Why Ew? And Other Notes on THE CLITORIS

"Yes, there is an on-line 'literary' magazine called (wait for it) 'Cliterature'. #fortheloveofgodkillme :( Ew!"

"Why ew?"

"I find the name distasteful."

"Why did you call our magazine "literary" with quotation marks? Does your distaste of the name question our quality?"

"Look, I didn't even tweet it to you, and in light of what happened today, what does it matter. Everyone has a right to their opinion." [Editor's Note: This conversation happened to occur on the day of the Boston Marathon bombing.]

"Just trying to learn more about your opinion, that's all."

"Sigh. It's just that 'clit' has been used in such a demeaning way. That's what bothered me, and from reading more about your magazine, it doesn't sound like it's pornographic at all."

"Thanks for sharing more. We do appreciate it."

Two months later, this Twitter conversation is still on my mind, for many reasons.
1. Clitoris is the scientific, medical term for a part of women's anatomy. No one expresses disgust or accuses anyone of being distasteful when words like penis, scrotum, or testicles.
2. Because of the name, and therefore the subject of Cliterature, someone passed judgement on the quality of a literary magazine without bothering to check out the website first. Once that did happen, it was admitted that it didn't "sound like pornography at all."

For the record, the clitoris contains over 8,000 nerve fibers (twice found on the head of a penis) and is the only body part (male or female) purely intended for pleasure. As Eve Ensler pointed out, "Who needs a handgun when you have a semi-automatic?"

So where, among the natural pleasure and power of the clitoris, does this "ew" belong? I am left to conclude: nowhere.

It was because of this conversation that I decided the theme of Cliterature's 29th volume would be THE CLITORIS. Let us reclaim the word and the body part and expunge the "ew" from the discourse.

WOMEN AND GIRLS -- And Why It Matters

Few things get under my skin quite as deeply as language does. As a writer, it is always my mission to cut right to the heart of a matter with as few words as possible. Semantics get dismissed these days, but I've always believed that language betrays the true nature of a culture. Which is why when I see an adult woman being referred to as a "girl,"it bugs the crap out of me. Women are mature, capable adults able to make their own decisions. Girls are children, put simply, and to attribute this label to grown adults is insulting.

Think I'm making too much of a word choice? If an adult male is referred to as "boy," he is quick to make the correction to "I'm a man." Adult females do not hasten to make the distinction. It's worth pointing out that adult black men were referred to as "boys" in some U.S. states until well into adulthood and maturity; the connotation was that a black man will never be as mature or capable as a white man.

I find it telling that HBO's hit series, "Girls," find their biggest demographic draw among the middle-aged male audience. These twenty-somethings are flailing to find themselves in a post-recession world -- but so what? Why not tell a story of twenty-something women who are thriving in the same world? Lena Dunham may be the voice of a generation ... but not mine, sister. Some women of our generation work two or three jobs in order to pay bills, become independent from parents, and fulfill their dreams.

And maybe that's the point. Women are a threat because they get shit done. Girls are not a threat because they are immature children.

Let us explore the women and girls of the world in Cliterature's summer 2013 edition, WOMEN & GIRLS. To learn how to send in your submission, check out our website.

Notes on VIOLENCE, Or, The Hardest Blog Post I've Ever Written

As the editor of Cliterature, it is my responsibility to choose each theme for new issues as a way to focus the conversation surrounding women's sexuality. Some themes take me months, even years, to articulate in my own mind. Others come to me in a moment's notice. The latter was how VIOLENCE, our spring 2013 issue, was conceived. I could not help but notice the increase in statistics of violence against women. I also could not avoid the reports of the now infamous Delhi gang rape and the ensuing protests.

Sometimes when you are in an abusive situation, survival instincts kick in. There's the fight or flight response, but there's also the body's tendency to freeze. This freezing can have unintended and awful consequences; the proverbial deer in headlights is not unwilling but unable to move out of the way of the speeding car. At least, that was how I felt when my ex-boyfriend was abusing me.

