Asian Woman Carnival #1

The Asian Woman Carnival is live @Yennenga (a community on livejournal).

Despite the mental break I've been taking from things like this - I'm devouring it. I've only gone through maybe a quarter of it so far, but there's powerful stuff there - things to make you think about yourself, about life, about other people, about invisibility. Good stuff. A really good Carnival. An amazing first Carnival issue.

Go read.



[And if you're someone thinking bs about how 'omg it's livejournal' - stop reading my blog. Livejournal is a tool to be used and we're all damn lucky it's been around to give voice to so many who might otherwise be invisible. This anti-livejournal shit is becoming a neon tag for the small minded. Small minds can't handle Anti-racism graduate level, not even to audit.]

A Letter

Dear Orcing Hordes,

I wish we could all go out to dinner. I wish we could meet up, and have curry and wasabi and blueberry shortcake and lassis(es?) and mango chutney and fried dumplings and more. I wish we could hug each other and make jokes about hair petting and maybe sigh a little that 2009 is not even a 1/3 done and OMGWTF.

I wish we could squeeze hands and roll our eyes and talk pretty man-flesh, and pretty woman-flesh and giggle and be ridiculous. I wish we could MSTK POTC and Chronicles of Riddick and who knows what other shows, with the actual popcorn.

I wish we could have a reading of the many wonderful stories from The Rymyth Project. And we could hear each other's SF short stories and maybe play a table-top game run by (Cool As Fish) Bankuei, from one of the incredible worlds he builds up.

We are only likely to meet in two's and fives throughout the year, maybe tens at WisCon. Still, I hope that the big dinner meet environment is there, whenever groups of us meet, wherever we meet and that we continue to cut a path for those who follow behind and beside us.

Thank you my sisters and brothers (in the Horde) for your strength, humor and buoyant voices saying "Oh Hellz Nah!" whether or not you found the patience of Job to try and talk to some individuals.

Thank you for taking time out of your life to write all you have written and to read all you've read and to put forth energy in raising a voice.

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POC In SF & F Carnival: Intra-POC Dialogue / De-colonizing The Mind - Deadline March 27th 2009

Asian Women Blog Carnival: 1st Ever! - Deadline April 3rd, 2009

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12th POC in SF & F Carnival. Now Live! @ Hathor Legacy

Something That's Been In The Works

PoC in SF/F Carnival Special Edition:

Interrogating the Text, De-Colonizing the Mind: An Intra-PoC Dialogue

This special edition of the PoC in SF/F carnival is once again dedicated to
intra-PoC dialogue.

Separated by time and distance, joined by personal experience and on/offline
interaction, our lives together are not always a bed of roses.

In the wake of recent events, what's next on the horizon for intra-PoC
relations? How do I/You/Me/We go about creating those places where our own efforts shine while at the same time work through those things that divide us?

Contributors are invited to engage the theme as they choose. It's a jumping
off point but not necessarily a cliff.

Caveat: Since People of Color (PoC) is not necessarily a universally used term, especially by fans living outside of the US, I encourage those who
have other ways of defining themselves (for example, non-white, fen of
pigment, chromatic) to step up and participate.

Feel free to post this notice far and wide.

Send your links to: ladyj dot 965 at gmail dot com
Deadline for submission: March 27, 2009
Host: ladyjax
Location: boom_tube (aka ladyjax's other not so used LiveJournal)

Questions: ladyj dot 965 at gmail dot com

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We've already started this with PoC Author & Character Story Reccs. But the Carnival is part of our infrastructure and I look forward to seeing yet another aspect of the Conversations We Want To Have.

Also please do not forget the Asian Woman Blog Carnival: Deadline - April 3rd 2009.

Not A Porcelain Doll

Click click, the falling dominoes; the ripple affect of inspiration, continues.

There's a new Carnival about to carve a place for itself. The first Asian Women Blog Carnival. [Deadline: April 3 2009]

And there will be so much to talk about, I think. Kelly Hu promoting Obama, and how other Asian Pacific, specifically Asian Hawaiian women feel about the new President springs instantly to my mind. But there's also Asian Women in works of Joss Whedon; Asian Women right now in DOLLHOUSE - so ok, maybe my pov is a little SF specific, aside from current politics.

But I'm not an Asian Woman - I'm just interested in what they have to say about themselves, to themselves, with themselves. So I invite any who may currently be reading SA to check out the link and see if it's something they (you) would consider contributing to and reading.

I plan to shut up and listen when I'm not actively promoting, cause I applaud those who hack out the space and say "This is the conversation I want to have!".

Now I leave you with a piece by a group pointed out to me by an Asian Female Acquaintance (whom I hope in the future becomes a good friend).

Yellow Rage: Def Poetry Jam

IBARW - Year Three

The People of Colour in SciFi and Fantasy Carnival, which I promote just about every six weeks, is about reaffirming our presence in the genres. Sometimes it's about celebrating, sometimes it's about pointing out 'Enlightenment, you are doing it wrong'.

But the International Blog Against Racism Week isn't confined to just the world of speculative fiction (and those editors and writers and other artist/creators who're blinded by privilege or racism). IBARW is once a year and specifically about racism; what it is, how it hurts and harms, where it's been and where it's going and what people are trying to do to stamp the crap down.

IBARW 3 Started on Monday. The theme this year is INTERSECTIONALITY. Given the year we've had online, it is most appropriate. I suggest going to check it out.

So far I've seen the following interesting articles I need to go back and read.

1. 50 books by Poc by the IBARW founder, Oyceter


2. Racism Against Roma In Italy - How You Can Help. By Anna, of Annaoverseas.com at her Livejournal.


3. International Racism also by Oyceter


4. You can't order justice for one by Yeloson of Livejournal.


5. And Delux Vivens links back to earlier this year and Cassie Edwards.

IBARW - 3

Don't just read the links I point out. Go look. Go HUNT. Because just scrolling through my feedlist I realize that far too often we're preaching to the choir. I know most of the people writing and they probably know me. Then again, we're all being pro-active on the internet. Still, it's a week where PoC and Allies of PoC are giving information, freely and are willing to engage.

Don't go read and interact expecting them to teach you. Racism 101 by a PoC is a gift, not a right, not something to demand, and not something to walk away from with a lazy, narrow minded brain because it wasn't spoonfed to you.

IBARW is NOT Racism 101.

But it is a week where those of you full of questions, would do well to listen.

ETA: 6. ...25 years of cover whitewashing in Joan Vinge's "Cat" series

Carnivals!

If you wanted to submit something to the 11th PoC Carnival of Sci Fi & Fantasy, the deadline's tomorrow, July 18th. Information on where to submit here at Part 1 of the Carnival.

Also...



~ Announcing the Women of Color & Beauty Carnival ~

"This Carnival is intended to focus on beauty and what it means to and about women of color. In particular, I would like to see discussion go beyond a focus on the ways in which women of color can internalize self hatred to the ways in which women and communities of color recognize and celebrate beauty." -- Delux Vivens

Submissions from women and men of color are welcome, focusing on these areas:


• What does beauty mean to women of color?



• What is the difference between beauty and ethnically based sexual stereotyping?



• How does stereotyping and white supremacy affect our concepts of beauty, and how can we create change?



• What kind of responsibility do white women who identify as allies have to analyze and take ownership of their privilege in this area?



• How do popular standards of beauty based on generalized whiteness affect our relationships with ourselves, each other, and between different groups of people of color?

Carnival submission deadline is August 5. Please post submissions here.

The Carnival will be posted at the livejournal community YENNENGA.