Adventures in Menstruating

2010-06-13T22:12:00.002+01:00

Wordpress.

2009-11-18T02:21:00.004Z

So, we moved a while ago over to wordpress, but seem to still be ironing out how to get feeds etc. If you're still linking to this blog, please weigh in with comments over on our new one at

chartyourcycle.wordpress.com or www.chartyourcycle.co.uk

And you can also now friend us on facebook, which we update with gigs and new stuff.

Cheers!

Chella

We're in the news, and we've moved!

2009-10-02T01:39:00.002+01:00

Hello! If you're still following this page, head on over to www.chartyourcycle.co.uk where my blog and website have chosen to cohabit at the same address out of wedlock.

Also, check out some groovy coverage we just got in The Guardian.

New blog, now with wings!

2009-08-11T16:14:00.002+01:00

If, metaphorically, wings are additional pages and shiny things and stuff. I'm moving the blog over to wordpress, and combining it with our old website, thanks to the tireless efforts of my cousin Rick, who understands such things.

It's still in the works, but all the old posts are there, and will soon be joined by some new ones, so please reset your um... feeds? links? apps? to:

www.chartyourcycle.co.uk

Thank you! (And thanks to blogger for starting me off with shiny buttons I understood!)

-Chella

Berlin continues!

2009-07-21T23:20:00.002+01:00

We had a great weekend at Ladyfest, where we met loads of amazing people and heard some awesome bands. (More details to follow!) We're co-organizing another event with Lady Gaby (who contributed to Adventures in Menstruating #4) tomorrow night - details are below - please forward and repost to anyone you know in Berlin! :) I had the great pleasure of meeting Brittany Shoot yesterday, and I'm really psyched that there will actually be four contributors reading at the same event!

Cheers,
Cx

Vintage Women – Reclaiming Time!
Wednesday 22 July 2009
14:00 until late
20:00 Doors open for evening performances
Lady Gaby presents @
Wonderbar Wienerstr 45. Berlin XBERG
Entry: Suggested donation 2 euro

Daytime Workshops:
Adventures in Menstruating on 50s adverts – deconstructing the media and creating your own spoof ads; Gender stereotypes – subverting oppression through comedy exploration of representation.

24 Hour Zine Thing – Create your own zine response with ad collages and captions using materials provided or vintage ads/images/text you bring. The completed zine will be available to trade or buy on the night as part of July’s International Zine Month!

Coffee, cakes, brownies, cookies and treats at 1950s prices!
Swap shop: bring vintage clothing and accessories to trade and share! Fabric pens available for quick modifications – bring your own sewing supplies/ribbon if you’ve got some!

Knitters and crocheters welcome!

DJing by Mary from The Baby Cheeses

Evening - Doors open 8 pm – Comedy sketches, poetry and spoken word from Lady Gaby, Adventures in Menstruating’s Chella Quint and Sarah Thomasin, Brittany Shoot and more!
Live Music from The Hairy Marys!
Retro set by DJ Girl Detective

Ladyfest Berlin!

2009-07-16T18:25:00.002+01:00

Annual rather than monthly but just as predictably unpredictable and well-loved - Ladyfest Berlin is back under it's newish guise LaD.I.Y.fest Berlin.

Schedule and all other details are here.

Hit us up by email or on the facebook if we should look out for you - we'll be there from Saturday!

Chella

Skids Pads, Viral Ads...and AWESOME comments sections.

2009-07-06T18:34:00.009+01:00

I have a minor addiction to the Guardian G2 Shortcuts section and quick crossword. Yes, they're available online, but as a zine writer, I need it in print form. Today's dose included Kira Cochrane's account of a viral ad campaign about masculine hygiene products by, um, one of my competitors. It's getting a bit freaky how closely feminine hygiene product advertising seems to be echoing our comedy sketches lately. Have we tapped into the zeitgeist? Or are their marketing departments just very thorough? If it's the latter, "Hi there, marketing department researchers. Thanks for stopping by. I think." (Waves nervously.)

I did these ads for the launch of issue 3 of Adventures in Menstruating, and they've been around ever since at our live comedy shows, which feature various riffs on 'pads for men' ads.

You may enjoy my own contribution to the viral internet canon, which, like the other Skids stuff, went live in August 2007. Thanks to Cakebread Illustrations for offering to make the website after seeing our show in Berlin. Stay tuned for further additions.

In the meantime, please enjoy the fantastically hilarious comments on today's G2 article. Now Mooncup really know how to do viral.

