F-WORD: FEMINISM, FUNNY & FEARLESS! A Fundraiser for Paradigm Shift

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Featured in TONY’s “This Week In NY”! Our 9th feature!


Hosted by the infamous
ABBI CRUTCHFIELD (MTV, NBC Stand-Up For Diversity Finalist) &
JEN DZIURA (Williamsburg Spelling Bee, McSweeney’s)
Co-founders of New York’s all-female Ladybits Comedy!

Featuring Performances by
JESSICA DELFINO, COMEDIAN
Publicly denounced by the US Catholic League
“A comedy rock star”- Comedy Central

LEAH KING, WRITER-PERFORMER “HEY, YOU. CAN I GET A SMILE?”
Known in the Burlesque world as LadyLUXXX, her one-woman show about street harassment fuses music, dance, and spoken word.

HADIYAH ROBINSON, COMEDIAN
Finalist in the NBC Stand-Up For Diversity
Performances on BET’s “Comic View” and “One Mic Stand”

THURS, DECEMBER 9th, 7-10 PM
The Feminist District
 Angels & Kings @ 500 East 11th St. Between Ave A & B

INVITE FRIENDS on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/bVp5V6

$25 students/ pre-paid, $30 at door

Venue requires ID

If you can’t make it, please donate- we need your support!
Donations are secure using Pay Pal

SUPPORTING PARTNERS:
Bella Abzug Leadership Institute * Belladonna Books * Craftermath * Feminist Teacher * Hollaback! * Hudson River Massage * Ladybits Comedy * Manhattan Young Democrats * Men Can Stop Rape * Moontide Dyers * NARAL Pro-Choice NY * NOW NYC * NOW NYS YFTF *  Our Hen House * PlanetGreen * Red Umbrella Project * Sebastian Huynh Photography * Soapbox Inc. * The Line Campaign * The Women’s Mosaic * The Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership * Trixie Films * Women In Media and News * Women’s Media Center

PARTNERS & SPONSORS WELCOME:
JWeis@paradigmshiftnyc.com

Our Hosts:

ABBI CRUTCHFIELD, CO-FOUNDER LADYBITS COMEDY
A comedy virtuoso, Abbi Crutchfield keeps her plate full in New York city with writing, performing stand-up, improvisational comedy, creating sketches, starring and directing in short films and producing a live comedy hour called The Living Room Show. For a daily laugh, read her Curly Comedy blog!

JENNIFER DZIURA, CO-FOUNDER LADYBITS COMEDY
Jennifer Dziura is a New York-based comedian, blogger, and quizmistress best known for orchestrating the Williamsburg Spelling Bee, the nation’s most popular adult spelling bee, as featured in the New York Times. As a standup comic, she has performed at clubs and colleges nationwide and for the troops in the Middle East, Persian Gulf, and Africa. She writes quizzes and games, hosts math, trivia, vocabulary, and geography competitions for adults, and has produced over 100 shows at venues from Ivy League clubhouses to the famed rock club CBGB’s. She recently appeared in a Sci Fi Channel pilot for the television show Brain Trust, was filmed as an “expert” for a VH-1 reality dating show, has been heard numerous times on NPR, has contributed to five books including “The Idiot’s Guide to Jokes,” and was once unceremoniously cut from The Tyra Banks Show. Her one-woman show is entitled What Philosophy Majors Do After College.

JESSICA DELFINO, MUSICIAN & COMEDIAN
A critically acclaimed musician whose songs boast a ribald, comedic slant. She has performed at festivals worldwide and her polarizing work has both been publicly denounced by the US Catholic League. “A comedy rock star”- ComedyCentral.com, a Village Voice “best of”, “stellar” by the NY Times. The Onion opined that she was a cross between “Redd Foxx and Jewel” Her songs, “My Pussy Is Magic” and “I Wanna Be Famous” experienced cel-web-rity status. “Fetchingly filthy. . . . Some of the most nasty, offensive, and genius comedy you’ll see all year.” —New York Blade

LEAH KING, WRITER-PERFORMER “HEY, YOU. CAN I GET A SMILE?”
Leah King is a multidisciplinary performance artist and youth educator based in Brooklyn, NY, whose work focuses on women’s empowerment, afro-diasporic arts and multicultural identity. As a singer and dancer, Leah has performed with Brown Girls Burlesque, Black Rock Coalition Orchestra and Marc Jacobs, and been featured at Bowery Poetry Club, Whitney Museum, BAM, B.B. King’s, Le Poisson Rouge, Santos and Galapagos. She has led arts workshops at Rikers Island, Manhattan JCC, Grassroots Media Coalition and numerous educational institutions, and is currently touring her one-woman show about street harassment and sexuality, ‘Can I Get a Smile?’.

