Pop-Culture | Posted by Steph on 07/4/2010
Support Women Artists Sunday: Andrea Gibson
Andrea moved from New Orleans to Colorado in 1999, where she began attending weekly poetry readings at Denver’s political hub, The Mercury Café. In a years time she had rushed the scene, making her mark with the 2000 Denver Slam Team at The National Poetry Slam in Providence, Rhode Island. In the same year, Andrea joined Vox Feminista, a multi-passionate performance tribe of radical, political women bent on social change through cultural revolution. She went on to become a four-time Denver Grand Slam Champion. Andrea took 4th place out of 350 poets in the individual finals at the 2004 National Poetry Slam in St. Louis, while simultaneously leading Team Denver to a 2nd place title in the team competition.
Andrea has headlined everywhere from the Nuyorican Poet’s Café, to Pride …
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Feminism | Posted by Rachel P on 07/2/2010
Seixsm and the Double Bass
Like Esperenza Spalding, I too, am a female double bassist, with the greatest of respect for the wonderful things that Esperenza does – especially with first-hand knowledge of the blatant misogyny that accompanies being a female double bassist, and how hard it is to even get your instrument through the door, let alone forge a successful musical career.
My double bass teacher was turned down by a professional orchestra, because, simply put, “he wasn’t strong enough”. The nature of orchestra playing means that you’re rehearsing for hours on end, and then playing your instrument non-stop in a concert that can last anywhere from 40 minutes to literally hours. When your instrument is quite literally bigger than you, and when it takes flexing your arm to its full length to …
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Feminism, Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 07/1/2010
Starbucks, Sexual Harassment and Teens
It is not a secret: I am addicted to coffee. There was a time in my life when I was ignorant to the bliss that accompanies those deliciously bitter beans. I was cynical, sarcastic, and tired. Now I am cynical…sarcastic…and a little less tired (read: manic) until I crash! Maybe the effect of coffee on my life is found less in its benefits and more in an unhealthy chemical-dependency-like-addiction. Hm.Either way, I’m in that place in my life where I know every Starbucks barrista in my neighborhood’s name, life story and favorite frappuccino flavor.
So when I heard that a while back there was a pretty significant sexual harassment case against Starbucks involving a teen girl, I was pretty bummed. I actually felt personally let down – that is how …
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