Winona State University Women's and Gender Studies Program
Celebrates Women's History Month
March through April 2009
A month of activities celebrating women

Women's History Month: Celebrating Women
Schedule of Events
link to poster

2009 Women's History Month

V-Day* Kick Off! Congo Teach-In
Tuesday, March 10, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Art Tye Lounge, Student Activities Center, Student Union

Kick off WSU's V-Day events with this student-led informational session about the epidemic of rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Learn about the history of the DRC, its current situation and why women bear the brunt of the violence in the area. Come find ways to activate your community and get involved.

*V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.

V-Day: Until the Violence Stops (documentary)
Tuesday, March 10, 7:00 pm
Science Lab Auditorium

Extraordinarily empowering and heartbreakingly funny, the Sundance favorite Until the Violence Stops chronicles how Eve Ensler's hit off-Broadway solo show The Vagina Monologues grew into V-Day, an international grassroots movement to stop violence against women and girls.

In 2002, over 800 cities around the world have participated in V-Day by staging benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues. From locales as diverse as New York, the Phillippines and Kenya, this film features emotionally charged interviews and readings by everyday and celebrity women (including Rosie Perez, Salma Hayek, Rosario Dawson, Jane Fonda and LisaGay Hamilton), all of whom courageously reveal their intimate experiences and bond together to break the silence that surrounds abuse.

Jane Hamilton, author
Wednesday, March 11, 7:00 pm
Baldwin Lounge, 7 p.m.

Jane Hamilton lives, works, and writes in an orchard farmhouse in Wisconsin. Her short stories have appeared in Harper's magazine. Her first novel, The Book of Ruth, won the PEN/Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award for best first novel and was a selection of the Oprah Book Club. Her second novel, A Map of the World, was an international bestseller.

The Women and Spirituality FILM SERIES is a three-part series that includes Goddess Remembered, The Burning Times and Full Circle.

FILM SERIES: Goddess Remembered
Monday, March 16, 7:00 pm
Gildmeister 155

Part 1 of this stunning and poetic documentary examines pre-Christian, goddess-worshipping religions. Incorporating the work of archaeologist Marija Gombutas, art historian Merlin Stone, and scholars Jean Bolen, Charlene Spretnak and Starhawk - who link the loss of goddess-centered societies with today's environmental crisis - Goddess Remembered offers insights into these ancient cultures and explores the contemporary women's spirituality movement inspired by them.
Discussion following, Greg, practicing witch

Elizabeth Oness, Reading and Discussion, Twelve Rivers of the Body
Tuesday, March 17, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Student Union

Elizabeth Oness’s poems and stories have appeared in The Hudson Review, Crazyhorse, Glimmer Train, The Georgia Review, The Gettysburg Review and other magazines. Her writing has received numerous awards. Her latest novel, Twelve Rivers of the Body, won the 2007 Gival Press Novel Award. A poetry manuscript, Fallibility, won the 2008 New Rivers Press Prize and will be published in 2009. She is an Associate Professor of English at Winona State University, and directs marketing and development for Sutton Hoo Press.

Please join us for a discussion of Beth’s new book, her life as a writer, and the process of writing and publishing. Please bring your lunch!

The Vagina Monologues
March 20 & 21, 7:00 pm
Somsen Auditorium

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. As part of the V-Day 2009 College Campaign, Winona State University is holding a benefit production of The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler's groundbreaking, award winning play, including a new monologue dedicated to the women of the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

This is a benefit for the Winona Women's Resource Center (tickets $8 for students, $10 non-students). Seating will be general admission. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning at 6:30 pm, Somsen Auditorium Lobby, on the evening of each production. Advance tickets are available by contacting Tamara Berg (tberg@winona.edu).

