Monday, May 2, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
How To Access the True Blood Reenacts the Goddess Persephone's Ordeal of Abduction and Rape...or Self-Directed Sexual Initiation? Opening a Vein on Woman-Centered Sexuality PCA/ACA joint conference visual talk
Pop Quiz:
What do the Alamo, Downtown Riverwalk, Tex-Mex, and the one-and-only airport where I have personally witnessed a pair of underwear & two pairs of socks endlessly circling - unclaimed - on the baggage carousel have in common?
They are all things I experienced for the first time in the host city for the 2011 PCA/ACA & Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture joint conference: San Antonio, Texas!
I gave my visual talk entitled, "True Blood Reenacts the Goddess Persephone's Ordeal of Abduction and Rape...or Self-Directed Sexual Initiation? Opening a Vein on Woman-Centered Sexuality" at the conference on April 20th.
As the chair of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Area: True Blood Feminism & Femininity panel, I was honored to share the spotlight with two other gentlewomen and scholars who also delivered fascinating papers that will, no doubt, be of interest to you. I met True Blood scholars on other panels whose work was quite intriguing. I will discuss this further in a later post.
For now, since I promised panel goers that I would post my full presentation here at the PPT, I am most concerned with getting my material up and accessible. Believe it or not, it's taken me two full days to pull off the conversion necessary to post my talk here - and some of its nuance has been lost in the translation :-(
Here's my plan:
In the next 2 consecutive posts, the following will appear, in order:
**please note that audio and video elements of the original presentation were unfortunately disabled in the conversion to Blogger - the credit reel was accompanied by Billy Idol's "White Wedding" - when you see it you'll understand why ;-)
I'll follow up with a full reference list for both paper & PowerPoint.
Please don't hesitate to e-mail us if you have any questions or you'd like more information!
Enjoy!
~ Rachel
What do the Alamo, Downtown Riverwalk, Tex-Mex, and the one-and-only airport where I have personally witnessed a pair of underwear & two pairs of socks endlessly circling - unclaimed - on the baggage carousel have in common?
They are all things I experienced for the first time in the host city for the 2011 PCA/ACA & Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture joint conference: San Antonio, Texas!
I gave my visual talk entitled, "True Blood Reenacts the Goddess Persephone's Ordeal of Abduction and Rape...or Self-Directed Sexual Initiation? Opening a Vein on Woman-Centered Sexuality" at the conference on April 20th.
As the chair of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Area: True Blood Feminism & Femininity panel, I was honored to share the spotlight with two other gentlewomen and scholars who also delivered fascinating papers that will, no doubt, be of interest to you. I met True Blood scholars on other panels whose work was quite intriguing. I will discuss this further in a later post.
For now, since I promised panel goers that I would post my full presentation here at the PPT, I am most concerned with getting my material up and accessible. Believe it or not, it's taken me two full days to pull off the conversion necessary to post my talk here - and some of its nuance has been lost in the translation :-(
Here's my plan:
In the next 2 consecutive posts, the following will appear, in order:
- conference paper with citations
- interactive PowerPoint slideshow with hyperlinked text & images *you can play the slideshow in fullscreen mode or in the window within which it appears on the PPT; simply hover your cursor over images and when a hand icon appears, you can click on the image to learn more or be brought to its source site. You must click to advance most of the slides; a few of the early slides (credit reel) self-advance on a timer
**please note that audio and video elements of the original presentation were unfortunately disabled in the conversion to Blogger - the credit reel was accompanied by Billy Idol's "White Wedding" - when you see it you'll understand why ;-)
I'll follow up with a full reference list for both paper & PowerPoint.
Please don't hesitate to e-mail us if you have any questions or you'd like more information!
Enjoy!
~ Rachel
Tanya Wright at the Pierced Pomegranate Tavern!
Despite her busy schedule, Tanya Wright (True Blood's Deputy Kenya Jones) made time in between her writing, book tour, TV work, getting ready to premiere her film BUTTERFLY RISING at the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival a week from today - Sunday, May 8 at 6PM - and well, I guess breathing (although that, along with sleeping, seems like a luxury for a woman as on-the-move as she) to meet with us!