It took me a long, long time to recognize and acknowledge the abuse. Our relationship had been marked by a series of breakups and reunions, and our last breakup came on a day in May when something deep inside me rose up and screamed "NO." And if not for one small thing, we might have been reunited once more and started the cycle all over again. That small thing is something most people take great pains to avoid: jury duty.

I was called. I went to the justice center. I was picked for a trial. And it was a domestic abuse case. Sitting in the jury box and listening to the testimony, I became increasingly uncomfortable with how closely these two strangers relationship mirrored my own. And in the end, I realized that we (the defendant, the victim, me, my ex) were all on the same path; my ex and I were just a mile or two behind these strangers.

VIOLENCE is much more than the slap of skin and muscle upon another's body. It is the malevolent, malicious, and intentional disruption of someone's emotional, mental, and psychological well-being. These can all escalate into physical abuse, and I consider myself incredibly lucky that our relationship never went to that level while it lasted. But it doesn't change the fear I felt when he would intentionally scare me (only so he could pull me close and comfort me) or the shame I felt as the man in my life put me down, degraded me, controlled me, and eroded my self-worth.

Healing only begins after we bring the hurt into the light. Let us explore VIOLENCE and women's sexuality in the light so that our wounds may begin to close.

A True Story from the Editing Room

I was reviewing the latest batch of submissions to Cliterature in preparation of the fall issue, NAMING. One in particular has stayed with me several days later and not for a good reason. Before finishing the second page of a short story, I had found three spelling errors that Spellcheck would even have caught. After the third, I sighed, closed the window, and marked rejection in my notes.

If a writer does not do me the courtesy of reading over his or her own work for simple spelling errors before sending it to me for publishing consideration, I withdraw the courtesy of reading the same work.

Some will understand this. Other will call me a bitch. Just make sure to Spellcheck the letter of complaint.

Notes on NAMING and It's Importance

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.

ANATOMY is Done

The latest issue of Cliterature went live last night and for the first time it is also available in a professionally published format. ANATOMY is the summer issue of 2012, and in a few weeks it will have been six years since I started Cliterature. Never imagined it would last this long, nor could I even imagine how many amazing and wonderful people it has brought into my life.

Check out this photo. Each pin is a person that has been published in Cliterature, but it's incomplete in that there are a number of contributors who have not disclosed their locations.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Crossroads

Made an executive decision today to leave behind some of my smaller scribblings in favor of focusing on You Know Me, Etc. and expanding Cliterature.

Chapter Nine and MYTHS Done

I'm exhausted but also relieved that within the last two weeks I've managed to finish Chapter Nine of You Know Me, Etc and also produce the MYTHS issue of Cliterature (and on time, to boot). MYTHS is a significant issue for me because it marks the four-year point for publishing Cliterature. Things have changed dramatically in my life and the rest of America's lives in that time. For one thing, social media has gone from a self-indulgence to a necessity for many of us.

I really don't think Cliterature would have taken off on the international scale that it has if it wasn't for two things: Cliterature is an exclusively online journal, meaning the distribution isn't limited by print runs or geography, and I've been able to promote it across several social media channels that reach a far wider audience than I could have done with more traditional forms of marketing. It makes me happy to see so many people from such different places and walks of life enjoying and submitting to Cliterature, many of whom struggle to see their work published in more mainstream publications. Over the course of the past four years, whenever I am able to publish someone for their first time, I feel a special pride that I am able, in my own small way, to get their voice into the public realm.

Random and Probably Not Necessary

If you submitted to Cliterature's CLASS issue, you should check your inbox. I emailed all the notifications out this morning.

And on a completely unrelated note, here's some fun stuff I found last week:

• "Demoralized Detroit aims to resurrect a ruin"
• Superstitions
• Maps of War
• Visuwords: Online Graphic Dictionary
  

Sunday Morning

First off, I must say that my favorite part of Obama's State of the Union was where he launched into the lobbyists staying the fuck away from politics -- and the whole room went quiet.