HADIYAH ROBINSON, STAND UP COMEDIAN
Hadiyah was a Finalist in the NBC Stand Up For Diversity showcase, a Semi Finalist in the Ladies of Laughter competition and a featured comedian in the New York Underground Comedy Festival. Hadiyah made her television debut on BET’s Comic View and returned for BET’s One Mic Stand. She has also been a commentator on MTV’s Yo Momma, and BET’s Do’s and Don’ts of the Hip Hop Awards. She has appeared on Sirius Satellite on Jamie Foxx’s Fox Hole Radio, NYC’s 98.7 Kiss FM Crank Squad and the online radio talk show Urban Hang Suite. Hadiyah is creator, writer and producer of the upcoming web series, “The Grind” as well as writer on the upcoming sketch comedy series “The Jump Off.”

http://www.twitter.com/grindwebseries
http://www.facebook.com/thegrindwebseries

Category: Events, Paradigm Shift Event /

Dark Truth – a poem by Cristina Dominguez

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I’m sleeping with the light on tonight
because there is a possibility of vulnerability,
A chance that I might
be haunted by the moment in my memory
where you caught me
between baby and young lady,
where you persuaded
and invaded
my privacy and vibrancy

You made me
give up my innocence
so you would play with me;
Pretending to know adult affection
just to gain your attention,
in fact it was a mere reflection
of what they show on TV.
Tuned out,
you pretended not to see me
I pretended not to be me–
where was your protection?

Now I write up a storm
to collect the debris
left from the memories
I try to forget,
from the secret I kept
to not see you publicly scorned
as I privately mourned
the death of the little girl
I buried in the place where I hid,
from you
from view
from what we did…

You ignored
how sore
you made my spirit.
You’d deny
Lie–
You’d never hear it.
You call
I fall for it every time
like a nursery rhyme
or a lullaby.
Only this time,
I’ve learned that
all the king’s horses
and all the king’s men
only put us back together again
to break us in the end

Only I never fall asleep
not weeping,
I’m never spared
or prepared
to re-live
the nightmare
I shared with
NO–one.

22 years too late
three months after I leave,
No apology to date
and No reprieve,
Always something more you need
but I’m no giving tree
fruitless, rootless, call me ruthless.
I have no reservations
in being dedicated to the preservation
of the little girl still alive,
the one I revived not long ago.
I’ve recovered
and uncovered
the ways
you subjected me to
disrespect, rejection, and neglect,
a little girl
should never know

Aware but
not where
I can forgive
without apology;
without making you
raise your eyes
to see me
to meet me
the woman matured
out of what she
should have never had
to endure.
To see uncensored
how your venture
into masculinity,
your innocent, unintentional,
blameless curiosity
staked a claim
shamed and maimed
the terrain,
of my girlhood

The pain comes and goes,
lessens and grows,
the scars and bruises
sometimes show.
But I’ve survived
the red glare
of that nightmare
that I’ve lived

I let go of the light
fighting my body’s attempt to take flight
open my eyes and give
wrap myself in
what I was forced to find within
in the heart, that shelters her still
in the will that overcomes

I submit to the sharpness
of living
of feeling
of seeing
the ugly
that needs to be seen,
the scenes that make me cry,
where there is no insight in hindsight,
where purity of pain never lies–
but lies beside me
where peace is the instant when
sleep has forgiven me
gets up from the living room
comes to bed
and finally,
comforts me

Category: Blog, Cristina Dominguez /

No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power

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In her new book, feminist icon Gloria Feldt gives women real strategies to change their thinking and reclaim their power:

No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power

In No Excuses, Feldt asserts that today nobody is keeping women from parity—except themselves. Combining extensive research, her personal experience as former CEO and president of the Planned Parenthood Federation, and interviews with dozens of women politicians, business owners, and activists, Feldt concludes that the doors of opportunity are open; however at the rate women are leading the way through the doors, it will take 70 years to reach parity with their male counterparts.

Feldt gives women 9 Ways to overcome the external and internal barriers keeping them from their own power and leadership. No Excuses has nine chapters, each organized around a specific power tool that will help women change the way they think—and the way they act—so they can lead unlimited lives.

