INTRODUCTIONS

[[deleted user]]

Ottilie wrote: "Hey I'm a graduate student, teacher on the job hunt, and a NA/YA writer :)"

Welcome Ottillie & Michelle! Great to have you two as part of the group!

[Ottilie]

Thanks for inviting us :)

[[deleted user]]

Bridget wrote: "Hello, everyone :). I'm Bridget and I love reading feminist works, both fiction and non, so I was really excited to find this group. I'm looking forward to jumping right in :)."

Welcome Bridget! By all means jump right on in!! Great to have ya here! Any questions just ask!

[Mimi V]

Hi, all. I joined a week or so ago, but haven't introduce myself. I was pleased to find this group and hope to read more feminist writing because of it. I'm old school -- revere Gloria Steinem, for instance. I'm sure there's a lot of new thought in feminism for me to discover.

I work at a university and have been overjoyed to see what great work young women are doing, but sad to find that they are affronted -- and even insulted -- when the word 'feminist' is used. Too many of them think that feminism doesn't have a place in society any more. Unfortunately, they'll find out soon enough that isn't true.

What just happened? Oh, I seem to have found myself on a soapbox. Sorry. Looking forward to the discussions.

[[deleted user]]

Naomi wrote: "Hi, all. I joined a week or so ago, but haven't introduce myself. I was pleased to find this group and hope to read more feminist writing because of it. I'm old school -- revere Gloria Steinem, ..."

Hello Naomi, great to meet you! Feel free to suggest reading material or ask for suggestions. Glance at our bookshelf too. Feel free to use this group as a "soapbox." Great to have you here, any questions - ask. Welcome! Thanks for taking the time to introduce yourself - greatly appreciated.

[[deleted user]]

I am not a feminist, I am a kick ass lesbian female writer, and everything I write impowers females. From activists, to female hit woman, to killers, my women never take a step back...By the way, we authors LOATH whoring our books. We dont promote, we dont write. We dont write, there are no books. There are no books, you dont read. You dont read, we end up serving the breakfast special at Dennys...Therefore Hello, Great group, I didn’t see an authors page, hope I am not breaking any rules…If I did, jettison me, no scolding, YES, I can be bad BIG SMILE, so WTF, I am Jane Brooke, a 22 year old lesbian British savage writer of LGBT/LESBIAN/HETERO all genders erotica and I have this year 8 new books from Amazon and of course with my PIC on my page. My work described to me by my readers is banal, URBAN, RAW, Ultra sexual, profane, beautiful and finally bullet in the head MY GENERATION-REAL. I do a yearly jaunt through the underground sex, scene and fetish clubs of Europe, and infuse my work with what I see, as a voyeur in these freedom loving people’s private lives. My work is not for the weak-of-heart, so SEAT BELT REQUIRED, and since I am done whoring myself, a girl uses what she has, BIG SMILE, WTF just dropped an ash from my cigarette into my tequila shot, smoke in my eyes, collateral damage of being a writer. Maybe DEATH AT THE SAPPHIC BALL is your taste, a stinning lesbian hit womans avenges the murder of lesbian women by wiping oit the men that killed them...ANyhoo, Death at the Sapphic BallThe Hit Woman's Assassination Handbook

[[deleted user]]

Jane wrote: "I am not a feminist, I am a kick ass lesbian female writer, and everything I write impowers females. From activists, to female hit woman, to killers, my women never take a step back...By the way, w..."

Welcome Jane! Thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself! Great to have you here. I appreciate the detailed intro :D. Keep writing and kicking ass GF!

[Luvelle]

Hi, thanks for the invite, Mal! I'm not new to discussion groups so I know what to do lol! And what not to do. I'm a feminist in a feminine way meaning I don't go around agressively with an agenda but my method is subtle - I prefer the goddess approach which is age old and tested, where men should almost worship women.
My new book Sweet Sorcerer, Book One of my Star Water series is up at Swoonreads.com - a new imprint of Macmillan. I aim to empower young women in this series, demonstrating through a love story the importance of healing our Earth. I'm an animal rights and environmental activist...and you can help if you please read my book at Swoonreads and rate it. The subject matter, dealing with sorcerers as part of science and nature, is controversial and I've not published it before offering it for free online at Swoonreads! Thanks.

[[deleted user]]

Luvelle wrote: "Hi, thanks for the invite, Mal! I'm not new to discussion groups so I know what to do lol! And what not to do. I'm a feminist in a feminine way meaning I don't go around agressively with an agenda ..."

Welcome Luvelle!

[amber]

Hello everyone!

[[deleted user]]

amber wrote: "Hello everyone!"