We experienced Ms. Wright as a lovely, intelligent, down-to-earth fellow New Yawker (as she writes in her 1st post on her blog Wrighting Revolution) who gave generously of her time to chat with us for nearly two hours about everything from her character on True Blood to pop culture from an actress, author & screenwriter's point of view to fur babies, and so much in between!
And (bonus) when she came back to the cafe where we met to give both Rebecca & I copies of her novel upon which the film is based...
We experienced Ms. Wright as a lovely, intelligent, down-to-earth fellow New Yawker (as she writes in her 1st post on her blog Wrighting Revolution) who gave generously of her time to chat with us for nearly two hours about everything from her character on True Blood to pop culture from an actress, author & screenwriter's point of view to fur babies, and so much in between!
And (bonus) when she came back to the cafe where we met to give both Rebecca & I copies of her novel upon which the film is based...
...we had the chance to meet Ms. Wright's two cutie-babies...one of whom is pictured with her on the back cover of Butterfly Rising (see below)!
 |
| Ms. Wright & her baby-girl Macarena |
Rebecca and I both look forward to reading Butterfly Rising and discussing it with Ms. Wright; we also eagerly anticipate seeing the film when it premieres in New York, hopefully this fall. We'll let you know as this moves forward.
And of course we'll be back with a full write-up on our get-together with Tanya this past Tuesday; for now we wanted to thank Ms. Wright again for taking time out of her busy life to meet with us and for her candor and genuine interest in what we're doing here at the PPT.
Tanya, we wish you the very best of luck with the premiere of Butterfly Rising in Seattle!
More on our meeting with Ms. Wright to come soon...
~ Rachel
Whew!!! So much to serve up...
Whew! We hope you're thirsty, because after a whirlwind last few weeks, we here at the PPT have lots to serve up!
You know how True Blood goes on the road, leaving the comfort and familiarity of Merlotte's and Bon Temps (sans maenad-induced frenzy, of course) in the dust for points unknown, like Dallas, & Jackson, etc.? Well, the PPT has been on the road too; we've been beating down a footpath in such places as San Antonio, Texas, Harlem & Tribeca, NYC...and boy 'o boy, do we have some catching up to do!
OK, OK, hold your horses; no pushing or shoving please, there's plenty of room at the bar for all. Here's a taste of what's on the menu:
followed by...
You know how True Blood goes on the road, leaving the comfort and familiarity of Merlotte's and Bon Temps (sans maenad-induced frenzy, of course) in the dust for points unknown, like Dallas, & Jackson, etc.? Well, the PPT has been on the road too; we've been beating down a footpath in such places as San Antonio, Texas, Harlem & Tribeca, NYC...and boy 'o boy, do we have some catching up to do!
OK, OK, hold your horses; no pushing or shoving please, there's plenty of room at the bar for all. Here's a taste of what's on the menu:
- We met and chatted with True Blood's very own Tanya Wright (Deputy Kenya Jones)!
- Rachel delivered her visual talk True Blood Reenacts the Goddess Persephone's Ordeal of Abduction and Rape...or Self-Directed Sexual Initiation? Opening a Vein on Woman-Centered Sexuality" at the PCA/ACA & Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture joint conference and will be serving it up here just for you!
followed by...
a chaser of a run-down on what was seen and heard at the conference relating to True Bloodalong with a splash of...
some San Antonio local color for good measure!
- We spent Friday night in the company of greatness at the Tribeca Film Festival where none other than Mr. Harry Belafonte validated and reinvigorated our focus on the arts (we're lookin' at you, True Blood - particularly in light of our conversation with Ms. Wright!) as a medium through which change can be leveraged!
So without further ado...
Monday, April 4, 2011
Here's a sneak peek BEHIND THE SCENES: True Blood Reenacts the Goddess Persephone's Ordeal of Abduction and Rape...or Self-Directed Sexual Initiation? Opening a Vein on Woman-Centered Sexuality
It's 4:23AM. Rachel sits alone on the couch. The house is quiet except for the furious clacking of her fingers on her laptop keyboard. Her eyes are blurry and close involuntarily from time to time, but she is determined...
So how'd you like my spoof of the True Blood S4 teasers HBO has been releasing? So far we've had brief scenes of amnesia Eric, Eric & Bill, Jason & Crystal, Sam & new female character (sorry, don't recall her name) and Pam, Tara, Jesus & company introduced by the disembodied voice over orienting us to the action I tried to mime above. Did I miss any?