Starting on October 11, join Gloria Feldt for 9 Ways in 9 Weeks: a conversation about how you can apply the power tools in No Excuses to your own life. Feldt will share interviews with amazing and inspiring women as well as her thoughts and links to resources. Each week a different power tool will be posted, topics will be presented, and discussion will take place.

Gloria Feldt; photograph by Maryanne Russell

Please visit at http://gloriafeldt.com/9ways to join the conversation. You can also visit Gloria Feldt’s fan page on Facebook to stay up-to-date on No Excuses and the 9 Ways.

Category: Blog /

Barnard/Columbia Chapter of Take Back the Night hosts annual Sexhibition!

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The Barnard/Columbia chapter of Take Back the Night, a sex-positive, anti-sexual violence organization, is hosting our annual Sexhibition, a consent-based, sex-positive health fair, full of sexy food, games and giveaways! The fair will be held on November 18th, at Lerner Hall, Columbia University from 11 am to 3 pm.

Every year we invite a speaker to present in the evening on a topic involving sex positivity. This year, we’ll be hosting Liz Canner, an award-winning filmmaker. At 7 pm, she will be screening her feature documentary, Orgasm Inc.: The Strange Science of Female Pleasure and facilitating a discussion afterward.

Sexhibition is an amazing event with an empowering message. If you’re in the city, be sure to check it out!

Category: Blog, Events /

Fundraiser for Crossroads Theatre Project: Staged reading of “Tulpa, or Anne&Me”

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WHAT: Staged reading of “Tulpa, or Anne&Me” by Shawn C. Harris (aka RVCBard) followed by a birthday party for Anne Hathaway (who probably won’t show up, so we’re calling her The Great Pumpkin)
WHEN: Friday, November 12, 8pm
WHERE: TBA – most likely WOW Cafe Theatre
WHY: Fundraiser for Crossroads Theatre Project
HOW MUCH: Suggested donation $10 (for your cake and balloons)

ABOUT “TULPA, OR ANNE&ME”
When Anne Hathaway crawls out of your television, what do you do? When the topic of conversation is race, how would you navigate the truth of your experience and the human need to make connections despite the pain and rage involved?

Through a series of surreal visitations from the famous movie star, “Tulpa, or Anne&Me” blends reality, fantasy and memory to explore what is usually hidden in the way we talk about race. Taking the vantage point of a Black lesbian with an overactive imagination, “Tulpa, or Anne&&Me” explores the effects of racism on human relationships.

“Tulpa, or Anne&Me” is the first work developed by Crossroads Theatre Project.

ABOUT CROSSROADS THEATRE PROJECT
Crossroads Theatre Project is a collaboration of new Black playwrights whose works explore how race intersects with other identities and challenge mainstream ideas about Black theatre.

The crossroads are rooted in African folklore, Vodou, and Delta blues as a place where strange and unexpected things happen. Anything can happen on the crossroads. You can speak with the dead, meet the spirits of your ancestors, or even sell your soul to the Devil.

Crossroads Theatre Project is the anti-Chitlin Circuit created to break barriers and undermine stereotypes by presenting thoughtful new stories by and about African Americans today. In the simplest terms, this means: no maids; no crackheads; no Tyler Perry.

The vision of Crossroads Theatre Project is nearly identical to 13P. The idea is to use our shared passion for theater and our status as Othered to empower us when it comes to gathering resources and reaching out to potential audiences and creative partners. We’re committed to giving people theatre by and about us that challenges what people assume we stand for and/or are interested in. The goal of Crossroads Theatre Project is to incubate the works of new Black playwrights from first draft through full production.

READ MORE AT:
http://www.ankhesen-mie.net/2010/08/tulpa-or-anne.html
http://jasminllenadegracia.blogspot.com/2010/09/spotlight-tulpa-or-anne.html
http://arsmarginal.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/open-discussion-tulpa-or-anneme/

Category: Blog, Co-Sponsored Event, Events /

Tonight 6pm- Ladybits Comedy “Equality, Hilarity, Booze!”

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Do feminists have a sense of humor?  You bet they do!

Paradigm Shift is thrilled to announce our partnership with Ladybits Comedy, a weekly all-female comedy show in the West Village.