Welcome to the group Amber! Glad to you here. Any questions, ask.

[Anastasia]

Who am I, and why am I here?

YEAH. Haven't we all wondered that from time to time?

I am a SURVIVOR of childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and domestic violence within my marriage.

This is my inward journey of rebuilding self
and the recreation of a life
in which I became a ghost, and lost myself.

This is my season of healing
rediscovery of self
& creation of my own MIRACLE.

The genesis of self-empowerment,
a strong spiritual center,
and, borrowing from the Universe,
unconditional self love.

This is my VOICE.

I am
a Voodoo Mama/ phatty patch stitcher/ vegan cooker/ dandelion puff wisher/ tree hugger/ hippie feeder/ star gazer/ tipi dweller EXTRAORDINARE.

I live in a little brown mushroom in the middle of the forest in a wild Turnip patch. I sleep on a hammock of silken webs and drink the morning dew from fresh green leaves, as I listen to the voice of my Mother singing from the trees. She plucks the strings of her harp while I beat on my little drum. Together, we call down the thunder, and create the winds that carry my Gypsy Brothers and Sisters on safe and speedy travels.

[[deleted user]]

Anastasia wrote: "Who am I, and why am I here?

YEAH. Haven't we all wondered that from time to time?

I am a SURVIVOR of childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and domestic violence within my marriage.

Thi..."

HUGE welcome you strong beautiful woman Anastasia!!! Happy you are here and thrilled you shared so much about you!

Kudos to you and Amber for introducing yourselves

[Anastasia]

Thank you, I'm glad to be here. Feminist studies are for me like a balm, healing the injuries of self that were inflicted upon me in my past abusive relationship.

I'm looking forward to learning from the women here :)

[[deleted user]]

Anastasia wrote: "Thank you, I'm glad to be here. Feminist studies are for me like a balm, healing the injuries of self that were inflicted upon me in my past abusive relationship.

I'm looking forward to learning ..."

And we are looking to learn from YOU :D

[amber]

Thank you for the warm welcome Mal! :)

[Sarah]

hi. I'm Sarah. I'm new to goodreads and new to feminism ;) I've always been what one would consider a feminist but have only recently begun exploring the topic of feminism more in depth. Its become all the more important to ne now that I have 2 daughters to bring up to be confident, strong, and productive members of society.

[Taylor]

Welcome Sarah!!

[Chrislene]

Hi everyone! I'm Chrislene! I'm happy to see that Full Frontal Feminism is next month's book. I look forward to mind expanding discussions.

[Tarah]

I'm currently reading Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity. I'm almost complete - it's a tough book and I highlight on my Kindle a LOT in it. I will likely read it at least once more - it's dense with information.

I was always interested in feminism... and I'm significantly more interested in it now.

...()()
=(-,-)=
(")_(")
~TET~

[Louise]

Hey guys, I'm Louise, I'm 25 and I'm from Ireland. Funnily enough Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman�s Guide to Why Feminism Matters is the book that made me identify as a feminist when I was 19. Looking forward to getting to know people here :-)

[Taylor]

Welcome Chrislene, T and Louise! :))))

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf)]

Hi All.

I'm Gayle and have been following The F-Word for a while but didn't realise this group was on Goodreads. I read a lot and cover quite a wide range of subjects and I am looking forward to reading the books noted for January 2014. Looking forward to getting to know people.

[мα∂∂ιє ~ иєя∂ ρяιи¢єѕѕ ~]

Hi everyone,

I'm Maddie. I was really happy to see this group.

[мα∂∂ιє ~ иєя∂ ρяιи¢єѕѕ ~]

Hello fellow Minnesotan!

[Lynne]

There's a cranky little essay by Camille Paglia in Time Magazine, "It's a Man's World, and It Always Will Be." I would like to ask, in 2014, can we stop choosing up sides ("Boys are better! No, girls are better!") and accept that we all have our special gifts, talents and abilities, which may not be fully shared by both genders? Thank you. http://ideas.time.com/2013/12/16/its-...

[[deleted user]]

Hi I am Patrick..I hope I am allowed in this site that celebrates feminism, even though I am a man. I have been an ardent supporter of feminism and recognize females as being superior to men.

[Louise]

LOL you're kidding right? Feminism doesn't mean that women are better than men, it basically means that women are equal to men and should be treated as such :-)

[Taylor]

Welcome to all our new members! And yes, Patrick, men are welcome to be part of the group as well as many men do identify as feminist. Welcome aboard! Feminism strives for equality between the sexes, though, no gender is considered better than the other ;)

[[deleted user]]

Thanks for the warm welcome...equality is what is important, however, I believe strongly that "mankind" would be better and more peaceful if the world's leaders were female. :)

[Lynne]

Patrick wrote: "Hi I am Patrick..I hope I am allowed in this site that celebrates feminism, even though I am a man." Patrick, men are feminists too. It's about a belief. Men can believe, too. I've seen men become feminists upon the birth of their daughter. Welcome!

