August » 2010 » Danine N. Spencer

Book Review: Peel My Love Like An Onion

This summer been wacky. I haven’t been writing a lot lately as I’ve been traveling pretty much nonstop since the end of July. When I haven’t been on the road or spending time with family and friends, I’ve been recovering from having all that fun.

I haven’t even been reading much, unlike the beginning of the summer, when I read fourteen books in June and July. Still, I did just finish “Peel My Love Like an Onion” by Ana Castillo, and since this is a blog about feminism and disability (well most of the time), I thought I’d tell y’all about it

“Peel My Love Like An Onion” is the story of Carmen, a Mexican-American flamenco dancer from Chicago, and her long-running love affairs with two men, Augustín and Manolo. Carmen’s stage name is Carmen la Coja, which is Spanish for Carmen the Cripple, as she had polio as a child. Carmen wears a brace on her leg, walks (and dances) with a limp and, as the story progresses, begins to experience the effects of post-polio syndrome.

And yet, Carmen’s disability is not the focus of this novel. It is not about how she “overcomes” her disability to have a dancing career. Instead, “Peel My Love Like An Onion” is about the never-ending saga of the torrid love triangle between Carmen, Augustín and Manolo. It is about Carmen’s relationships with her parents and her brothers. It is about her identity and heritage as a Chicagoan, Chicana (Is tht the right word?) and American.

I’m not saying that disability, pain and illness are not crucial to this novel. They are, as they form the core of who Carmen is. But this is not just a disability novel. It is the story of Carmen’s dancing career, love affairs and family life. It is also the story of a woman who happens to have a disability.

If you need something good to read, “Peel My Love Like An Onion” by Ana Castillo is worth a look.

P.S. I have received absolutely no compensation for this review. I actually got the book out of the library.

BlogHer ’10: The Photo Blog!

On the train to NYC!

Drinking Diet Pepsi (aka Patio) and eating Utz chips. How very Don Draper. Or maybe Peggy Olson?

Besties!

Hanging out at the gala

Where am I, Manhattan or a small town in northern Wisconsin?

More hijinx from the gala. I’m being totally serious in this one.

Walking sandals and orthopedic stockings always make me feel sexy.

Leaving BlogHer, the cabbie drove me through Times Square to get to Penn Station.

What would Forrest say?

It’s official: I’ve left NYC and BlogHer ’10 is over.

At least I have my Jimmy Dean alarm clock to console me. It may be the coolest thing evuh.

What I Really Learned At BlogHer ’10

So yesterday I told you about the 7 Random Things I Learned at BlogHer ’10. All kidding aside, here’s what I really learned at BlogHer ’10.

First, I need to write more. I need to write about what I’m passionate about. I need to write every day or most days whether it is blogging, journaling or creative writing of some sort. I need to just write and not worry about my own internal critic or what others will think of my writing. I need to believe that what I have to say is of value, that is important.

Second, I really want to use this blog to create a disability rights movement within mainstream feminism and there are a plethora of ways to start to do this.

Ask people to share their personal stories
Start petitions in support/protest of an issue
Use polls or surveys to gain or share information
Create a newsletter
Reach out to politicians and like-minded organizations
Document and research your issue. For example, Melissa Silverstein of Women and Hollywood documented and wrote about the lack of women in documentaries. The foreign press, especially in the UK, took notice and the issue started to get some attention.
Create relationships with other bloggers who care about your cause. The importance of this cannot be overstated.

Third, BlogHer attendees are very concerned about comments on their blogs. Several of the breakout sessions I attended on blogging and activism quickly turned into “How to Manage Negative Comments” sessions. Best advice: Remember that “people have issues” and

Have a comments policy and stick to it
No personal attacks
Decide how you want to deal with inappropriate comments

Above all, I need to decide what my mission is as a blogger and stick to it. Do I want to my blog to be about disability rights and feminism or am I happy with the current mix of feminism, politics, disability rights and random other things? BlogHer showed me that if I really want to become a better blogger, writer and activist, I need to focus on the former, not the latter.

So this is what I learned at BlogHer ’10. Hopefully, you can take some of these lessons and apply them to your own blog. If you went to BlogHer, I’d love to hear what you took away from the conference. Please feel free to leave a comment below!

7 Random Things I Learned at BlogHer ’10

I’m back from my ten day trip to Washington D.C. and New York City, the highlights of which were hanging out with friends and, of course, attending the BlogHer ’10 conference in NYC. BlogHer was an amazing experience, which can’t be summed up in just one post, so I’m going to spread it out over the next three days. Today, a quirky list of random things I learned while at the conference. Tomorrow I’ll write a more serious post about the breakout sessions I attended and what I took away from the conference. Finally, on Saturday, no vacation would be complete without pictures so it will be a Photo Blog Day.

So, without further adieu…

7 Random Things I Learned at BlogHer ’10

1. The Hilton New York Hotel does dessert really well: cookies, brownies, petit fours, tiramisu and Italian pastries…. Oh. My. Gawd.

2. BlogHer is a strange and wonderful place where best-selling authors (like Gretchen Rubin, who wrote the New York Times bestselling book The Happiness Project sit two rows behind you in a breakout session on publishing and you get to meet some of your idols. For me, this was people like Gloria Feldt, former president of Planned Parenthood of America and author of the upcoming book No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power. I was also super-psyched to meet and hang out with Jenn Pozner, founder and executive director of Women in Media and News (WIMN) and author of Reality Bites Back, slated to be released in November.

3. Bruce Jenner, formerly of Olympic fame and now best-known as the nerdy step-dad on the reality show The Kardashians, is a man-whore. Apparently, part of how he helps support not-so-little Kylie and Kendall is by showing up at conventions and conferences like BlogHer where his adoring public can get their picture taken with him or even, if they’re very lucky, an autograph(!). Think Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler,” only this event was corporate-sponsored and the fallen idol wore chinos and had a bowl-cut.

4. BlogHer isn’t very diverse. While attempts were made at diversity, such as token women of color in many panels, the conference was still really targeted towards mommy bloggers. The token lesbian in the Voices of the Year even wrote about motherhood. I’m not saying that mommy bloggers don’t deserve a voice at Blogher. They do: a large one. By the same token, we need to realize not every women blogger talks about politics, sexuality, race, books, health care, pop culture, technology and everything else under the sun as it relates to motherhood.

5. “Legally Blonde” was originally a self-published book that, as we all know, has gone on to spawn two major motion pictures and a smash Broadway play. Take heart, self-published authors, it could happen for you, too.

6. Not enough people hate me. No, for realz, people. During a breakout session on “Creating Tangible Social Change”, Melissa Silverstein of Women and Hollywood explained that having naysayers and negative comments on your blog is a good thing. “If you don’t have haters, you’re not doing it right”.

7. The rumors are true. New York really is hotter than you-know-where in August. Good grief.

And there you have it, folks. Just a few of the notable tidbits I picked up while taking a bite out of the Big Apple. Be sure to check back tomorrow and Saturday for more posts on my time at BlogHer ’10!