Time flies. Issue 4 is due another reprint, and we're back in Berlin on 18 July.

-Chella

Meanwhile, back in menstrual superhero land...

2009-06-15T00:36:00.003+01:00

One word:

Vajewellery.

You heard it here first.

-Chella

Thanks to Brittany Shoot for the link.

Come see us!

2009-06-07T23:18:00.002+01:00

Hey! So...we're gonna be at the Bradford Zine Fayre on our first anniversary, which is the 21st of June. We reckon since it's our paper anniversary, that's pretty cool! We'll be tabling, doing a workshop, and reading. Join us if you can.

Big thanks to Joel for inviting us, and for giving a shout out to Ye Olde English.

Chella

The Great Red Spot of Jupiter, huh?

2009-06-05T00:07:00.006+01:00

My writing buddy, Rich, sent me this link today - it's a doodle done on paint (it appears), in a seemingly hurried and off-the-cuff sort of way. It's surprisingly accurate, though. (More accurate than Sarah's vague paint rendition of US geography, which is hilarioius and she has allowed me to disclose this here.) I'm disturbed by the Langoliers*, but their presence makes sense.

I LOVE the real photocheck of Jupiter because I'm a complete astronomy geek. The way Buzzfeed (which I've never looked at before but seems like an excellent procrastination tool to add to my inexaustible supply) works seems to involve an elaborate system of tagging - I count mostly LOLs but only one CUTE, with quite a few WTFs and, sadly, too many EWs (and one TRASHY, which seems a bit of a stretch, to me...).

Anyone want to do a definitive work on this with a Venn diagram and everything?

Chella

*The 'chompers' look remarkably similar to the Steven King bad guys from the film version of the book. They eat leftovers, so I suppose it's fair enough, but that film scared the crap out of me.

PS. Edited to add that we're both really curious about the artist! We'd like to give credit we're credit is due and neither Rich nor I could find the source. :) So yeah, answers on a postcard, please.

Berlin!

2009-06-04T02:52:00.002+01:00

We're going to Berlin! 17 - 27 July! We'll be there for Ladyfest and will probably do some more readings and stuff there the following week. Stay tuned. (And get in touch if you will be in Berlin and want to collaborate.)

Chella

I'm taking it as a compliment.

2009-06-03T00:35:00.001+01:00

"You were the funnest person I've met in a toilet for ages."

I was recently chatting to that girl I met in the toliet a couple of months ago, and this was her parting comment.

That's good, right?

Chella

Zine-tastic.

2009-06-01T01:13:00.004+01:00

The London Zine Symposium was fantastic. Met great people, saw some beautiful work, and loved loved loved reading with a cadre of funny and intelligent fellow zinesters. I'd tour with those guys. It rocked!

At the moment I'm working on Robyn's Egg: A child's Introduction to Menstruation (which I think I've mentioned before), and two companion children's books, which is taking some honing of my rusty illustration skills. The other two books are 'Rocket to the Moon' (tampons as improvised toys and craft supplies) and 'How Does Your Friend Make You Feel' (a colouring and activity book based on menstrual euphemisms that I think might also make a good creative writing/comic workshop - stay tuned).

I'm also in the middle of developing my guide to sanitary disposal units: The SDU and YOU: Public Inconveniences. Stay tuned for the results of interviews with industry insiders!

We're looking at summer plans and should have a couple of events lined up soon.

Chella

London Zine Symposium this Sunday!

2009-04-27T00:15:00.002+01:00

We'll be there doing some live readings from Adventures in Menstruating #4. Details can be found at the website, and there's also a facebook group.

The London Zine Symposium is a lot of fun - there are always groovy people to hang out with, sexy vegan snacks to eat (in 2007 there was vegan 'cheese' cake that I will never forget) and beautiful handmade and/or self-published zines and books to browse, trade for or buy.

Throughout the day there will be readings and workshops.

12-6, The Rag Factory, London.

Chella

I Love New York

2009-04-17T14:40:00.030+01:00

Last week I was lucky enough to be in New York having a whale of a time over Passover and Easter. At the start of the week, I arrived at my parents' house in NJ to find two awesome parcels waiting for me from Niku and Sage containing copies of Niku's collage zine I'd contributed to and my cycle girl on badges made by Sage. As I was getting ready for the readings later in the week, I found out it was Joanne Morton of the FCW network's birthday on the day of the reading, which gave me the idea to do the reading as a kind of an Adventures in Menstruating #4 launch party with goody bags, which I had great fun putting together with my best friend Matt the night before. They were little red paper bags tied with ribbon and contained a red ball and jacks, two red lollipops, and a badge among other bits and pieces and flyers. He also made a t-shirt for me with iron-on letters that spelled out 'Menarche Now!' - the slogan from Sarah's story in Adventures in Menstruating #2. Toys in Babeland donated a gift set including a reusable shopping bag (which gives the bearer 10% off every future purchase), vibrator, lube, and (most importantly) batteries, and my brother got me some classy chocolate-covered matzah. It was super cool having an all-male send off for my comedy menstrual gig, actually. And thus, a party was born.

