Spoken Like a True Feminist...Continued!

Like what you saw in Medusa? Want to check out more of these incredible writers work? Check out these links. And if you don't recognize the names, well then you'll just have to check out the most recent issue of Medusa first now won't you!

Check out Olson's work here: http://alixolson.com

Check out Gibson's poems "I Do" and "For Eli" here: http://www.andreagibson.org

MEDUSA ISSUE #4

Oh hey! Medusa Issue #4 is oot and aboot!
Download it here!
Drop us a line at medusamagazine@gmail.com




I love you very much,
Sammy

Gender by Andrea Stopa

Red stains in my underwear,

I woke up to a mess.

I cry to my mother

who gives me a pad and tells me everything will be ok,

that that's life.

But I don't really believe her.

Because she doesn't really believe herself.

Once a month

I will bleed for my gender

I will bleed to be a woman

I will bleed for my baby-making purpose

So that man can recreate

And what about that?

Squeezing a cranium the size of a melon past my pelvis out into the world?

I will stretch and tear to let life out of me,

But I am the weaker sex.

I am the one who is here to serve.

To make dinner after a long day at work.

To give comfort to the kiddies and give pleasure to my hubbie to give nothing to myself because

like that giving tree,

I give give give,

that's just how it is is is.

Wear pink, play with dolls, kiss a boy, hold his hand,

Wear mascara, blush your cheeks, don't say fuck, find a man

Cross your legs, lose some weight, buy a bra, get a date

Raise your hand, wait your turn, be a lady, let him win

No means yes, lead him on, give a kiss, let him in

Tone your arms, stand up straight, lift your ass, shrink your waist

But make sure all this stress never creases your face!

Get a house with a fence, and a man that gets paid

Get a mother-in-law, have some babies to raise

But don't lose your career! Just juggle and fake it

And blame PMS when you're starting to hate it.

Tears in her eyes,

I woke up to a mess.

She cries on my shoulder

I tell her I will kill that bastard, that it wasn't her fault.

That everything will be okay.

But I know she doesn't really believe me,

I don't really believe me.

He robbed her

Of her freedom

Of her innocence

her smile.

She bled because she was a woman

She bled because TV makes violence the norm

And she won't cry out because chances are her story won't hold up in court.

She will live her life running form ghosts, from the monsters in the night

Because he had an urge

That she couldn't fight.

But she is the weaker sex,

The one who's not worth as much pay in the boardroom but has to pay everyday for a choice

she didn't make.

What will it take?

What will it take.

Calling All Feminists!

This is Emmery here, you may have seen my name a couple of times on this wonderful website before as a contributing writer but guess what? Now I’m here to stay. That’s right, you’re talking to your new blog editor for Medusa Magazine’s wonderful world of blogging! I figured I would say hello and let you all know who I am because, lovely readers, I’m going to need your help. See this blog is a great way for all of us who love the magazine to voice our fabulous feminist opinions and share some really awesome and important stories in a more informal setting. And I highly doubt that all of you want to read everything from my point of view for the rest of your lives so, I’d love if you’d give me a hand. I want to hear what you have to say. Send me story ideas, things you want to write about, things you want me to write about, and let’s do our best to make it happen. I hope you’re as excited about this as I am, and I look forward to hearing from you all. Let’s get this party started! Just shoot an email to medusamagblog@gmail.com with your ideas and suggestions! I can't wait to hear from you all!

Medusa Issue #3!

Just in case you got all caught up in final exams and you didn't get to grab the newest issue of Medusa, here she is!

Tell us what you think!
medusamagazine@gmail.com

Love,
Sammy!

BroBible is a bunch of Jerks!

Here's the link to BroBible's breakdown of college girls on Syracuse's campus

And check out Jerk's edgy response piece!

Tell us what you think in the comments? Are we the uptight, humorless feminists the BroBible is aiming to irritate?

An Introduction to Members of Women Transcending Boundaries

The living room was filled with laughter, inquiries on each other’s health and well-being and book recommendations as three members of Women Transcending Boundaries met to talk about the organization. Jennifer Roberts Crittenden, a Catholic woman, Saro Kumar, a Hindu woman, and Jeanette Powell, a Jewish woman are all members of the book club.

While they all come from different backgrounds, their constant smiles as they spoke about WTB are the same.

Jennifer Roberts Crittenden, Secretary for WTB

Roberts Crittenden joined WTB about six years ago and she said she loves all that WTB offers. Her main project now is the sewing class with some refugee women at the Center for New Americans. At the class they teach the women how to sew the “American way” using patterns and a sewing machine. Before the sewing class she went to the center to help teach the refugee women English, along with a few other members of WTB. Their methods for teaching the refugees English earned them the nickname of the “The Hokey Pokey Ladies” because of their use of the song to help the women learn.

Every member has certain things they’re passionate about. “Every new person that comes to WTB has changed its direction.” Some of the programs she hopes will continue through the years are the Acts of Kindness Weekend and the book club.

She said she has gained friendship and intellectual stimulation from WTB. The organization has introduced her to new things. “All of us are able to expand beyond WTB, because of WTB."

Saro Kumar, council member

Kumar, who grew up in a diverse, cosmopolitan area, was drawn to WTB because she read about the different backgrounds of its members. “I read about so many religions involved in it and I said, ‘this sounds like my kind of thing,’” she said. “And I never looked back.” Kumar joined WTB about two years ago once she stopped working and her children moved out.

She also said she loves everything about WTB. One project she enjoys in addition to the book club is the community garden she works on with some refugees. “Working with the refugees has been eye opening,” she said. Some of the vegetation she thought were weeds were considered vegetables by the refugees. From the garden she has also witnessed the networking WTB uses, where people have projects they want to put into action and others will contribute goods or services.

Kumar said she has gained “camaraderie and intellectual richness” from the organization. “There’s no limit to learning. It’s been so educational.”

Jeanette Powell, an original member, a past council member and member of the advisory board

Powell became involved with WTB because she enjoyed the idea of women of different backgrounds coming together to talk and learn from each other. “We came together to talk and we haven’t shut up since,” she said. The women are able to discuss complex issues and still remain friends. She noticed that if there is disagreement it often happens among women of different denominations of the same religion. “It’s learning with a capital L,” she said.

While she said her favorite thing changes with her mood, Powell, an avid reader, said she really enjoys the book club, where she reads books she normally wouldn’t. The book club reads a book a month. They switch between different styles, such as memoirs, novels and essays, and cultures or religions. They compile a list of books throughout the year and then as a group decide what the year’s reading list will be. The book must also be available at the public library, so members of the club don’t have to buy a copy.

As one of the original members, she has been able to watch the group change over the years. “It keeps evolving.”