Link Love

Ok, there’s a reason that Nina Munteanu won the Blogging Community Involvement Award, she is always smoozing with her fellow bloggers, and quite frankly has become one of my personal heros. Not only does she consistently post on her blog (something that is becoming increasingly difficult for me), she writes novels, short, stories, reviews, and interviews, all while doing her part to save the planet as an enviornmental consultant.

This time she is sending out a little link love via the meme developed by Neonscent. Since the meme was developed to “get links out there” and introduce readers to new blogs, instead of posting my usual favorites, I thought I would post some of the blogs authored by memebers of mybloglog community. Thanks for the support guys. Here are the rules:

-Start Copy-It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)Add the next number (1. 2. 3. 4. 5., etc.) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers.Try to make your tip general. After that, tag 10 other people. “Link love” some friends! Just think– if 10 people start this, the 10 people pass it onto another 10 people, you have 100 links already!
1. Look, read, and learn. http://www.neonscent.com/***
2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. http://www.bushmackel.com/****
3. Don’t let money change ya! http://www.therandomforest.info/****
4. Always reply to your comments. http://chattiekat.com/*
5. Blog about what you know & love. http://sugar-queens-dream.blogspot.com/*
6. Don’t use filthy language-buy a dictionary. http://shinade.blogspot.com/**
7. Blog about something educational http://climateofourfuture.org/*
8. Be yourself; others will follow http://sfgirl-thealiennextdoor.blogspot.com/*
9. Build relationships before you need them http://modernmatriarch.wordpress.com
–End Copy-

Here are my ten picks:

Present Tensed

Two Write Hands

The Rural Writer

Digital Daydreams

Electric Writer

Your Mirror or Mine

52 Novels

Writing True

Writing . . . or Typing?

Untitled by Poetic License

Are You Taking Chic Lit Seriously, Yet?

Maybe you should be. Two distinguished universities are. Last fall, both Harvard and the University of Texas in Austin taught courses in which “Chic Lit” was a vital component. Here are excerpts from their catalogues:

WGS 1122. The Romance: From Jane Austen to Chick Lit (Harvard)
A critical investigation of the genre’s enduring popularity, beginning with Austen’s satirical Northanger Abbey and three novels credited with providing narrative templates for contemporary romances (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights). We then read twentieth-century revisions of these works (Rebecca, The Wide Sargasso Sea, Bridget Jones’s Diary). Topics: the female writer and reader/consumer of literature; moral warnings against romance, “sensation,” and titillation; the commodification of desire; Harlequins; the relationship between high culture and low.

RHE 309K - Title Topics in Writing-W [Topic Chick Rhetoric] (University of Texas in Austin)
Everybody knows what a chick flick is– it’s a sappy love story in which everyone cries-and real men don’t watch them. Yet the sappy and tragic Titanic was the largest grossing film ever, and not because only women saw it. The term Chick Lit didn’t appear in the Oxford English Dictionary until 2002, but it can be argued that Jane Austen was writing the stuff back in the 19th Century, long before Bridget Jones appeared on the scene. Linguists like Deborah Tannen and Robin Lakoff have argued that there is a women’s language, and it has long been argued that there are “women’s ways of knowing”–chick rhetoric and chick knowledge?

The University of Texas Course Catalogue included some thought provoking questions:

• Does chick art have a consistent message, including about what it means to be a chick?
• Is it empowering, disabling, conflicted?
• What about men’s place in this rhetoric?
• What messages does chick art have about men?
• What are the political and social ramifications of texts a niche art form for women that men often do not participate in?

Can a literary community that praises Woolf’s cry for a feminine narrative afford to marginalize the voices of contemporary female authors who fall under the label “chic lit” or “mom lit”? I think that would be a grave oversight. So in addition to our discussions of classic writers, I will be adding interviews with contemporary female authors as well as reviews of their work.

What is the Purpose of Diversity without Reconciliation?

This important question came to mind as I read a review copy of a recently released, self-published children’s book.

This particular picture book did have the noble intention of tackling diversity, and it did utilize a clever metaphor. However, despite the books best attempt to illustrate the variety that exists in the world, it fails miserably due to its lack of action. One could catalogue the fruits and vegetables of the produce section and illustrate that the world is diverse, but if the oranges are not interacting with the apples then the issue of diversity is a mute point. 

All good stories revolve around conflict and the ultimate resolution of conflict. In order to successfully resolve social conflict characters need to stretch and grow, bridging the gap between two opposing realities.  At least, “opposing” is the way we have been trained to view those with different values and cultures.

Audre Lorde addresses this issue in her essay “Age. Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference.” As she points out, “We speak not of human difference, but of human deviance.” Lorde speaks of a mythical norm, which we each have in our head. I am sure that these mythical norms are as diverse as the societies that they come from, but the result is always the same; the outsider is always measured against this norm. The outsider must struggle to prove that despite the differences, their beliefs and traditions have value, too.

Of course, this outsider is only an outsider when they attempt to cross over into another culture, when they challenge their own awareness and the awareness of others. This “challenging of awareness” is the conflict that begs a resolution. But as Lorde points out, diversity is not two dimensional.