My friend James read a really sweet intro and then helped me raffle off the t-shirt and the Toys in Babeland bag to raise some money for Bluestockings, and the menstrual comedy fans were really generous. It was a great atmosphere at the reading - a really warm and enthusiastic crowd, and (since I was only there for a few days) served as a welcome and a farewell for my flying visit. I was really psyched that Microcosm's Sparky got to NYC in time to attend because we'd never had the chance to meet in person before and she's really friendly! Huge props to long-time supporter Jenna from Radical Reference and the Barnard Zine Library who's attended the Bluestockings readings a few times now, and all the staff working that night for joining in and making me feel so at home.

Later that night (after a karaoke, pineapple juice and rum-themed send-off) at The Living Theatre I read some more on my own and also with a fellow baseball-loving, Doctor Who geek college pal. It seemed like a great small venue - I'd recommend it and will most likely head back there again to see other work. I met awesome people at both readings, including another woman who had a women's health-super-hero-alter-ego, some radical teachers, and wicked cool readers who were already familiar with the zines and well-versed in the menstrual hi jinks.

The next morning I finished the triptych with a visit to the anarchist bookfair where I donated zines to the Sex Workers Outreach Project and traded some more for some vegan chocolate peanut butter cups and screenprinted speculum stencil patches. I also got chatting with lovely people visiting from Wooden Shoe Books in Philly, who were the first shop to ever carry my zine, and picked up some info from Books Through Bars, ABC No Rio, and Teaching for Change (got a book of radical lesson plans).

Zines I picked up (awesomely, all trades, actually):

For the Mobile Menstrual Zine Library:
Where Have all the Placentas Gone?

Herbal Abortion: A Woman’s DIY Guide

What Your Momma (or your doctor or your teacher or anybody) Never Told You About Your Period

Girl Fuck - An Introduction to Girl on Girl Lovin'

I also got Dave Roche's newest zine, About My Disappearance 2, because he's awesome and I miss him but I hear he's having a whale of a time in Australia right now so I can't complain.

More details to follow on those zines as I read them.

This update was written while listening to old skool Rutgers zinester Rebecca’s set at The Core FM.

The new issue and all back issues are currently in stock at Bluestockings and Microcosm, and will soon be available at Erin's new distro.

I'll leave you with the Bluestockings bathroom - a joy to behold with a bathroom book, artwork, lots of space, an awesome minimalist bucket sink (you'll have to visit to see that part - it's inspired) and, if you're that way inclined, a hand-rolled cigarette lovingly left in the toilet-roll basket. Crazy.

I'll post more when the ridiculously long-winded jet lag of doom wears off.

Chella

Adventures in Menstru-reading

2009-04-10T15:53:00.003+01:00

See what I did there?

I'm reading tonight at Bluestockings Bookstore, NYC, at 7 pm with the new issue of the zine. It's all gone a bit launch party styley and there'll be treats and goodybags with vouchers and raffle prizes.

Later tonight (at 10:40, to be exact) I'm reading at the Anarchist Bookfair's Arts Night at The Living Theatre. Somehow I'm on the poster as simply 'menstruation'. Not Adventures in Menstruating, not Chart Your Cycle, not Chella Quint... I am amazed and impressed that the event coordinators and poster designers consider the simple act or concept of garden variety menstruation itself enough of a draw to give it billing.

Hope to see you tonight!

Chella

Who knew Trey Parker and Matt Stone had their collective finger on THIS pulse?

2009-04-08T02:23:00.006+01:00

This is a quote from our website:

Why is menstruation funny?

Um...for the same reasons a lot of other stuff is funny.

It's a taboo subject - the shock of it all always gets a giggle right away and, immature or not, the gross-out factor is still fun. It's the new fart joke. You wait and see.

And then I watched the most recent episode of South Park, which was awesome.

Here's a you tube link to the song at the end of the episode, since UK readers can't stream it, thanks to an irritating contract issue. I think, as usual, they've pretty much nailed it.

