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| Eileen Myles |
Monday, May 13, 2013
The Gatewood Prize Deadline is Approaching!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Friday Switchlinks
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| Laverie "Charmion"' Vallee |
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Switchback author Kathleen Rooney's latest book is getting noticed in the Chicago Tribune and the Reader.
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Charmion, aka Laverie Vallee, trapeze artist, stripper, and noted muscular woman of the Victorian era. Thomas Edison was a big fan.
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Blogger/cartoonist Allie Brosh has returned after a long absence to talk about living with depression, and it is powerful and moving.
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Sesali Bowen points out that "Hookup Culture" is not a thing.
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Kate at Autostraddle on the problem of misogyny in the butch community.
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Maureen Johnson's Coverflip challenge emphasizes the absurdity of gendered book covers.
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Transphobia has no place in feminism.
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
An Eleventh Hour Editorial from Nicole Faust
Don't get me wrong, reader, I genuinely felt excited when asked to contribute to the Switchback Blog v2.0 (is that what we're calling it? I suppose I am), but in this moment of writing, approximately six hours before I've promised our editor that I would have it sent over, I feel hesitant—well, terrified—yet to decide what it is that I'd like to say. It is my instinct to just immediately apologize about the tangles of thought and text to follow, the lack of focus and resolution with which I will write about the situations of small press publishing and of women, the axis at which these subjects meet. But, then, what am I apologizing for? This is the internet. We've all seen the bullshit that goes on here. (Can I say bullshit?) I will, as a matter of course, apologize for the egregious use of commas and run-on sentences…but I won't really mean it.
In the past few days when considering my potential subject matter, I knew that I could, and regardless, likely would, default to gushing about what Switchback means to me, what I know it to mean to our authors and readership, and in the broader realm of publishing. And do not fret, fair reader and fellow lover of Switchback, that moment in this frenzied, eleventh hour editorial, is sure to come. But not before I attempt to work a few things out in my own head and simultaneously here in front of you.
I recently spent a weekend volunteering at Gender Matters, a conference organized by Governors State University and hosted by DePaul. Because the conference was quite small, I was able to sit in on a handful of presentations, ranging from masculinity in food culture and gendered social media strategy to American clothing designer, labor union organizer, author, and all-around badass Elizabeth Hawes and feminist pedagogy.
The speakers in the latter panel, a pair of high school teachers, discussed their pedagogical methods of introducing texts of feminist and queer theory and literature into their syllabi (albeit at University of Illinois' Laboratory High School) and I was rather enchanted by their passion and their extremely positive, though anecdotal findings. Of course I am in love with this notion at a theoretical level after having dissecting it, as with anything, discovered the flaws and limits of their presentation. An editorial for another time.
It is not enough to simply add women writers to our catalogs or reading lists, nor is it enough to rely upon the feminist motivation of teachers and editors. In stopping here, we run the risk of reifying a capital-I-Ideology, an essentialized Feminism and insisting upon continuing a debate around the already problematic notion of representation within a canon (which woman writers do you choose to represent all of womanwriterkind?) both of which are inherently oppressive and exclusionary acts that put feminists and women to work on a project of historical self-justification, while the problem of current publication and readership persists. Granted, we at Switchback love to have our collections taught as texts in classrooms, as we love every chance we have to provide our authors the opportunity to be read by a larger audience, completely and utterly deserved.
What the VIDA statistics prove, to nothing less than scandalous effect, is something that we at Switchback, we as people who advocate feminism, already know. This is not to say it is less appalling, less frustrating, or less unjust. It is to say that we should be ever more acutely aware of the importance of the mission of Switchback and other independent publishers and journals, to make space for women and minority writers (the fabulous Roxane Gay initiated a count for writers of color in 2012, check it out over at The Rumpus). In creating and maintaining this space, we can retrieve agency and attempt to tip the scales within an industry and academy that continues to sustain itself in a vicious, socially-stratified circle. This is, obviously, no small task. This remains, obviously, abstract, rhetorical.
In the spirit of my Tuesday evening, which will be spent at The Vic Theatre with Patti Smith, who is—no—not the most clear cut, or even willing, feminist icon, but is, nevertheless, an artist who refuses to compromise or be classified, but has remained relevant across decades, genres, and even genders. In what follows, Smith makes a handful of luminous, though simple, comments about the ethics and urgencies of the artist.
