WISDOM TOOTH

[THROWBACK] 2011's ART TOP 5

2012-01-28T20:20:00.000-05:00

"Death's Door" by Nina Hartmann, photo by the author

As we nudge up on the end of January, I've promised myself to celebrate the new year February 1st. I mean, I went to a killer party on the Real New Year's Eve, but January buzzed by as I hustled through my work day and home to writing and design gigs. Things have been hectic. So during the next week I'll be recapping 2011 and telling you about what's new in 2012 at Wisdom Tooth HQ.

To kick things off, here's a TOP 5 IN ART list:

Best Dan-Flavin-inspired boner
Jelsen Jargon, "Maman Said"
Repetition Repetition Repetition @ 17 Frost
(photos here)

Multimedia designer extraordinaire Jelsen Jargon hasn't shown in a gallery setting in years. He burst back onto the scene with clever and beautiful work at Repetition Repetition Repetition, which runs through January 2012.

Best monthly series
Dirty Looks curated by Bradford Nordeen
dirtylooksnyc.org

Curator Bradford Nordeen's roaming queer film night, Dirty Looks, combines contemporary and historical queer filmmakers as well as various other art-makers. Last year's program was hilarious, clever, tight, and never dull.

Best zine programming
Aimee Lusty's curated shows at Booklyn Artists Alliance
booklyn.org | aimeelusty.com

Booklyn has been taken over by young artist and zine-maker Aimee Lusty. Named gallery director in 2011, Lusty brought zine work to the gallery walls and re-examined how we use print in our artistic practice.

Best use of print media
OCCUPIED Wall Street Journal
occupiedmedia.us

In its most recent issue, the print companion to the Occupy movement doubled as a poster to be pasted around the city. With good design and a practical purpose, OWSJ has reinvigorated the purpose of print media in political movements.

Best one-night show
Summer of Hate (Nina Hartmann & Vinnie Smith) @ Youth Group Gallery
ninahartmann.com | collecteddust.blogspot.com

Hartmann and Smith's creepy-cool imagery was completely appropriate for a one-night-in-late-summer-show. Their prints brought to the surface all the terrible feelings that seep from our pores and our brains in the dogged heat.

ZINE NEWS

2012-01-08T22:06:00.000-05:00

Since we have surpassed the end it just feels right to tell you that 2011 was a year of being totally on my hustle all the time. I'll post something about my year's highlights as well as favorite music and art picks soon, but for now here's a recap of some zine news from most recent to least.

I will be tabling at the first-ever NYC Feminist Zinefest (co-organized by Kate Angell and Elvis Bakaitis) on Saturday, February 25th, 2012 with International Girl Gang Underground and with For the Birds. The 'fest will be held at the Brooklyn Commons, 388 Atlantic Avenue (between Hoyt St. and Bond St. in Brooklyn).

The lovely and inspiring Tommy Pico interviewed me for a birdsong "Five on It" along with some super fab people, including my dear friend and collaborator Kathleen McIntyre. The interviews are printed in birdsong 16.

I also contributed to Hoax issue 5, "Feminisms and Community" about my experience organizing the IGGU zine release party in March, about community and utilizing a safer space policy.

Stay tuned for more ZINE NEWS as we plan the future of BRAIN WAVES in 2012!

PROFANITY AGAINST THE PATRIARCHY

2011-12-29T23:25:00.000-05:00

ANNOUNCING... A TEE SHIRT COLLABORATION WITH JASON ROY

Jason Roy and I collaborated again -- this time on a tee shirt! It says "FUCK YOUR MACHO BULLSHIT" and has a bunch of middle fingers on it. Jason has some other rad original designs for sale too. You can pick them up at:

ARTIST & CRAFTSMAN SUPPLY

761 METROPOLITAN AVE.

BROOKLYN, NY

for $10!

proceeds go to International Girl Gang Underground zine

MIX TAPE #6: TO KEEP

2011-12-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

TO KEEP

Nirvana - Ain't it a Shame (demo)

Jay-Z ft. Chrisette Michele - Lost One

Tenement - Cage That Keeps You In

that dog. - To Keep Me

Swearin' - What a Dump

Texas is the Reason - Blue Boy

No Doubt - End it on This

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Almost Cut My Hair

Far - Waiting for Sunday

Remember when I said there wasn't gonna be a mix? I lied. Here's the winter mix for 2011.

Inspired by Robin Browne's "Xmas Cake" mix, cabin fever, and a victorious end to the YEAR OF HEALING^TM. Made in honor of my Northern-turned-Southern friends whom I won't be seeing this holiday season (like I did this time last year).

BRAIN WAVES: HIGHLIGHTS FROM A YEAR OF ZINES

2011-12-17T15:48:00.000-05:00

BRAIN WAVES show (left) with BRAIN WAVES collection (right)

This weekend is your last chance to see BRAIN WAVES' first gallery group show, Highlights from a Year of Zines at STOREFRONT. It's also my last two days working at the gallery (forever!), so if you are so inclined, feel free to bring food and beverages and share the end of an era with me. I'll be listening to It's Christmas on repeat; gallery hours, as always, are 1pm-6pm Saturday & Sunday.

BRAIN WAVES

highlights from a year of zines

featuring

Melanie Kress & Kate Ryan, coeditors

“i am not a good enough feminist” book

2011

Aimee Lusty

“Artefacts” zine

2011

Kathleen McIntyre

"The Worst" 2

2010

Mike Taylor

“Late Era Clash” #23

2011

Kate Wadkins & Stacy Konkiel, coeditors

“International Girl Gang Underground” zine

2011

I've also marked the occasion by doing an Anthology session with Sarah Butler of wordservents:

Anthology Art Space 2010 + ongoing collaboration with James Ewing and Valerie SolesAnthology… is a boxed archival portfolio of photographs and texts collected through collaborative meditation on the real and ideal contexts of art. Handwritten conversations and architectural photographs explore the places that artists make, the artists that places make.

Wall text

L to R: i am not a good enough feminist, Artefacts, The Worst #2, Late Era Clash #23, International Girl Gang Underground

BRAIN WAVES Winter 2011 collection

Snapshots from our opening & closing party, December 9, after the jump:

AT THE BROOKLYN NIGHT BAZAAR

2011-12-15T15:23:00.002-05:00

Hyperallergic will have a booth at this month's Brooklyn Night Bazaar, starting tonight at 5pm and going until Saturday (for more details, see this post). I just whipped up a batch of International Girl Gang Underground zines to peddle at the event! So get yr copy while it's hot. In a way, it's like my zine is opening for Fucked Up?

Note: Check out Hyperallergic's follow-up post on the Bazaar here! Can you spot IGGU?

A FOND FAREWELL: STOREFRONT

2011-12-09T15:14:00.001-05:00

If you've been following me here, you probably know that a large portion of my life has been devoted to Bushwick's STOREFRONT gallery, which opened in January 2010. As we near two years of existence, Deborah Brown has decided to re-establish the gallery as Storefront Bushwick. Tonight is the opening of ROUND UP, STOREFRONT's final show -- so it is also our closing party.

STOREFRONT WILL CLOSE ITS DOORS

DECEMBER 18

After two fantastic years, Storefront will close its garage door with a final show featuring artists who had one-person exhibitions in the space:

Deborah Brown, Hermine Ford,

Suzanne Goldenberg, Cooper Holoweski,

Andrew Hurst, Norman Jabaut,

Mary Judge, Greg Kwiatek, Justen Ladda,

Amy Lincoln, Kevin Regan, and Austin Thomas

OPENING / CLOSING PARTY:

Friday, December 9 -- 6-9PM

Jason Andrew will continue to run his nonprofit and gallery space Norte Maar, which will also be the new home of BRAIN WAVES, the zine and print collection I established at STOREFRONT in January 2011. Celebrating a year of zines, we'll have a zine exhibit in STOREFRONT's back room for the duration of the final show, up until December 18th.

BRAIN WAVES

highlights from a year of zines

featuring

Melanie Kress & Kate Ryan, coeditors

“i am not a good enough feminist” book

2011

Aimee Lusty

“Artefacts” zine

2011

Kathleen McIntyre

"The Worst" 2

2010

Mike Taylor

“Late Era Clash” #23

2011

Kate Wadkins & Stacy Konkiel, coeditors

“International Girl Gang Underground” zine

2011

PLEASE JOIN US TO WISH US A FOND FAREWELL!

LINKS:
STOREFRONT
STOREFRONT BUSHWICK (NEW SPACE)
NORTE MAAR
BRAIN WAVES

WINTER MIX 2011

2011-12-09T12:18:00.001-05:00

This is the first drawing I've done since August.

OCCUPYING & OBSERVING

2011-12-02T14:03:00.001-05:00

Foley Square, November 17, 2011

Yesterday I marched in lower Manhattan (starting at Zuccotti Park) for World AIDS Day, with my friend Roz. After the march stopped and the civil disobedience group was arrested, we made our way back to Zuccotti to see if anything else was going on. To our surprise, Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins and Jackson Browne were scheduled to play a free show. We stayed until our toes nearly froze off. I was tweeting the events and the New York Observer posted one of my photos:

On a related note, I recently wrote a piece for Hyperallergic about OCCUPIED: Occupy Wall Street Art Show at Bluesetockings. The piece was also about my personal experience with the movement and my respect for the fact that it disrupts business as usual. Originally called "Occupying Business as Usual," the title didn't make it through the editing process.

The general vibe I’ve been hearing from a lot of people is “I don’t totally agree with the OWS protesters but … ” and then some message of, well, agreement. I have been feeling the same way, but deeply passionate about the space OWS has opened up for dialogue: political, social, economic and artistic.

As cultural critic Jay Smooth said, “It’s just specific enough to catch that basic sentiment that so many people share, and it’s just vague enough to let many people come to it with many different shades of that sentiment.” The OCCUPIED art show is a little like that.

From political posters of all sorts to handmade signs (like those seen at Zuccotti and in the streets) to more traditional art pieces, OCCUPIED was clearly the result of an open call for submissions, which is, obviously, appropriate.

You can read the full article here.

I also want to mention to my fellow writers -- especially zine authors and editors -- you can add your names to the Occupy Writers list. While I am a contributing writer at Hyperallergic, I was curious to see if my editing International Girl Gang Underground would be appropriate for this list, and I got an emphatic yes as a response. Occupy Writers is encouraging anyone on the list to write original material about the movement.

SWEARIN'

2011-11-19T12:03:00.001-05:00

Doodling at work, thinking about my new favorite band, Swearin'.

If you haven't picked up the What a Dump demo [free download] yet, get it quick!