Chella

Prop THIS.

2009-04-04T20:25:00.003+01:00

Adventures in Menstruating #4 will be available from next week and I've decided to dedicate it to the people who legalized gay marriage in Iowa. Come on, federal government, keep up.

Bluestockings gets its period

2009-04-04T20:00:00.002+01:00

Our favourite bookstore had better break out the Diva cups for a week of menstrual mayhem with not one but two menses-themed events.

First up is Rachel Kauder Nalebuff reading from her collection of menarchic anecdotes, My Little Red Book, tonight. If you're in the area, go and check her out. Sadly, I'll still be in the UK, busy printing and packing issues of AIM #4 for my own trip to NY next week but I'll be there in spirit, Menarche Now! style.

To complete the menstrual cycle this Friday, I'll actually be at Bluestockings myself, with some comedy readings to launch Adventures in Menstruating #4. Join me for curious advertising and design trends, masculine hygiene products and more vintage ads. Both readings begin at 7 pm and are free, although donations to the awesome Bluestockings team are always welcome.

Two menstrual readings in one week? Mad props to the Bluestockings gang: That's more than most bookstores manage in a lifetime.

Chella

Meta Meta Meta

2009-04-03T03:03:00.005+01:00

I think it's silly how pleased I am, but feel free to weigh in on this one yourselves -

Die Wunderbare Welt Des Wissens seems to be a blog of musings, events and things that caught the blogger's eye. It's certainly a Wonderful World of something, but I don't think my unintentional contribution showed particular wisdom...maybe just cheekiness.

I take a lot of pictures of the excellent Berlin graf every summer, and post them around on facebook and google photo and stuff...but it turns out I've now come full circle.

Thanks to my friend John who took a rubbish little doodle of mine and Illustrator-ed it into oblivion. It's such a shame we won't get to use it agan, so I'm really glad it lives in sticker form, in Berlin, where we spent part of our lovely honeymoon.

It's a shame one person felt the need to comment with, simply, 'Urgs.'

But it's nice to see that a different commenter has written a reply that's pretty right on in any language: "What's your problem? It's only natural." (Thank you, Sarah, for your fast and loose tranlations.)

not!menstrual

2009-04-02T18:23:00.004+01:00

Anyone know who designed it? It's amazing where you can allow yourself to see tampons while you're editing the next issue of your menstrual comedy zine.

Correction, I guess...It's amazing where I can allow myself to see tampons while I'm editing the next issue of my menstrual comedy zine.

I just finished the cover and it's in for printing.

We've got an interesting new sponsor, as well - whole back cover ad!

Hehehe...kidding.

Sort of.

By anyway, that's where I've been the past couple of days I should have been posting.

Chella

Synchronized!

2009-03-27T22:09:00.009Z

I met a woman in the toilet.

I know what you're thinking.

But you're wrong.

What happened was...

...ok I know what you're now thinking....

and you're still wrong. (Thank you, Laura, other woman I just met in the pub.)

Shit.

Seriously, I'm out at the pub with some friends and we're all having a laugh over my ineptitude at keeping quiet about menstruation.

I just can't help myself. It's like a disorder.

What happened was, I met a girl who asked to share my table, but the seat was taken. Then I happened to go to the toilet at the same time as she did, three times. It went: awkward looks in mirror as we were both surprised to see each other again, embarrassed apology on our second meeting for denying her a table, and finally, friendship. She saw me again and said, 'Wow! We've synchronized!'

Readers of Adventures in Menstruating #3 may remember my concerns about what to say about menstrual synchronization. It's a whole other ballpark when it's toilet synchronization. We're now friends, I think. She works for an organization that gives kids free bikes. One day soon, I'll explain to her about the zine, and why I nearly exploded with laughter in her face at 'Wow! We've synchronized!'

Last weekend I was in the public toilet at the newly refurbished theatre in town, and got into a very long and loud conversation with some cool old ladies about the width of the cubicles finally meeting their approval.

"I wrote in," said one. "The old toilets were too narrow for my mature backside! I'm glad they finally listened," she beamed.

Mature backside one, Historically cramped public inconveniences - zero.

I'm going to have to find a swift and sensible way to explain why I tend to loiter in public toilets and strike up conversations though.

Chella

Newphemisms.

2009-03-25T23:35:00.007Z

So, in our quest for ever stupider content, Sarah and I have been doing some fart-joke style menstrual riffing. Proper lowest common denominator stuff. That's your disclaimer.

I mentioned to Sarah that I wanted to come up with some new menstrual euphemisms - just for fun - no stigma attatched but more for vocabularic variety. There are fabulous metaphors for masturbation, defecation and all the other -ations that come out of your body, but menstrual metaphors all seem very negative and 1950s to us.

Her suggestion: When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along - I laughed and laughed. Then we looked up the song and realised it was sung by Doris Day (we love Doris Day), mentioned throbbing, and was about feeling positive. Why not specifically period positive, we say.

Usage:

Sarah: Hey, Chella, my Red Red Robin just came Bob Bob Bobbin' along. Have you got a tampon?

Chella: What a coincidence. My 99 Red Balloons have just gone by and and I've still got a pad in my bag.

(Only the English version of that song works, by the way, and could have some straw-grasping interpretations about male panic about menstruation rather than an impending invasion.)

In more sensible news, Sarah's poem was posted on Feminist Review today. For her efforts, she's won a quite cool looking book. Another winner, Erika Mikkalo, wrote a poem that reminded me of the Radio 4 programme I mentioned the other week about feminists being funny: Call Yourself A Feminist.

Do send us newphemisms.

Chella

My Aunt Flo would be proud.

2009-03-24T22:46:00.006Z

I'm starting a new category of posts: things that sound like menstrual euphemisms, could be menstrual euphemisms, but aren't menstrual euphemisms...yet.

Yep - things that are not menstrual but could be - nay should be.

First up: Flora The Red Menace.

This was a 60s musical starring Liza Minelli. It's about communism, predictably, and, more surprisingly, fashion design.

But to misquote HBO's favorite 80s rerun, Clue, communism's just a red herring these days. I doubt this play will have revivals as successful as its sibling creations, Cabaret and Chicago. That's why I suggest that we give it its own special revival.

Now, I'm obviously not condoning euphemism for period-shame-related cover ups, but I have no problem with nicknaming my period. (Party Weirdo's Cara gave her period a stage name, after all.)

I nickname all my friends. Most of them don't mind. Imagine this exchange:

Nicknamed Friend of Chella (who doesn't mind): Hey Chella, what's up?

Chella: I'm totally chilling with Flora the Red Menace today, man!

Yeah...that works for me.

Send in your not-menstrual-but-should-be suggestions.

Chella

Actually, I AM having a happy period, thank you very much...

2009-03-20T22:41:00.004Z

Well, I am. The Always campaign has been lambasted in a McSweeney's open letter blog post and the subsequent round of email fwds on the mom and third degree of separation friend circuit, but I actually am having a happy period.

By this I mean that my period is flowing nicely, no hiccups (I mean that figuratively, but now I'm beginning to wonder how a literal menstrual hiccup would manifest itself...), no leaks, the cramps provided a reliable rhythm throughout the day like a small and temperamental Volkswagon Beetle, and I was in a good mood.

I was teaching a drama class today, and a girl got 'that' panicked look on her face and asked to speak to me away from the other kids. She said, 'Miss, can I go to the toilet? I think I've just come on.' Without batting an eye, and particularly cheerfully (because I was actually having a happy period), I replied, 'Oh, yeah, no problem. I just came on today as well. Do you need a pad? And don't worry about saying it in private - we don't need to talk about periods like they're a dirty secret - because they're not.' She was really cool about it and when she walked back into the room she didn't do the 'slinking back from running to the toilet' walk - she held her head high.

So, yeah, despite major difficulties with the ebb and flow that many women often have, there are some people who generally don't suffer too much, and could be persuaded that periods are kinda fun, and even funny. So...the Always campaign agrees with me - on the surface. This didn't sit too well with me, so I looked at their website and tried to work out what they were getting at.

The e-cards (did they read Adventures in Menstruating #3?) give the game away - apparently, having a happy period means excusing away sexist, stereotypical behaviours (eating chocolate, shopping, and acting bitchy) in a spectacular body image/capitalist/alpha female triple whammy.

This is a campaign that initially appears to be pro-menstrual normalisation and celebration but could do a lot of harm either way you look at it:

Some women think it's cute and positive, and use the website and the e-cards and it's a barrel of monkeys. Many of these women then go on to buy the product they've developed an affinity for and get sucked further into the disposable pad market.
Other women become uproariously irritated, rail against the notion that periods are in any way a ray of sunshine, and back this up with a litany of all the things that are shit about periods. They boycott the pads but propogate the notion that women are victims who suffer from periods and unwittingly support other women to seek out the allegedly panacea-like pads.

