 1960, of the three Mirabal sisters, political...
Transphobia in Feminist Spaces (Comic and commentary)
by Alicia Izharuddin // 24 November 2011, 18:16
The following is a guestpost by Oxford-based cartoonist Kay Ri who attended Fem 11 with mixed views about the content and direction of some of the sessions. Click for a larger image When I attended the London Feminist Network workshop...
Girls Are blog relaunched
by Holly Combe // 24 November 2011, 14:10
Online music website the girls are has relaunched with a new site and new team of editors including Melody Maker journo Ngaire Ruth, Tom Tom Magazine Copy Editor Lydia Harris and US Editor Pam Ronnei. Editor, Annette Barlow has...
New Review: Penny Red: Notes from the New Age of Dissent
by Charlene Moore // 21 November 2011, 23:29
Laurie Penny's new book brings together a diverse collection of her writing from online content to newspaper columns. Sarah Graham reviews the works of one of the most prominent voices of the new left as she provides analysis, interviews and...
Weekly round-up - Monday 21st November 2011
by Carrie Dunn // 21 November 2011, 14:42
Greetings! Here's this week's batch of links we noticed but didn't blog about. As always, don't shoot the messenger - linking here doesn't necessarily mean endorsement. And feel free to post more links or debate in the comments! The picture...
New feature: Are you writing in permanent marker?
by Jess McCabe // 21 November 2011, 09:01
What happens when a brilliant feminist blog gets deleted, or an online magazine disappears? The Women's Library is ensuring that as many resources as possible leave a more permanent mark through the British Library Web Archive, Inderbir Bhullar explains The...
Divide and rule works both ways
by Philippa Willitts // 20 November 2011, 16:53
Philippa talks about accusations of divisiveness within political movements.
Nature publishes sexist fiction
by Jolene Tan // 20 November 2011, 15:26
Image shows a microscope. Shared by IITA Media Library under a Creative Commons License. Among academic scientists, to be published in Nature is a rare and highly-prized achievement, an instant boost to the career. It's an extraordinarily prestigious and "high...
New review: Living in the ice age: Kate Bush's 50 Words for Snow
by Holly Combe // 20 November 2011, 14:13
Six years after Aerial, Kate Bush's latest offering sees her continuing to write, perform and produce music that is out of this world. Debi Withers previews the release, equipped with a healthy appreciation for the ridiculous and a love of...
20th November 2011: 13th International Transgender Day of Remembrance
by Helen G // 20 November 2011, 00:01
Every transsexual, white, black, man, woman, rich, poor, is in a state of primary emergency as a transsexual. [Andrea Dworkin in 'Woman Hating'] Today, 20th November 2011, is the 13th International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR). It's a day when...
New review: Abi Wade - And Blood and Air EP
by Holly Combe // 18 November 2011, 14:56
At a time when folk music is enjoying plenty of exposure, new blood Abi Wade's brave and disarmingly simple first EP is a fitting addition. Cazz Blase reports By relying almost entirely on the cello as her instrument of choice,...
Transgender Europe: Press Release: November 16th 2011
by Helen G // 16 November 2011, 17:54
Transgender Europe's Trans Murder Monitoring project reveals 221 killings of trans people in the last 12 months In total, since January 2008 the murders of 755 trans people have been reported The 13th International Transgender Day of Remembrance is being...
Poll: Balancing two ambitious careers
by Josephine Tsui // 16 November 2011, 12:29
This issue has been plaguing a few of my friends and myself as of lately and I would appreciate some feedback from the F-word crowd. How do you balance two ambitious careers between yourself and your partner? Sheryl Sandberg...
Exceptional exclusivity
by Philippa Willitts // 16 November 2011, 10:00
Philippa writes about a call for people to refuse to attend events with an all-male panel.
Image of Mary Wollstonecraft to be beamed over the Thames
by Holly Combe // 15 November 2011, 18:54
An image of Mary Wollstonecraft is to be projected onto the Houses of Parliament in central London on the evening of Wednesday, 16 November. This will kickstart the major fundraising for the Mary on the Green project: The projection...
New feature: A degree in sexism
by Jess McCabe // 15 November 2011, 18:29
Going to university has made me a feminist, says Cherry Morris "Do you swallow?" Three tiny little words, so completely unexpected that it took me a while to register what had been said to me. The group around me was...
New Review: Music for wintertime: Zola Jesus' Conatus
by Cazz Blase // 14 November 2011, 21:57
Nika Danilova -AKA Zola Jesus- grew up training to sing opera whilst listening to Throbbing Gristle and the Dead Kennedys. As the nights draw in and temperatures drop, David Wilkinson reviews third album Conatus Zola Jesus is 22 year...
New review: The 21st Century Motherhood Movement
by Charlene Moore // 14 November 2011, 19:51
Andrea O'Reilly argues that activist mothers are creating an autonomous and distinct social movement. Adele Jones reviews this first anthology of its kind, which profiles organisations who are all fighting for a shift in the value given to the roles...
Weekly round-up and open thread
by Alicia Izharuddin // 14 November 2011, 14:29
And as usual, every Monday we publish a collection of links to news and articles we didn't have time to blog about. We do not necessarily endorse the articles or websites we've listed here, but they are definitely worth reading....
This is what a feminist looks like, redux
by Jess McCabe // 13 November 2011, 15:19
This is what a feminist looks like: you probably already have the t-shirt, and now you can subscribe to the Tumblr. The Feminist Photo Blog Project was set up under two weeks ago and already there are pages and...
I like lists, aka uniting twitter feminists by location and interests
by Philippa Willitts // 12 November 2011, 20:00
Philippa describes her launch of an amazing resource to unite feminists on twitter by collating and sharing their particular interests.