From Ladybits’ Vision Statement:

Ladybits Comedy was founded by Abbi Crutchfield and Jennifer Dziura.  Jen came up with the name, and Abbi came up with the tagline “Equality, Hilarity, Booze!” Très French Revolution, no?  Here are some of our goals in starting Ladybits:

  • To entertain women who don’t like traditional comedy clubs.
  • To make you laugh until you cry.
  • To hold our show someplace where the food is tasty, the ladies’ bathrooms are clean, and you don’t feel like you’re in a frat basement. (Done!)
  • To create a community.
  • To warmly welcome male audience members, without unduly catering our show to them.
  • To generate more work for female comedians, rather than simply promoting competition for the limited amount of work that actually exists.
  • To reach out via The Internets to women comedy fans and comedians all over the world.
  • To offer a lineup that reflects the talent of women of all races, sexual orientations, body types, physical abilities, and ages (and probably some other forms of diversity that we’re tragically forgetting at the moment).
  • To put on an awesome show that makes you laugh, where you make friends, and where you identify with the voices on stage, and that is funnier than anything you can see staying at home watching your television.

Ladybits Comedy “Equality, Hilarity, Booze!”

Wednesday, October 13th (and subsequent Wednesdays through December 16th)
Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia St
Doors at 6pm, show at 6:30 sharp
$7 admission includes a free drink
All are welcome.

Check out LadybitsComedy.com for more info on featured comics  Amanda Baramki, Giulia Rozzi,  Leah Dubie, and Jen Kwok, as well as commentary on whether perfect grammar is compatible with comedy, and on Ladybits’ no-heckling, no picking-on-the-audience policy (quoth co-founder Jen, “Civilization: It’s easy!”)

Category: Events /

recLAmation film trailer

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Come to the Makeshift Reclamation events in NYC on October 14th and 16th for a screening of Hilary Goldberg’s entire film.

Here for details.

Category: PShiftTV /

Makeshift Reclamation

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If anyone is familiar with the stellar feminist magazine make/shift (and get your hands on a copy ASAP if you aren’t!), you’ll be thrilled to know that there is an affiliated event that will be stopping by NYC in the next few days. It’s called Makeshift Reclamation, and it’s a bit hard to describe, so I’ll defer to their own words:

“A multimedia event showcasing how contemporary feminists are resisting and creating alternatives to not only gender-based oppression but also a collapsing economic system, climate crisis, and more. Featuring live readings, performances, and video works by artists and activists including Jessica Hoffmann, coeditor/copublisher of the independent, transnational, antiracist feminist magazine make/shift; Hilary Goldberg, whose new project, recLAmation, is a Super 8 experimental documentary/narrative film in which queer superheroes navigate a future beyond capitalism; and others.”

October 14, 2010 Barnard College, 6:30 pm

October 16, 2010 Bluestockings, 7 pm

Both events are free.

For more information, check out their website.

Category: Blog, Events, Marissa Jeffery /

NOW-NYS Annual Convention Women With Opinions: Rise Up and Be Heard

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Join NOW-NYS as it celebrates the power of women at its annual convention, October 16 – 17, 2010, Albany Ramada Hotel (formerly Clarion Hotel), 3 Watervliet Ave Ext., Albany, NY 12206.

Speakers:

  • Mo Therese Hannan, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Siena College and co-founder of the annual Battered Mothers Custody Conference held in Albany, NY
  • Bill Baird, the holder of three US Supreme Court victories for women’s rights and found of the Pro Choice League
  • Zenaida Méndez, Director of External Affairs for the Manhattan Neighborhood Network Public Access Television and President and Founder of the National Dominican Women’s Caucus
  • M. Tracey Brooks, Esq., President and CEO of Family Planning Advocates of New York State and Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York
  • Andrea D. Lyon, Attorney, Educator and Author is nationally recognized for her work to promote social justice, equity and improvement in the criminal justice system
  • Terry O’Neill, president of National NOW
  • Sandy Rapp, singer and feminist author

Register online or print the registration form (pdf).  www.nownys.org

Complete schedule and hotel information. Also read the Fall 2010 Newsletter for more information about the speakers. www.nownys.org

Category: Blog, Co-Sponsored Event, Events /

Feminist Press 40th Anniversary Gala- Paradigm Shift's Meredith Villano Selected as Honoree for 40 Under 40: The Future of Feminism

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Paradigm Shift NYC is proud to announce that The Feminist Press has
selected Meredith Villano, PS co-founder and director, as an honoree:
40 Under 40: The Future of Feminism.  You are invited to The Feminist
Press 40th Anniversary Gala- come celebrate and network!

Category: Blog, Co-Sponsored Event, Events /
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