TAG YOU'RE IT

2011-11-13T22:09:00.001-05:00

ATTENTION: NEW YORKERS (or New York visitors)

If you can find this tooth and provide proof (a picture of yourself next to it), then I will send you either a free International Girl Gang Underground zine or one of my new photo prints (not yet available on the internet!) - your pick. First come first serve.

TOM TOM MAG ISSUES 2 & 3

2011-11-12T20:51:00.001-05:00

I did this illustration for Tom Tom Magazine's "One Drummer, One Question" (in issue 2) back in January 2010 (whoa!) -- issues 2 and 3 are now available online for free.

2011-11-10T00:08:00.000-05:00

Le Tigre's Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre On Tour is now available to watch instantly on Netflix.
And, um, getting this screencap totally made my week!

MEET ME AT THE RACE RIOT: People of Color in Zines from 1990 - Today

2011-11-03T20:43:00.000-04:00

Flier by Daniela Capistrano

I've been organizing this event with Daniela of POC Zine Project and Jenna from Barnard Zine Library. We're all so excited that it's happening. You can RSVP on Facebook.

Wednesday, November 16 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Barnard College
307 Milbank Hall (3rd floor)
North end of campus
3009 Broadway
New York, NY 10027

The People of Color (POC) Zine Project, Barnard Zine Library and For The Birds Collective are excited to announce a zine reading/community event featuring POC zinesters with diverse backgrounds in zine culture and activism. This is an ALL AGES event, so spread widely!

We'll be adding more details to this event listing, but here are the confirmed readers and details:

MIMI THI NGUYEN (EVOLUTION OF A RACE RIOT)
http://mimithinguyen.com/home.html

OSA ATOE (SHOTGUN SEAMSTRESS)
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/ShotgunSeamstress

JAMIE VARRIALE VELEZ (ROCK AND THE SINGLE GIRL)
http://rockandthesinglegirl.blogspot.com/

DANIELA CAPISTRANO (BAD MEXICAN)
http://www.danielacapistrano.com/

MARIAM BASTANI (MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL)
http://maximumrocknroll.com/?s=mariam

JORDAN ALAM
http://thecowation.blogspot.com/

BRING YOUR ZINES!
We are encouraging folks to bring any zines they want to share, sell or trade. We'll have space to do that.

LIVETWEET: #poczines
We'll be sharing details in real time on Twitter @poczineproject, so feel free to follow along and send us your questions and comments with #poczines!

VENUE INFORMATION

Milkbank Hall is on the north end of the Barnard College campus. There will be signs posted to guide you to the 3rd floor location.

Barnard College information:
http://www.diigo.com/user/barnardlibjenna/barnard%20directions

RELATED LINKS

Barnard Zine Libary: http://zines.barnard.edu/
Barnard's zines are written by women (cis- and transgender) with an emphasis on zines by women of color. We collect zines on feminism and femme identity by people of all genders. The zines are personal and political publications on activism, anarchism, body image, third wave feminism, gender, parenting, queer community, riot grrrl, sexual assault, trans experience, and other topics.

FOR THE BIRDS: http://forthebirdscollective.org/
FOR THE BIRDS is a New York City-based feminist collective. We work towards establishing alternative spaces that promote the creative interests of women-identified community members. For the Birds is a collaborative group of organizers with backgrounds in feminism, social justice work, and various artistic pursuits. Through DIY feminist cultural activism, For The Birds aims to empower and support radical women of action.

POC ZINE PROJECT: https://www.facebook.com/pages/POC-Zine-Project/304152466201
We want to make it easier for POC (People of Color) zine fans and their supporters to find a diverse selection of zines made by POC. Zines are a vital component in the long tradition of self-publication. They share knowledge and experiences that supplement (and often contradict) the information that other sources distribute, encouraging free thought. There are many valuable zine collections in the United States (many accessible online) but none that are devoted to curating POC zines. POC Zine Project's mission is to makes ALL zines by POC easy to find, share, and distribute.

ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS
info@poczineproject.org

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A NEW YORKER

2011-10-26T18:14:00.001-04:00

Marc Landas has made it his goal to photograph every working artist in New York in a project entitled Portrait of the Artist as a New Yorker. He visited my "studio" a few weeks ago on one of the last super humid days in the early fall. Here's the result.

Coincidentally, my photo ended up immediately following my friend Meredith's from Artist & Craftsman. Spot the dusty cymbal behind me that Dave wrote "HELLO" on, like, months ago. Thanks Marc!

portraitoftheartistasanewyorker:

Artist #235

STILL LIVING IN SQUALOR

2011-10-13T19:44:00.000-04:00

Marco at Salinas is re-releasing P.S. Eliot's Living in Squalor 7". Naturally, Marco hit me up to make some adjustments to the original artwork as well as to make some new labels. The labels are my favorite part to do because they force me to look at the images I made in a new way. And on that note, Sadie is sold out, too!

BLOG.KATEWADKINS.COM

2011-10-09T14:14:00.002-04:00

You guys! I have some serious news.

WISDOM TOOTH HAS OBTAINED A NEW URL.

wisdomtoof.blogspot.com,

ye olde blog address ca. 2005,

>>> NOW REDIRECTS TO <<<

blog.katewadkins.com

THANK YOU AND HAVE A NICE DAY.

Ed note: You may notice things have changed a lot around here! That was kind of an impulsive move after spending a good portion of the last few days re-coding my website. My blogroll, additional links, and WISDOM TOOTH MIX TAPES^TM are all available in TABS at the top of the page. All the regular bloggy stuff (members, archives, search bar, etc.) are to the right of the page, and categories are now at the bottom of the page. I even added a new header! Do leave feedback about the changes, if you're so inclined.

POP-PUNK DREAMS

2011-10-04T21:39:00.000-04:00

Cover art courtesy Tenement

My friends over at Mandible Records put out one of my favorite records of the year (geez, we're already entering that time, aren't we?). I really wanted to write about it, so I did, even though I had nowhere to publish such a review. Trust, you can relive summer with this album.

TENEMENT, NAPALM DREAM

MANDIBLE RECORDS

JUNE 2011

I discovered pop-punk during the summer before eighth grade. Like, really discovered pop-punk. This involved replacing most activities with listening to Dude Ranch at full volume in my room alone. I began to refuse to do the things I didn't want to do. My parents thought I was a pain in the ass. I related more to music than anything else.

Whatever it is about pop-punk that imbues us with a sense of possibility--be it the melodies, the undeniable catchiness, or the relatedness to teen reality--that summer changed all the rest. Pop-punk had elaborated on the tiny bits of wisdom I was capturing on cassette tape, off the radio, at the height of grunge and alternative pop in the 1990s.

I had yet to feel a real connection to that weird and exciting time in my young life until Mandible Records sent me the long-awaited Tenement full-length, Napalm Dream. If you've been following Tenement, it might take you a minute, but you'll recognize some of the hits (like "Skyscraper" and "Stupid Werld"). Napalm Dream is the clean recording that we've all been waiting for.

If you're not familiar with Tenement, they are a young trio from Appleton, Wisconsin, playing a combination of grunge, alternative pop, and pop-punk that blows most bands trying to do the same out of the water. Napalm Dream evokes all of the sounds that I've blasted out of the stereo every summer since that one, but with Tenement's own midwestern feel. These dudes really know how to write a pop record.

Tenement's last cassette blasted open with "Skyscraper," a favorite track of mine, so I hoped I'd get to hear a cleaner version on the LP; my wish was granted. Jared of Mandible played "City Bus" on repeat in my room before I had a chance to really listen to the track, which may be one of the best on the album.

Amos, Tenement's guitar and vocalist, also moonlights as Paul Collins (the self-proclaimed "King of Pop")'s drummer when they tour the midwest. As if any pop fan wasn't already convinced to check Tenement out, hopefully this will do it. Consider Napalm Dream my number one most recommended jam of the summer.

Take a listen here.

-- KW

2011-09-24T13:18:00.000-04:00

I JUST WANNA SAY, THANK YOU FOR PLAYING THE WAY YOU PLAY

BIG MOUTH / LOUD MOUTH

2011-09-17T14:48:00.000-04:00

My piece for the BIG MOUTH collaborative art workshop.

Remembering

2011-09-11T14:11:00.000-04:00

Father Mychal Walk of Remembrance, 4 September 2011. Photos by the author.

Over a year ago I decided I would write something about 9/11 on the ten year anniversary. Over a month ago I started to write it. Unfortunately it is too great a task at the moment. I have spent a lot of time in the past few weeks grieving, and were I to articulate my thoughts on the day, it would just not be adequate.

Instead, here is a video of my uncle Steven (Detective Steven McDonald) closing the Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance, which he has organized every year after the attacks, on September 4, 2011.

Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance: Det. Steven McDonald from Kate Wadkins on Vimeo.

Thank you for your guiding light, Father Mike, it shines on and on.

MIX TAPE #5: TEENAGE SUMMER

2011-09-10T17:27:00.001-04:00

Remember when I promised a "teenage summer" mix last year? In June of this summer Jason Roy and I accidentally created a new teen mix. This is the first mix collaboration I've done and it is absolutely the sound of teen summers past. It won't be fall for about two more weeks, so soak it up if that's yr thing (hint: it's not mine, I'm just about ready for apple picking and pumpkin carving).

I think the Goldfinger to Suicide Machines transition is my favorite.

* I know I usually use 8tracks but this was too convenient.

The Chinkees - Big World
MU330 - Tune Me Out
Link 80 - Verbal Kint
Operation Ivy - Freeze Up
Goldfinger - Mabel
Suicide Machines - I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Impossibles - Back for Attack
Rancid - Sidekick
Millencolin - Bullion
Blink-182 - Dumpweed
MU330 - Stagnant Water
Dance Hall Crashers - Shelley
The Broadways - 15 Minutes
Rancid - The Brothels
NOFX - We Threw Gasoline on the Fire and Now We Have Stumps for Arms and No Eyebrows
Less Than Jake - Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts
The Silencers - Policeman
Hepcat - I Can't Wait
The Slackers - Have the Time
Misfits - Hybrid Moments

27 YEARS

2011-09-09T19:56:00.002-04:00

2011-08-16T19:35:00.000-04:00

SHE NEVER STOPS, SHE'S A GO-GETTER

THE BIG SHE-BANG TURNS 7

2011-08-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

Crossposted with For the Birds

Today is the 7 year anniversary of the first-ever BIG SHE-BANG, organized by the Long Island Womyn's Collective. For a history of the Big She-Bang, check out Beth Puma and Kate Wadkins' "I Got a Proposition Goes Something Like This: A Brief History of the Big She-Bang." To see how the festival has changed and grown through For the Birds, check out our archives.

Note: I also have some fun, old images of Long Island Womyn's Collective projects & events on this blog. Check them out here.

