women and children first
October 6th, 2009 | Uncategorized
Chicago’s Women and Children First, one of the few remaining women’s bookstores in the country, celebrated their thirtieth anniversary with a gala last weekend. I was one of the guests, along with Dorothy Allison and Nicole Hollander. It was a really fun evening. Nicole and I had a public conversation, and later, as things got a little wilder, Dorothy spoke to the crowd about her personal history with women’s bookstores. I managed to take a few very low res photos, and record a little bit of her talk with my phone. From those audio and video snippets, I put together this brief glimpse of Dorothy conjuring up her first visit to Women and Children First years and years ago, when she was touring with Trash.
20 Responses to “women and children first”
Whew! When I saw that headline, I thought you’d be breaking the news that Women and Children First was going out of business. What a relief to read this news instead!
Dorothy Allison is one of the greatest writers about class this country has ever produced. She turned my life around as a writer, both by example and by direct influence. GREAT to hear her voice again.
“Women and Children First” was one of the major newspaper headlines after the Titanic sank. (Which was only true, of course, for women and children who weren’t in steerage…) I’ve always wondered if the bookstore’s name came from that source.
Thank you, Alison – for compiling and sharing that montage with us! Love love love Dorothy Allison’s work.
(But — how do you cope with being on a panel with women who surround their letter “a’s” with two “l’s”??)
Alison
Allison
Hollander
hmmm… 😉
http://twitter.com/HouseFloor/status/4662276674
“
to recognize the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve as a unique and precious ecosystem 3:06 P.M. – DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minuteabout 2 hours ago from TTYtter
HouseFloor
U.S. House Updates”
Via twitter.
Presented sans comment.
I’ll leave THAT to the rest of you!
WHo is sitting at Dorothy’s feet in those shots? (I have a theory…)
I was at the WCF event and had such a great time. It was a wonderful turnout, a real testament to how important that store has been to women in Chicago and all over the country. I bought some of my first lesbian books in that store, and that was a momentous time for me – the smile at the check-out counter, the suggestions of other books I might enjoy. The realization that being a lesbian might not be as isolating as I feared.
That glimpse of Dorothy is priceless. “And this is something I have a talent for…”
AB tell us about when you first read/heard Dorothy Allison. What does she – as a writer mean to you? Which of her works should a English girl unaware of her great talents start with?
Not to be too dry and male (I am one) about it, a quick visit to Wikipedia suggests that the phrase “women and children first” had its origin with the sinking of a 19th century ship, the Birkenhead. http://tiny.cc/zYDzu
It was also the title of a Van Halen album.
Wow, what an amazing event! Totally jealous of those who were able to be there. I’m a big Dorothy Allison fan but have never had the opportunity to hear her read. Reading Trash really opened my eyes to class issues, too.
(Off topic, but great news)
Mazel tov to my city, DC, on yesterday’s introduction of
The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009!
(links to a .pdf of the bill)
Huffington Post:
DC Marriage Bill Introduced: What’s Next
“Yesterday D.C. Council Member David Catania introduced a bill that would legalize marriages between same-sex couples. The bill . . . sets the stage for DC to become the next place where gay and lesbian couples can marry. DC would also be the first jurisdiction below the Mason-Dixon line to allow same-sex couples to marry. . . .”
Washington Post:
Gay Marriage Bill Unveiled Before Packed D.C. Council Chambers
As you may know, DC already recognizes same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.
Also off topic, but I have to thank Susan Stinson for the link to her site. Her short-short story “Drink” is there, it’s brilliant.
Here’s a nice story about the Women and Children First gala.
And yes, Susan’s story “Drink” is brilliant.
This might be a good place to wish Harvey Pekar a healthy and happy 70th birthday today.
(In an effort to keep this on-topic, the “Events” page above notes that AB will be reading with HP in LA next Apr.)
I don’t think I’ve posted this yet, but I’ve heard from my friend and she found out that she does NOT have cancer! 🙂 Thanks for all the good wishes from my earlier post!!
Kate, I’ve been wondering about you and your friend. That is sweet news.
Hey, Acilius and Alison, thanks so much for the praise for “Drink.” Much appreciated.
And Kate, that sounds like seriously good news.
@Susan: You’re welcome!
Dorothy Allison! I haven’t read her work in years, but I carried her book of short stories Trash around in my backpack for months, possibly years, in the early 90’s, reading it over and over on the bus. I still have it, dog-eared with clear plastic peeling from the cover like all those ’80’s women’s books published with “perfect” binding. I need to read her more recent stuff. Thanks for the clip!