I wanted to start this week with a

THANK YOU

My first in-store appearance was on last week, 2/29 at Wolf & Badger NYC, and baybee, did everyone in that store live last week's affirmation!

"I Deserve To Take Up Space"

Thank you to all who attended and to everyone who sent their well wishes

Let's begin...

This week's affirmation is…

I Deserve To Be Heard

Je Mérite D’être Entendu

Absolutely, everyone deserves to be heard.

Your thoughts, feelings, and experiences are important, and it's essential to have a space where you feel listened to and understood.

Whether it's with friends, family, or professionals, expressing yourself and having others truly listen can be incredibly validating and empowering.

If you ever need someone to listen, I'm here for you too.

This week, I thought I'd do something different and highlight the works of some amazing writers who told some of the most captivating women's stories

Enjoy!

*All photos are links to more information. The bookshop.org link is an affiliate link

We begin with a blog

STORIES OF STRONG INDIGENOUS WOMEN ON TURTLE ISLAND

Strong Indigenous matriarchs and trailblazers have contributed immensely to the fabric of our society, but how often do we learn about their stories? Tales of strength and resilience from Indigenous communities have largely been left out of mainstream media, literature and historical records, with representations often containing stereotypes and exploitative narratives.

 

Joy Harjo, the first Native American to serve as U.S. poet laureate, invites us to travel along the heartaches, losses, and humble realizations of her journey. Poet Warrior reveals how Harjo came to write poetry of compassion and healing, poetry with the power to unearth the truth and demand justice. Poet Warrior sings with the jazz, blues, tenderness, and bravery that is distinctly Harjo.

Do you know the story of NPR?

NPR At 50: Founding Mothers Reflect On Radio Past And Present

To kickoff NPR's 50th anniversary celebration, NPR's Michel Martin speaks with three of NPR's 4 "Founding Mothers" — Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer and Nina Totenberg

 

In the years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the news business was "a backwater of male chauvinism where a woman might be lucky to get a foothold on the "women's pages." But when a pioneering nonprofit called National Public Radio came along, and the door to serious journalism opened a crack, 4 remarkable women blew it off the hinges.

Next, a riveting mini-series that changed everything

The Women of Brewster Place

A multi-generational story of the lives of a group of strong-willed women who call an inner-city tenement home.

trigger warning, this is a tough one

In her heralded first novel, Gloria Naylor weaves together the stories of seven women living in Brewster Place, an inner city sanctuary, creating a powerful, moving portrait of the strengths, struggles, and hopes of women in America. Naylor renders both loving and painful human experiences with simple eloquence and uncommon intuition in this touching and unforgettable read.

Next, the incomparable Virginia Woolf

The Women Who Challenged and Inspired Virginia Woolf

With bold strokes Gillian Gill recreates the life of her subject in Virginia Woolf: And The Women Who Shaped Her World. Throughout the biography, seemingly simple choices—ending sentences with exclamations, or leaving readers with hypothetical questions—insert Gill’s enthusiasm and passion for Woolf and her oeuvre.

An insightful, witty look at Virginia Woolf through the lens of the extraordinary women closest to her. How did Adeline Virginia Stephen become the great writer Virginia Woolf? Acclaimed biographer Gillian Gill tells the stories of the women whose legacies--of strength, style, and creativity--shaped Woolf's path to the radical writing that inspires so many today.

Lastly, from my favorite playwright, Ntozake Shange

For Colored Girls

Based on Ntozake Shange's play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf." Unlike the original play which featured only 7 women known by colors performing the collection of 20 poems, the movie has given each of the 20 characters names. Each of the poems deal with intense issues that particularly impact women in a thought-provoking commentary on what it means to be a woman in the world.

trigger warning, many scenes here will be uncomfortable

First published in 1975, when it was praised by The New Yorker for "encompassing...every feeling and experience a woman has ever had." This work will be read and performed for generations to come.

A groundbreaking dramatic prose poem that resonates with unusual beauty in its fierce message to the world.

 

“Your story matters. You deserve to be seen. You need to be heard”

Sarah Canney

 

"Every voice deserves to be heard. This doesn't mean you deserve to be heard more than others. It also doesn't mean you have the right to talk over others or that what you say is more true than what others say.  It simply means, you have a voice and you deserve to use it and be heard"

Dope(a)me

 

as always, affirmations from previous weeks are available here

 

you'll be hearing more from me soon. Promise.

 

tamara charese