How does this relate to the female narrative? The female narrative is not merely unique in terms of how differs from masculine narratives, it is also a medium through which women can explore the many forms of feminine diversity: age, race, educational background, economic class, etc. A feminine narrative can be populated with stereo typical women that illustrate the diversity of what it means to be women, but without growth and reconciliation the diversity is merely a cataloguing of types and the narrative falls short of its true potential.

Insurance Companies Deny Critical Post Surgery Care

As Audre Lord says, “where the words of women are crying out to be heard, we must each of us recognize our responsibility to seek those words out”. Therefore, today’s post is not about literature, writing, or the artistic representation of women, but about the true life story of unfortunate women across the country who are subjected to the humiliation and medical complications of “drive-through” mastectomies.

I received an email this morning in which a surgeon writes:

“I’ll never forget the look in my patient’s eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the Doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies.”

In a Lifetime article, Alva Williams of Jackson, NC tells her terrifying story of being sent home just hours after having her breasts removed:

“The worst part was emptying the drainage tubes. These tubes hung from my chest to my knees. Terrified that I’d catch them on something, I ended up wearing my husband’s pajama pants and tucking them into there. We had to empty the drains and then measure and record the bloody fluid.”

She continues:

“I ended up getting a staph infection and had to seek medical help from Dr. Turlington, my primary care physician in Jacksonville. He cleaned the site, taught my husband how to change the dressings and put me on heavy antibiotics. In about two weeks, the infection started to heal. My oncologist told me he could not begin the chemotherapy treatments until the infected site was completely healed. In the end, I was six weeks late starting my chemotherapy.”

Why is this happening? Insurance companies have determined that mastectomies should be treated as an outpatient procedure, despite the recommendation of many doctors.

What can you do? Representative Rosa L DeLauro (D-CT) and Senators Olympia Snowe (D-ME) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) have reintroduced the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007 (S. 459/H.R.758), which would allow a woman and her doctor, not the insurance company, decide on the appropriate length of recovery time. This bill forces insurance companies to cover at least 48 hours of in hospital care. Show your support for this bill by signing the petition sponsored by Lifetimetv.com. It will only take a moment of your time, but it could save someone’s life.

After all, the female breast is the fountain of nourishment for many newborn members of our society; it is only humane that society should take the time to nurture the women who lose them.

Advice from Author Jennifer Weiner

At its core, Modern Matriarch is a blog about female authors and the feminine narrative, so I rejoice in the small opportunities to share advice from successful women writers. But first, let me tell you about the wonderful website where I found this advice.

Jennifer Weiner is the author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes. With the recent paperback release of her short story collection, The Guy Not Taken, I decided to do a little research. I found I was not only impressed by her work, but by her website: JenniferWeiner.com. This well designed site serves as a multi-model for aspiring writers and self-promoting authors alike.

First it’s easy to navigate. Large clickable font located at the top of the website makes it easy to find exactly what you need. Looking for a little biographical information? Click “The Author” page. Are you a writer? Weiner has some excellent advice on writing and finding a good agent on the “For Writers” page. The “For Book Clubs” page offers audio excerpts of all her novels, reading guides, reading questions and topics for disscussion, as well as podcast interviews. And of course, fellow bloggers, their is a link to Weiner’s Web Log. 

So how about that advice? Well, on the “For Writers” page Weiner discusses what she believes makes a great writer: a tormented childhood, a shabby love life, and a liberal education. Oh really, you’ve been there, done that. Ok, then you may be ready for the next step: go to work and get a dog. No, no. I’m not kidding. That is her advice. After all you need experience and discipline to complete a book and you need a completed book if you have any hopes of finding a good agent. (Don’t worry Weiner has some excellent advice about that, too.) All in all, it’s worth a peek. The advice is valuable and is delivered with her trademark Weiner wit.

Disclaimer: you may leave her website with a hankering for her fiction; neither I nor Modern Matriarch may be held liable for any resulting dip in the Neilson Ratings. 

Click here for a direct link to Jennifer Weiner’s advice.

Dusting off the Knee High Vinyl Boots

 

Ok, so there was a time, almost a decade ago, when I was known as ‘the girl by the speaker.’ I was an undergraduate student who went dancing five nights a week. I always arrived in my own car and usually early enough to forgo the cover charge. I always danced in the corner by the speaker (hence the name) and stayed until the house lights came on. 

I didn’t drink back then (I had my first glass of Chilean wine in Mexico on my 30th birthday) and the local club rats referred to me as an untouchable (meaning I wasn’t there to find a date so don’t waste your time). My, how times have changed. The only dance parties I attend these days are in the living room with my two-year-old. (Laurie Berkner can really rock!)

So what inspired this little bout of nostalgia? My fellow blogger, Nina Munteanu over at The Alien Next Door passed along the Rockin Girl Blogger Award and I feel completely underdressed in my spandex gym clothes.