So it seems the tagline itself is the only redeemable notion.

Except...

The problem with saying 'Have a Happy Period' is that when Always says it, it's about as sincere as when any other multi-national corporation says anything. Their next question may as well be, 'Do you want wings with that?'

We have plenty of nice days, but we, as a people, don't like to be told to have a nice day. Always could be promoting the notion that for some people, periods don't need to be a negative experience EVERY month, but instead they are taking ownership of the good times we have with our periods.

It's my birthday tomorrow, so I'm anticipating that the happy period times will continue.

The video ads are mesmerising though, and I quite like the graphic design version of the improv game of props going on with the pads as shoes and boats and things, but Red Dwarf did it first and best.

Still curious about the hiccups.

Chella

Wrapped in plain brown paper?

2009-03-19T00:30:00.006Z

Readers of my zine will know I always judge a feminine hygiene product by its cover - packaging is an instant indicator of the taboo-breaky-ness (that's the technical term) of the pad or tampon company in question.

So I like the way Jeff Krichmar designed these:I like that the name is a riff on both 'time of the month' and 'rhythm'.

I like that the waxing of the moon and graded darkening of the boxes correspond to both the passage of time and (from what I can infer) the heaviness of your flow each day.

I like the colour not being pastel pink, the imagery not being abstract.

I like menstruation being linked to scientific fact, not misogynistic fantasy.

I really like the chart motif.

And what I like even more is that the writer of What Made Me Look said this about it when she posted a link to it on her blog:

"I wish there would be a tasteful packaging like this that you are not embarrassed to carry around in your handbag."

Awesome that the embarrassment factor comes from bad design.

Further thanks to Tina at swissmiss for indirectly making me look at what made me look.

Chella

A small oversight.

2009-03-17T23:06:00.004Z

I'm a total stooge - I saved a draft of this post as long ago as the 24th of September but forgot to hit the publish button. No wonder I couldn't link to it in response to a comment I received. For the uninitiated, it also goes a long way to explaining yesterday's post. Thanks for the nudge, Riot Kitty.

Chella

This update brought to you by The SDU and YOU.

2009-03-16T22:11:00.007Z

York SDU #1: My friend John (who is awesome and designed the Honeymoon Period logo based on little other than a wobbly drawing I had emailed him) took us to a shopping centre outside York and then on to York proper last weekend and we spotted a good, a bad, and ...instead of an ugly, I actually think this one almost qualifies as cute. But this is mainly because of my disorder where I see cute faces in everything. But come on - don't those chrome hinges cry out to be eyes staring lovingly up at you, the overflow valve and bowl presenting an alien as adorable as Doctor Who's Adipose babies?

While ridiculous and unnecessary, this SDU is less offensive than normal. It has room to chill on the diagonal, a long trap door, curvy edges and a chunky foot pedal. Without incurring the wrath of certain corporations, I'm suggesting it could be called an iSDU. Just don't hit shuffle.

York SDU #2:

This is a classic problem - the short trap door plus a lax cleaning rota. Last year's York centre SDU nirvana may have been a one-off. This was taken in the other public toilet built and maintained for shoppers and tourists in York city centre, and it let me down.

My accidental SDU tourism has taught me two things though -

York has the most stylish units in the UK, evidenced by twice-seen rakishly angled design choices - the debonair dandies of the public convenience world.
It would be wise for none of us to accept old-lady free toilet hook ups in the future. Visitors and Citizens of York: Pay the 20 pence charge from now on to avoid crimes against SDU-manity.

Oh yeah - there were replica Viking ships in the mall.

Chella

Licentious? Nah...

2009-03-12T00:33:00.006Z

No joke - in the UK you have to have a tv license to pay for public television. When I first moved here, I was amazed to learn that if you had a television, you had to get a license for it, for about £130 a year. If you don't have a license for your television, you can be fined. Well geez, I used to panic about this. Up until a few months ago, I actually thought people would demand to see the license if they knocked on your door, and I'd have to prove I had one by having it at the ready, like they were my identification papers during the war. So I used to keep this very official bit of paper under the tv in safe place so I'd have it to hand when that knock came. There was a VERY convincing television ad that gave me this impression several years ago, I swear. But it turns out they have the info on a database and you don't actually need to show anyone a bit of paper. If they see that you're not paid up, and you've got a satellite dish or cable wire going into the brick, or an antenna on the roof, someone from the tv license people may knock on your door and demand you pay for a tv license, but that's it. No terrifying knock, no frantic scrabbling around for passports...