So what's my teaser all about? I mentioned a while back, I'll be presenting a visual talk exploring issues of sexuality and representation through the lens of True Blood at the PCA/ACA & Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Associations joint conference, in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Area: Special Area: True Blood track in just a few weeks...(wipes sweat from brow, assures self presentation will be ready in time...steels self for 2 more weeks of living the vamp life by default, working on prepping my talk all night, in bed with the sunrise).
Now, this may seem like a pretty cool rock-star lifestyle and all, except for the fact that I don't have the luxury of going underground or hunkering down in a coffin all day...so the whole sleep deprivation thing is rather bothersome and the bleeds are sort of difficult to explain when working 9-5...
...But anyway, I digress...the real point of this post is to pull the veil back a bit and give you a sneak peek of what is to come at the conference next month.
You may have noticed that we put out a teaser of sorts via Twitter with some shots of Neolithic goddess replicas I've been sucking up for the presentation.
My talk is entitled: True Blood Reenacts the Goddess Persephone's Ordeal of Abduction and Rape...or Self-Directed Sexual Initiation? Opening a Vein on Woman-Centered Sexuality. What do you think these images may have to do with it?
Oh well, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out, won't you?
;-0
And please do stay tuned for the frothy confection on groupies & fangbangers that Rebecca's mixing up, to be served here at the PPT soon!
~ Rachel
So how'd you like my spoof of the True Blood S4 teasers HBO has been releasing? So far we've had brief scenes of amnesia Eric, Eric & Bill, Jason & Crystal, Sam & new female character (sorry, don't recall her name) and Pam, Tara, Jesus & company introduced by the disembodied voice over orienting us to the action I tried to mime above. Did I miss any?
So what's my teaser all about? I mentioned a while back, I'll be presenting a visual talk exploring issues of sexuality and representation through the lens of True Blood at the PCA/ACA & Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Associations joint conference, in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Area: Special Area: True Blood track in just a few weeks...(wipes sweat from brow, assures self presentation will be ready in time...steels self for 2 more weeks of living the vamp life by default, working on prepping my talk all night, in bed with the sunrise).
Now, this may seem like a pretty cool rock-star lifestyle and all, except for the fact that I don't have the luxury of going underground or hunkering down in a coffin all day...so the whole sleep deprivation thing is rather bothersome and the bleeds are sort of difficult to explain when working 9-5...
 |
| we were 1st introduced to the phenomenon of the bleeds during this scene, S2 |
You may have noticed that we put out a teaser of sorts via Twitter with some shots of Neolithic goddess replicas I've been sucking up for the presentation.
My talk is entitled: True Blood Reenacts the Goddess Persephone's Ordeal of Abduction and Rape...or Self-Directed Sexual Initiation? Opening a Vein on Woman-Centered Sexuality. What do you think these images may have to do with it?
 |
| Persephone's return |
 |
| Willendorf |
 |
| Green Gulch Tara |
;-0
And please do stay tuned for the frothy confection on groupies & fangbangers that Rebecca's mixing up, to be served here at the PPT soon!
~ Rachel
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Keep This Party Going: National Women's History Month
March was National Women's History Month, and since it's now (already!?!) early April, a riff on the title of True Blood S2E2 seems only appropriate...let's keep this party going!!!
During this past month, I have been involved with planning and facilitating events in honor and celebration of National Women's History Month, both at my full-time job as a social worker in the non-profit sector and at my part-time gig as a college professor. The overarching theme of these events carries over from the strong messaging of great organizations like the National Women's History Project and the Long Island-based Herstory Writers Project: the need to write women back into history.
These organizations are dedicated to bringing the contributions and voices of women - often unsung and historically silenced - from the margins to the center of our collective narrative. There is a need for women's stories to be brought forth in such a way that - as Artistic & Executive Director of Herstory says - moves a stranger/reader to care, towards the ends of both personal growth and healing and social justice and transformation. There is a need to open space in our culture for women's stories to be seen as worthy or being told - received and truly heard.
I strongly believe that stories and storytelling are basic to human existence; they're the communicative and meaning-making spindles we use oh so naturally to spin the flax of our lived experiences into the glittering gold of our personal narratives.