Still Waiting (documentary)
Monday, March 23, 7:00 pm
Stark 103

Poignant stories of Hurricane Katrina's devastation on the South continue to be recounted. A new documentary tells the story of three women who anchor a family of 150 people displaced from St. Bernard Parish, La., illustrating the devastation to bonds of love and African-American Southern culture within a family and a community. Still Waiting chronicles how the “emotional ecosystem” of Connie, Katie and Janie's family shows stress under the strain of betrayal first by Mother Nature and then their ensuing struggle with the system set in place to rebuild their community after Katrina.

The documentary explores the meaning of home and the rituals and place that define a family, the role of faith in resilience, and finally the problems left in what remains of the parish: rebuilding homes and families under newly emerging racial strains and demographic changes and the emotional toll Katrina continues to take.

Discussion with faculty and students who did significant hurricane relief work in New Orleans following Katrina

Music by Women Composers
Wednesday, March 25, noon – 1:00 pm
PAC Recital Hall

WSU music majors and minors will performs works by women composers in a variety of languages and style periods. This recital highlights the important contributions of women composers from the Baroque period through the 20th century. The compositions of women have been largely ignored in music textbooks and in music publication so recitals of this kind are of great significance, giving voice to forgotten women musicians.

FILM SERIES: The Burning Times
Thursday, March 26, 7:30 pm
Science Lab Auditorium

Part 2 of the Women and Spirituality Series explores Europe from the 15th through the 17th centuries, a time when the church and state cooperated in the torture and execution of thousands of women accused of being witches. In an attempt to eradicate the woman-based power of midwives, wise old crones and healers, the Christian church along with local governments instigated a reign of terror.
Discussion following, Dr. Colette Hyman, historian

FILM SERIES: Full Circle
Monday, March 30, 7:00 pm
Stark 103

In Part 3, filmmaker Donna Read examines the many manifestations of women's spirituality in the Western world in the last decade of the 20th century. As she completes her personal journey to discover the history and present practices of goddess religions, she finds women meeting together around kitchen tables and in circles on hilltops, discussing spirituality and performing rituals that give them strength to transform their personal beliefs into political and social action.
Discussion following

Film and Discussion with Cast, Venus of Mars
Thursday, April 2, 7:00 pm
Science Lab Auditorium

The eye-catching transgender singer of a Minneapolis glam rock band and her wife negotiate the frontiers of love and gender. On stage, wearing a vinyl corset and stiletto boots, s/he's Venus, lead singer of the glam rock band All The Pretty Horses. At home in Minneapolis with Lynette, her wife of twenty years, s/he's Steve. Born male, Venus is transgender. S/he's "in between" — taking female hormones, but not planning to have sexual reassignment surgery. To some, s/he's a pioneer, courageously exploring a brave new world of gender identity, free of categorization. To others, s/he's a freak. Venus of Mars is both the unique coming out story of Venus' gender-redefining journey, and the truly contemporary love story of a couple weathering dramatic changes in uncharted relationship territory. A discussion with Venus and Lynette will follow the film.

WAGS is grateful to programs and departments who have helped co-sponsor these events!

What is Women's Studies?
Women's Studies is a multidisciplinary program that looks at the lives and experiences of women through many disciplines--history, art, psychology, economics, and public health, among others. Students in the Women's Studies Program explore the ways in which gender shapes women's and men's experiences in various global cultures. They also consider how cultural differences affect women's lives within multicultural societies. The program is committed to integrating classroom and community, and to preparing students to be active citizens in their communities. Students in Women's Studies apply feminist theories and analyses to current social issues and develop the skills necessary for active citizenship.

What is FORGE?
FORGE (Fighting for Our Rights and Gender Equality) is the Women's Studies student group. FORGE provides learning and leadership opportunities for students who are interested in women's and gender-related issues, human rights issues, campus and community activism, and ending discrimination. FORGE is a great way to get involved in campus activities and activism. You do not have to be a Women's Studies minor to be a member of FORGE!

To Get Involved:
Contact Tamara Berg, Director of Women's & Gender Studies
507-457-5460
326 Minne
tberg@winona.edu
or
Visit our website: http://www.winona.edu/womensstudies/

updated 1/12/09 ks