Happening: By Women, for Women
Projects, links, and resources in celebration of International Women’s Day.
This roundup was originally shared in our Happening newsletter, a weekly mix of new projects, buzzworthy stories, and other things our team is excited about. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Tuesday (and sometimes, Saturday).
Today is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. So we thought we’d take a moment to share a special selection of projects, links, resources, and more created by and for women, curated by a few of the wonderful women who work here (including me, Rebecca, your friendly neighborhood newsletter writer. Hi! 👋).
Read on to find out what we’re backing, reading, watching, listening to, and clicking on.
Live projects by and for women
“Founded by ‘cosmic femme punk’ musician Taleen Kali and two other kickass ladies, Rous Quezada and Julia Gibson, the experimental literary mag Dum Dum Zine has published five issues, each in a totally different format, from a broadside to an audio compilation to a perfect-bound art object. They’re on Kickstarter to fund their sixth issue, Rest & Resist, a ‘literary survival kit for these dark political times’ — something I think we can all agree is sorely needed right now.”
—Oriana Leckert, Journalism Outreach Lead
“The Mermaid Cat Tarot Deck combines so many of my interests into one that I think perhaps the creator, Mayumi, got inside my head. If you have a penchant for cats, mermaids, and beautiful witchy things, then this deck is up your alley too.”
— Kate Bernyk, Director of Communications
“There may be 500 times more pieces of microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in our galaxy. X Trillion will document an all-woman crew on a grueling voyage to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where they become witnesses to a global problem — and emerge transformed.”
— Elise McCave, Director of Narrative Film
“Did you know that there’s a women’s wrestling arena in Monterrey, Mexico? The Monterrey Female Arena is also the headquarters of LLF, Lucha Libre Femenil (Female Wrestling). Support La Femenil to learn more about the history of women’s wrestling in Mexico.”
— Elise McCave, Director of Narrative Film
“Cannabis recently became legal in my home and native land of Canada, but I haven’t had a chance to go back and visit the Great Green North since then. In the meantime, I’m really digging the latest from Spike Trotman’s Iron Circus Comics. It’s called How Do You Smoke a Weed?, and it promises to be a wildly entertaining illustrated guide to the increasingly legal herb. Smoke ʼem if you got ʼem (and if it’s legal where you live).”
— Rebecca Hiscott, Senior Editor
“Have I mentioned I’m from Canada? I’m super into it. Kind Ice Cream is a woman-run ice cream shop in Edmonton — a place I’ve never been, but hey, there’s still time — and it sounds like it’ll be a lovely place to get a scoop (regular or vegan!).”
— Rebecca Hiscott, Senior Editor
Kickstarter creators who inspire us
“As a new mother, I intimately relate to Kickstarter creator Naomi Gale’s journey to motherhood, her struggles with breastfeeding (twins!) and the frustration that inspired her to launch her business. Naomi started The Boob Store to celebrate breasts in all their forms. The shop offers delightfully designed products that encourage conversations about breasts, from breastfeeding to breast cancer to body image.”
— Liz Blair, Marketing Technology Team Lead
“Liza de Guia is an award-winning food storyteller and former Kickstarter Creator-in-Residence. I’m stoked about the Food-Raiser event she’s hosting (at Kickstarter HQ!) that will bring people together over great food and raise money for families separated at the U.S. border.”
— Carol Benovic-Bradley, Senior Education Specialist
“Zoe Mendelson, Jackie Jahn, and María Conejo used Kickstarter to create Pussypedia, a free, easy to understand encyclopedia of the vagina. Very few school textbooks show the clitoris as part of the female sex organ, and the ones that do just represent it as a point on the diagram. Humans walked on the moon for the first time 50 years ago, but the clitoris, and female pleasure in general, is still a mystery for most young people. The website is launching soon!”
— Célia Vermicelli, Creative Communities Lead in Mexico
“Contemplating the question of whether the concept of feminism translates, Tilted Axis Press connected with poetry fans around the world to translate poetry chapbooks by women poets from Asia. They created this gorgeous chapbook series called Translating Feminisms, with Risograph-printed covers, and got them into the hands of readers across the globe.”
— Margot Atwell, Director of Publishing
What we’re reading, watching, and listening to
“As someone who attempts to write the occasional personal essay, The Creative Independent’s interview with Erica Jong about creating without fear spoke to me a lot. Particularly when Jong says, ‘The body is where you live. If you don’t write honestly about the body, your writing is not honest.’ For women, especially plus-size women like me, this is affirmation that our experiences are valid and real, and not something to run away from.”
— Kate Bernyk, Director of Communications
“I’m Supposed to Protect You from All This is an excellent autobiography about multigenerational familial relationships between women set in Paris and New York City. I recommended it to my mother after looking at the changing times and circumstances for women throughout the book.”
— Patton Hindle, Senior Director of Arts
“Created by and starring best friends Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, PEN15 is not only a hilarious look back at the cringeworthiness of middle school but also a beautiful portrait of friendship, sexuality, and the first-generation experience. I truly can’t recommend it enough, especially if you came of age around the dawn of Y2K.”
“Cohosted by pals Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, Call Your Girlfriend is ‘a podcast for long-distance besties everywhere.’ Each week Amina and Ann tackle the issues of the day, from personal finance to politics to anxiety, through interviews with fellow writers, activists, and all-around cool ladies you’ll want to know. Amina and Ann also coined the phrase ‘Shine Theory,’ which basically champions collaboration over competition — something I try to apply to my life whenever possible.”
— Maura M. Lynch, Senior Editorial Producer
Links we love
“Alex Citrin makes illustrations and animations that are both gorgeous and NYC as hell. I recommend following her on Instagram for gems like this glorious bacon egg and cheese ☝.”
— Maura M. Lynch, Senior Editorial Producer
“Through the 1001 Fesses (1001 Butts) Project, two Montreal-based photographers, Emilie Mercier and Frederique Marseille, are celebrating the diversity of bodies from all over the world.”
— Célia Vermicelli, Creative Communities Lead in Mexico
“POWarts is a great organization that supports women working in the arts through frequent gatherings, discussions, and shared resources. They recently conducted the first salary survey in the arts for both men and women to help increase pay transparency.”
— Patton Hindle, Senior Director of Arts
“Whenever I want to buy a cookbook, read about what’s happening in the food world, or hire a freelancer, I check Equity at the Table (EATT). It’s Julia Turshen’s database for food industry professionals featuring only women and gender nonconforming individuals.”
— Carol Benovic-Bradley, Senior Education Specialist