Murder appeal, ten years on
by Philippa Willitts // 11 November 2011, 14:00
Philippa writes about a police appeal for information about an unsolved, ten year old murder of a woman in prostitution
Bristol Feminist Network launch Reclaim the Night 2011
by Guest Blogger // 10 November 2011, 16:22
This is a guest post by Sian Norris On Friday 18th November, hundreds will take to the streets of Bristol to demand the right to walk through the city, free from the fear of sexual harassment, abuse and violence. Not...
New feature: A man's world? Darryn De La Soul on being a sound engineer
by Holly Combe // 9 November 2011, 11:47
Ruth Rosselson interviews Darryn De La Soul, whose achievements include mixing the sound at the 50th anniversary of the Jodrell Bank observatory, work with Faster than Sound and teaching the live sound diploma for Alchemea In 25 years of (extensive)...
Women firefighters to lobby MPs tomorrow
by Philippa Willitts // 8 November 2011, 18:52
A press release from the Fire Brigade Union about a lobby of MPs by women firefighters which will take place tomorrow, protesting pension reforms.
Women, leadership and confidence building
by Guest Blogger // 8 November 2011, 14:42
This week the World Economic Forum released its annual gender gap index. The UK shared the top spot with several other countries for female educational achievement, with more women than men attending university. But when it came to women's...
New Review: Gears of War
by Mathilda Gregory // 8 November 2011, 11:55
Olivia Cotterell welcomes the final chapter of the Gears of War franchise including some playable female characters, but finds the game ultimately still drips with the same old machismo Ah, Gears of War. The original take-cover-and-shoot game came lumbering to...
Intersex Day of Remembrance
by Helen G // 8 November 2011, 08:20
Today, 8 November, is Intersex Day of Remembrance. From the Organisation Intersex International (OII) website (here and here): Today, Intersex Day of Remembrance, is the 14th and ultimate day of The Fourteen Days of Intersex celebrated by intersex people the...
Weekly round up
by Lynne Miles // 7 November 2011, 21:10
Hola feministas, happy Monday! This week's links and bits and bobs. Feel free to use the comments as an open thread for discussion, or tell us of anything else we missed. As usual, including a post here doesn't mean we...
Music paste up: Lauren Laverne and two up and coming events in Manchester
by Cazz Blase // 6 November 2011, 12:00
On the 17th November Manchester's Cornerhouse will be hosting a panel discussion entitled Breaking The Band. "Thinking of forming a band or taking your group to the next level? This event will uncover the myth of band dynamics particularly...
New review: The Ides of March
by Ania Ostrowska // 4 November 2011, 11:48
Taraneh Ghajar Jerven is disappointed with George Clooney's new film which renders women insignificant both on-screen and in politics Perhaps you were lured into your cinema seat, popcorn in hand, because of Ryan Gosling's talent for the introspective pause. Or...
New feature: How the coalition cuts are impacting the women of Bristol
by Jess McCabe // 3 November 2011, 19:54
As a report finds Bristol's women are being hit hard by coalition cuts, Sian Norris interviews domestic violence advisor Sian Taylor from Wish, one of the organisations forced to slash services 'Fair' has been the buzzword of the cuts from...
New review: Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
by Holly Combe // 3 November 2011, 00:58
Brit Award winning musician Laura Marling's latest album sees her going beyond her nu-folk roots and taking on a looser, lustier and more sophisticated style. Louise Allan reports Laura Marling has cast an intriguing figure since the release of...
UnderWire Festival's 2011 Programme
by Helen G // 2 November 2011, 19:55
UnderWire, the UK's only short film festival dedicated to showcasing the raw cinematic talents of women, have announced the programme for their second annual festival, running 23 - 26 November at The Shortwave Cinema in London, featuring an eclectic mix...
LaDIYFest Sheffield
by Philippa Willitts // 2 November 2011, 19:35
A post about Sheffield's first feminist music festival, taking place on Saturday 12th November and Sunday 13th November at venues across the city.
High Court rejects Julian Assange's extradition appeal
by Jolene Tan // 2 November 2011, 16:30
Image shows a pair of scales. Shared by Vaxzine under a Creative Commons license. Warning: this post contains references to sexual violence. Today the High Court has rejected Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's appeal against extradition to Sweden to face charges...
Weekly Round-Up And Open Thread, 2 November 2011
by Helen G // 2 November 2011, 15:41
Here's this week's open thread for discussion and our regular round-up of some of the articles and blogs we've noticed over the last week or so, but not had time to post about. If you have a link or comment...
Guest Post 2: Tabak and the legal admissibility of pornography - Melanie Newman
by Josephine Tsui // 1 November 2011, 22:30
Recently, evidence was found that Vincent Tabak (whom was recently found guilty of murdering Joanna Yeats) was in possession of pornography. The death of Joanna Yeats was remarkably similar to the pornography. There are many different opinions about pornography and...
Guest Post 1: Tabak and the legal admissibility of pornography - Nichi Hodgson
by Josephine Tsui // 1 November 2011, 22:25
Update: After we published this post, we had a discussion in the comments about disablist use of language to describe perpetrators. Check it out in the comments! Recently, evidence was found that Vincent Tabak (whom was recently found guilty...
Refuge Christmas appeal
by Laura // 1 November 2011, 22:21
I'd usually groan at any mention of Christmas before December (and, yes, I spend most of November groaning), but this time it's well worth the mention! Refuge have set up a gift list to help make sure that every...
Overpopulation - blame patriarchy
by Guest Blogger // 1 November 2011, 09:58
A guest post by Mary Tracy about how empowering women could solve many of the world's problems.
Founder of The F-Word, Catherine Redfern, has co-authored a new book with Kristin Aune. Find out more at the 
