A New Year of Feminist Classics and the Indie Lit Awards GLBTQ Shortlist

[bookgazing]

There are a couple of projects I’d like to mention quickly, because I’m involved in them and this blog is nothing if not all about me : D

I’m sure lots of you took part in 2011’s ‘Year of Feminist Classics’. If you did hopefully you’ll want to play along again and if you didn’t, perhaps you’d like to add a feminist reading project to your 2012 schedule. This year a host and a group of co-hosts will read and talk about one book every month, starting in February. Check out the list of books below to see what the group will be discussing:

February: ‘Feminism is for Everybody’ - bell hooks (Amy)
March: ‘The Book of the City of Ladies’ - Christine De Pizan (Jean)
April: Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity - Julia Serano (Cass)
May: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë read alongside Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys (Iris)
June: Stone Butch Blues - Leslie Feinberg (Emily)
July: Little Women - Louisa May Alcott (Nancy)
August: The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison (Lauren)
September: Borderlands/La Frontera - Gloria Anzaldua (Melissa)
October: The Feminine Mystique - Betty Friedan (Jodie)
November: Beyond the Veil - Fatema Mernissi (Ana)
December: Women, Race, and Class - Angela Davis (Emily Jane)
January 2013 – Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practising Solidarity by Chandra Talpade Mohanty (Eva)

You can read all twelve (ohho, aren’t you ambitious?), less than twelve, or if you’ve got a spot of time for a just one feminist classic in, oh, I don’t know, let’s say October, you can join in for the one readalong. Whatever your participation level you’ll be very welcome. Full details at the ‘Year of Feminist Classics’ website.

The Indie Lit Awards Shortlists have been also been announced and here are the books I’ll be reading for the GLBTQ panel.

’Well With My Soul’- Gregory Allen
’Swimming to Chicago’ - David Matthew Barnes
’Songs of the New Depression’ - Kergan Edwards-Stout
’Nina Here Nor There: My Journey Beyond Gender’ - Nick Krieger
’Huntress’ - Malinda Lo

I’d read ‘Huntress’ before this list was finalised and you can read my review of it at ladybusiness.

Happy week everyone – January blues time is almost over!

Comments

[chrisa511]

JODI! I'm officially an IDIOT! I just figured out today that you moved XD Anyway, I'm now resubscribed to your blog so I won't miss any more posts!!! So excited you're reading for the lgbtq shortlist!! Looking forward to your thoughts!

[bookgazing]

Nice to see you here :) I think I'm going to make another moving post on the old blog to bump it up into feed readers. On the GLBTQ shortlist, so far: I raved all over Huntress at LB and think it's a great read and really enjoying 'Nina Here Nor There' if you're looking for non-fic about gender fluidity. Might send it to Ana when I'm finished and she can be all intelligent about it :D

[litlove.wordpress.com]

I am very tempted to join in for the Jane Eyre/Wide Sargasso Sea month of feminist classics. Both novels I have been meaning to read for ages and ages, and a straight comparison would be much fun to do.

[bookgazing]

Yay! I'm going to be part of the co-hosting group supporting Iris on that read and it would be fab to have your thoughts. There are some very pretty versions of JE available right now in Waterstones...

[thehappynappybookseller.blogspot.com]

I was not familiar with Christine De Pizan until last semester when I read parts of The Book of City of Ladies for class and love it. I haven't read a lot of feminist literature. So I will be checking this out.

[bookgazing]

I'm not that familiar with Pizan either (except what our medieval gender course taught us about her)but lots of people are excited about her being included on this year's list.