2011-08-14T15:09:00.003-04:00

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

BIG MOUTH OPENS TONIGHT

2011-08-09T01:23:00.000-04:00

BIG MOUTH: contemporary feminist voices in art + illustration, a show I've been working on with Lauren Denitzio, opens tonight. All of the info is available here.

Some notable press mentions so far:

Ms. Magazine

New York: Ever notice how “feminist movements have historically grown out of interventions within radical communities in the face of silence, anger, and often, violence”? BIG MOUTH: contemporary voices in feminist art + illustration showcases artists who seek to break those silences. Check out the exhibit at Brooklyn Fire Proof. Tuesday-Friday, Aug. 9-12, located at 119 Ingraham St, Brooklyn, N.Y.

On-Verge

Keep on your radar . . .

SUMMERTIME

2011-08-05T17:03:00.004-04:00

RETURN TO SENDER

2011-08-03T17:19:00.000-04:00

You know what's super exciting to me? That I get to write about my guitar-hero of a friend, Marissa Paternoster, in a way that highlights one of her other major talents. She's a rad artist, in case you've been under a rock for the past two years. Her work with Doodle Drag and otherwise has been popping up in my posts at Hyperallergic of late.

It’s been nearly a month since we dismantled our mail art show, Presents: Three Months of Mail Art for Hyperallergic HQ, here at Hyperallergic. The show was a first in a lot of ways: me and Hrag’s first collaboration, Hrag’s first zine-making experience and my first time curating a show outside of my own initiatives.

Hrag and I responded to the temporality of mail art by placing a rule on our exhibition catalogue/zine: patrons were not able to receive the zine in person, they had to get it through the post. We sent out our entire first edition within a week of the show opening, which sold-out quite fast. We even sent our copies of the zines to each other.

Read the full story here.

WHEN ACADEMIC DREAMS COME TRUE

2011-07-31T17:20:00.005-04:00

BIG MOUTH: contemporary feminist voices in art + illustration

2011-07-30T15:11:00.001-04:00

OPENING AUGUST 9 @ BROOKLYN FIREPROOF

a group show featuring
Suzy Exposito / Molly Fair / Kim Funk / Kathleen Hanna
J. Morrison / Adee Roberson / Gabby Schulz

Curated by Kate Wadkins + Lauren Denitzio, BIG MOUTH: contemporary voices in feminist art + illustration is a platform for unpopular visual opinions. Feminist movements have historically grown out of interventions within radical communities in the face of silence, anger, and often, violence. Still, these conflicts and contentions are fought with the utmost passion and humor in hopes for a radical resolution. BIG MOUTH illustrates the ever-evolving search for feminist/queer identities and communities. This group show places feminist narratives at the center of radical art-making, where often our voices are poorly represented or left out altogether. BIG MOUTH is a celebration of our pluralism, our goofiness, and a proclamation of defiant love.

@ Brooklyn Fireproof
119 Ingraham St (at Porter Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11237

with open hours throughout

OPENING TUESDAY AUG 9 6p-9p
Opening party
& participatory feminist art workshop
Bring your favorite art supplies (some will be provided)
Limited materials so register here!

THURSDAY AUG 11 12p-6p
Open hours: drop by and visit with curators Kate Wadkins + Lauren Denitzio

FRIDAY AUG 12
12p-6p Open hours
7p Panel discussion with Suzy Exposito, Kim Funk & more
9p Closing DANCE PARTY!

BIG MOUTH is part of the Birds of Summer event series hosted by For the Birds.
A map of all events can be found here.

GIRL GANG GIG VOLUME #009

2011-07-24T21:25:00.000-04:00

photo courtesy On the Dot Collective

Crossposted with For the Birds

In a last minute endeavor, For the Birds is joining up with New Brunswick, NJ's On the Dot Collective to present GIRL GANG GIG VOLUME #009. GGGV is an extension of the International Girl Gang Underground zine and seeks to document and promote women and queer spaces within D.I.Y. music/art scenes. This is For the Birds' first official out-of-state organizational effort, and our first collaboration with On the Dot.

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011

6:30PM-10:30PM

CO-CURATED BY
FOR THE BIRDS COLLECTIVE &
ON THE DOT COLLECTIVE

— NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ BASEMENT SHOW —
— LOCATION TBA —

:::::::::: BIKINI KILL COVER SET
Featuring bad-ass members of Lost Weekend, 3Jane, Sparkle Shit
& maybe a guest appearance

:::::::: WHISTLIN’ DIXIE SCREENING
"Whistlin' Dixie: Queer Sounds, New South"
A documentary film about queer music from the American South
by Meredith Heil
http://queersouth.com/

:::::: BARBECUE
Cuz it’s summer and we can!

:::: FOR MORE INFO
http://forthebirdscollective.org/
http://onthedotcollective.blogspot.com/
http://girlganggigvolume.tumblr.com/

:: MORE TBA!

» RSVP ON FACEBOOK «

IMPORTANT QUEENS DIY VENUE REBUILDS AFTER BURGLARY

2011-07-20T17:00:00.006-04:00

Wham City at Silent Barn, photo courtesy of SleepDeadNYC on Flickr.
Post reblogged from Hyperallergic.

Late Monday night, word quickly got around that the beloved DIY arts and music venue on the border of Queens and Brooklyn, Silent Barn, had been burglarized. $15,000 of musical equipment, handmade art and valuables was taken from the venue, and the place was violently trashed. New York indie media outlets reacted rapidly, passing on the information and waiting for updates, but rarely did I find a post that really tapped into the heartbreak felt community-wide after hearing the damage.

Silent Barn, located in neighborhood Ridgewood, Queens, was founded in 2004. Launching the career of notable bands like Vivian Girls and Dan Deacon, Silent Barn has always maintained a rabidly all-ages show policy. Art covered the walls, it was rigged with sound equipment to capture some of the live music performances, and bands played in the kitchen. They housed a zine collection, one of a few in the area, boasting over 700 titles, in addition to their experimental video game arcade, Babycastles. I’ve had the pleasure to play among dirty dishes on a few occasions; most of my friends and colleagues can say the same.

Read the full story at Hyperallergic. I also recently wrote about Doodle Drag's subway drawing party.

2011-07-18T12:25:00.000-04:00

In tandem with launching the new photo section on my website, I've been posting a photo a day (ish) on my tumblr. You may recognize some old favorites. Check them out, posts end after two weeks on July 23.

FOR THE BIRDS PRESENTS ::::: BIRDS OF SUMMER

2011-07-16T18:09:00.006-04:00

BoS Logo by Lauren Denitzio

Since 2008, For the Birds has presented THE BIG SHE-BANG, a feminist conference and festival, every summer. This year we decided to try something new and exciting.

FOR THE BIRDS is pleased to announce BIRDS OF SUMMER, a series of feminist events in August and September.

As always, check our website for updates. We’ll be posting info on our Facebook invite, too, where you can RSVP.

WEDS. AUG 10 – FRI. AUG 12: BIG MOUTH

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contemporary feminist voices in art + illustration

@ Brooklyn Fireproof with open hours throughout

WEDNESDAY 6p-9p Opening party & participatory feminist art workshop

THURSDAY 12p-6p Open hours, meeting of the minds

FRIDAY 7p Panel discussion on the subject // 9p CLOSING DANCE PARTY!

119 Ingraham St (at Porter Ave), Brooklyn, NY 11237

SAT. AUG. 20: PROTECT YOURSELF 'CAUSE YOU'LL WRECK YOURSELF

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12pm-3pm @ Launchpad // A skill share on how to take care of ourselves while
we try to fix the world. Topics to include yoga, massage, and more.
721 Franklin Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11238

SAT. AUG 27 + TBA THE WRITTEN BIRD

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Two day event featuring women writers and organizers giving workshops and
readings. Also included will be tables of literature by local writers and a bookswap!
Workshops Sat. Aug. 27 @ WORD Brooklyn.

126 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222

SAT. SEPT. 3: “THE WORST” COMPILATION ZINE BENEFIT SHOW

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8pm @ Silent Barn // "Who'd Ya Lose and How Ya Dealin'?" A benefit show to raise
money for The Worst Compilation Zine on grief and loss, featuring: music from Bridge
and Tunnel, Worriers, and Very Okay, Readings by Cynthia Schemmer, Tommy Pico
and more, Puppetry by Geppetta Puppet Theater, and Tabling by For the Birds and
Birdsong Collective. $6-10 sliding scale, all ages, no BYOB. RSVP.
915 Wyckoff Ave, Ridgewood, NY, 11385

FOR THE BIRDS COMPILATION

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For the Birds will be curating our annual music compilation featuring women-fronted
and feminist-positive bands from all over the country. RVIVR, Small Bones, CAT VET,
Big Eyes and No Statik are just a few bands that will be on this year’s comp, titled
“FLOCK ROCK.” Past years have included Grass Widow, Fleabag, Slingshot Dakota,
P.S. Eliot, Brilliant Colors, Cheeky, Arctic Flowers, Nuclear Family, and Carnal Knowledge.
Our compilations are exclusively available at every event and our online store!

I finally finished up this press release today. Lauren and I are curating BIG MOUTH, and I am beyond excited.

REDEFINING FEMININE IDENTITIES

2011-07-08T00:22:00.002-04:00

Reposted from Hyperallergic

Following the passage of the same-sex marriage bill in New York and a recent weekend of LGBT pride, it just felt right to attend curator Bradford Nordeen’s “Dirty Looks.” The series is a monthly platform for experimental queer film and video that Nordeen affectionately describes as “roaming”—June’s event was held at P.P.O.W. Gallery in Chelsea, though it takes place in various venues across the city.

The feeling at P.P.O.W. was exciting; perhaps everyone was riding the high of the past weekend’s victories. With a full house, Nordeen introduced “Female Trouble: A Genderfuck Program,” a series of works exploring queer and feminine identities from drag queens to the hyper-femininity of Narcissister. Featuring works from 1967 to the present, Nordeen’s lineup created a discussion about gender bending (or, in his own words, “genderfucking”) throughout history.

Read the full story here.

BRAIN WAVES IN NEW YORK MAG

2011-07-06T00:50:00.001-04:00

Brain Waves, my first long-term curatorial project, is mentioned in this week's New York magazine. Check out Ashlea Halpern's article "The Analog Underground" on newsstands now.

Plus! Kind of neat that the Brooklyn Art Library's "Sketchbook Project" collection is the feature photo for this article. As you may remember, I contributed to the Sketchbook Project back when Art House Co-op was based in Atlanta. You can see most of the images from my submission on my website.

