Being bold
Celebrating International Women’s Day at the library
There are many examples of powerful individuals championing for gender equality on our shelves and in our communities.
As Wednesday, March 8 marks International Women’s Day (IWD), it is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. One of this year’s IWD themes is Be Bold for Change, and there are plenty of women bold enough to invoke change with their written work available to borrow from your local library!
One of them to mention is Eve Ensler, an internationally bestselling author and an acclaimed playwright whose works for the stage include The Vagina Monologues (Villard Books, 2001), Necessary Targets (Villard Books, 2008), and The Good Body (Villard Books, 2005) just to name a few.
She has also written In the Body of the World: a memoir (Random House of Canada, 2013). In this memoir, she talks about devoting her life to thinking about the female body – how to talk about it, how to protect and value it. She also recounts spending much of her life disassociated from her own body – a disconnection first brought on by her personal experiences. Ensler is further shocked as she encounters violence inflicted on the women during her travels to the Congo. Soon after, she is diagnosed with uterine cancer, and through months of harrowing treatment, she is forced to become first and foremost a body.
Also available is Ensler’s I Am An Emotional Creature (Villard Books, 2010) where she offers fictional monologues and stories inspired by girls around the globe. The book I Am an Emotional Creature is “a celebration of the authentic voice inside every girl and an inspiring call to action for girls everywhere to speak up, follow their dreams, and become the women they were always meant to be.”
Ensler is the founder of V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, which has raised more than $85 million since 1989, and resides in Paris and New York City.
Another book that may be of interest is Writing the Revolution (Second Printing, 2011), written by Canadian journalist, author, public speaker, feminist and social activist Michelle Landsberg. This book is a collection of Landsberg’s Toronto Star columns, where she was a regular columnist for more than 25 years between 1978 and 2005. Choosing her favorite columns, she uses them to reflect on the second wave of feminism and the issues facing women then and now. An icon of the feminist movement and a hero to many through her writing and activism, Michele played an important role in fighting for the rights of women, children, and the disenfranchised, recognizing the success of the women’s movement but also acknowledging that the struggle continues.
Upcoming events – March Break!
March Break will soon be underway in all public libraries in Pictou and Antigonish counties. For those wanting to learn more about free, fun activities going on at their libraries, stop into your local library in Antigonish (902-863-4276), New Glasgow (902-752-8233), Pictou (902-485-5021), River John (902351-2599), Stellarton (902-7551638), Trenton (902-752-5181) and Westville (902-396-5022) and pick up a March Break flyer or access up-to-date listings at www.parl.ns.ca. Pre-registration is required for some programs, since space and supplies are limited. Please contact the hosting library to register.
For more information on upcoming library programs, special events and services, please drop by your local library branch, follow us on Twitter, find us on Facebook, or visit us online at www.parl.ns.ca.