We meet and shape the world through story; what is history but a story?
Story is basic to humanity, but it's also a very feminine means of expression that's deeply connected to women's ways of knowing and being.
And boy oh boy, can Alan Ball and the True Blood writers spin a story!!!
Where would the True Blood tale be without the female characters who populate it, not least of whom would include Miss Sookie Stackhouse herself - the eponymous heroine of the Charlaine Harris-penned novels that birthed the show?
Could the True Blood story even be told without them?
For me, the female characters True Blood invites us into the lives of are drawn with bolder lines and brighter colors than are the less fully developed women on other shows; they are multidimensional and relational, complex personalities. No all-brain-no-affect-socially-crippled intellectuals, empty-headed-buxom-bimbos, or any other types of caricatures here.
I feel like these are real, actual women. A little eccentric, kind of crazy at times, conflicted and wild, yes; but real.
Do they contradict themselves? Yeah, sure, but don't we all? As Walt Whitman wrote in Leaves of Grass over a century ago, Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.) If we are living, breathing human beings, how can we not?
In light of National Women's History Month and the associated slogan, "writing women back into history" I got to thinking about how the lives of the women of Bon Temps and its environs are portrayed on True Blood, how their stories are told.
I came across something that got me to thinking more...
As the video says, this isn't a means of determining the quality of a movie (or TV for that matter, the formula applies), or whether or not it's feminist; it's a gauge for the presence of women in film.
How do you think True Blood stands up to this test? How do you think the test stands up to True Blood?
Do you think there's anything to this test? Taking it in the context of True Blood, what does it say to you about the presence and representation of female characters? I'm hoping you'll share your thoughts :-)
~ Rachel
During this past month, I have been involved with planning and facilitating events in honor and celebration of National Women's History Month, both at my full-time job as a social worker in the non-profit sector and at my part-time gig as a college professor. The overarching theme of these events carries over from the strong messaging of great organizations like the National Women's History Project and the Long Island-based Herstory Writers Project: the need to write women back into history.
These organizations are dedicated to bringing the contributions and voices of women - often unsung and historically silenced - from the margins to the center of our collective narrative. There is a need for women's stories to be brought forth in such a way that - as Artistic & Executive Director of Herstory says - moves a stranger/reader to care, towards the ends of both personal growth and healing and social justice and transformation. There is a need to open space in our culture for women's stories to be seen as worthy or being told - received and truly heard.
I strongly believe that stories and storytelling are basic to human existence; they're the communicative and meaning-making spindles we use oh so naturally to spin the flax of our lived experiences into the glittering gold of our personal narratives.
We meet and shape the world through story; what is history but a story?
Story is basic to humanity, but it's also a very feminine means of expression that's deeply connected to women's ways of knowing and being.
And boy oh boy, can Alan Ball and the True Blood writers spin a story!!!
Where would the True Blood tale be without the female characters who populate it, not least of whom would include Miss Sookie Stackhouse herself - the eponymous heroine of the Charlaine Harris-penned novels that birthed the show?
Could the True Blood story even be told without them?
For me, the female characters True Blood invites us into the lives of are drawn with bolder lines and brighter colors than are the less fully developed women on other shows; they are multidimensional and relational, complex personalities. No all-brain-no-affect-socially-crippled intellectuals, empty-headed-buxom-bimbos, or any other types of caricatures here.
I feel like these are real, actual women. A little eccentric, kind of crazy at times, conflicted and wild, yes; but real.
Do they contradict themselves? Yeah, sure, but don't we all? As Walt Whitman wrote in Leaves of Grass over a century ago, Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.) If we are living, breathing human beings, how can we not?
In light of National Women's History Month and the associated slogan, "writing women back into history" I got to thinking about how the lives of the women of Bon Temps and its environs are portrayed on True Blood, how their stories are told.
I came across something that got me to thinking more...
As the video says, this isn't a means of determining the quality of a movie (or TV for that matter, the formula applies), or whether or not it's feminist; it's a gauge for the presence of women in film.
How do you think True Blood stands up to this test? How do you think the test stands up to True Blood?
Do you think there's anything to this test? Taking it in the context of True Blood, what does it say to you about the presence and representation of female characters? I'm hoping you'll share your thoughts :-)
~ Rachel
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