Tonight, BookWoman will host folk singer and feminist activist Alix Dobkin. Having been a part of the folk music scene for over thirty years, Dobkin's recently published memoir MY RED BLOOD: A Memoir of Growing Up Communist, Coming Onto the Greenwich Village Folk Scene, and Coming Out in the Feminist Movement describes her coming of age in the freewheeling '60s and coming out as a strong proponent of lesbian culture and involvement within the music scene. As if her gender politics weren't target enough for controversy (she was considered a "troublemaker" by the FBI), Dobkin was also a card-carrying comrade throughout much of her youth. more ›

2010 marked the 50th anniversary of the FDA approval for an oral contraceptive for women- aka The Pill-a milestone in female contraception and cornerstone of the Sexual Revolution. Quickly embraced by second-wave feminists, The Pill became the mascot of reproductive control with high expectations by its advocates that it would end poverty and promote stable family planning, one empowered woman at a time. But as historian Elaine Tyler May discusses in her book, America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation, the controversial pharmaceutical released more than just a package of hormones into the bloodstream of women across the country. The utopian expectations set forth by its developers quickly led into more complex issues surrounding safety and access to the drug, demanding an overall better understanding of healthcare for women. more ›

In 1985, I starred in a movie produced, directed, and shot by my then horrible boyfriend. Okay, so it wasn’t a film, it was a video, but back then shooting on video was a big deal. It’s not like today, when you can use a tiny, reasonably priced iPhone to instantly capture motion. Oh no, this involved major effort and expense. For one, there was the rental of at-the-time cutting edge technology in the form of a nine hundred pound video camera and enormous tripod. For another, we had to time the thing just right, making sure his insanely prim parents wouldn’t arrive home and catch us in flagrante delicto. Yes, that’s right. Somewhere out there (unless—please baby Jesus, the tape has disintegrated) exists documentation of my naked 21 year-old ass in various compromising positions as the two of us managed to put both the rot and the ic(k) in our attempt at erotic. more ›

Contrary to popular opinion, feminism and romance are not incompatible and feminism may actually improve the quality of heterosexual relationships. The Statesman reports that the ACLU and LULAC have complained about the location of the new municipal court. US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to renew the ban on taxing Internet access — but only for 4 years, not permanently. MySpace will offer members of its popular social network free Internet phone calls... more ›

Once upon a time, in a gallery just up the road, 14 female artists gathered their works together to be viewed by all in the land. There were paintings, and photographs, moving images and performances. There were Indian princesses, people with bunny rabbit faces, and clowns riding rocket ships. Ok, enough cutesy talk, but you get our drift. Fairytales, myths, legends, and fantasies are celebrated in the new exhibit, Femme Fantastique, at Volitant Gallery. The... more ›

It was the winter of 1997. Toronto. Some big and atrocious-looking gallery on the edge of pig-windowed Chinatown. That’s where we first got to see the brilliance of Keith Haring up close. Well, “up close” isn’t all that necessary when the piece is thirty goddamn feet tall, but it was really there. In all it’s simplistic glory. Thoughtful. Angry. People with dog-heads and politics. You could almost touch it with your tongue it was... more ›

Elizabeth Stark’s and Kami Chisholm’s feature-length primer FtF: Female to Femme, sponsored by IDKE 8, brings us closer to understanding a culture within a culture within a culture—the world of the lesbian Femme. Largely marginalized within a marginalized community, the Femme is a woman who embraces, through modes of dress, a femininity that is comfortably familiar to those who are not lesbian. Always intelligent and often funny, Stark and Chisholm interview artists, activists, and intelligentsia... more ›

FRIDAY 28 [music] Ghostland Observatory, Glass Family, Clap! Clap! and Crash Gallery at Emo's (info) [music] White Ghost Shivers (CD Release Ball) with The Small Stars at The Parish Room (info) [music] Texas Sapphires at Waterloo Records (Free, 5pm) (info) [music] Joe Satriani at The Paramount Theatre (8pm) (info) [music] Southern Culture on the Skids at Continental Club (Through Sunday!, 11:30pm) (info) [music] My Education and Cue at Blue Theatre ($6) (info) [music/food] ATX Fest,... more ›

We are the Walrus. We are the Eggman. We are a shameless, self-promoting, self-interested no-goodnik with nothing but themselves at heart. We also have difficulty conjugating verbs while writing in the royal “we”. Why all the self-loathing? Because we've picked ourselves as the Austinist pick of the week! Even though Austin Lyric Opera is celebrating Mozart's 250th birthday by performing what is arguably the best opera ever written.... Even though Austin Shakespeare Festival, upon... more ›