Women's Voices For Change

Poems by Lisa Rosenberg and Mini-Review of
A Different Physics

By Rebecca Foust

These four poems share very similar paths of creation. An unexpected sighting—backyard bird, beloved fossil, lost poet, solar eclipse—set in motion a questioning of inherited models: cultural, cognitive, and physical.

Emotional Health

The Benefits of Change: Retiring, Relocating or Reinventing Yourself

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

There comes a time, though, when old habits and patterns are obsolete, or when circumstances change enough so that they don’t work the way they used to.

Film & Television

For these Female Directors, First Time’s the Charm

By Alexandra MacAaron

Here’s to larger budgets, broader audiences, and many, many more opportunities for women to tell important stories and share their unique visions, as these promising new directors have.

Poetry

“Even Now” by Susan Zimmerman

By Rebecca Foust

Sometimes we rely on poetry as a sort of goad—to bear witness, expose evil or hypocrisy in others, or expose ourselves to ourselves.

Film & Television

What Do Margaret Thatcher and Sex Education Have in Common?

By Alexandra MacAaron

“What Do Margaret Thatcher and Sex Education Have in Common?” Gillian Anderson—a serious talent who shines equally bright in stories about affairs of state, affairs of the heart, and the clumsy affairs of hormonally challenged teenagers.

Poetry

Poetry Sunday: “Blackbody curve,” by Samiya Bashir

By Amanda Moore

As enriching as it is to consider “Blackbody curve” in terms of its scientific allusions or placement in Samiya Bashir’s collection, it’s important to note that the poem stands on its own as an enjoyable and rewarding literary experience.

Film & Television

In ‘Y: The Last Man,’ Women’s Work is Never Done

By Alexandra MacAaron

'Y: The Last Man' raises many more questions than it answers. It’s also smart, timely, compelling, and extraordinarily well-acted television.

Poetry

Poetry Sunday:
“Before the Killing Frost,” by Diana Whitney

By Rebecca Foust

“Before the Killing Frost” is suffused with longing for the natural world—an almost physical grief at summer’s end—and the longing for a beloved.

Film & Television

Fall Television:
It’s the Most Musical Time of the Year

By Alexandra MacAaron

There may be several opportunities for us to enjoy some musical television together this fall.

Poetry

Leticia Hernández-Linares:
“One Million Minus One” and “Despierta”

By Rebecca Foust

The poems in 'Mucha Muchacha, Too Much Girl' paint their own murals in words glowing with passion and conviction. There is also a good dose of sass, a quality visually captured in book’s cover photo.

Film & Television

In ‘The Chair,’ Sandra Oh Combines
Acting and Activism

By Alexandra MacAaron

'The Chair' tells the trials and tribulations of Professor Ji-Yoon Kim (Oh), the first woman and the first person of color to chair the English department of “lower-tier ivy” Pembroke College.

Film & Television

‘CODA,’ The Celebrated Sundance Film, Sings

By Alexandra MacAaron

If you paid attention to Sundance’s (virtual) Film Festival last January, you’ve already heard of 'CODA.' It not only took the festival’s top honors — the Grand Jury Prize as well as the Audience Award — it set a new record for distribution rights.

Poetry

Poems by Jane Hirshfield

By Rebecca Foust

Each column (including these three on Jane Hirshfield, one of my all-time favorite contemporary poets) was an exciting discovery and a lesson, not just in craft, but also in the endurance and resilience of the human spirit.

Film & Television

This Week, ‘Remember the Ladies’

By Alexandra MacAaron

Since 1971, August 26 has been designated Women’s Equality Day. The date was chosen because it marks the anniversary of the certification of the Nineteenth Amendment.

Poetry

“I Was a Mixed-Race Zombie,” by MK Chavez

By Maxine Flasher-Düzgünes

I'm looking at race and trying to understand and explore and untangle my personal identity, but also the place and time that we find ourselves in, in this world around race. —MK Chavez

Film & Television

Portraits of Motherhood
in Two New Women-Led Films

By Alexandra MacAaron

In 'Confetti' and 'Rare Beasts' a mother's love proves stronger than any challenge or even the most unhinged storyline.

Film & Television

‘The Pursuit of Love’ Asks, “Are You a Bolter or a Sticker?”

By Alexandra MacAaron

'The Pursuit of Love': Gorgeous costumes, fox-hunting on a country estate, romances (both sanctioned and forbidden), countless cups of tea. If you’ve missed 'Downton Abbey' (or even 'Bridgerton,' for that matter), you could definitely do worse.

Poetry

‘Blood Dazzler’ by Patricia Smith

By Amanda Moore

In Patricia Smith’s exquisite collection 'Blood Dazzler,' I find myself drawn to the stories of resilience even more for the comfort and reassurance they provide. The durability of the collection speaks to the hope and lingering fear in this pandemic moment.

Film & Television

‘Playing with Sharks’ Chronicles a Lifetime of Affection and Regret

By Alexandra MacAaron

The charismatic subject of writer-director and Emmy-nominee Sally Aitkin’s new documentary, 'Playing with Sharks: the Valerie Taylor Story,' has been at home in — and in love with — the ocean since she was in her early twenties.

Poetry

“The Soft Part of the Brain,” by Maw Shein Win

By Maxine Flasher-Düzgünes

'Storage Unit for the Spirit House' began as a group of poems I had been working on around the idea of containers and containment. Questions I considered: Who is held and who is not held? What do we save and what do we discard?

Film & Television

People Will Say I’m in Love … with Schmigadoon!

By Alexandra MacAaron

Regardless of where you land on the “Musicals, pro or con?” debate, 'Schmigadoon!' is well worth your time.

Poetry

“I Am Writing This in My Head,
My Hands Inside Gloves That Don’t Match,”
by Silvina López Medin

By Amanda Moore

Silvina López Medin’s poem is from her newly published book 'Poem That Never Ends,' itself a study of loss, multiplicity, and containment in terms of form, language, and content.

Film & Television

Two New Series Get Physical, Without Much Success

By Alexandra MacAaron

Here at Women’s Voices for Change, we’ve long lamented the fact that in Hollywood, women get much less opportunity behind the camera than men do. Although recent numbers have improved (since 2018, the number of top box office movies directed by women has more than doubled), there is still a long way to go before we see gender parity. One…

Poetry

“Private Collection,” by Shelley Wong

By Amanda Moore

“Private Collection” by Shelley Wong perfectly captures the experience of museum-going. Standing in a museum gallery, our speaker sifts back through other galleries, thoughts, and experiences as a woman and as a partner, a private (re)collection of sorts.