A Pair of Poems for IWD: Part 2

For the Fighters

This one is for the Fighters

The warriors

And worriers

You are the future.

Progress needs you

     Demands you

We stagnate without you

Drifting further and further from the equality we need

     We can achieve

But only with you. Us.

Life hasn’t dealt us a fair hand

We face battles and obstacles

     From before we are born

It is a fight to play

A fight to learn

To have your say

To stand up, be heard

They dismiss us

And miss us

Passive negligence

Active oppression

Misunderstanding

Misdirecting

Breaking promises

Not sharing

Never caring

We pity them.

For a life so disconnected

A self so fragile

No wonder they are shouting

     Never listening

     Always bristling

Acting entitled and arrogant

Projecting

Believing their own lies

Because the truth is hard

And they don’t have the strength

To not take the easy road.

Without us, they go nowhere

Circles

Patterns repeating

But no-one growing

The world shrinking

Because they have not the strength.

*

To choose to fight

When you know

You can stop

And be alright

Is not to fight at all

So we take that role.

And we take their scorn

Their dismissal

Their war

We take it and we fight that too

With our anger

Frustration

Our anxiety

Our connections

     With each other

Our belief forged in hardship

     That things can be better

And we keep going

We push

And we fight

And we make things better

     For everyone.

It is a thankless task

But we will not give up

For fighting is winning - that victory is ours.

Written 15/2/20 on the train home from a rainy day touring the cafes of Southsea and putting the world to rights with my wonderful friend Ellen. 

Shared after encouragement from one of the strongest fighters I know.

A Pair of Poems for IWD: Part 1

Ladies What Laugh

Have you ever noticed that

     Whenever you get a group of women together

          - all women -

     There will always be laughter?

Across generations

     Across cultures and nationalities

     Nations, the North and the South even

Also...

We are an active audience

We listen

     Observe

          Feel

               Understand

                    Express

Quietly to our neighbours

Politely, with a raised hand

Not so quietly or politely

     For the joy of the group

          Or its excitement

               Anger

                    Frustration

                         Exasperation

Some things you just can’t keep in

     Solidarity, wonder, a good question

     A really witty remark

They burst out, they can’t be contained

Some things you can’t let out

We are women

(We are humans)

Where there are women

(Where there are humans)

There is empathy

There is awareness

There is acute awareness of the group

Of the group dynamics

Of the ups and downs

     The flow

          The song

               The balance

We come with an open heart

We question with an open mind

We seek to find

     The best for all

     Respect for all

And always - always - room to laugh

Written 27/2/18

Thanks to the Sotonettes whose meeting inspired this, to all the amazing ladies in Guiding who laid its foundations, to Debs who spoke so brilliantly at that meeting, to Maddy for inviting me, to Emily for coming with me, and to Holly for giving me the confidence to share it.

 

#ReadWomen 2019/20 Reading List

Ok, so a new post every day of March was perhaps a bit optimistic...but I’m still keen to keep celebrating the month of International Women’s Day and British Science Week!

Carrying on the theme of awesome authors, here is an update to my reading list - just book titles and authors (otherwise I’ll never get this out) but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading everything on there. All written by women.

Since first discovering Joanna Walsh’s campaign to promote female writers, I have discovered so many amazing books that I probably wouldn’t have found otherwise. I’ve even ventured out of my usual sci-fi/fantasy genres and been pleasantly rewarded! If you’re up for the challenge give it a go and try reading only female authors for 2020.

I have a theory that there’s a perfect book out there for every moment and that somehow the right book for wherever you are in life will find its way to you at the right time - many of the books listed have been that for me. As well as intriguing characters and compelling stories, all of them contain somewhere within them, a fundamental truth about the human experience that helps make sense of this crazy world. In a paragraph, a sentence, an idea, a character flaw or virtue. As Jeanette Winterson says in her introduction to ‘Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit’: “Books read us back to ourselves.”

They’ve also all, at some point or another, made me laugh. I hope by sharing this list, it will help others find the right book for them right now.

Find the full reading list here.