CAROLEE SCHNEEMANN ON CULTURE, CATS, & ROAD RAGE

2011-07-02T13:59:00.004-04:00

Reposted from Hyperallergic

Tuesday night, I ventured to the beloved St. Mark’s Bookshop to see pioneering feminist artist Carolee Schneemann read from her recent book of letters, Correspondence Course: An Epistolary History of Carolee Schneemann and Her Circle. Schneemann entered the crowded section of folding chairs and standing and sitting bodies slowly and eerily, wearing her infamous devil mask.

Prefacing the talk, Schneemann warned the audience of how “brutal” the world of academic publishing is, driving the point home that this text was truly a labor of love. Describing Correspondence Course as “a book about different types of practical and aesthetic survival,” Schneemann piqued the audience’s intrigue, despite her attesting that “all the sex and fucking is not in this book … the sexy stuff is in my diaries.”

Read the full story here.

NOT JUST BOYS' FUN

2011-06-28T23:10:00.000-04:00

crossposted from a more relevant place

I don't like to use Tumblr as a source for anything, really, but perhaps it is good at getting on-the-ground information, like incidents where women have been assaulted in crowds at punk shows, more visibility and traction.

Unfortunately I read about two such incidences, literally one post after the other, in my Tumblr feed today.

This news comes after reading a post all about why, by virtue of moral philosophy, punks have no more responsibility than any others to fight sexism just yesterday.

Perhaps it is that kind of attitude which lands us at punk shows where men feel entitled to grope women time and time again. Perhaps that is the reason why when you abstractly argue that women's experiences are null, we feel the need to shut it down. Because there are real, physical implications and consequences to that kind of silence.

PAST PRESENT & FUTURE

2011-06-22T15:47:00.001-04:00

rare book exhibit at The Berks Conference of Women's Historians

TODAY IS YOUR DAY

2011-06-19T13:23:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

NORTHSIDE OPEN STUDIOS: "PRESENTS" + BRAIN WAVES

2011-06-16T13:18:00.001-04:00

Crossposted with For the Birds.

After an eventful Bushwick Open Studios the other week, today commences Northside Open Studios, a festival of art shows, artists' open studios, and events in North Brooklyn.

I've been working with Hrag Vartanian to co-curate Presents: Three Months of Mail Art for Hyperallergic HQ, a show of over 100 artists and widely varying mediums, that will debut tomorrow, Friday June 17, at Hyperallergic HQ. I am thrilled about the opening as I've been writing for Hyperallergic on the subject and living/working among these entries for a month now. L Magazine named the show a "must-see event" during Northside Open Studios. For more information, check out Hyperallergic.

Aimee Lusty, newly-named curator at Booklyn will be hosting a zine and print fair on the street below Booklyn's own space in Greenpoint. Aimee is one of my favorite local art-makers and creative idea-havers so I am excited to see what she comes up with for Booklyn. She recently debuted MASTER OF REALITY, a group show featuring Milano Chow, Cynthia Daignault, Gary Kachadourian and STO, which will also have open hours during the zine and print fair. BRAIN WAVES, Storefront's zine and print collection (as well as my curatorial baby) will be tabling during the fair, along with For the Birds' own Lauren Denitzio. More information is available at Booklyn.

We hope to see you out this weekend!

"SADIE" TATTOO

2011-06-14T12:41:00.001-04:00

The lovely Katie Crutchfield got a tattoo based on my artwork for the Sadie LP! This marks the second tattoo of my artwork, aside from a stick-n-poke heart I may or may not have assisted on as a teenager.

Presents: 3 Months of Mail Art for Hyperallergic HQ

2011-06-13T17:58:00.003-04:00

Reposted from Hyperallergic.

We are excited to announce the details for Hyperallergic’s very first mail art show!

The exhibition, titled Presents: Three Months of Mail Art for Hyperallergic HQ, will include mail art in the form of sculpture, installation, video and works on paper. The show’s catalogue will be in the form of a ‘zine.

Co-curated by Kate Wadkins and Hrag Vartanian, Presents will draw on the 100+ mail art works that have been sent to Hyperallergic since our initial request for submissions to our Mail Art Bulletin in March 2011. The show will include everything from practical jokes to prayer/envelope flags. They represent a range of materials and subject matter all emphasizing the tangible communication from one individual to another.

Please join us for our opening party Friday, June 17 from 6pm to 9pm at Hyperallergic HQ. We will also have gallery hours during Northside Open Studios on Saturday and Sunday June 18 and 19 from 12 noon to 6pm.

Hyperallergic HQ is located at 181 N 11th Street, Suite 302, Brooklyn, NY 11211.
You can RSVP to the show on Facebook.

Image: A work by Bernard Klevickas for the Mail Art Bulletin.

P.S. Here's our listing on the Northside Open Studios site, as well as the opening.

BUSHWICK OPEN STUDIOS

2011-06-03T13:29:00.000-04:00

So, as you probably know, BUSHWICK OPEN STUDIOS kicks off tonight. I hope to see you all out there (unhindered by the lack of L train service & all). Check out our staff & intern picks from Hyperallergic.

Please join us at STOREFRONT, FRIDAY JUNE 3, 6pm-9pm
for the opening of:

DUNKLE WOLKE
curated by William Powhida
featuring the work of:
Bill Abdale, Ellie Ga, David McBride,
Bjoern Meyer-Ebrecht and Jenny Vogel

& DEBUTING AT BRAIN WAVES:
Mike Taylor's "Late Era Clash" (formerly Scenery) #22:
28 pages of comics including an illustrated version of Sam McPheeters' hilarious "Big Baby Man" story, with tricolor silkscreened covers. $4

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Then be sure to check out MASTER OF REALITY, curated by Aimee Lusty at Booklyn before/after you stop by Storefront!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JODI

2011-06-02T15:31:00.002-04:00

I almost posted this on Facebook yesterday, in remembrance, as a Happy Birthday gesture. Usually I post things there that I think everyone should see, since although my account is private, my friends respond most on Facebook. I want my friends to respond to Jodi; I want everyone to see her words.

"hey ladies...
i'm sorry it took so long to reply to this but it's been something i've been meaning to do for awhile. tonight i was also feeling nostalgic...stalking all you girls on myspace seeing what's been going on in your lives..and the lives of friends of the liwc... hopalong, the good good, jenny owen youngs, cara beth, chugga chugga... among others. i totally miss working with all you... and i think it's about time we all get together...possibly throw up an liwc pyramid sometime in the near future... but let's talk, i miss you girlies.
xo, jodi"

These are the last words I can find from her in my e-mail accounts. Sadly, they are from about eight months before she passed. It is safe to say that we spoke on the phone after that at some point, maybe we exchanged e-mails that I can't find about whether or not we'd make it to a potluck at Beth's. I've written about Jodi before, I conjured her energy and was enveloped in my own sadness while planning and carrying out the Big She-Bang 3 in her honor.

Jodi lives in many of our living rooms, in posters on the wall, photographs in albums, in memorial zines on our bookshelves. In a more real way, she has inspired us, she lives in our hearts and molds our decisions. Jodi's death tore me up so much. It helped me realize mortality tangibly, for the first time in my life, and it showed me that this invincibility that many of my friends had come to believe was our own was entirely false. That we could lose someone who was so bright, cheerful, insightful, and real, was an arrow through my heart. The kind of instance where all you can think is that everything is unfair in the world; why Jodi? Of course, the great and expected truth is that I learn(ed) as much from Jodi in her death as in her life.

Reading this e-mail from her made me nostalgic. So many of the women we worked with in the Long Island Womyn's Collective have dispersed to different states, different projects, different lives. Yet I remain in touch with many of them. It saddens me that I was a year behind Jodi--our lives' paths would not cross again. My first "big girl job" came a year after hers and Beth's, and as I transitioned from graduating college to living my own life, Jodi's passing would be a bridge. I never wanted this bridge, and I have done my best to honor her in her passing as I don't think I did enough in her life. If she were alive now we would work side by side, infusing our work with equal bits love and biting humor, so I carry her in all that I do just like I would have otherwise.

Us girlies miss you too, Jodi. Always.

SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER

2011-05-29T17:56:00.000-04:00

I feel like I've been thrown in to summer with no warning.

Ta-da! All of a sudden I'm a Master. How did that happen?

Anyway, I started interning at Hyperallergic last Friday and the first day was great. I started an inventory of all of the mail art we've received and wrote an article about the history of mail art & Ray Johnson for the site, based on three of the letters sent to HQ. A perfect project for a recently graduated historian.

BOLDNESS, JOY, SLEEP, & GRATITUDE

Those are the things that Arianna Huffington told myself and my graduating class to be sure to use more of in our future ventures, and I concur with her. The idea of living and producing with more JOY is not something I had thought much of until I saw Karen Finley perform at Barnes & Noble last month. Joy is a central part of her artistic practice, which she emphasized to the audience. She even signed my book, "With Joy, Karen Finley." The idea doesn't really come naturally to me, so I will keep it in mind.

CREATIVE EYE

2011-05-24T12:45:00.000-04:00

The lovely folks at Scoutmob profiled me on their "Creative Eye" section today. It was pretty neat because they asked a lot of questions and gave me free reign to answer! I disclose all my favorite sweet spots, artists, bands, and the like.

So, you're tired of the standard museum and Chelsea gallery routine, and you want to soak up the raw energy of the Brooklyn art world—but you don't have any clue where to start? We feel your pain, so we sought out Kate Wadkins, a gallery manager, visual artist and writer with her ear to the ground of the North Brooklyn scene. We caught up with Kate recently to find out about her latest work, her most abiding influences, and her recommendations for where we should all go next.

Read the full story here.

ANNOUNCING: MAIL ART SHOW AT HYPERALLERGIC

2011-05-24T00:35:00.001-04:00

Photo courtesy of Hyperallergic

In tandem with Northside Open Studios, Hyperallergic will be curating a Mail Art show from June 16-19, 2011. Hyperallergic HQ will be in the midst of the action during the four-day event, and the Mail Art show will be displayed in our space. We want YOU to submit your mail art to be featured in the show and of course, we will also be pulling from the submissions we have already received.

We are looking for a wide range of submissions, so be as creative as possible! Mail art as a medium has the potential to include layers of meaning and performance, due to its temporal qualities. Consider all the different piecesthat make up mail visually and manually: stamps, envelopes, paper, and/or non-traditional contents and containers; plus the acts of opening, unfolding and reading.

I will be curating this show at Hyperallergic HQ and can't think of a better way to kick off the summer! Submissions are due June 8th, read the full story here.

NOTE: To clarify, your piece becomes mail art as you submit it to Hyperallergic via the postal service. You do not need to dig up older mail art works / the work does not require having been sent to another recipient aside from Hyperallergic.

FREAKIN' OUT: THESIS PRESENTATION

2011-05-13T20:01:00.009-04:00

LAST NIGHT I presented my thesis with my cohorts and was super proud to do so.

