Sinister Wisdom will be at the AWP (Association of Writing Programs) Conference in Boston next week. Come visit us at our table and meet us at the lesbian and LGBT events featured at the conference!

I admire Bryan Borland and his Sibling Rivalry Press. In just a few short years, Sibling Rivalry Press has become a powerhouse of LGBT publishing--and I should say that I am excited to work with Bryan as he publishes my second collection of poetry, Sisterhood, this fall. Recently, Bryan read Sinister Wisdom 87--Tribute to Adrienne Rich. He was so inspired, not only by the issue but by the tradition of the magazine, the he decided to provide free copies of Assaracus, the gay male poetry journal that he edits and publishes, free to prisoners. I was tickled to learn about this from Facebook and his blog. Bryan wrote,

Inspired by the long-running journal Sinister Wisdom, we are also proud to offer a special hardship subscription price of $20.00, which includes four issues of Assaracus shipped anywhere in the world. We ask that you pay full price should you have the ability to do so, but one’s degree of good fortune should never impede access to poetry. Likewise, we will provide free copies of Assaracus to LGBTIQ support groups, mental health facilities, or correctional facilities by request. To request a free copy or subscription, please email us.

Lesbian-feminism lives--and continues to inspire new, righteous actions.

Julie

Last year, there were six Academy Awards categories with no women
nominated at all. This year, that figure is up to seven. The numbers
tell their own story: across all categories, 2013 nominees total 140
men and just 35 women.

In a film industry where 78% of the top-grossing 250 films of 2012 had
no female writers, and 89% of them had no female directors, the
Hollywood boys’ club needs to start admitting women. Watch and tweet
along with us womensmediacenter.com
as we tell the film industry that women deserve more work in Hollywood,
and more recognition for the work that they get.

For equality,
Julie Burton
President, Women’s Media Center
womensmediacenter.com

A new exhibit at the University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, “West of Center: Art and the Counterculture Experiment in America,” includes work by Ruth Mountaingrove and Tee Corinne. Ruth is a current contributor to Sinister Wisdom, sending in regular book reviews and other dispatches. Tee is beloved to the Sinister Wisdom Community for her iconic photograph that graced the cover of Sinister Wisdom in the 1970s and was printed as a poster and was a staple for many lesbian feminists throughout the 1980s. Tee, who passed away in 2006, and Ruth are an important part of Sinister Wisdom.

The exhibit runs from February 9 through April 28. One part of the exhibit is about the Oregon lesbian land communities. Photographs from Ruth Mountaingrove’s collection and Tee Corinne’s collection are featured. On Wednesday, April 24, 5:30 p.m., Billie Miracle and Carol Newhouse will participate in a discussion about the lesbian lands with one of the curators, Elissa Auther.

Here is more information about the exhibit:

http://jsma.uoregon.edu/westofcenter

http://jsma.uoregon.edu/westofcenterprograms

Prof. Timothy Miller of the University of Kansas, a preeminent scholar of intentional communities in the U.S., will give a talk (one of the programs associated with the West of Center exhibit) on Friday February 22 in the Knight Library Browsing Room (this is the room where we had the Tee Corinne symposium in 2008). Part of his talk will be about the lesbian communities in Oregon.

Thanks to Ruth for passing this information along to us!

Sinister Wisdom is pleased to announce the publication of two books by contributors. Lisa Dordal's chapbook, Commemoration, is out from Finishing Line Press. Jessica Mason McFadden's collection, Woman in Disguise, is out from Saltfire Press. To order a copy, contact Jessica. Heartfelt congratulations to both Lisa and Jessica from all of us at Sinister Wisdom!

For a number of years, my wife Sue Lenaerts and I had been in touch with Julia monthly or more. We thought that it was important that someone of such value did not get lost in anonymity. We corresponded by mail and email about the simple things in life. Julia once wrote me that she was holding her truck together with duct tape. That statement never ceases to cause me to smile.
She was definitely a scholar ahead of her time with lesbian feminist politics and studies. The women's movement owes a forever thanks to this amazing woman.
Julia sent me a picture of her wolf/dog Gabriel for use on my website. This happened after I told her the name of my site was "Wailing with the Wolves."
We will miss you forever Julia. Rise in Peace.
Judith K. Witherow

The SeaWaves, Jeri Hilderley, Susan Ahlborn, and Janet Mayes, are excited to announce the release of our new CD, Talking Truth

"The songs on Talking Truth are for the good of all who struggle for equality, justice, solidarity and tender caring of all living creatures and our fragile earth.” In 'Army of Support,' we, as older lesbians, sing out our solidarity with bullied LGBTQ youth." See more at http://www.seawaverecordings.com/
Sample and purchase at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/theseawaves

Sinister Wisdom is pleased to share Joanna Cattonar's poem, "La Sierra," published in the online poetry anthology http://200newmexicopoems.wordpress.com. You can read Joanna's poem here. The issue honors New Mexico's centennial; "La Sierra" is Cattonar's love poem to Taos. Congratulations, Joanna!

Joanna, in addition to being a contributor to Sinister Wisdom, also volunteers her services as our intrepid proofreader. We are enormously grateful to Joanna for all of her contributions to Sinister Wisdom!

[If you have news and information about writers who have appeared in Sinister Wisdom, please send it along so that we can share on the blog to sinisterwisdom at gmail dot com.]

Sinister Wisdom is pleased to nominate six pieces from the two issues of Sinister Wisdom published prior to December 1, 2012 for the 2012 Pushcart Prize.

The six nominated pieces are:

From Sinister Wisdom 86
“What It Means To Believe/With a Full Mouth” Camonghne Felix
“Hair” Sarah Brooks
“Learning” Amanda Laughtland
“My Tribe” Kyle Anne Bates

From Sinister Wisdom 85
“Joy Suit” Maureen Brady
“Gertrude Stein Has a Cow” G.L. Morrison

Congratulations to all of our nominees!

Sinister Wisdom is a multicultural lesbian literary & arts journal that publishes three times a year. Sinister Wisdom was founded in 1976 and has been publishing continuously since then.

For more information about the Pushcart Prizes: http://www.pushcartprize.com/