Women's Liberation Radio News

Anya Robyak, an Early Childhood Education expert with two decades of experience, discusses the important intersection of feminism and education. She highlights the need for teachers and parents to collaborate in promoting equity for children. Robyak critiques the traditional nuclear family and its impact on gender roles, while exploring how to introduce feminist concepts to young learners. The conversation delves into creating equitable learning environments that support girls and challenges societal gender norms, encouraging critical thinking and non-stereotypical interactions.

You have until midnight on February 14th, 2018 to pre-order this fabulous shirt! Listen to the PSA for instructions on how to get in on this wonderful opportunity to support the design work of Ms. Kacie Mills, the winner of WLRN's 2017 t-shirt design contest AND to support the We Want the Land Coalition, the group seeking to purchase the Land the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival was on for forty years.

This week on the Women's Liberation Music Hour, Phoenixx features ideas and words of Janice Raymond, author of A Passion for Friends, amidst an hour of music that celebrates Gyn/affection. I hope you enjoy and are moved and inspired to deepen your female friendships as they are truly political! Song List: (in background)Praise Her Shawna Carol The Woman in Your Life Alix Dobkin All That You Have is Your Soul Tracy Chapman Womyn Copper Wimmin Sister Cris Williamson This is our Clan Carolyn Hillyer Circle of Women Nalini Family of Women Linda Shear Woman Loving Women Teresa Trull Never Gonna Be Your Bride Carrie Rodriguez As Cool as I am Dar Williams I Come from Women Amy Carol Webb Sisters in Struggle Lesbians on Ecstacy Golden Girls Cynthia Fee Side note: Cris Williamson/Teresa Trull/Barbara Higgbie are performing along the East coast at the end of March! Details I know most about is their show in Carrboro, NC on March 30 at The Arts Center. Tickets are available through the venue. NOT TO MISS this incredible Gyn/affectionate performance from three long time friends!!!!

Bev Jo, a legendary lesbian feminist and separatist activist, and Meagan Tyler, a senior lecturer and author, discuss the complexities of love and sexuality in today's world. Bev shares insights on the deep connections between feminism and lesbian relationships, while Meagan critiques patriarchal norms regarding women's sexual experiences. They dive into societal pressures surrounding penetrative sex and challenge accepted narratives that diminish women's desires. Together, they advocate for a more inclusive understanding of love, emphasizing the significance of female friendships and authentic connections.

WLRN's Thistle Pettersen was able to connect with Venice Allan on January 22nd to talk about her recent suspension from the UK Labor Party. Ms. Allan is accused of bullying and harassment of Labour Party officials and trans-identifying males. These people include Heather Peto, TIM running for MP and already on the Labour Party's All Women Shortlist, Lily Madigan, Women's Officer, Jon Lansman, recently elected to the National Executive Committee, Paris Lees, a trans-identifying male activist, Eddie Izzard famous cross dressing British comic and CLITORIS, an unknown ‘cis’ councillor bloke from Anne Ruzylo’s constituency. Ms. Allan was also targeted in an open letter from some Irish feminists that you can see in the link below. They do not want her to come to Ireland on the We Need To Talk Tour that is slated to have an event on February 14th. https://feministire.com/2018/01/22/an-open-letter-to-the-organisers-of-the-we-need-to-talk-tour-from-a-group-of-feminists-in-ireland/amp/?__twitter_impression=true Ms. Allan and other feminists are promoting a gofundme campaign to raise money to take the British Labour Party to court for not following their own rules about people running for women's positions within the party. Ms. Allan and others argue that men running for women's positions in the party should have a gender recognition certificate in order to run. Those accusing her of bullying are saying they do not need the certificate to run for women's positions, but rather that the "unwritten policy" of the party is to allow men to self-identify as women and run. https://www.gofundme.com/fighting-for-female-representatives

This week, in honor of two old strong female activists of social and racial justice, I dedicate this hour of music and spoken word to Jackie Anderson of Chicago and "Jan" of South Jersey. Please read of Jackie Anderson's life of service to Lesbians and other oppressed peoples: PASSAGES Activist, professor Jackie Anderson dies - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News - Windy City Times Songlist: Miss Celie's Blues Suede Barely Blue Wild Things Cris Williamson The Changer and the Changed Fannie Lou Hamer Sweet Honey I'm Every woman/Respect Aretha Franklin Great Diva Classics No Man's Mama Carolina Chocolate Drops Leaving Eden The Magdalene Laundries Cris Williamson Motherland By Way of Sorrow Bearfoot Cry, Cry, Cry Oughta Be a Woman Sweet Honey Breaths Still Gotta Get up in the Morning Sweet Honey Still the Same Me Four Women Nina Simone The Best of For Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash Joy Harjo Weaving the Strands Yesterday's Lessons Sharon Isabel Any Woman's Blues Woman Slaughter Pat Parker Any Woman's Blues Stop Killing Us Lenelle Moise Madivinez How Long? Sweet Honey Breaths Emily Remembers Suede On the Day We Met Mirror Helen Jane Long

Max Dashu, Riane Eisler, and Starhawk discuss ancient gynocentric societies, challenging stereotypes, exploring matrilineal societies, and the possibility of creating a gynocentric culture in the 21st century.