5:30pm @ Slonim Living Room

Sarah Lawrence College

Free & Open to the Public

The Women's History Graduate Program Presents:

Class of 2011

Thesis Presentations

Rosamund Hunter: The Source of Hip: Race, Politics and Masculinity in Cold War America

Hana Kabashi: Women's Work: Experience, Progress and Change in Kosovo, 1989-2001

Alexandria Linn: "Do You Want A Man Or Not?": Sexuality, Deviance and Proper Womanhood in Relationship Self-Help Books from 1980-2010

Alexandria Lust: TLC: the Political, Musical, and Artistic Complexities of Hip Hop Feminist Thought, 1991-2002

Sheelagh Lynch: Easter Lillies: Hidden Heroes of the Irish Revolution

Lisa Merolle: "...And Do Righteous Deeds": Women, Islam, and Grassroots Organizing in the United States

Thea Michailides: Performing Panethnic Identities: South Asian Women Leaders, Coalitions and the Re-Conceptualization of Citizenship

Chandeen Santos: Rebels in Paradise: an Oral History of the Goa Expatriates

Steven Sharper: Radical Perspectives on Sex, Rape, and Race

Elsa Sjunneson-Norman: Legal Morality, Stripped Down: Obscenity Law, Gender Discourse and Burlesque in America

Monica Stancu: Discovering the Voices of Roma Women: Roma Women's Activist Movement in Post-Communist Romania

Nydia Swaby: "Woman Radical, Woman Intellectual, Woman Activist": The Political Life of Pan-African Feminist Amy Ashwood Garvey

Katherine Wadkins: "Freakin' Out": Remaking Masculinity through Punk Rock in the 1970s

After the jump, check out some videos I took of Roz Hunter's and Nydia Swaby's presentations. Two of my truest collaborators and friends, they did a really excellent job.

FREAKIN' OUT

2011-05-11T01:08:00.002-04:00

Finally. After footnote fudge-ups, six superfluous copies made and fifty excess dollars spent...

IT. IS. FINALLY. DONE.

Remember Us in Tucson: The Battle Over Ethnic Studies in Arizona

2011-05-04T16:34:00.002-04:00

I posted this at RE/VISIONIST today, please give it a read.

A close friend and comrade of mine is an educator in Tucson, Arizona. As the battle over multiethnic education wages on, she repeatedly demands, “Remember us in Tucson!” It is imperative that we keep Arizona on our minds; these efforts against ethnic studies are wrapped up in the other major struggle of the southwest: immigration. SB1070, the staunchly anti-immigrant bill, recently reached its one year anniversary; Huffington Post reporter Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto discusses its beginnings as a Tea Party stimulant and its recent defeat, due in part to the economic toll it has cost Arizonians already. DeFrancesco Soto also lists the anti-immigration bills that have been introduced to Arizona in 2011; she states, “The targeting of immigrants from 2010 grew into an assault on their sons and daughters.” To this end, the vehement effort to end ethnic studies comes as no surprise.

Read the full article here.

Also, my time at RE/VISIONIST is technically over. The founding staff members: myself, Roz Hunter, Victoria Sollecito, Nydia Swaby, and Thea Michailides, just handed R/V over to a new, three-person staff, all first year students of Sarah Lawrence's women's history program. We are thrilled to see the publication in new hands. Please check out our parting words in this month's issue.

Farewell, R/V! It's been fun.

MILEMARKER

2011-05-04T01:34:00.002-04:00

Self-portrait within 24 hours of submitting my Master's thesis. The final product rung in at 96 pages; and so starts the beginning of the end.

IN THE USE OF OTHERS FOR CHANGE

2011-04-28T20:16:00.001-04:00

Earlier this month Jason Andrew and Julia Gleich premiered the multimedia collaborative ballet, "In the Use of Others for Change." I was honored to contribute an image of mine to their limited edition program / artists' book. I share a spread with some of my favorite local artists: Brece Honeycutt, Deborah Brown, & Ellen Letcher! Andrew Hurst made the striking cover image, of course.

2011-04-28T15:15:00.005-04:00

FINDING HAPPINESS FOR REAL

THE KATHLEEN HANNA PROJECT: CALL FOR VIDEO SUBMISSIONS

2011-04-26T11:56:00.002-04:00

My update for today is kind of an embarrassing one, in the true tradition of fan-girl-ism. Fellow Kathleen Hanna Project intern Erica and I created this Call for Submissions website to collect videos about Kathleen Hanna for Sini Anderson's film The Punk Singer, and included both an instructional video made by us (get ready for the goof), and our own personal submissions. All the info is listed below.

>> thekathleenhannaproject.wordpress.com <<

& here's my submission:

The Kathleen Hanna Project #001: Kate Wadkins from KathleenHanna Project on Vimeo.

>> CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS <<

The Kathleen Hanna Project is collecting stories about Kathleen for the film The Punk Singer. We want you to tell us in your own words: Who is Kathleen Hanna, and why should we know who she is?

The Kathleen Hanna Project: Submit a Video! from KathleenHanna Project on Vimeo.

We’re asking you to make a video telling us what Kathleen Hanna means to you while sitting in your bedroom. It doesn’t have to be long or fancy! We are also seeking submissions from people who don’t like Kathleen Hanna. To get things started, we made our own videos that you can check out at thekathleenhannaproject.wordpress.com.

SO the requirements are:

- Record in your bedroom
- Begin the video by telling us your name, age, and location
- Keep the video under 5 minutes
- It must be unedited
- If shooting tape or film, please mail us the raw footage. Contact us to receive a mailing address.
- The footage must be digitized
- The submissions are limited to one per person

Send your video to khannavideos@gmail.com by July 1, 2011, with the subject line "Video Submission."

If you don’t have the means to make your own video, we’ll be announcing an event this summer where you can film your own to be submitted. Stay tuned!

Download a call for submissions poster or flyer in our 'Spread the Word' section.

APRIL SNAPS

2011-04-23T01:39:00.000-04:00

Los Hermanos, Bushwick

Sharks

Spirit Animal

I recently got a digital camera to better document art and music shows in a professional capacity. I've been able to avoid this for so long because I've had the luck of working with many talented photographers.

To recap some of those folks:
Bashira Webb (Ladies First, A Celebration of Black Female Expression: Beyond 28 Days)
Dragana Drobnjak (Riot Grrrl: Traces of a Movement)
Orlando Perez, Konstantin Sergeyev, Dave Sanders (Girl Germs: A Brooklyn Scene Report)

Now that I am better equipped to capture the local haps, you can expect more content from me. AFTER I'm done with my thesis, at least. My two favorites in this group are Los Hermanos, and Mr. Young, of course.

PEN MEETS PICK: SCREAMING FEMALES & DOODLE DRAG

2011-04-22T11:39:00.001-04:00

Last month I ventured to Hoboken to check out the Screaming Females & Doodle Drag show. I wrote about it for Hyperallergic, and the piece went live this morning!

When the time came to start the show, Screaming Females squeezed onto the relatively small stage at Maxwell’s, just to the right of a blank sheet on the wall, which served as a projection screen. “We’re Screaming Females!” Paternoster squeaked out, and as the lights went down, she introduced the first artist: Tiffany Cheng, who illustrated the song “Wild,” off of the band’s latest LP,Castle Talk. The work projected onto the sheet ranged from photograph-based and stop-motion animations to felt pen drawings, grotesque and beautiful all at once. The artwork suited the music — dark, jubilant, fun, neurotic — visual and audio codes that we forget to interpret because we’re so busy enjoying it.

read the full article here.

I'm really excited to have something up at Hyperallergic, I am a fan of the work they do. Here are some photo outtakes from the evening.

SPRING HAPS

2011-04-16T16:53:00.003-04:00

HELLO FRIENDS,

2011 has been a whirlwind thus far. I want to update you on some cool things that happened which I didn't have time to post about.

Carla Duarte of cabeça tédio interviewed me about IGGU zine and translated it into Portuguese. Again. I am so excited to have an official Brazilian correspondent. IGGU zine is thriving. It is available online through our site, at Fight Boredom distro, in person at Brain Waves and Book Thug Nation in New York, and Amigos Publishing & Shop in Providence. If you'd like to distro IGGU, get in touch with us! IGGU has been getting some really cool press, too. 90s Woman and AltDaily both mentioned the zine after Kathleen Hanna's verbal product placement (at Old Dominion University and MoMA!!). That support has meant the world to me personally.

Her Girl Friday's first event was pretty amazing; you can catch some photos of it on our website by the fabulous Rayna Savrosa. Femmedia wrote a post about HGF mentioning yrs truly and my many endeavors. Thanks Femmedia!

One of my drawings is featured in the program zine for Jason Andrew and Julia Gleich's ballet, In the Use of Others for Change, closing tonight at CPR.

Very Okay released a tape with Not Tapes Not Bombs Tapes with really rad artwork by girlwonder Marissa Paternoster.

I recently contributed my article "This is a Thank You Song: Reflections on the IGGU Zine Release Party" to be included in Hoax zine #5: Feminist Community.

What's next? Um, well, I've been writing this thing, you could call it my Master's thesis, for over a year now. There's a reading that will be free and open to the public at Sarah Lawrence College on May 12th. See you there?

AltDaily: Riot Grrrl Revisited: Kathleen Hanna Speaks at ODU

2011-04-12T13:51:00.001-04:00

She shares a recently received zine with us, from The International Girl Gang Underground and praises them as the next wave of the movement she’s been so dedicated to and recognized for that I’m bummed to later find out she only has one copy. She explains she doesn’t even mind when their criticism of Riot Grrrl (which is, to teens and twentysomethings, actually history instead of memory) turns on her. It’s more important they’re critiquing and learning from and moving forward with the best of the old scene while taking advantage of new technologies to advance the new wave.

Read the full article at AltDaily.

THIS IS A THANK YOU SONG, 2011 EDITION: Reflections on the IGGU Zine Release Party

2011-04-10T16:41:00.001-04:00

Safer Space sign by Molly Fair

I wrote this the day after the IGGU zine release party. It's been a long month since the event, and we still have yet to hear much in terms of feedback on the project; please be encouraged to get in touch. In this post I take music and cultural production pretty seriously; if you'd like to see me get a little less serious and a little more music-y, then find me on tumblr, where I post kind of often.

So. Last night was the International Girl Gang Underground zine release party at Death by Audio.

Unfortunately, co-editor Stacy Konkiel could not make it into town (from across the country), so I curated this show and ran it on my own, so to speak, but I use those words loosely.

