Women's Liberation Radio News

On June 23rd, the the afternoon of the San Francisco Dyke March this year, Bay Area author, filmmaker, and lesbian Giovanna Capone led a discussion on the herstory of butch lesbian culture present in the Bay Area in the 90s. On the call are Mel Stapper, Pippa Fleming, and Artemis Passionfire. We open the discussion with a poem written by Ms. Capone, titled Endangered Equals At Risk, read by WLRN's Sekhmet She-Owl.

This week, Phoenixx features Alix Dobkin in concert! Alix performed a sold out local house concert this past week! Phoenixx tried her skills at recording the concert, as well as interviews with attending dykes who had stories to share about Alix over the years. What a blast it was! Now we have these Lesbian songs, words and stories preserved with this week's Women's Liberation Music Hour! (actually it's more like an hour and a half!)Enjoy Lesbian Herstory being created and preserved! And thanks to all the dykes who contributed their beloved stories of such a beloved 'Dykon' as Alix Dobkin! That's her featured in the picture at the house concert. Thanks for staying tuned to WLRN.

Thanks for your patience. We are one day late so that we could make this WLRN podcast great! Our 30th edition features the world news read by April Neault, Julia's interview with Sheila Jeffreys and Thistle's interview with three young women who attended the Ohio Lesbian Festival last month and hung out at the WLRN table in the marketplace. The team at WLRN gives a special shout-out this October to our sisters in Great Britain who are coming out publicly and organizing with articulate arguments and good humor. Thanks for your work and for the inspiration! We focus in on the subject of Lesbian Feminism in this edition and are very grateful for the words of Sheila Jeffreys on this topic. Julia rounds off the podcast with her commentary about her experiences becoming a lesbian and why lesbianism is at the forefront of the women's liberation movement. Thanks for staying tuned to feminist powered community radio. Click on the donate button on our wordpress site to make a contribution to keep us blasting into the femisphere. To order Ms. Jeffreys' new book, follow the link below, but consider asking your local bookstore to order it so that you can get it at a lower price. https://www.routledge.com/The-Lesbian-Revolution-Lesbian-Feminism-in-the-UK-1970-1990/Jeffreys/p/book/9781138096578

WLRN's Julia Beck had the pleasure of interviewing Otep Shamaya, lead singer and namesake of the band Otep, about her experiences as a woman and out Lesbian in the rock scene. Otep was the first female-fronted band to headline Ozzfest. With politically inspired lyrics and heavy metal riffs, her music sends a message of revolution. You can find Otep's new album, Kult 45, online and in stores now.

Thistle interviews Sister Dandelion from the Pussy Church of Modern Witchcraft, discussing recent attacks on the Church, the need for physical spaces for women's gatherings, overcoming obstacles to solidarity, the expansion of the Church, and the relationship between the Church and witchcraft.

In honor of all the working women of the world, WLRN's 29th edition is dedicated to women in the labor movement. This month's program starts off with April Neault, the newest member of the WLRN team, introducing herself and the guests on the show. She is followed by WLRN's world news segment as written and presented by Damayanti. Next, enjoy a rousing version of the song "Union Maid" from the New Harmony Sisterhood Band followed by an interview Thistle conducted with Ms. Stephanie Luce, Professor of Labor Studies at the School of Labor and Urban Studies, as well as Professor of Sociology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Next up, you'll hear an interview with Andrea Narbot, Marxist Feminist from Atlanta, GA that Sekhmet conducted followed by Sekhmet's pointed commentary about the harms of capitalist economics and how women and especially women of color and lesbians are particularly impacted. Finally, enjoy the song "Woman's Work" by Tracy Chapman and all of the voices of WLRN's staff as we bid farewell to our faithful listeners until next time. Thanks for staying tuned to your feminist community radio station online!

Playlist: Background music: More than a Paycheck Sweet Honey in The Rock All songs from The New Harmony Sisterhood Band: "Side one" Sojourner Truth Cotton Mill Girls Ballad Working Class Woman Ella Ellison Draglines "Side two" Union Maid Ballad of Joan Little Two O'Clock Lounge Amelia Earhart's Last Flight Unfinished Business All Our Lives Closing song: Stand Up Heather Mae This music hour features the 1977 album "...And Ain't I A Woman?" by The New Harmony Sisterhood Band. Even if you aren't a fan of this era of women's music or even the folk/acoustic genre, I hope you will tune in to these women's lyrics which are rich in their teaching of women's history and feminist consciousness around issues of race, class and the exploitation of women thru the so called 'sex industry.' They sing about working class women, women of color (their double oppression), the rape of the planet, lesbian rights, and the exploitation of women at home, at work and on the streets. This is an incredible gem of how women's music can transmit women's particular culture that grows both in sharp critique of Patriarchy/male domination and in celebration of being born female, united with sisters in struggle and achievement through time.

Howdy! This week's Women's Liberation Music Hour features Holly Near's 1978 album: Imagine My Surprise!. I love this album because of her songs about womon-centered realities one hardly hears sung anymore: topics like violence against women, women being locked up in psychiatric hospitals and women/lesbians being disappeared and tortured around the world. I also love the liner notes and photos of Holly and the women participating in the album with her. All of her songs are translated into Spanish and credit is given so generously. This is so characteristic of the consciousness of feminists of that time. I love it. I round out the hour with some self-reflection around my whiteness, the unearned privileges whiteness affords me as well as the inherent racism massaged into me from birth and the discomfort of all of that. I hope for a future music hour about all that. Take good care and I hope you enjoy this blast from the past that still has a present relevance for women and lesbians of August 2018! Blessed be! Phoenixx

Mother Earth is on the brink of destruction. Modern industry fosters ecological degradation through unsustainable habits of pollution and resource depletion. Male-driven civilization and its treatment of the natural world wreaks havoc all around us, but women hold the power to save life on this planet as we know it. Today's podcast features women who dedicate their lives to seeking and spreading knowledge of sustainable living. In our first interview, Thistle speaks with Susan Griffin, author of Woman & Nature: The Roaring Inside Her, a pioneering work of ecofeminist philosophy. In our second interview, Sekhmet speaks with Lierre Keith, radical activist and co-founder of Deep Green Resistance. These two interviews are framed by Maya's world headlines and Thistle's commentary on the womon-Earth connection. Along the way we hear music from Suzanne Vega, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Big Bad Gina. Thank you for tuning in to WLRN's naturally gynocentric broadcast. Blessed be!

WLRN is back on the scene this first Thursday in July with our feminist anti-war news program in response to all of the war machine worship we have seen this 4th of July season. The show starts with the song Wargasm by L7 and then moves into world news headlines by Maya followed by Buffy St. Marie with her song, The War Racket. The first interview segment is with Cynthia Enloe, professor of Political Science, International Development and Women's & Gender Studies at Clark University. Next, hear Joni Mitchell's 1969 live version of her classic anti-war anthem and celebration of 60's music culture, Woodstock, before our second interview Thistle did with Cindy Sheehan, long-time anti-war activist who is currently working to organize the Women's March on the Pentagon set for October 20th - 21st in Washington DC.  Finally, to round out our program on women and war, Sekhmet SheOwl offers her profound commentary that brings us that much closer to an understanding of how things are arranged so that we can dismantle them. Thank you for staying tuned to feminist community powered radio! Please listen, like, share and comment widely so we can get this important news program into the ears of women worldwide. Also, if you'd like to donate to this work we are doing, click on the donate button on our wordpress site and THANK YOU for supporting feminist community radio! https://wlrnmedia.wordpress.com/