Feminism isn’t a concise topic. It’s diverse and nuanced and connects a plentitude of voices across disparate communities. From October 15-21, 2018, the Vancouver Writers Fest will host some of literature’s most insightful feminist thinkers to speak to the many facets of the movement, including these eight notable Festival authors who will address some of society’s most pressing issues in conversations and panel discussions.
Room with a View
This is an alarm clock of an episode because it will wake you up—especially if you've ever claimed to be an "Intersectional Feminist." Lutze Segu is a multi-issue social justice activist and practitioner of Black queer Feminism, who discussed the difference between presenting yourself as a feminist, and actually participating in social activism.
Posted by: Mica Lemiski
To ease some of our imminent growing pains, we are hoping to raise $10,000 through new and returning subscribers, merchandise sales, and donations by September 30, 2018 to help keep some of our new projects afloat and free or financially accessible to all, including the Growing Room literary festival, Indigenous Brilliance reading series, our new online response-poem series, Turtle Island Responds, and our two podcasts, Lit Mag Love and... more
Posted by: Chelene Knight and Meghan Bell
Welcome to Room magazine's coverage of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival! We will be posting reviews of shows all week, so check back regularly. The Fringe runs until September 16, 2018, and we encourage you to go check out a play (or maybe twenty).
Posted by: Natalie North and Nav Nagra
In this absurd and sensual episode, dear friend and performance artist Alexandra Bischoff joins Mica to chat about her former job at The Fantasy Factory (Canada's oldest sex shop franchise) and how it influenced her latest performance art pieces: "Peep Show Pop-Up" and "egg shells, egg shells." Ali also discusses her love of embroidering vintage porno mags, a practice that pays homage to two very traditional forms of female labour: embroidery... more
Posted by: Mica Lemiski
Today we're talking bodies. Friends of the podcast Jocelyn Tennant (a screenwriter and short fiction writer) and Megan Jones (a model and poet)join Mica in a conversation about how our experiences with fatness and thinness intersect. We also chat about body dysmorphia, binge eating, that preposterous new show "Insatiable," and how nice it would be to live in a world where "fat" doesn't mean "bad."
Posted by: Mica Lemiski
A selection of reviews from the 30th Vancouver Queer Film Festival (image from "Talk the Ting" by Shelby Zoe Coley).
Posted by: Meghan Bell
Mica blazes through the (literally) nuclear history of bikinis, what they have come to mean culturally, and why tiny bathing suits can be simultaneously liberating and oppressive. Mica also delves into her personal history with bathing suits and church camp, her hatred of the bikini-and-high-heels combination, CGI asses on Instagram, and what a vain little product of the patriarchy she used to be.
Posted by: Mica Lemiski
Mallory Tater's debut novel, The Birth Yard, has just been contracted by HarperCollins and she's here to answer the question of HOW DO YOU DO THAT? She's also here to remind us that just because The Handmaid's Tale was a big deal, doesn't mean that feminist dystopia (and other genres related to #MeToo) have "had their moment." Also included: why you shouldn't listen to publishers who tell you to "put your novel in a drawer" because ahem THEY... more
Posted by: Mica Lemiski
While the erasure of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour’s (BIPOC) lives on Turtle Island continues, there is an increasing need for literary work that interrupts this process. One genre doing this type of work is speculative fiction. BIPOC spec fiction not only centres BIPOC characters but boldly places them within alternative realities and futures, subverting the dominant narrative and inventing new ways for BIPOC folks to face down... more
Posted by: Fiona Raye Clarke
For better or for worse, it's wedding season! This love fest features Dina Del Bucchia, a writer, rom com expert, and self-identified small town bitch. Dina chats with Mica about how romance is represented on screen (and all the problems with that), how romance is represented in real life (and all the problems with that) and why marriage just isn't for her. Also included: jokes about penises, why "whimsy" is such a misunderstood concept, and... more
Posted by: Mica Lemiski
Help make Room even better by filling our our anonymous readers survey before September 30, 2018. At the end, you can provide your email (not linked to survey answers) for a chance to win one of ten prizes, including book bundles, subscriptions, and more! We appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback, and your ongoing support of our work.
Posted by: Meghan Bell
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Room 43.2, Devour
Edited by Jessica JohnsIn this issue:
Manahil Bandukwala, Dessa Bayrock, Megan Beadle, Brandi Bird, lue boileau, Rachel Burlock, Justina Chong, Mollie Cronin, Marilyn Dumont, Edzi'u, Ashleigh Giffen, katia hernandez velasco, erica hiroko, Jessica Johns, Shaelyn Johnston, Yume Kitasei, Mica Lemiski, Jessie Loyer, Annick MacAskill, Callista Markotich, Sonali Menezes, Kai Minosh Pyle, Natasha Ramoutar, Carmina Ravanera, Rohsni Riar, Jessica Rose, Rowan Siah, Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch, Kelly S. Thompson, Arielle Twist, Phoebe Wang, Yu-Sen Zhou
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