[[deleted user]]

Thanks so much, Lynne. :)

[Michael]

My name is Michael, and I got my big feminist wake-up call when I attended Oberlin College, which was the first U.S. college to admit women and is a big melting pot of challenging ideas and resisting oppression. I've been trying to read more feminist literature recently and this group looks like a perfect fit.

I consider myself "pro-feminist" because a few women feminists have argued that it may be presumptuous for a man to call himself a feminist without having the experience of being raised a woman to truly "get" feminism, and without having the ability to give up his male privilege. I find that argument incisive and fascinating and have accepted it as a default position while I do my own work to disentangle all the gunk I have picked up in my life and try to live in a more egalitarian way.

I was excited to find this group, and I noticed a lot of powerful contributions from reading this Introductions thread! I am honored to be in all of your company. Thanks to Mal and Stephanie for setting all of this up.

As for the Group Reads, I noticed The Bell Jar was listed as one of the books for January. I am interested in reading it and wondered if there would be a discussion set up for it?

See you all in the threads...

[Lynne]

Michael, you're not a "pro-feminist." You're a feminist. Which is smart, because feminism is good for both genders. Welcome and best wishes.

[Michael]

:) Thanks!

[Liander (The Towering Pile)]

While I won't generally argue with men calling themselves feminists (as long as they act the part!), I do agree that they should be careful with the term. No one can declare themselves allies to another oppressed group. To me, Michael's introduction made me trust him more than I would a guy who straight up called himself a feminist, because it shows that he actually listened to women and learned from them on the subject.

So, much appreciated, Michael! Welcome!

[Taylor]

Welcome Michael! What a lovely introduction.
We are reading the Bell Jar as our fiction selection for this month (And obsessive genius as the non-fiction) I will set up the discussion threads tomorrow - I just moved and haven't had my wireless set up yet. Using goodreads on my phone is a pain haha
Looking forward to having you involved with the group Michael :)

[Louise]

Great to have you here Michael, welcome! :-) And while I have nothing against men who call themselves feminists, serious respect to you for listening to other women and calling yourself pro-feminist.

[Michael]

Thanks for the additional warm welcomes, everyone! And the reminders to keep listening to what women are saying! These are exactly the types of discussions I love - they keep me thinking and learning.

Lianne, I appreciated how you broadened the reference to include all oppressed groups. That's one of the things I try to keep in mind.

Stephanie, moving sounds stressful - hope it's going well...

Looking forward to the discussions!

[Taylor]

Moving is the worst!!!! I have my internet back now, thank goodness, so it's more bearable hahaha

[Chantel]

Hi! My name is Chantel and I'm new to the goodreads community. I was really excited to see that there was an active feminist group! Looking forward to discuss the books and read them!

[Taylor]

Welcome Chantel!

[Angela]

Hi, my name is Angela. I am currently taling part in a feminism reading group and very interested in following discussions in this group.

[Alexa]

Hi Angela! What are you reading in your feminism reading group? (Just wondering how much overlap there is.)

[Brittany]

Hi guys! I'm Brittany, 20 years old, going to school for Psychology with a Women's Studies minor. I love reading and feminist issues so I'm glad I found this group! Hopefully in between classes I'll be able to keep up with what you're all reading. xoxo

[Taylor]

Welcome Brittany and Angela! And yes Angela please do share your reading list if you have one, I would love to check it out!

[[deleted user]]

Hi I am Dan and I am proud and happy to be here...equality for all!

[Mayme]

Hello, I'm Mayme. I'm a feminist, a scientist, and I've been known to read a book or two in my time. I also think it might be quite cool to discuss some of those books with like-minded individuals, or even engaging in progressive debates with people who hold an opposing view point from time to time.

I'm really keen on trying on some of the group reads and perhaps finding some magnificent feminist authors I may have not already known about.

stay golden, y'all (:

[Neha]

Hi, I am Neha. I have grown up as the only girl in a house full of brothers and outside home I have bonded great with boys as buddies too. But I never realised I am kind of feminist, till someone pointed out that I always support the women point of view when in a debate, ready to beat the boys black and blue if need be. Equality, voice, girl bonding, Feminism for me is much more and I am ready to explore with thsi group along with love for reading...

[Taylor]

Welcome Dan, Mayme and Neha!! Happy to have you here :)