brownpeople

"If you have paid even a little bit of attention to this blog, you will know that Femme comes in a myriad of forms. Femme is fat, skinny, born boy, born girl, born whatever, wears high heels, wears stompy boots, wears flats, wears sneakers, wears boots at a construction site. Femme always wears make-up, Femme never wears make-up, Femme surprises you, Femme is emotionally giving, Femme is emotionally needy, Femme is emotionally stone, Femme is pretty middle of the road, actually but sometimes has the Seasonal Depression.***"

http://queerfatfemme.com/

Hey guys,

I know this is the season- hell, it feeels like the life- where requests for money, benefits and fundraisers are flying fast and thick. It feels like the broke keeping the broke alive sometimes. I know I just posted my fundraiser for Mangos' stupid van bill. I know it feels like Web 2.0 is running out of steam and instead of feeling like my Facebook invites are a great, tailored way to get info, I feel overwhelmed and crowded sometimes with all the requests for money.

However, I'm posting this because Toronto Women's Bookstore is one of the best bookstores and community resources on the planet. I'm not exaggerating when I say that i partially moved to Toronto for ten years because of this bookstore. Back when I was a broke 23 year old, I read a lot of books for free sitting n the store. It's a woman of color lead, radical for real feminist anti-oppressive store that has been around for 36 years, pays its staff extended health benefits, and is the heart of the feminist, queer of color, people of color, politically progressive community in Toronto.

I wouldn't be a writer if it wasn't for TWB. The countless readings, poetry slams, zine launches they threw are a cornerstore of T.O.'s amazing queer, feminist, of color literary community. But who they are goes beyond that. It's the fact that when Rauda Marcos from ASWAT, the Palestinian queer organization, visited t.o., her reading and meet and greet was at TWB; that when Climbing Poetree came to town, or bell hooks, or Dorothy Allison, they all read and performed here. TWB was what brought Browngirlworld, the queer of color spoken word series/ party I threw, to attracting crowds of 200+ people. Countless queer, trans, feminist and/or of color creative producers in Toronto have grown into full time writers, artists and cultural workers with TWB

Working in an independent bookstore of TWB's vintage now, I have an entirely different perspective on why everyone who works there looks stressed out when you drop by. The margin of profit is slim in a recession. People will buy food, but they will start going to the library for their books. However, the good news is that periodic injections of cash really will keep a store going.

So- you got twenty bucks? You want to buy sometime online? You got $100? Send it to this crown jewel of multicultural feminist literature.

Here's the letter they sent out:

Dear TWB community,

The Toronto Women's Bookstore is in crisis and we need your help!

Independent businesses and bookstores have been closing their doors this
year, and after 36 years it is possible that we will have to do the same if
we are not able to raise enough money to survive. TWB is one of the only
remaining non-profit feminist bookstores in North America, but despite all
of the events, courses, workshops, community resources and additional
services we offer, the fact that we are a store means that we do not receive
any outside funding and rely entirely on sales and the support of our
customers to stay in business.

Over the past few years, our sales have not been enough to sustain us and
this is why we are coming to you, our community, for help. If every one of
you donated $10 we would raise enough to keep going for 3 months, $20 each
would keep us in business for 6 months, and $30 each would be enough for us
to keep our doors open, hopefully for good. All donations will go directly
towards covering the bookstore's costs, and are a part of a larger plan of
action and structural change to make the business sustainable in the current
economy.

In the past, when feminist bookstores were closing down all across North
America, the support of the community is what kept TWB alive. You are the
reason that we are still here today, and we believe that with your help we
can once again work together to save this organization where so many of us
as readers, writers, feminists, artists, and activists have found a home.

You can make donations over the phone, on our website
www.womensbookstore.com (paypal link available soon), or in person at the
store. As a non-profit store we are not eligible for charitable status and
cannot offer tax receipts, but we are hoping to be able to offer tax
receipts for donations over $100 in collaboration with a non-profit charity
who shares our mandate, and we will have that information available on our
website and in store as soon as possible.

You can also help by spreading the word to your friends and community,
contacting us if you know of any funding we might be eligible for, promoting
this fundraising drive in your paper or on your blog, website or radio show,
organizing your own save the bookstore fundraisers or just passing the hat
at your holiday parties, giving a TWB donation as a gift, and of course,
coming in and bringing all your friends to the store for some holiday
shopping!

Thank you all for your support,
The Toronto Women's Bookstore Board, Staff & Volunteers

Url: http://www.deanshoultz.com

New Orleans, LA - December 15th 2009-Louisiana native Dean Shoultz grew up in the heart of Cajun country. As a 12 year old boy and his spanking new guitar from Sears he could not resist the sounds that guitar legend Eddie Van Halen was producing. As time passed Shoultz went through different band members as a leader then decided to take some guitar courses from Berklee College of Music. Ever the steadfast student, Shoultz would accelerate his playing to another level with each successive lesson and continued playing in bands that eventually led to the musical heights attained on his debut solo release All The Pretty Horses on indie label Prime Time Music.

Shoultz released an album with his brother as part of the King Creole band titled Spiritual Democracy and it was not long after that he started thinking about doing his own album. Armed and ready with a battery of Melancon guitars and Mesa Boogie amps, Shoultz partnered with producer Pershing Wells. With Shoultz supplying all of the guitars, most of the bass and lead vocals on two songs, All the Pretty Horses was set to become a reality.

The guitar playing is beyond excellent on All The Pretty Horses and the technical proficiency that Dean displays on the recording is exemplary. Dean will continue to record more in the future while supporting the recording through a series of live dates in that will take shape in early 2010.

inner monologue: no one will be loving you long time if you keep talking writing to yourself.

bitchy inner monologue responds: who gives two fucks. if you don't love the crazy, i don't have time for you. I'm that kind of girl.

inner M.I.A.: no glove, no love brown girl!

original inner monologue: what the hell are you talking about? what does this have to do with safe sex?

Sonia Pelletier, Geneviève Bergeron, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay