The latest edition of Cliterature is out as of Wednesday, and along with it came the announcement of the theme for the fall issue, NAMING. This was a fairly recent idea for a theme, but recent events inspired me to take it and run with it now.
I'm alluding to Lisa Brown, her comments on vagina, and the reaction of Republican men who were in the midst of a conversation about abortion. A Michigan native myself, let's say this news story has hit more than close to home. I was born in Detroit, and my family's ties to that city still run deep. I spent my college years in Kalamazoo, where I studied and performed in a campus production of The Vagina Monologues.
Eve Ensler, the brilliant mind behind the Monologues, has this to say about NAMING. "I believe in the power and mystery of naming things. Language has the
capacity to transform our cells, rearrange our learned patterns of
behavior, and redirect our thinking. I believe in naming what’s right in
front of us because that is often what is most invisible. . . Naming things, breaking through taboos and denial is the most dangerous,
terrifying, and crucial work. This has to happen in spite of political
climates or coercions, in spite of careers being won or lost, in spite
of the fear of being criticized, outcast, or disliked. I believe freedom
begins with naming things. Humanity is preserved by it."
With this in mind, let us explore NAMING what is right in front of us when it comes to women's sexuality in writing.
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