I was only able to book and run this successful, comfortable, well-attended, super-fun event, because of the community members and allies who participated. It is difficult to create feminist work in a genuine way, especially in a punk context: an aesthetic, social, and musical practice that often walks the line between parody and political concern. I read comments where an activist questioned the "safer space" policy of the evening [1], asking how we would avoid a fascist policing of our event space. Then, I read along as another person responded quite eloquently, that, "What this policy means practically, is that the organizers have the backs of survivors." It felt good not to have to respond, arguably for the first time in my life, because someone else had done it for me. Later, I would see more comments that mocked my choice to promote a safer space in a serious way, but, I digress.

Jamie Varriale Velez. Video courtesy of Stephanie Andares.

American Sun

I could not have dreamed as a teenager that I would be making music, or zines, or art for my friends, that I would be where I am today. More importantly, I could not have dreamed of having resources like Support New York or NYC Coalition for Safer Spaces that I (and others) could employ to make my own events more comfortable for everyone -- namely, survivors of sexual assault, but also, to create a space that is freer of the drudgery of everyday life (i.e., axes of oppression in its many forms). Perhaps some people don't see the need for this kind of space because they don't feel it regularly, but, I do.

Katie Crutchfield

Aye Nako

I didn't know that I would grow up to find that many of my girlfriends would be friends for life, that they'd still be around ten years later making and doing great things. I didn't know it, but I should have expected it. Luckily, though those women were part of the festivities last night, they weren't the only ones. And in the spirit of International Girl Gang Underground, it was a crowd of friends and people I didn't know: new faces, new feminists of all stripes that I may or may not have seen around town. Among flowers from my sister, I was also given radical feminist comics and zine trades. I was inspired by everyone around me. I sold out of zines.

Why do I call this event successful? Because it was a D.I.Y. venture that brought new and old friends together, that brought people out that I have never seen before. Because I was able to pay local bands, who more often than not go unpaid, a decent amount of money. Because now I will be able to pay the artist whose artwork adorns the IGGU zine. Because I was able to donate money to a friend to benefit research for Polycystic Kidney Disease. Because the zines I did make are now almost paid for. Because it was a safer space.

Max Steele a.k.a. Billy Cheer

For the Birds table

I wrote this piece in the interest of making D.I.Y. culture more transparent, so that, if someone somewhere wonders how a show like this happens, they have a bit of an idea. So that other feminists (or people working towards social justice) who are trying to make spaces more comfortable can see that, generally, you will run up against some kind of adversity, but sometimes, when you have enough supportive people around you, you realize that adversity doesn't matter. That if you believe in each other's art, and passion, you can make things happen together. You can do things how you want to.

In one of my favorite pieces in the zine, Max Steele/Billy Cheer describes how riot grrrl bestowed on him the idea that he could "get away with it." He talks about how, by performing (or doing, or making), you give others the "permission" to "get away with it" too. I hope that the IGGU zine, and the release show, gave someone permission to get away with it; I hope my reflections on doing so give someone permission to get away with it too.

Me & Kathleen M.

Slingshot Dakota

Although I organized this event alone, I could never have done it alone. Anyone present was necessary; community is necessary. There are too many thank yous to give, and I will inevitably forget some, but there is some crucial gratitude in order.

THANK YOU, Stacy Konkiel, for devoting a year of your life to this project, giving it your all, and seeing it through with me.

THANK YOU For the Birds Collective, for reminding me everyday that anything is possible.

THANK YOU Kathleen McIntyre, for your persistent, and ceaseless, dedication to sharing knowledge with others.

THANK YOU American Sun, Aye Nako, Bad Banana, Slingshot Dakota: for making music that's not only fun, but life affirming. To Angie, for being the better half to my rhythm section; to Carly for being one of the first women musicians I ever saw perform, and never giving it up.

THANK YOU Jamie Varriale Velez, Katie Crutchfield, Max Steele: for sharing your words and voices with us, and bringing life to the words of the IGGU.

THANK YOU Support New York, for making this event safer for all of us, and for setting a standard.

THANK YOU Orlando Perez, for ensuring that no event goes undocumented, and for your boundless generosity.

THANK YOU to my sister, not just for the flowers, but for your support, and for cultivating feminist community on your own.

THANK YOU to all my friends, and all the new faces, for coming out and supporting the zine, and for creating community and culture.

THANK YOU Death by Audio, for sharing your space with me again.

THANK YOU.

_________________________________________________________

[1] The International Girl Gang Underground Zine Release Party has a safer space policy intended to make this event a supportive, nonthreatening environment for everyone including survivors of abuse and sexual assault. Harassment, abuse, and assault, as well as racist, sexist, queerphobic, classist, ageist, or otherwise oppressive remarks or behavior will not be tolerated.

People who have perpetrated inter-personal violence, assault and/or harassment and are not presently undergoing any accountability-related process are asked not to attend. There will be mediators at the show to assist if any violations do arise, so if you would like to speak to a safer space team member please find someone with a pink armband, or ask someone at the Support New York table to help you. - International Girl Gang Underground editors & NYC Coalition for Safer Spaces

I AM HERE: CEDAR MANSION

2011-04-10T15:13:00.000-04:00

Tribute to Stephanie Land

P.S. ELIOT "SADIE" ARTWORK

2011-04-08T14:23:00.002-04:00

Today P.S. Eliot's sophomore LP, Sadie, will be released! It's a great record, and I graciously accepted the task of creating the artwork for this one. This is only the second LP I've designed (besides my old band Cheeky's What the Heck). It was A LOT of work, but I feel like my design skills graduated through working on Sadie. After listening to the album and gathering some vibes about rust and bittersweetness from the Crutchfield sisters, I had an idea about what this thing should look like. During a week-long trip to Athens, GA to celebrate the New Year, I snapped a bunch of photos and started working the concept out after that. All of the text is hand-written. Enjoy!

Sadie is available from Salinas Records on vinyl and from If You Make It as a digital download. Jason Roy and I also collaborated on a poster that will be available at tonight's LP release show!

P.S. ELIOT "SADIE" RELEASE PARTY POSTER

2011-04-06T18:15:00.002-04:00

poster collaboration with Jason Roy in progress
for P.S. Eliot's Sadie release party this Friday!

HER GIRL FRIDAY: HELLO, WORLD

2011-04-06T15:03:00.003-04:00

Flier by Anna Karingal

Her Girl Friday is dedicated to empowering women in journalism and other related fields by creating opportunities for learning, networking, collaboration, mentorship, skill share, and the production and showcasing of meaningful nonfiction projects in a variety of media.

I am beyond excited about the group of organizers involved in Her Girl Friday: nonfiction writers, social media experts, filmmakers, a video artist, a comedian, and a radio engineer! I feel super lucky to be involved. Our inaugural networking mixer is TONIGHT at Brooklyn Winery! Brokelyn gave us a sweet writeup today, too (personally, I'm a fan of the Lois Lane panel).

We also just launched our official website at hergirlfriday.net!

facebook.com/hergirlfriday
twitter.com/hergirlfri

RSVP to the event on Facebook.

DON'T YOU STOP, WE WON'T STOP

2011-04-05T13:54:00.005-04:00

or "My Night with Le Tigre"

Kerthy Fix, Johanna Fateman, Kathleen Hanna, & Carmine Covelli doing a Q&A session after MoMA's premiere of "Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre On Tour."

If you squint, you can see my name rolling during the credits!

& after the show it's the after party...

Kate wrote a sweet post about the DVD and the premiere, too. We met through Kathleen!

& my sister came to town to celebrate!

Thank you friends for sharing this special night with me, and thanks to Kathleen for mentioning the International Girl Gang Underground zine at MoMA! I think my mantra for 2011 should be something about dreams coming true.

HERSTORY REPEATS

2011-04-01T02:06:00.007-04:00

photo by You Don't Dream

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Kathleen Hanna recently did a presentation called Herstory Repeats at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. She used the term "feminist continuum" to discuss where she sees herself in feminist history, which is obviously exciting to me; but perhaps even more exciting, is that she mentioned the International Girl Gang Underground zine.

Thankfully, someone who was at the presentation grabbed a snapshot of Ms. Hanna and some audio of the lecture and their great Q&A section.

…They started this thing called the International Girl Gang Underground. They just put out this fanzine, I just got it last week, and it has sections like 'histories and critiques.' But what they're doing is they're looking through the stuff that we did and they're analyzing it. They're saying what they think sucks about it and what they think is cool. They're trying to take over what we did and make it make sense to them, and that just makes me feel, even when they say I'm a jerk, it makes me feel totally loved and respected to not just have people collect the CDs or stickers or something like that, but to actually participate in the work, and take it into the future and make it into something much better than it was.

I am endlessly grateful.

>> photo and audio from You Don't Dream on tumblr <<

4/5/2011: A video of the talk has surfaced, courtesy of TheLOUniverse on YouTube.

NOSE TO THE GRIND

2011-03-28T18:25:00.000-04:00

Le Tigre: Who Took the Bomp? screening at MoMA

2011-03-26T16:11:00.008-04:00

Earlier this month, Le Tigre announced the completion of their new film, "Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour." The film will be screening at MoMA on Monday, April 4th. This is officially the first time that something I've worked on has entered the doors of MoMA, so I am pretty ecstatic about that.

I've written about the film a bit on this blog, because working for Le Tigre has been super inspiring; they (individually, and in this case, as Le Tigre) keep making & doing things that make me proud to be part of a feminist art community that is highly inspired by their work. Further, they have many other cool projects going on, which make it really exciting to be a feminist artist or art enthusiast in New York right now. I am working on some writing pieces on this subject, so keep an eye out for that.

I also believe in this film 100%. It's hilarious and smart and a really great story about friendship & feminism.

For now, you can preorder the DVD; out on Oscilloscope, June 7th, 2011.

Hope to see you on the 4th!

UP THE DRUNX PODCAST

2011-03-10T23:21:00.012-05:00

>> LISTEN HERE! <<

Josh and Thomas of Sleepies invited me over to talk about the International Girl Gang Underground zine release party (coming up in TWO DAYS) on their podcast, Up the Drunx, last Sunday. In true form, I brought a slew of pals with me: Cynthia Ann, Dave Castillo, Jason Roy, and even Lando Perez made a brief appearance. Unfortunately, the show starts off with most of us singing Saves the Day's "Hold" off-key. Sorry, world. (Not sorry?)

My music selections were pretty obvious if you're a follower of this blog and/or saw my Music Monday for If You Make It. Thomas and Josh picked some great stuff too, we stuck with a female-fronted theme. And... the commentary is golden.

>> LISTEN HERE! <<

ANNOUNCING: INTERNATIONAL GIRL GANG UNDERGROUND ZINE

2011-03-09T14:51:00.005-05:00

MARCH 9, 2011

BROOKLYN, NY AND SAN FRANCISCO, CA

In light of yesterday's 100th International Women's Day, Kate Wadkins (of For the Birds Collective, Brain Waves) and Stacy Konkiel (of Soul Ponies) announce the International Girl Gang Underground (IGGU) zine, which is now available in print and online. In an effort to highlight contemporary D.I.Y. feminist cultural production, twenty years after the riot grrrl movement, and in the wake of its legacy, the editors collected stories, artwork, and critical work on the subject.