We can build a good name. We can continue to make and promote beautiful books that we know to be significant. We can continue to forge connections with writers, readers, and organizations to create a robust, diverse, and active community. We can continue to delight in our projects, quote lines of our books to each other with stars in our eyes, all the while knowing full well the ramifications and political latitudes that these texts must reside along and recognizing that things can be really fucked up, too.
Nicole Faust is the Distribution Manager for Switchback Books. She is a Master's Candidate at DePaul University in the Interdisciplinary Studies program, where she studies literature and feminist theory. She works, begrudgingly, for Chicago-based startup Groupon, Inc. She should have a prepared professional bio by this point in her life, does not. nikkimartian.tumblr.com.
In the past few days when considering my potential subject matter, I knew that I could, and regardless, likely would, default to gushing about what Switchback means to me, what I know it to mean to our authors and readership, and in the broader realm of publishing. And do not fret, fair reader and fellow lover of Switchback, that moment in this frenzied, eleventh hour editorial, is sure to come. But not before I attempt to work a few things out in my own head and simultaneously here in front of you.
I recently spent a weekend volunteering at Gender Matters, a conference organized by Governors State University and hosted by DePaul. Because the conference was quite small, I was able to sit in on a handful of presentations, ranging from masculinity in food culture and gendered social media strategy to American clothing designer, labor union organizer, author, and all-around badass Elizabeth Hawes and feminist pedagogy.
The speakers in the latter panel, a pair of high school teachers, discussed their pedagogical methods of introducing texts of feminist and queer theory and literature into their syllabi (albeit at University of Illinois' Laboratory High School) and I was rather enchanted by their passion and their extremely positive, though anecdotal findings. Of course I am in love with this notion at a theoretical level after having dissecting it, as with anything, discovered the flaws and limits of their presentation. An editorial for another time.
It is not enough to simply add women writers to our catalogs or reading lists, nor is it enough to rely upon the feminist motivation of teachers and editors. In stopping here, we run the risk of reifying a capital-I-Ideology, an essentialized Feminism and insisting upon continuing a debate around the already problematic notion of representation within a canon (which woman writers do you choose to represent all of womanwriterkind?) both of which are inherently oppressive and exclusionary acts that put feminists and women to work on a project of historical self-justification, while the problem of current publication and readership persists. Granted, we at Switchback love to have our collections taught as texts in classrooms, as we love every chance we have to provide our authors the opportunity to be read by a larger audience, completely and utterly deserved.
What the VIDA statistics prove, to nothing less than scandalous effect, is something that we at Switchback, we as people who advocate feminism, already know. This is not to say it is less appalling, less frustrating, or less unjust. It is to say that we should be ever more acutely aware of the importance of the mission of Switchback and other independent publishers and journals, to make space for women and minority writers (the fabulous Roxane Gay initiated a count for writers of color in 2012, check it out over at The Rumpus). In creating and maintaining this space, we can retrieve agency and attempt to tip the scales within an industry and academy that continues to sustain itself in a vicious, socially-stratified circle. This is, obviously, no small task. This remains, obviously, abstract, rhetorical.
In the spirit of my Tuesday evening, which will be spent at The Vic Theatre with Patti Smith, who is—no—not the most clear cut, or even willing, feminist icon, but is, nevertheless, an artist who refuses to compromise or be classified, but has remained relevant across decades, genres, and even genders. In what follows, Smith makes a handful of luminous, though simple, comments about the ethics and urgencies of the artist.
We can build a good name. We can continue to make and promote beautiful books that we know to be significant. We can continue to forge connections with writers, readers, and organizations to create a robust, diverse, and active community. We can continue to delight in our projects, quote lines of our books to each other with stars in our eyes, all the while knowing full well the ramifications and political latitudes that these texts must reside along and recognizing that things can be really fucked up, too.
Nicole Faust is the Distribution Manager for Switchback Books. She is a Master's Candidate at DePaul University in the Interdisciplinary Studies program, where she studies literature and feminist theory. She works, begrudgingly, for Chicago-based startup Groupon, Inc. She should have a prepared professional bio by this point in her life, does not. nikkimartian.tumblr.com.
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Monday, May 06, 2013
Staff Profile: Ellen Fogelman
1. What do you do for Switchback?
I'm the Development Coordinator, which means I research grants and other funding opportunities and apply for them. The best part of this has been hearing all the different project ideas that the Switchback editors and staff have—the future looks very exciting from here.
2. What do you feel like you get out of working for Switchback?
I strongly believe in Switchback's mission and am happy I get to be one of the people working to support it. Also, it's great to be part of such a vibrant and hardworking team!