But despite this odd practice, the BBC are good people. A couple of weeks ago, a programme called QI jumped into the top mainstream comedy slot at 9 pm on BBC 1 (the one occupied by Friends in the 90s, if that gives you an idea). QI is a 'Quite Interesting' comedy panel game where if you guess the most obvious-seeming yet wrong answer, you lose loads of points and quite a lot of self-respect. Scores are regularly in the negative numbers at the end of each episode, and its facts are so esoteric and forgettable that my friends and I can even watch this in reruns and feel clever and stupid by turns. It's hosted by one of my favourite gay, Jewish panel game hosts, Stephen Fry (the other one is Simon Amstell).

QI used to be on BBC2, which covers the 'clever and quirky' demographic quite nicely. When it was moved to BBC1 for its most recent season, I was worried it'd dumb down and go mainstream. How delighted I was last week in the Flora and Fauna episode when the very first question name-checked menstruation in a big way. The episode is still available on iplayer in the UK, and I seriously hope it arrives on BBC America and elsewhere soon enough. The question was about the significance of the camellia flower in a book called La Dame au Camellia (and in the film and opera based on it). All the guests, including this week's token woman, Jo Brand (who has never shied away from huge amounts of sexually themed and menstrual comedy in her stand up act) joined in with the discussion of wearing a white camellia flower 25 days a month and wearing a red camellia for the other 5. (Now THAT's regular!) Women were not the butt of the jokes! Menstruation wasn't considered disgusting! Best bit: Stephen Fry in role saying 'Sorry, I can't, I've got a period on,' and Jo Brand guffawing as she gently corrected him: 'Stephen, it's EITHER/OR! Either 'I've got my period' or 'I'm on!'' A good third of the show was devoted to menstrual comedy. It's quite sad that I'm so shocked and pleased by this, but wanted to log the praise where it's due. It also taught this menstrual maven a thing or two about the history behind Germany's arm of Kotex branding its pads Camellia. (Actually I wish the US arm (wing?) would depart from their 50s medicinal moniker and head the same way - it'd mean the To Bleed Or Not To Bleed sketch I do in our live show (it's about menstrual suppression) would be able to end with 'the fair Camellia' in both countries. "The fair Camellia! Pad, in thy soft layers/Be all my blood collect'd!")

I sat down to write about this all last night but got engrossed in a BBC Radio 4 programme called Am I Normal doing an entire episode deconstructing stereotypes around menopause (recommended reading from one of the interviewees was Mrs. Dalloway - so now that's two books, an opera and a film to add to my reading list), directly followed by Call Yourself a Feminist, which turned out to be the first of three documentaries tracking different waves of feminism. (Which one are we on now? Third, right? Do we all graduate to fourth at some point? I've been in third so long I'm starting to feel like I got left back.) I was fascinated by comments from an oldskool feminist called Sonia adamantly insisting that feminists weren't humourless, and that it was irresponsible of the media to only show the drier side of feminism. Right on, sister!

So yeah, the BBC is on message. They are ready to acknowledge that feminists can be funny, and comedians can talk menstruation. Perhaps I should send in a sitcom idea about women who work in a tampon factory. Actually, I think I will. You heard it here first, folks - it'll be called Up Yours (with its own comedy tampon packaging to get my design!brain going). Look for it at 9 pm on BBC1 in a couple of years...

Chella

Adventures in Menstruating: Bigger and Redder

2009-03-10T05:20:00.008Z

The stirrings of spring mean our hiatus is over and a new issue of Adventures in Menstruating is on the way at last – a ‘true confessions’ style bumper edition. Thank you to everyone who's waited patiently this year while we got gaymarried, worked on the Obama campaign and supported an ill friend.

The year hasn’t been totally devoid of things menstrual or zine, though –

We had an excellent review from Brittany Shoot at Feminist Review and she felt moved to write a piece for our next issue. Brittany's writing is fantastic and we're really pleased to have made friends with this radical woman. Chella will be contributing to Brittany’s upcoming zine about expats - stay tuned for an article called 'Adventures in Emigrating’ and more details about that zine later this month.

We did a mini tour called 'Honeymoon Period' which included a comedy sketch performance, menstrual craft workshop and poetry reading at Ladyfest Berlin and concluded with Malav's gallant hospitality once again at Bluestockings in NYC.

