THE PIERCED POMEGRANATE TAVERN: Reading is Fundamental

Thirsty for a Fresh Take on All Things True Blood?

WELCOME! Thirsty for a fresh take on all things True Blood? Pull up a virtual barstool at the Pierced Pomegranate Tavern where sisters Rachel and Rebecca are serving up juicy feminist analysis with a twist and opening a vein of thoughtful sociocultural dialogue on HBO's hit series.

Like the epic literary salons of eras past - theaters for conversation and debate which were, incidentally, started and run by women; where the spirited debate about the issues of the day ran as copiously as the actual spirits did - but updated for the digital age, the Pierced Pomegranate Tavern is a fun forum for exploring questions ripe for discourse about the human condition & today's most crucial social issues through the medium of True Blood.

Your salonnières are not peddling liquor per se, but they are offering up new and alternative ideas informed by such diverse influences as pop culture, art, music, cultural history, Goddess studies, transformative theory, literature and poetry, and archaeomythology, filtered through the sieve of their own lived experiences as feminist women of a particular age, background, and culture.

This is a space where you - patrons and passersby alike - can view and engage with these perspectives through the lens of True Blood and contribute your own thoughts. So, no matter if you're a Truebie or a more casual viewer of True Blood, or your drink of choice is a pomegranate martini - one of Rachel's favorite cocktails to drink and Rebecca's to mix - an herbal tea, a frothy double mocha latte, or a can of Fresca (wink, wink) you're invited to join the conversation on the show's complexities in a way that can spark transformation.

Hopefully you'll find something to sink your teeth...err...straw, into! PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY ;-)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Reading is Fundamental

"We read to know that we are not alone" - C.S. Lewis

It has been far too long since I checked in here at The Tavern! I trust that you all enjoyed Rachel's amazing series of blogs on "Women in Solidarity"? We have alot planned for you this year, fingers crossed we can work some magic to get it all done! As Rachel mentioned in an earlier post we have gone back to school so-to-speak, burying our noses in some True Blood related literature. With books like "A Taste for True Blood: The Fangbangers Guide" edited by Leah Wilson, "True Blood and Philosophy: We Wanna Thing Bad Thing with You (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)" edited by William Irving, George A. Dunn & Rebecca Housel and "Truly, Madly, Deadly: The unofficial True Blood Companion" by Becca Wilcott, we are sure to have our work cut out for us. We plan on each reading one book then switching until we have read them all!

First up for me is the wonderful "Truly, Madly, Deadly: The Unofficial True Blood Companion" by Becca Wilcott. This book takes on the task of initiated the reader into all things Vampire, giving a brief yet thorough history of Vampire appeal, folklore and lifestyle (delving into the world of the "Real Vampire"). Cast bio's, exclusive interviews and an in-depth look at every episode in seasons 1&2 including extras or "night caps" as they are referred to keep the reader intrigued. While I can't fully review this book having not yet finished, I can say that I am thrilled to have picked up this book. I find myself reading along shaking my head in agreement at Ms. Wilcott's reflections on each episode. Finally some proof that Rachel and I aren't the only one's who pour over each episode, dissecting every word, every move, every song choice! At the beginning of the book Ms. Wilcott made a call for feedback, a call that Rachel and I plan on heeding, so I better hurry up and finish my reading! Can't wait to hear about what Rachel is reading, and I urge you to pick up one or all of these books and join in on the discussion! ~ Rebecca

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A SALON FOR TODAY - WE'RE YOUR SALONNIÉRES

The European literary salons of the 17th and 18th centuries had intellectuals. They had drinking. They had conversation and debate. They were social and stimulating places where Enlightenment-era movers-and-shakers could linger in pursuit of wisdom and just one more glass.

Over the centuries, salons have played a historic role in enriching literary and philosophical movements and have built bridges between artists and thought leaders, this has had a major impact on intellectual and cultural life.

Salonnières played a central role in salon life; since most paths to formal higer education were closed to them, these abitious, intelligent, self-educated, and educating women adopted and implemented Enlightenment values to shape salons as informal universities where they too could exchange ideas, receive and give criticism, read their own works and hear the works and ideas of others.

At a time when society was dominated by men, the salonnières (nicknamed "Blue Stockings"; a term that even today connotes intellectual women) exerted powerful influence in the salons they convened, selecting their guests, deciding about the subjects of their meetings, and directing the discussion.

The Pierced Pomegranate Tavern is inspired by the old-school salons and designed to carry the flavor of the Enlightenment era's venerable houses of drink and debate into the 21st century, with a few exceptions.

Where the salons of old were at times elitist and exclusive, this forum is open and inclusive.

We're your salonnières, here to foster a fun and safe atmosphere for sociocultural and political discourse through the medium of True Blood that feels more social and less academic, to get the conversation going, and to keep it on track.

Feminist philosopher Mara Keller reinterprets Persephone’s ingestion of the pomegranate seeds as being part of her sexual initiation into womanhood. She writes:

Death, life, male, female and, above all, the irrepressible power of reproduction—all are found in the image of the pomegranate seed. It is this seed that Persephone takes within her body—literally incorporating it into her own being. With this seed, she becomes a new person: whole, mature, fertile, and infinitely more complex than before. Having tasted it, she has crossed a barrier from which there can be no turning back.

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Sunday, January 16, 2011

Reading is Fundamental

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