Do you use music when you write? I don't mean listening to music while you write. I mean specifically crafting soundtracks to use when writing certain projects? I do. Started when I utilized the soundtrack to Requiem for a Dream for She Bears a King. And for my current project, You Know Me, Etc., I've spent the last few years building a playlist tailored to characters and also Chicago itself.

Need to get going on my piece for CLASS, the upcoming issue of Cliterature. Can't decide between two completely different ideas, but must commit and race with one in time for the deadline.

Blogging Rehab

I find myself in a self-induced paradox whereby I intend and really want to blog about my writing and my work with Cliterature, but I'm too busy writing and working on Cliterature to get around to the blogging. From now on, I'm taking blogging like alcoholics take rehab -- one day at at time.

Update on You Know Me, Etc: finished with chapter six, trying to dive into number seven. Up to 150 pages now, but not even halfway through the story. In too deep to jump out now, but the end is far from in sight. If I was Harry Potter, I would have just been selected to participate in the Wizard's Cup.

Speaking of which, I want t re-read the Harry Potter series. Some of them I haven't read in years. Same with Lord of the Rings. Instead, I'm currently stuck on an 800 page biography of Alexander Hamilton. Most of it is boring and dry, but there are certain similarities between us that keeep me from putting it down.

Nerd Alert!

First of all, technology is amazing. When I started Cliterature three years ago, I had no idea how long it would last, or if there would even be enough interest for a second or third issue. As the word spread, I've tried to add things to it to make it more fun and interesting for readers. After Cliterature went solely online in 2008, it took me a while to figure out how much more I could do with an online journal that a print version can't. Archives are available starting with the very first issue, so that anyone can read not only the current issue, but any contributor from any previous issue. With RULES, there's a new option for people to e-mail feedback about the individual works and have it posted up alongside the work itself. Facebook has been incredibly helpful in connecting with people who like Cliterature, whether they are submitting, contributing or just fans of the journal. 

What I'm getting to is something I only learned about recently but am already very exited about. Have you heard about Google Analytics? It gives you an HTML code which you paste into each page of a website, and then in 24-48 hours you can start looking at reports about visitors, content, traffic, etc. Two of my favorite reports are which pages are looked at most frequently, and a map that shows you where people are visiting Cliterature from. I knew it was being read all over the United States and maybe in Canada. Imagine my surprise when I saw visitors from Ireland, South Korea, Italy, Algeria, Germany, and South Africa! Not to mention the most visits from a single city came from London! I can't wait to see what other information this service produces. It's just amazing. 

New Cliterature Issue ~ RULES

The summer volume of Cliterature went live last night. RULES is huge! Sixteen contributors, and the manuscript is almost 50 pages. Makes me glad I made the decision to make it just online, because printing it could have bankrupted me. But I can do it as big as I want on the Internet, just have to put in a bit of extra work. 

I contributed a piece of my own, "How to Survive a Zombie Holocaust, and Other Things I Learned in My Twenties."

Chapter Four and a Font

Finished writing Chapter Four of You Know Me, Etc. last week. This summer marks the third year I've put into this novel. Much longer than anything I've ever attempted before. I had a working draft of my first novel in under a year. And there's still so much further to go, a total of fifteen chapters. It took me so long to prepare and research and lay out the plot. Now I'm aiming to be done with a first draft by spring of 2011, and that seems so long away. 

Today I chose a font for the new Cliterature logo: Berlin Sans FB Demi. I put in two hours deciding on it. I hope it's worth it.

Tee Hee!

Cliterature received 69 poetry, prose, criticism, and artwork submissions for the summer issue, RULES. Can't help but take that as a promising sign!

THE HOUSEWIFE

Tonight I published the 11th issue of Cliterature, THE HOUSEWIFE. It was a special pleasure because one it marks the first time one of the contributors, Michelle Valentonis, has published. One of my favorite parts of editing and publishing an on-line journal is introducing new writers to the community by publishing first-timers.

Can't blame a girl for liking to pop someone else's publishing cherry.

Anyway, check out the new issue to see some pretty kickass new writing and artwork by myself and others who have thoughts and considerations about THE HOUSEWIFE.

(Check out this adorable magazine cover I found from 1912!)