For the women in London

In London, the inequality gap between women and men is wider than the national average.
Sign the Fawcett Society's petition for the Mayoral and London Assembly candidates here.

Via Dogana

In June 1991, the Libreria delle donne published the first issue of Via Dogana: a four-monthly magazine of political practice. The name chosen is that of the bookshop’s street, because “the women’s movement prefers to use metonymic names which, in Milan, are street names so there are no metaphorical implications”. 

Each issue started with an open meeting, the so-called “enlarged editorial office”. In order not to lose any copies, distribution followed the choice of a bookshop for each city, thereby creating a “map of bookshops preferred by women”. The topic of the first edition was significant: “Politics is Women’s Politics”. The second, “Opportunity is Uneven” spoke in favor of acknowledging FEMALE DIFFERENCE and openly challenged equal opportunity policies. Issue 37, “Freedom in the Workplace” (1998) announced the end of precarious work and the assumption of FEMINIZATION OF WORK AS WORK TOUT COURT. 

In 2001 the Libreria delle donne changed its location but the magazine continues to under the name of Via Dogana.

Libreria delle donne Milan

The Libreria delle donne [Women’s Bookshop] Milan, opened in 1975. It was founded by a group of 15 women of different ages, experiences, interests, with the idea to work in a collective of only women and to highlight the female literary production, very much overlooked at that time.

“We have collected funds, mainly from the sale of paintings offered by women artists, and with this sum we have rented and furnished the venue. The practical work has been responsibly managed by a cooperative insomuch as this appeared to us as the least rigid form of association provided for by legislation [...] The bookshop is not funded and must necessarily be self-sufficient. The commercial aspect, therefore – although remaining instrumental with respect to the political moment – cannot be neglected. As any other shop, the bookshop opens onto the street and anyone can come in, man or woman. [...] We wanted to open a place that is political for the simple reason that here women can meet without shutting themselves up in the private and without subordinating their interests to those of institutions and organizations. In our opinion, this opportunity represents in itself a political achievement over the enforced privatization of our relationships and against the systemic neglect of our interests”. 

Jacqueline de Jong

Dutch artist and graphic designer Jacqueline de Jong joined the Situationist International in 1960. De Jong suggested the publication of an English language newsletter in November of 1960, to be co-edited with British Situationist Alexander Trocchi. The publication was widely discussed at Situationist conferences in 1961, and the first issue of The Situationist Times was published in May of 1962. De Jong was determined to produce 'a completely free magazine, based on the most creative of the Situationist ideas'.

An exhibition of The Situationist Times opens in at Boo Hooray in New York on 9 May 2012.
More information here or here.

A good thing coming to an end?

From The Women's Library website: 

The Women’s Library is seeking a new home

On Wednesday 14 March, London Metropolitan University’s Board of Governors announced that they will be seeking a new home, custodian or sponsor of The Women’s Library’s collections. 

If a new home is not found by the end of December 2012, the Library will move to opening hours of one day per week for a period of three years, with a further review at the end of that period. We will keep you informed of further developments, and we are in the process of contacting key stakeholders.

If you have any suggestions of potential custodians, or any queries, please email us: moreinfo@thewomenslibrary.ac.uk 

The Women's Library is a cultural centre housing the most extensive collection of women's history in the UK. The collections include books, pamphlets, periodicals, zines, artist books, audio-visuals, personal and organisational papers, objects, textiles and visual materials.  You can visit our Reading Room to research and browse free of charge. 

Sign the petition here

LABOUR – the publication

LABOUR addresses the general conditions of feminised labour, and how a feminist reading of work benefits a critique of the current scenario for art workers. The periodical arises from a series of five meetings of practicing female artists entitled ‘A conversation to know if there is a conversation to be had’, held at semi-public spaces in 2010–2012 respectively in New York (Dexter Sinister), Amsterdam (Kunstverein), Berlin (Salon Populaire), and London (Raven Row & Goldsmiths).
Edited by Melissa Gordon & Marina Vishmidt.
Next issue: ‘Persona’
aconversationtobehad.wordpress.com
For enquiries: aconversationtobehad@gmail.com

Adrienne Rich book covers

RIP Adrienne Rich, who passed away last week.
‘Adrienne Cecile Rich (May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She has been called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse".’ (from Wikipedia, more here)

   

Cyberfeminism / The Old Boys Network

The Old Boys Network was created by Cornelia Sollfrank, Ellen Nonnenmacher, Vali Djordjevic and Julianne Pierce in Berlin in 1997 and is regarded as the first international Cyberfeminist alliance.

Their website has a great reading room with texts and other resources in english and german.

The old boys network also initiated the First Cyberfeminist Internatonal, a one day conference held during Documenta X in 1997 to get together, share ideas and establish Cyberfeminism as a movement. Instead of creating a unisono definition of Cyberfeminism, they published a list of 100 anti-theses, to state what the movement is not. (the list can be found in the reading room)