3. Where are you from, and how important is where you’re from to you?
I'm from suburban Chicago, which is not very exciting. I would say the specific place isn't as important as the people—I'm very close to my family members and wouldn't want to be too far away from them.
4. What are five of your favorite non-poetry-related things?
chocolate, fiction, making lists, learning about cool stuff, British TV crime dramas
5. If you had a time machine good for one round trip, where/when would you take it?
I'm really conflicted about time travel! I get hung up on the logical impossibility of it. If I'm there, how can I be here? What happens to the me back then when the current me goes there? DAAAH. If I could get past all that, I think I would go to my own future to figure out what it looks like so I can stop worrying about it and just go with the flow.
6. What will be the title of your memoir?
It would probably end up being some terrible pun on my name or my love for candy. I'm accepting suggestions if anyone is inspired.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Post-Karaoke Switchlinks
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| Mercy signs while the editors read from Pathogenesis on the Karaoke stage. |
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Wikipedia editors were recently caught removing female novelists from the "American Novelists" category, leaving the list entirely male.
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Grimes has some things to say about sexism in the music industry.
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American Girl dolls have lost their political edge.
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The Sci-Fi/Fantasy industry has done a count of their own, finding a relatively even gender split in who's publishing, but sadly not in who's getting reviewed.
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Chloe Angyal on the revolutionary power of the song "I Touch Myself." Something to keep in mind for the next Karaoke Idol...
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Our Classical Heritage in Video Form
Our Classical Heritage (2010) from Elle Collins on Vimeo.
In 2010, Switchback approached several filmmakers and video artists and asked for pieces based on Switchback books, to be shown at that year's Printer's Ball. Long before I officially joined the Switchback staff, I had the pleasure of making this collage video based on Our Classical Heritage: A Homing Device by Caroline Noble Whitbeck, featuring the text of the poem "Deathwatch." I tried to illustrate the tension between life and death, the present and the past, and the dialogue between the contemporary and the classical that runs through Whitbeck's work.
Elle Collins is the web coordinator for Switchback Books, as well as a graphic designer. She holds degrees in puppetry and film theory, and works in Chicago as a freelance designer and editor.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Staff Profile: Danielle Carlson
1. What do you do for Switchback?
I am the Gatekeeper. Which means it's my job to make sure everything we say and do is on message and reflects our opinions and beliefs as a feminist press. I also do some PR, marketing, copywriting, and general think-tanking. I guess my real title is Communications Coordinator, but Gatekeeper sounds way cooler.
2. What do you feel like you get out of working for Switchback?
Switchback gives me a space to put my problem solving and writing skills to use to benefit one of my favorite things in the world: smart, talented women. I am also surrounded by a staff of smart, talented women, who inspire me and I learn from at every meeting and during every project. It's an amazing feeling to know you are doing meaningful work with people you believe in and respect. It's also incredible to work so closely with James Franco.
3. Where are you from, and how important is where you’re from to you?
I'm from Southern California. It's important to me mostly because it's a striking contrast to so much of the rest of the country, that it makes me realize how different everyone's upbringing is. It has also taught me how often people make assumptions about you based on where you are from.
4. What are five of your favorite non-poetry-related things?
Soy sauce, laying around in bed, black tea, searching out amazing food while traveling, watching dogs run around at the dog beach
5. If you had a time machine good for one round trip, where/when would you take it?
I would take my time machine back to 9th grade and tell myself the good news: you're gay! If I had known then, what I know now, I probably would have made some different decisions. However, I would never trade where I am now for anything, so maybe it's best time machines don't exist...yet.
6. What will be the title of your memoir?
The Life and Times of a Heart-Shaped Uterus
Friday, April 19, 2013
Friday Switchlinks
Switchback author Kathleen Rooney writes about Jack Handey's relevance to contemporary poetry for the New York Times.
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The Everyday Sexism Project founder Laura Bates discusses the positive and negative responses she's gotten.
* Samhita Mukhopadhyay digs into feminism's branding problem.
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The beginning of a new chapter in transgender literature.
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Alexandra at Feministing on Dove's Real Beauty ads and the "One Direction Theory of Unknown Beauty."
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West Virginia high school student Katelyn Campbell takes on her principal over a school sanctioned abstinence assembly.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Gertie tells it like it is.
"I brush the air unseen. Is life disappointing? / Yes."
-Cynthia Arrieu-King, "Setsuko Hara," Manifest
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