2019/20 additions:

‘Under the Net’ by Iris Murdoch

‘Women and Power’ by Mary Beard

‘The Greenhouse’ by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

‘The Power’ by Naomi Alderman

‘The Bastard of Istanbul’ by Elif Shafak

‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Sceenplay)’ by J. K. Rowling

‘Saving Bletchley Park’ by Sue Black

[annual revisiting of Harry Potter, books 6 and 7, and the Tales of Beedle the Bard]

‘Uprooted’ by Naomi Novak

The result of a Grand Day Out with good friend Ellie

‘Honour’ by Elif Shafak

‘Offline’ by Anne Holt

‘Redemption in Indigo’ by Karen Lord

‘Kindred’ by Octavia E. Butler

‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

‘Space Opera’ by Catherynne M. Valente

‘Once & Future’ by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy

‘Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit’ by Jeanette Winterson

‘Northwest Smith: Shambleau’ by C. L. Moore

‘Cold Sleep’ by C. J. Cherryh

By Becky Chambers:

Literary and Scientific Heroes George Eliot
(Mary Ann Evans) and Ada Lovelace meet
in Sydney Padua’s beautiful
  ‘The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage’

‘A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet’
‘A Closed and Common Orbit’
‘Record of a Spaceborn Few’
‘To Be Taught If Fortunate’
‘The Vela’ (with Yoon Ha Lee, Rivers Solomon, and S.L. Huang)
‘The Good Heretic’

By Tomi Adeyemi:
‘Children of Blood and Bone’
‘Children of Virtue and Vengeance’

By Marie Brennan:
‘A Natural History of Dragons’
‘The Tropic of Serpents’

By Agatha Christie:
‘The Thirteen Problems’
‘Murder in the Mews and Other Stories’
‘The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side’
‘The Murder on the Links’

By Katherine Arden:
‘The Bear and the Nightingale’
‘The Girl in the Tower’
‘The Winter of the Witch’

‘What’s in here?’ By Amy Brown

By Robin Hobb:
‘Assassin’s Apprentice’
‘Royal Assassin’
‘Assassin’s Quest’
‘The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince’
‘Fool’s Errand’
‘The Golden Fool’
‘Fool’s Fate’
‘Fool’s Assassin’
‘Fool’s Quest’
‘Assassin’s Fate’
‘Ship of Magic’
‘Mad Ship’
‘Ship of Destiny’
‘Dragon Keeper’
‘Dragon Haven’
‘City of Dragons’
‘Blood of Dragons’
‘The Inheritance’
‘Shaman’s Crossing’
‘Forest Mage’

Thanks again to Varan and Michaela for the recommendations! Also Muniza, Theo and Reena, and the lovely people in the bookshops and libraries of Southampton and Reykjavik :)

The First Day of A Long Way

Somehow March 2020 is already upon us, bringing with it the annual dual push to celebrate women all over the world (International Women’s Day, 8th March) and get young people in the UK excited for Science (British Science Week, 6th-15th March 2020) - a perfect combination!

To celebrate - and to make up for taking such a long break from the blog - I’m going to attempt to share one short post sharing something exciting to look up every day this month - starting today!

The Best Sci-Fi I’ve Ever Read

I have to admit, I’m one of those people who is much better at recommending things than at taking on board recommendations (and it’s definitely me that misses out here!). However, when multiple friends from different circles start recommending the same thing, some mental algorithm is triggered and I finally start to take notice - which, at the end of last year, lead me to Becky Chambers.

I read the first in her Wayfarer’s series of novels, ‘A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet’ and thought - this is the best Sci-Fi I’ve ever read. I then spent almost the entirety of new year’s day (sorry, family) reading the second in the series, ‘A Closed and Common Orbit’ - this put be in a bit of a conundrum as I now couldn’t decide it that was the best sci-fi I’d ever read. The third, ‘Record of a Spaceborn Few’ did not help matters...all I could say with any certainty was that one of these 3 novels was the best sci-fi I’d ever read, and probably would be until she wrote any more...

Why? Not only are they beautifully written - which they are - but they are also incredibly thoughtful. Not just in terms of how much ‘science’ she puts back into sci-fi - there’s no doubt she has done her research, reminiscent of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ or anything by Jules Verne or H. G. Wells, which, as an ex-scientist, I absolutely loved - but also in terms of the characters and how they behave and react to things. They are the most relatable characters I’ve read in a long time - humans and aliens alike.

A few examples (potential spoilers): at one stage the crew of the Wayfarer is held up at gunpoint, something that is a known to happen our in the galaxy but not a common occurrence for them (as it is not for many of us) - and instead of bravado-ing it out then moving on like nothing happened, they respond to it as people respond to trauma, not only in the moment but afterwards - one character, for example, is unable to sleep for ‘tendays’ after the event. A real reaction, that keeps things in perspective. 

There are also many examples of events building to a point where, in most sci-fis (or indeed most novels or films), the characters would create an ultimatum and it would be used to turn the plot dramatically - whereas in Chambers’ books, FINALLY, the characters sit down and talk about things or take the sensible rather than the melodramatic option. (As my friends and family know, I spend a lot of time baffled at plot points that hinge on people starting wars, going on rampages or declaring ‘the end of everything’ when it could probably all be sorted out with a chat over a cup of tea...) There are no obvious ‘baddies’ and ‘goodies’, no simplified binary ‘us and them’ view of the universe she’s created - which may make it much easier to know who to root for and invest in and who to not feel bad about if they die a horrible death, but also completely separates us from the story, as real life just isn’t like that. What’s more, somehow Chambers manages to do this without losing pace - it turns out it doesn’t take the impending doom of the universe to make a page-turner, just fantastic writing about a brilliant cast of characters getting on with their lives as best they can.

I could say so much more - about her approach to language and non-earth-sun-based time references and humans not being top of the pile for once - but I said I would write regular but short posts.

So if you do one thing this month to combine celebrating amazing women and getting excited by science - pick up one of these books - whichever one it is, it has a very high chance of being the best sci-fi you’ve ever read.

More from Becky Chambers: https://www.otherscribbles.com/

Buy her books at Hive (and support your local bookshops!)

My Becky Chambers Collection - including the novella ‘To Be Taught, If Fortunate’ which is also amazing, along with her short story ‘A Good Heretic’ and the digital serial co-written with others ‘The Vela’ (it may take me a while to pick up a recommendation, but when I do, I really go for it!)

Thanks to Varan and Michaela for persevering with the recommending :)

Still Marching

#StillMarching #Vote100 #SheInspiresMe #DeedsNotWords

The enforced under-representation of any group does not only effect that group; nor does the responsibility to change that under-representation lie solely with that group. Women’s suffrage, for example, is not a ‘women’s issue’: it is everyone’s issue.

Starting earlier this month and continuing throughout this year a milestone in British politics is being celebrated - and it is important to remember that is a milestone not only in one nation or for one gender but it is part of a wider, global journey that has wriggled back and forth many times - slowly but surely onwards.

On the 6th February 1918, the Representation of the People Act was passed in the UK granting the vote to women over the age of 30 who met a property qualification.  The same Act gave the vote to all men over the age of 21. These were both part of a long, winding journey, pushed forward with parliamentary petitions, protests, marches, acts of immense bravery, daring and courage - and forced back by hypocrisy, condescension, violence, torture, lies, ignorance and arrogance. A useful timeline can be found here but for details I can highly recommend Suffragette: My Own Story, Emmeline Pankhurst's autobiography.

A timeline of similar journeys around the world can be found here. 

As we contemplate 100 years since some women and some more men gained the right to vote in the UK, there are many ways to learn more - Channel 4 are supporting the #Vote100 campaign and there are many programmes and articles from the BBC available.

The Pankhurst Centre, Manchester

But, if you're able to, the best way to find out more is to go to the Pankhurst Centre in Manchester. The Pankhurst's residence is where the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) were formed, the movement that managed to galvanise the efforts of the previous century to create social equality and start to force real social change, eventually leading to universal suffrage in the UK. It now serves as both a museum and a women's community centre, after being saved from demolition by anarchist squatters (a wonderfully fitting journey for the building!).

Being in that building, where it all began, sends shivers down your spine. To think you are standing in a room that Emmeline, Christabel and Sylvia themselves once stood in - it's hard to put it into words. So go!




And to all those who are doubtful that there is more to be done, here is a TED talk. Vote Sandi & Co.!

The Women's Equality Party send a centenary message to Westminster.

WSPU flag: The colours are generally held to symbolise purity (white), hope (green) and dignity (purple).

The UK Kent-based Actors’ Co-operative Katapult Productions presents "Tipperary to Flanders Fields" which commemorates the First World War in words and music, using some of the songs and poems from the era.  Some of the content tells the story of the women in WW1 in their own words.  

Devised and directed by Michael Thomas, the performers will be Julia Burnett, Marie Kelly, Alan Simmons and Ann Lindsey Wickens.