This week for Deep Winter’s Women’s Liberation music hour, I feature songs from female musicians of various parts of the world. All but the first one are either purely instrumental or have lyrics that are not in English. I hope my selections will help to shift your consciousness away from the ordinary, bringing the deep calm of yourself as Female and all the expansiveness and connectivity to Her and Her beneficent Life. Photo Credit: Hamid Sardar-Afkhami Girl-child is of theTsaatan (Dukha) Reindeer Nomads from the Mongolian North Play List: In background: Siber-Shaman Sainkho Namtchylak Naked Spirit Into the Dark Melissa Etheridge Breakdown Moon Chant Aco Takenaka Moon Chant Embers Helen Jane Long Embers Collage of Koleda Carols (Bulgarian) Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble Evening Star Shaman Weavers’ Dance Carolyn Hillyer The Wyched Wombe Trollobundin (Live) Eivor Palsdottir Rain Foryar, Min Modar Eivor Palsdottir Vision Hildegard of Bingen Rosna Livada Labooratorium Piesni Rosna It Ain’t Necessarily Evil Mari Boine You Never Know Mari Boine Eight Seasons

WLRN's Thistle Pettersen got to sit down with Riane Eisler, a prominent scholar who influenced Ms. Pettersen's thinking greatly in her youth. Dr. Eisler contributes much to conversations past and present about the status of women and how radical and lesbian feminists are on the cutting edge of the movement for a more humanitarian and just society. Riane Eisler is an eminent social scientist, attorney, and women’s human rights activist who pioneered the recognition of women’s rights as human rights. She is best known for her writings, including the international bestseller, The Chalice and The Blade, translated into 26 languages and now in its 57th US printing, with a new epilogue. She founded the first center on women and the law in the United States, wrote the Equal Rights Handbook on the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, and is the author of other award winning books as well as hundreds of articles and book chapters. Dr. Eisler is president of the Center for Partnership Studies (www.centerforpartnership.org) and editor in chief of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies housed at the University of Minnesota. Her book The Real Wealth of Nations was hailed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as “a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking,” by Gloria Steinem as “revolutionary,” and inspired the Center for Partnership Studies’ Caring Economy Campaign (www.caringeconomy.org) which offers online leadership training and has developed new Social Wealth Economic Indicators that demonstrate the enormous economic value of the work of care still largely performed by women worldwide. She consults to business and government about the partnership model introduced by her work, keynotes conferences worldwide, and teaches online courses about cultural and economic transformation. She shows that the women’s movement is the leading edge of the partnership movement, and, as summarized in the title of talks she gave at platforms such as the US Department of State, that what’s good for women is good for the world. She has received many honors for her work for women’s and children’s rights and peace, and is the only woman among 20 great thinkers, including Hegel, Adam Smith, and Marx, included in Macrohistory and Macrohistorians in recognition of the lasting importance of her work. Contacts: www.centerforpartnership.org; www.rianeeisler.com; center@partnershipway.org Some of her pertinent works include: Riane Eisler. (2015). “Preventing Violence against Women: Four Strategies.” In Women, War, and Violence: Typography, Resistance, and Hope, Volume 1. Mariam Kurtz and Lester Kurtz, editors. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Riane Eisler. (2015). Nurturing Children’s Humanity: Partnership Education.” Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies, 2 (2) Fall, Article 5. http://pubs.lib.umn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=ijps Riane Eisler. (2015). “Can International Law Protect Half of Humanity? A New Strategy to Stop Violence against Women.” Journal of Aggression, Conflict, and Peace Research, 7(2), 88 - 100.

This week I’m foregrounding music that quiets. Even though we all have both individual and collective fights against male supremacy, we need time to rest, replenish the reserves. And I know how often it feels like there’s not time for that. When we are working 40+ hrs a week, have families and loved ones who need our attention our energy; when the Liberation front needs our fuel...after all, male supremacy and injustice does not sleep! How can we dare to rest? We dare to rest to keep our sanity! So, this hour is to inspire the necessary quiet for our bodies and our psyches. I hope you are fed. As always I welcome your feedback and suggested music: feministwomyn11@gmail.com. Thanks for your encouragement; it keeps my fires going! Blessed be, Phoenixx Playlist: Winter Susie Suh Icicles Patti Griffin Draw us Down Carolyn Hillyer Night Woman Carolyn Hillyer Inanna Suzanne Sterling On the Other Side Gabrielle Roth & The Mirors The Cave Beyond the Cave Carolyn Hillyer Hawaiian Healing Nhanda Devi Come Tenderness Lisa Gerrard Returning Jennifer Berezan May I Suggest Red Molly Harmless Love Ferron