The print zine features contributions from Osa Atoe (Shotgun Seamstress), Hadass Ben-Ari (Fallopian Falafel – אשת חיל), Carla Duarte (Histérica), Billy Cheer (This is Fag City), Katie Crutchfield (P.S. Eliot, Bad Banana), Lo (HEARTSREVOLUTION), Mimi Thi Nguyen (Evolution of a Race Riot, Punk Planet), and thirteen other writers, activists, musicians, and artists from ten US states and five countries; with original cover art by Philadelphia-based artist Sonrisa Rodriguez-Harrison.

Online, International Girl Gang Underground has published exclusive articles not available in the print zine. In the interest of relevance, information-sharing, and community-building, IGGU online has created a directory of feminist cultural projects; all are welcome to submit new or recent additions to the directory. Further, the editors encourage submissions of music reviews and content related to the zine to be released on the IGGU website periodically. We hope to continue these conversations online.

In Brooklyn, New York, the zine will be released on Saturday, March 12^th, 2011 at Death by Audio:

INTERNATIONAL GIRL GANG UNDERGROUND ZINE RELEASE PARTY
GIRL GANG GIG VOLUME #004

$6 | 8PM | ALL AGES

featuring:

SLINGSHOT DAKOTA

BAD BANANA

AYE NAKO

AMERICAN SUN

+ readings from contributors of the International Girl Gang Underground zine & tabling by FOR THE BIRDS and SUPPORT NEW YORK. This event will be a safer space, with support from NYC Coalition for Safer Spaces. There will also be a bake sale to benefit research for Polycystic Kidney Disease.

@ Death by Audio
49 S. 2nd Street, b/w Kent & Wythe
Brooklyn, NY 11211
L to Bedford | JMZ to Marcy | G to Broadway

RSVP on Facebook.

The print zine is now available for purchase through the IGGU website. For further information, see GIRLGANGUNDERGROUND.ORG or contact the editors at GIRLGANGUNDERGROUND@GMAIL.COM.

With love and solidarity,

Kate Wadkins & Stacy Konkiel

LADIES FIRST: BEYOND 28 DAYS

2011-03-04T00:42:00.000-05:00

A few months ago friend Daniela Capistrano suggested that I team up with photographer Bashira Webb. Bashira and I decided to collaborate on a review of Alexandria Lust and Lehna Huie's then-upcoming art show Ladies First, A Celebration of Black Female Expression: Beyond 28 Days. The review was posted at Sadie Magazine today!

photo by Bashira Webb

With an emphatic nod to Queen Latifah, co-curators Alexandria Lust and Lehna Huie challenged the ghettoizing of Black women’s history in their exhibit, Ladies First. Through subtitle alone, Lust and Huie made their mission known: to expand the celebration of Black women’s empowerment and expression past the borders of Black History Month.

Ladies First, which opened Thursday, February 3rd at the Brecht Forum, was a multimedia art show with an exhaustive list of participants. On what seemed to be the coldest night of the winter, I walked down West Street against the icy wind blowing off the Hudson and into the Brecht Forum. The art show spilled from a central room in the Brecht to the walls in the front lobby, and curved around the hallways. As I walked in, people were preparing hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and the two curators were sprinting from one room to another tying up loose ends. The buzz of opening night nerves and oh-my-god-I-can’t-believe-we-just-pulled-this-off energy was unmistakable.

Read the full review at Sadie Magazine.

GIRL GANG ZINE IN PROGRESS

2011-03-03T00:04:00.001-05:00

Tonight I finally finished mocking up the International Girl Gang Underground zine flats! Of course, not without a couple snags.

A major victory, after spending days at Kinko's.

Breaking Boundaries & A Night of Spoken Word

2011-02-28T15:12:00.000-05:00

via RE/VISIONIST

This weekend the Sarah Lawrence community will be celebrating Women's History Month with our 13th Annual Women's History Month Conference, Breaking Boundaries: Body Politics & the Dynamics of Difference. Friday, the conference opens with a plenary featuring Marilyn Wann (author of Fat! So?) then a Night of Spoken Word featuring Maria James-Thiaw and Lara Frater, plus other artists: Ms. MaDonna Awotwi a.k.a. Sankofa the Poet, Jennifer Bartlett, Andrea Baker, Sheila Black, Shaashawn Dial, & David Wolach.

flier by Kate Wadkins | illustration by Cristy Road

A full conference schedule can be found here.

I'll be helping with the conference this weekend (along with fellow R/V staffer Thea Michailides) so I really hope to see you there! Excited about it all.

PHOTO FAVORITES: JANUARY

2011-02-23T17:15:00.001-05:00

(Kim Shattuck sings "Rock'n'roll Girl" with Paul Collins' Beat

at Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ, January 29, 2011)

WOMEN WHO ROCK

2011-02-23T17:09:00.004-05:00

(this one is for ADRIAN)

>> D.I.Y. MEDIA PANEL <<

JAMIE VARRIALE VELEZ

ZINE ARCHIVE & PUBLISHING PROJECT

MAGGIE OWSLEY

SEATTLE FANDANGO PROJECT

SEATTLE, WA

Alice Bag wrote a really great piece about the conference, and I want to echo her sentiment that it was super inspiring and reminded me that we need to continue to do this work. Also, the community in Seattle is like nothing I've ever seen: all of the academic folks are involved in community organizing, and the communal warmth was felt, even as an outsider.

Andreana Clay at QueerBlackFeminist wrote this (also beautifully-written) piece about an incident that went down during the panel discussion, which is important to read; it reminds us white folks that in order to be allies we should LISTEN first. It is amazing the connections that can be drawn between music and communication, feminism and respect, and all the rest. It made me proud to be presenting about my own journey through these issues with my comrade, Jamie. I want to write more on this, but for now, check out the articles I linked above.

SIX YEARS

2011-02-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

is THREE HUNDRED TWELVE WEEKS
is TWO THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED NINETY DAYS
is KIND OF A LONG TIME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WISDOM TOOTH.

VERY OKAY ON REFILTERED

2011-02-17T18:30:00.002-05:00

Check out a new website, Refiltered, by our friend Dave Garwacke of If You Make It fame.

After years of updating If You Make It, I’ve come to realize how hard it is to promote digital releases. They are so easy to get up and distribute, but after that you need to hop on message boards, submit news and post on dozens of social media sites. You are constantly behind the ball, and posting about releases after they are already available.

Over the last couple of years a couple of awesome donation-based digital record labels have popped up, especially in the area of punk. I wanted to band these labels together somehow, and make it easier for people to keep track of our upcoming and past releases. With the advent of Bandcamp, online labels have become more akin to music curators ( I hate that word ). We distribute the music we love and Refiltered is meant to foster that.

Very Okay's "Small Loud" is featured as a Recent Album on Refiltered, where you can stream the EP on the Refiltered player (the only place where the record is streaming)! Check it out here.

WOMEN WHO ROCK + BEAT NITE

2011-02-16T10:46:00.005-05:00

or ABOUT THIS WEEK/END...

Jamie Varriale Velez and I are participating in this great conference this week in Seattle. We’re on a “DIY Media” panel at the University of Washington/Seattle University's Women Who Rock: Making Scenes, Building Communities conference. Here's a blurb about what we'll be talking about:

"Disassemble it and dialogue with me": Communication as Punk Feminist Cultural Activism

Using our experiences within the New York City DIY/Punk feminist community, we argue that learning to communicate effectively, both interpersonally and through media like music, blogs and zines, is the activism that produces the change that we want. Learning to communicate requires us to listen to each other and expand our cultural vernacular, bringing previously marginalized voices into a new narrative and changing the way we think. This process of learning to dialogue respectfully and productively does more than merely facilitate our feminist work; it is our feminist work.

Our presentation shares how this work has enabled us to organize and contribute to our communities, and create feminist art and spaces.

Facilitators: Jamie Varriale Velez, Kate Wadkins

DIY MEDIA panel
10am - 12noon

at Seattle University
901 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122

Bldg/Room: Administration 321

For more info: University of Washington & Women Who Rock Research Project

So, come say hi if you are in Washington tomorrow/Friday! We are among other great folks, too, so please see the full conference schedule here.

While I'm gone, Lauren Denitzio will be covering for me at STOREFRONT; we'll be open late for Norte Maar's BEAT NITE this Friday, from 6pm-10pm. Needless to say, go visit BRAIN WAVES! Lauren is in the collection so it's a pretty exciting event.

VERY OKAY - SMALL LOUD

2011-02-15T10:41:00.004-05:00

I am super excited to announce that Very Okay's first EP, "Small Loud," has finally been released (we recorded it in August 2010) on Quote Unquote records. I designed an 'album cover' and 'insert' for the digital download. The photograph was taken by me in November 2009. Small Loud was recorded & mastered by John Meredith.

>> GET "SMALL LOUD" HERE. <<

P.S. - I've gotten some traffic looking for 'Very Okay' so FYI, our blog is here.

INTERNATIONAL GIRL GANG UNDERGROUND ZINE RELEASE PARTY

2011-02-13T22:49:00.007-05:00

I've curated a zine release party for The International Girl Gang Underground at Death by Audio on March 12th! This is GIRL GANG GIG VOLUME #004.

RSVP to the show on Facebook.

// The International Girl Gang Underground Zine Release Party has a safer space policy intended to make this event a supportive, nonthreatening environment for everyone including survivors of abuse and sexual assault. Harassment, abuse, and assault, as well as racist, sexist, queerphobic, classist, ageist, or otherwise oppressive remarks or behavior will not be tolerated.

People who have perpetrated inter-personal violence, assault and/or harassment and are not presently undergoing any accountability-related process are asked not to attend. There will be mediators at the show to assist if any violations do arise, so if you would like to speak to a safer space team member please find someone with a pink armband, or ask someone at the Support New York table to help you. //

- International Girl Gang Underground editors & NYC Coalition for Safer Spaces

TEEN ZINE WORKSHOP

2011-02-11T16:29:00.003-05:00

Last night, Kate Angell and I took the Metro North to Westport, Connecticut, to host a Teen Zine Workshop! It was my first time working with 12-18 year-olds (since I was that age), and it was a really amazing experience.

Kate and I went on a shopping spree at Bluestockings this Tuesday so we could bring the Westport girls some zines to take home with them.

Zines ranged from "Diary of a 13-year-old Foodie" to "Gymnasts" to "Dear Beats," a music review zine, a zine list of favorite people, "Everything Under the Sun," and more. There was even a comic that I didn't get a picture of!