I also have to admit, I feel a bit unworthy.  I know my postings have been a little sporadic lately, and I apologize. I have been taking my own advice and reading a lot more than I have been writing–as well as transferring files from a damaged computer to a new one. Don’t ask. Let’s just pop the cork on some Chilean wine and check out these other Rockin’ Girl Bloggers:

Extemporaneous -Yes I tagged Naughty Heather as a Thinking Blogger, but let’s face it, she rocks!

Judy Micha - Talented, insightful and grounded in girl power. You go girl!

What Possessed Me - I suspect she has a pair of thigh high vinyl boots that she hasn’t told anyone about yet.

Hoyden About Town - If you have a weak stomach for feminist politics, you might want to skip to the next link, these ladies rock too hard for you.

Ju-Well -Blogger/Poet Ju-well is a gem who rocks the POW! Gives Ju-well a virtual standing “O”.

Why Reddit when you can be Wordsy?

Well dear readers, a recent comment from Hans over at Wordsy.com reminded me that I have not yet featured that fabulous website in one of my posts, which I have been meaning to do. If you’re like me and are passionate about books, writing, and literature, you probably find the content of both Reddit and Digg a strange combination of tabloid sensationalism and techie geek chique. Wordsy.com provides an alternative.

Created by book lovers, Wordsy apsires to provide the same service as other community news sites, but with a literary focus. I have to say, I am gratefully to wordsy.com for providing a space for literary news and ideas that would otherwise be drowned out by outrageous headlines.  (Honestly do you care if a “Real Life Optimus Prime Challenges Megatron to a Duel”? Surprisingly, 1266 people are currently Digging the story, and sadly, I expect that number to climb.)  

I have already joined the budding little community and certainly hope to see more authors, agents, literary critics, and book aficionados submitting the kind of news and information that only a bibliophile could love.

Viva la Revolution!

Still Blogging, Still Thinking

Kathleen Maher, published writer and author of the blog Dairy of a Heretic, has honored me with yet another Thinking Blog Award. I would like to publicly thank Kathleen for her acknowledgement. Writing is quite often a solitary and thankless profession and the occassional pat on the back is encouraging.

You don’t believe me? As I sit here this morning in my pajamas, sipping a cup of coffee and clacking away at the keyboard, my cat has joined me at the diningroom table to inform me it is time for his breakfast and the oh too familar strains of “backpack, backpack” are wafting in from the livingroom were my two-year old is sipping her morning cocoa and watching an episode of Dora the Explorer.

Shortly, she will join me at the table with puzzles or art supplies as I hammer away at the revisions of a manscript that sits beside my computer taunting me with the enormity of my undertaking.

And of course, my writing will be continually interrupted by the daily demands of being a wife and mother. Oh yes, Virginia Woolf, I do have a room of my own. My growing stack of books (more often unread than read) are enjoying it very much, thank you. Perhaps when my daughter starts pre-school, I will actually be able to spend some time there.

Am I complaining? Not at all! I have come to realize writing is a lot like being a wife and a mother. Our jobs are done in relative obscurity, but it is done for the love of doing it. It’s still nice, though, when someone recognizes that you’re doing a good job.

So, dear readers, if you are interested in who makes me think, I direct you to the Thinking Blogger Meme posted on my sidebar. The clickable icon will link you to my previous nominations and my five Thinking Blogger selections.  Now, if you’ll excuse me there are breakfast dishes to wash and my daughter is waiting to brush her teeth.

LibraryThing

I found this fabulous website while perusing Nina Munteanu’s blog The Alien Next Door (it’s listed in her blog roll).

LibraryThing.com is a bibliophile’s wonderland. The search engine at LibraryThing is tied into Amazon.com and 78 other sources around the world, making it fast and easy to find almost any published title.

Once registered at LibraryThing, which only requires the creation of a username and password, you can begin uploading the titles of books in your own library. Why would you want to catalouge your library online? That was the same question I had. Then, I discovered some of LibraryThing’s other features.

LibraryThing cross references your library with the libraries of other bibliophiles, creating a social network of readers with similar interests. LibraryThing also has a suggestion feature which makes suggestions on books you might like based on books you already own.

LibraryThing also has book review and comment sections which will tell you what other readers thought of a book before you invest in it. And as a special little perk, you can see which books published authors have in their own libraries.

I began cataloguing my library this morning, but so far I only have one shelf done (after all it is the 4th of July and I have plans to BBQ in the back yard), but feel free to check it out. I will try to add a shelf a day until I get it all in there. Click here for the link to my profile.

Readers, Meet WOW

Since this blog is dedicated to female authors, as well as the representation of women in literature, I thought you might treasure a great writing resource as much as I do. In case you have not yet stumbled upon it yourself, there is a fabulous ezine called WOW-Women on Writing. I encourage all of you writers out there to check it out.

The June issue includes feature articles on funding an excursion to exoctic locations, how to build your freelance career through apprenticeship, and advice on book promotion from an experienced writer/speaker. WOW also holds a quaterly flash fiction contest.

I have really enjoyed reading this months edition, however, I have to admit I have been having some issues with the links.  leads me to believe they are having some server issues. Hopefully they will be resolved soon. Whatever the reason for the link delay, the content is definately worth a little patience.