Performances of “Tipperary to Flanders Fields” will be held during Remembrance Weekend 2017 at the following venues:

The Avenue Theatre, Sittingbourne, ME10 4DN on 11^th November 2017 at 7.30pm;

at The Astor, Deal, CT14 6AB on 12/11/2017 at 4pm;

and at The Queens Theatre, Hornchurch, RM11 1QT on 13/11/2017 at 2.30pm.

Tickets available from the box offices of the theatres.

www.katapultproductions.co.uk

Initial information shared from Remembering Women on the Home Front Facebook page, with further information provided by Katapult Productions.

In Memory

Today my little brother was able to participate in our democratic system for the first time. I won't say participate in our democracy because that is not something that happens on a single day but is a part of our lives living in an organised society. But for the first time in his life, having turned 18 earlier this year (OK, he's not-so-little), he was able to give direct input into the workings of our government by voting for his local MP and the national party they represent.

Less than 50 years ago he would not have been able to do this - it is easy to forget that it is within living memory that the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in the UK (1969 taking effect 1970). It is also often neglected that it took a very long time, for everyone to be able to vote without their income or property being assessed and, of course, irrespective of gender.

It is therefore easy to take such a basic human right, such a fundamental part of living in a democratic community for granted - and to become blind to the struggles that so many still face to keep a hold of it.

'A group of women in their 20s left the polling station with smiles on their faces in 1929, having just voted in their first general election.' (Huffington Post)

For one particular woman - who had not only rocked society by going to university but was one of very few who were permitted to graduate - the constant struggle to simply be accepted as a human being had galvanised in her a courage and fire to do whatever it takes to change the situation. For decades the ruling officials had been presented with paper after paper, women and men had argued and discussed and persuaded and called for change via policy and debate. The privilege of the privileged few was strong enough that it not only encouraged them to resist sharing it but also gave them the power to do so. Unlike every other previous movement for mass culture change - and, in fact, every other advance in granting suffrage to a wider and wider group of people - for women, use of violence was resisted. Is this why change was slowest on this front? The privileged few could retain one demographic with which they didn't need to share their power because their lives weren't directly threatened by them?

Something had to change. This quiet revolution needed to raise it's voice in order to be noticed and taken seriously. Read 'My Own Story' by Emmeline Pankhurst - probably the most important book a UK citizen can read.

Many women and men put their lives at risk because they knew that life as it was couldn't go on. The situation was worth dying for. 104 years ago today, Emily Wilding Davison, London and Oxford University 1st Class graduate, who had been working full time for the Suffragette movement and the WSPU after leaving a career as a teacher (after many others had been denied to her simply because of her gender), died in a hospital in Epsom. Four days previously, she had taken part in one of the many protest acts she and countless others carried out over years, demanding suffrage for women, which were known to be highly dangerous to the protesters themselves (though very rarely were they in any way dangerous to anyone else). She brought WSPU flags in front of three newsreel cameras to excite the mass-scale public response needed to instigate genuine, lasting change and, as a result of her injuries received, lost her life.

So, on this day, 104 years later, I would like to take a moment to reflect - and ask anyone out there reading this to do the same - about the difficult paths that have been taken to lead us to where we are today - and those that remain ahead. To all 974 female candidates standing in today's parliamentary general election, no matter what party or policies you represent, I send thanks and courage. It is so easy to forget or sweep under the carpet the battles you have had to over come to get even as far as standing to represent your constituency. Yes, simply by way of identifying as a woman, they will have had to fight longer and harder than their male counterparts (a look at the number of sexism-driven death-threats MPs standing today have received confirms this) - a hateful fact that will one day change, thanks to their having taken on the fight. You are all my heroes. Thank you.

Useful links/references...

1. 2017 UK General Election stats (BBC)

2. 'Women's Equality party candidate receives death threat signed 'Jo Cox'' (Guardian, Telegraph)

3. 'Threats of death and violence common for women in politics' (Guardian)

4. 'Truth behind the death of suffragette Emily Davison is finally revealed' (Guardian)

5. 'The real suffragettes: Emmeline Pankhurst, Emily Davison and Edith New' (The Week)

6. Suffragettes - Timeline (UK Parliamentary Education Service)

7. A brief history of representation (An Introduction to UK Parliament, FutureLearn)

8. 'The Story of Parliament' (Houses of Parliament)
9. The WSPU (Wikipedia)
10. The Pankhurst Centre, Manchester