“Trouble is, it’s impossible to have a serious discussion about race without also mentioning class. And that’s even more frowned upon ’round these parts. Rather than substantive debate, what’s usually conducted instead is a chat about symbols. There’s usually a problem differentiating between the signifier and the signified, but hey, the media don’t exist for […]
Posted inRebellions
Rebelle Event of the Month: Women Supporting Women Conference
Ask Emily Lonigro Boylan why Chicago’s women business owners need the Women Supporting Women Conference, and she doesn’t mince words: “Men have a network, it’s called the world. We need to have a conference that’s for us.” The Women Supporting Women Conference, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20 at Catalyst Ranch, is sponsored by Mom + Baby, a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Helen Keller’s Life Leaps Onto the Stage Via Dance
“It was my teacher’s genius, her quick sympathy, her loving tact which made the first years of my education so beautiful,” wrote Helen Keller of her visually-impaired and empowering teacher Anne Sullivan. “All the best of me belongs to her—there is not a talent, or an aspiration or a joy in me that has not […]
Posted inArts & Culture
War on Women’s Shawna Potter Talks Riot Fest, Feminism & the Future
One of the stand-out performances from this year’s edition of Riot Fest Chicago, which took place in Douglas Park on Sept. 16-18, came from Baltimore feminist rockers War On Women. With socially conscious lyrics, blazing guitar riffs, pounding drums and an infectious energy that makes you want to change the world, War On Women are […]
Posted inColumns, Feminist Parenting
Introducing Our Newest Column: Feminist Parenting
While I try every day to make sure I don’t suck at being a parent, it’s a lot harder to remind myself that I don’t suck at being a feminist. Especially because the paths I have taken as both a parent and a feminist are different than I ever thought they would be. I was […]
Posted inBooks, Reviews
“I Will Send Rain” by Rae Meadows
I Will Send Rain by Rae Meadows c. 2016, Henry Holt $26/$37 Canada 272 pages Rain, rain, go away. That never worked, did it? You could chant those four words all you want, trying to keep your picnic, reunion, or party from being ruined, but the sky opened up and there you were. Rain, rain, […]
Posted inNews
The CDC Left Out the T in An LGB Youth Violence Survey, and the Internet Threw a Fit
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released an infographic reporting statistics on violence against lesbian, gay and bisexual youth. The infographic is the meat of a campaign to raise awareness about the risks facing sexual minority youth. The data comes from a 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a questionnaire used in 125 public […]
Posted inMusic
Making Riot Fest Feminist Again with The Julie Ruin, Juliette & the Licks and More
The 2016 edition of Riot Fest Chicago on Sept. 16-18 will go down as one of the best festivals of the year. Between making the impossible possible by reuniting The Misfits for only the second time since 1983 – the first being at Riot Fest Denver earlier this month – and recruiting Morrissey to perform […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Interview: A Wonderful Chat with ‘Wonderful Town’ Director Mary Zimmerman
Chicago’s Goodman Theatre is taking on the Big Apple with its revival of the Leonard Bernstein musical “Wonderful Town” directed by Tony Award-winner Mary Zimmerman, who I had a chance to interview. Janet Arvia: “Wonderful Town” (which follows two sisters who go to the big city to make it as a writer and actress) takes place during the 1950s […]
Posted inMusic
10 Years Gone: Celebrating the Magic of ‘Rabbit Fur Coat’ with Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins
As the opening riff of “Run Devil Run” echoed from the stage at The Chicago Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 8, fans were momentarily perplexed as Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins (Chandra and Leigh Watson) were noticeably absent from the proceedings. Suddenly, off in the distance emerged soft, beautiful harmonies and the iconic vocal melody […]