Tag: feminism

Trapped in quarantine purgatory, my partner and I, like two stereotypical GenXers, decided to escape to a galaxy far, far away. As we watched all three Star Wars trilogies, I was transported to the mellow days of the 70s in fog-drenched Monterey when my hair shone naturally golden and my ... Read More

Standing in aisle eight of The Dollar Store—­labeled "Ladies,”—I was balancing reindeer-patterned Christmas boxes, curled red and green bows, a plastic tree-topper and two tubes of metallic-trimmed wrapping paper. With around $10 in my wallet, I had almost reached my spending limit for this shopping trip. But I needed one ... Read More

When I was a child, one of my fondest Christmas pastimes was sitting down with my brother to "ooo and ahh" over the Toys R Us Holiday Catalog (known also as "The Big Book"). This was no weekly circular ad: this baby clocked in at eighty to a hundred pages ... Read More

In my third column on Wonder Woman, I wrote that "I was never really interested in superheroes as a kid," mostly because the superhero genre contained, in my opinion, nothing but "a bunch of beefy men beating each other up." I still hold true to the original intent of my ... Read More

Since its inception, vampire fiction has incurred a great deal of criticism. Like any category of genre fiction, vampire fiction has been derided as not “real” literature and nothing more than sensational pulp. The genre has been characterized as immoral and rife with sexual eroticism, containing nothing of literary merit ... Read More

What does it mean to be a feminist? It’s a question you’ve likely heard before, perhaps several times. Perhaps you’ve even asked it yourself. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines feminism as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” A feminist, then, would be someone who believes in ... Read More

Darlene Pagán teaches creative writing and literature at Pacific University in Oregon. She published a poetry chapbook, Blue Ghosts (Finishing Line Press 2011), and a full-length collection, Setting the Fires (Airlie Press 2015). Individual poems have appeared in journals such as Field, Calyx, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Poet Lore, Hiram Poetry ... Read More

When the roommate arrives home, resist the impulse to bolt upstairs to your room before his key unlocks the door. Remain in the kitchen only because you haven’t finished filling -- to the brim -- the bowl of ice cream that you’re scooping next to the open freezer door. Try to be friendly, but ... Read More

The female nether regions divide Americans into two distinct camps. On one side are the people who cannot bring themselves to say, hear, or read the word vagina no matter how legitimate the circumstances that prompt its use. Depending on whether they over-identify with daytime talk show hosts or public ... Read More

This is where I am: Excited by: David Foster Wallace, Jefferey Eugenides, Gene Wilder, Sloane Crosley, Harold Brodkey, Susan Orlean, Tim and Eric, smart television writing and the art of sitcom, Bea Arthur, all things Cleese (Python, Fawlty Towers), Joan Didion, mentor Blanche Boyd and the host of brilliant professors ... Read More

  Before attempting to delve into the annals of critical theory, first I must comment on the title, “Adrien Brody,” because I adore Adrien Brody, the actor. I find him and his nose intriguing. I like the shadow-facets of his characters, and how he can bring a full body of ... Read More