Thanks so much to Jaina and the Westport Library!

Can you imagine if you had this tote when you were a teenager? I mean, I'm jealous now!

TRES BIEN

2011-02-07T16:01:00.003-05:00

I am super honored to be featured on my feminist-librarian-hero-riot-grrrl-enthusiast-colleague-and-dear-friend Kate Angell's blog today:

This is only the second time I’ve written a post for this particular category, but it’s about time that I write more, as I’m lucky to be surrounded by many people deserving recognition for their accomplishments.

Today I want to write about a person with whom I share a name, neighborhood, college, and favorite band- Kate Wadkins. I met Kate last summer through Kathleen Hanna, as we both worked for her on various projects at different times. Over time Kate has become my research collaborator, close friend, and feminist inspiration.

Read the full article here.

Needless to say, the feelings are mutual, as I am consistently inspired by Kate's work, which involves radical librarianship and feminist community activism of all sorts. Please check out the rest of her blog for insightful posts and feminist/women's history resources abound!

UPDATE! JUST TODAY Kate's new article, "Feminist Archives: Archiving Grrrl Style Now," was published in the new issue of Feminist Collections! Congrats, Kate!

BRAIN WAVES COVER STORY

2011-02-06T13:55:00.001-05:00

Jesse Sposato's article on BRAIN WAVES just happens to be the cover of the Greenpoint Gazette this week. So, yes, that's me, giving bunny ears on the cover of my local paper. Again, hi Mom!

"RIDING THE BRAIN WAVES"

2011-02-04T01:21:00.001-05:00

Jesse Sposato wrote a really great review of the newly-debuted print + zine collection at Storefront, BRAIN WAVES. You can check it out at the Greenpoint Gazette.

Kate Wadkins, Storefront gallery manager and now Brain Waves curator, has been involved in zine culture since she was a teenager, and she continued to celebrate this pastime last Friday, January 28 with the opening of Brain Waves, Storefront’s zine and print collection. Storefront, which just celebrated its one-year-anniversary, was a triple threat on Friday. In conjunction with the Brain Waves opening, there was also Mary Judge’s solo show, Pop-Oculus that took place in the front room, and Wavelength, a group show in the back featuring works by Judith Braun, Maureen McQuillan and Susanna Starr. “[Wavelength] was kind of part of the impetus of having Brain Waves open at the same time. We just thought it was too much of a coincidence to have Wavelength and Brain Waves [open simultaneously],” Wadkins said.

Wadkins, along with Storefront founders and directors Jason Andrew and Deborah Brown, is using Brain Waves as yet another platform for artists within the space. “It [is] a really good opportunity for me to be able to tap into all the things that I [see] going on and give people just one other way to get their work out there,” Wadkins said. The collection is going to be rotating and the goal, as of now, is to have a new zine every month with a corresponding opening.

read the full article here!

DEAD HORSES

2011-01-29T11:58:00.004-05:00

Quote Unquote Records posted a new jam from Very Okay's digital release / tape called "Dead Horses" yesterday.

You can stream the song here.

Our friends at Quote Unquote Records will be releasing our first EP, "Small Loud," in digital format, and our friends at Not Tapes Not Bombs Tapes will be releasing it in tape format.

BRAIN WAVES LIVES!

2011-01-29T11:35:00.003-05:00

[ last image by Aimee Lusty ]

ZINE NEWS: BRAIN WAVES & TEEN ZINE WORKSHOP

2011-01-28T12:29:00.002-05:00

BRAIN WAVES, the print + zine department at STOREFRONT, opens tonight from 7pm-9pm at the gallery [see the announcement here].

I am excited to officially announce that my librarian hero, Kate Angell, and I, will be presenting a Teen Zine Workshop at Connecticut's Westport Library in just two weeks! We'll be talking a bit about zine history in the context of riot grrrl and conducting a how-to session, with materials provided by the library.

THURSDAY, FEB. 10, 2011

Teen Program: Zine Workshop
7:30 pm
McManus Room
Middle School age and up

Westport Public Library
Arnold Bernhard Plaza
20 Jesup Road
Westport, CT 06880

Attention writers and music lovers! Blogging got you down? Tired of merely expressing yourself through Facebook status updates? Take your talent to print by learning how to edit, layout and print your own zine. Kate Wadkins, co-editor of The International Girl Gang Underground Zine and Kate Angell, blogger and librarian at Sarah Lawrence College will lead a discussion of the medium's history in relation to underground music and DIY culture and will then help get you started on making your own.

Materials will be provided. Just bring your ideas and enthusiasm!

Admission: Free (but space is limited). Register at: http://westportzine.eventbrite.com/

Co-sponsored with Toquet Hall.

For more info: Westport Library or Toquet Hall

I was also stoked to discover that the workshop has been deemed parent-friendly by NY Metro Parents. Hi Mom!

2011-01-27T11:53:00.000-05:00

photo by Jared

BRAIN WAVES OPENS FRIDAY AT STOREFRONT

2011-01-24T10:20:00.002-05:00

>> click image to enlarge <<

>> brainwavesbrooklyn.tumblr.com <<

DOODLES

2011-01-16T00:42:00.001-05:00

Found these on my sketchpad, which I am working in, designing the new P.S. Eliot LP! Extra points if you recognize either of these lyrics.

WINTER EVENTS 2011

2011-01-13T01:02:00.001-05:00

I just made a new section on my official webzone to list the massive amount of rad events that I am participating in within the coming months. Check out the events page at katewadkins.com! Tickets are already purchased for Seattle!

FOOD + LANDO APPRECIATION

2011-01-12T20:35:00.001-05:00

THIS IS THE ONLY FOOD POST I WILL EVER POST. I PROMISE. I just had to cuz Lando made it look so good.

Faux Italian sausage, Granny Smith apples & gruyere on whole grain crackers that I made for my small, spontaneous holiday party.

HOLIDAY HITS 2010

2011-01-03T17:43:00.012-05:00

MERRY MARTINI MIRACLE
[ photos courtesy Stephanie & Jelsen ]

LONG ISLAND

[ Kitchen shot by Aunt Patricia, Dessert Crew photo by Lando ]

BROOKLYN

STOREFRONT HOLIDAY PARTY & ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

ATHENS, GA

TOPS 2010

2010-12-31T15:49:00.002-05:00

MUSIC

1. Grass Widow - Past Time
2. Big Eyes - Big Eyes
3. Big Soda - Paper Rte.
4. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
5. Zombie Dogs - LP
6. Marvin Berry & the New Sound - 7" (because it's my blog, and I can!)

ART

1. Andrew Hurst solo show at STOREFRONT
2. Raymond Pettibon, "Hard in the Paint" at David Zwirner
3. Austin Thomas, "Drawing on the Utopic" at STOREFRONT
4. Tamara Waite-Santibanez... always
5. Aimee Lusty, new works in drawing & collage

NEW YEAR

2010-12-30T17:42:00.005-05:00

"My Grandpa always said, 'New Year's is a holiday for amateurs.' I think he's right." - Neil P. Callaghan

BRAIN WAVES POSTPONED

2010-12-28T16:23:00.001-05:00

ATTN: FRIENDS, BRAIN WAVES WILL NOT BE DEBUTING AT TONIGHT'S PARTY. Unfortunately the unruly blizzard of 2K10 ruined any chance of getting the zines up tonight. Hopefully, they'll be up for STOREFRONT's New Year's brunch opening on the 1st, but alas, I will be in Georgia. Any updates I have will be announced from there!

ANNOUNCING: BRAIN WAVES

2010-12-27T12:47:00.008-05:00

BRAIN WAVES: STOREFRONT's Zine & Print collection will debut at our beloved gallery's holiday party this December 28th. BRAIN WAVES is a collection of zines, artist books, prints, and other ephemera at Bushwick’s STOREFRONT gallery, curated by Kate Wadkins. Maintaining STOREFRONT’s mission, BRAIN WAVES includes work by emerging local artists and writers. The party is a benefit for Norte Maar and should be a great time. If you can't make it, please check out the NEW YEAR, NEW WORK, NEW FACES show opening January 1st at the gallery.

>> brainwavesbrooklyn.tumblr.com <<

BRAIN WAVES debut

featuring work by:

Lauren Denitzio

Aimee Lusty

Kathleen McIntyre

Pen 15 Press

Jess Poplawski & Matt Sidella

Jason Roy

Cynthia Schemmer

Bob Thompson

Tamara Waite-Santibanez

*HOLIDAY PARTY*

to benefit NORTE MAAR

Tuesday, December 28

7-9PM

BEER + PIZZA + PREVIEW

$20

Jason Andrew and Deborah Brown cordially invite you to celebrate the holidays in style with a party benefiting the collaborative projects of Norte Maar. Join us for beer and pizza and private preview of the upcoming show of our new season featuring new work of over thirty rising artists.

NEW YEAR, NEW WORK, NEW FACES:

Ali Aschman * John Avelluto * Gregg Baker * Yevgeniya Baras * Myles Bennett * Jim Butler * Maria Calandra * Paul Campbell * Ceclie Chong * Henry Chung * Amanda Church * Elisabeth Condon * Mila Dau * Blane De St. Croix * Kylie Heidenheimer * Cooper Holoweski * Leslie Kerby * Wendy Klemperer * Lars Kremer * Matthew Langley * Mary Kate Maher * Karen Marston * Loren Munk * Carol Salmanson * Rob Servo * Julie Torres * Rhonda Tymeson * Don Voisine * Robert Walden * Chuck Webster * Josh Willis * Mark Weathers * and others.

MUSIC MONDAYS at IF YOU MAKE IT

2010-12-13T15:39:00.002-05:00

I contributed to Dave's new section, "Music Mondays," at If You Make It. Katie Crutchfield (P.S. Eliot) is up next week, and we are in good company with a calendar of contributors that includes many of our great friends and colleagues.

I also made that sweet little stereo icon!

MIX TAPE #4: FULL CIRCLE

2010-12-12T15:49:00.003-05:00

or IF I AIN'T DEAD ALREADY...

The Beatles - Yer Blues

Grass Widow - Shadow

Jay Reatard - No Time

Toots & the Maytals - Louie Louie

Far - I Like It

The Movielife - Sailor Tattoos

Reigning Sound - I'd Much Rather Be With the Boys

The Thermals - I Hold the Sound

I named this mix FULL CIRCLE because it marks one year of mix tape-making on this blog. Do you guys realize how long a year is? It's pretty long. I'm getting outta dodge for New Year's, so this is my holiday card, farewell card, and Happy 2011 card to you all. 11 is a lucky number, so let's hope next year is like, better than this one.

P.S. 8tracks should be paying me for this shiz!