Sarah won a poetry competition at this year’s Off the Shelf Festival – one of the poems she read, ‘A Celebration of Menstruation’ (which you may have read in the zine or seen on tour) united the crowd and the judges, and a trophy cup has joined her mooncup on the bathroom shelf.

An extract from AiM #3 was included in Zine Yearbook 9 put out by Microcosm. Details available here.

Chella is getting involved with Red Chidgey and Elke Zobl's fantastic book - working title: DIY Activism! Dispatches from the Transnational Feminist Zine Movement - and is keen to promote their website.

And finally, Chella's recently (like literally just today, actually) been asked to contribute work to a book coming out next year by Christine Bobel tentatively called New Blood: Third Wave Feminism and the Politics of Menstruation from Rutgers University Press. More details on that as they come in.

So that’s been the zine highlights of the year for us – we’re excited to be back, uh… bigger and redder?

All the best from
Chella and Sarah

PS Chella will be in New York from the 6^th – 12^th April – if you’ve got a hankering for putting something zine or menstrual together, get in touch.

Zinefest Today!

2009-01-24T11:42:00.004Z

Zinefest is on today at the Women's Library in London. We went to the last one and really enjoyed it - it's a great space. There was a really cool write-up of that one in the London edition Time Out. We're sorry to be missing this one, but finances are keeping us local.

Issue 4 of AiM is coming together, believe it or not. I have the cover and back cover ideas mapped out, about 70% of the content, and the covers have given me the theme for the new issue, which I may or may not reveal before it's done - I'll keep you posted.

The myspace page has been pretty active recently, although I'm not a fan of the myspace layout and actually find it almost too jarring to use it regurlarly (the page skins aren't a problem - it's the user area I find a bit 'sensory overload'), but I'm trying to because I've met some quite cool people on there through the Ladyfest network, so please keep the friend requests coming.

I'm still in my post-inauguration come-down. I may do some research on how the tone of US feminine hygiene product advertising changes with each new president - like, do tampons tap into the zeitgeist? Maybe not. Maybe I was just trying to shoehorn in a menstrual topic to an otherwise non-menstrual event just so I could still post it on this blog - although getting your first period in the White House might lead to a leakage horror story, actually. Maybe I'll approach the Obama kids for a contribution sometime during issues 6 - 10...

No longer pretending to be Canadian,

Chella

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T22:42:00.005Z

What a long strange hiatus it's been. Things are stirring in menstrual zine land, which I'll get posting on. In the meantime, please enjoy the following New Year's greeting photo and explanation courtesy of the H2G2 for our friends outside of Germany. :)

Here's a video link if you'd like to re-live New Year's Eve. One of these years we'll have to perform the lesbian zine girl version in Berlin! All the best for 2009.

Chella and Sarah

Election Fever, Literally

2008-11-08T20:34:00.003Z

So, to quote my friend (and Official Adventures in Menstruating Bluestockings Gig Groupie, so some of you may know him) James, a lot of us had the best Guy Fawkes Day ever because of this guy. Our collective buzz was harshed the next day when all the votes were confirmed in California to be supporting Prop 8. Please don't hate on California as a whole, tempting as that is, or you'll be forcing all the hip and liberal Californians to pretend they're from Oregon, just like we Americans abroad always had to say we're Canadian...until Wednesday. But yeah, it was amazing to hear Our Barry say 'gay' on national television and use it as a normal adjective, so let's hope there's more good news to come.

If you're not suffering the credit crunch too badly and are in the area, you might like to attend Ladyfest Manchester this weekend. We'd been planning to but have been stymied by the flu, so just a quick heads up to people who were expecting us that we will be taking a lot of vitamin C and waiting for next time, unfortunately.

I've been kicking around an idea for a while to do a blog about our wedding, tracking it in retrospect so there's a bit of distance to reflect on it and really share what we did and why and how and what it meant. It was difficult to find the time to do it as we were planning, and I didn't want to just throw another blog out there if I didn't need to...but I'm feeling more like even if people choose not to use any of my ideas for their own weddings, at least another lesbian wedding is out there in the public domain, just kind of...being visible. What do you think?

In the meantime, bed and the US remake of Life On Mars for us, I think. Night!

Too early to call.

2008-11-04T22:25:00.004Z

While I'm up, waiting for the election results (I voted by post, which fed my mail-art fetish as an extra bonus), here's some other non-election related stuff.

In news closer to home, Sarah's just told me that the Mooncup got a mention on Women's Hour today in the thrift section. (You may also want to check out the piece on sexism and homophobia in the workplace, which I haven't listened to yet but will check out tomorrow.)

Also, props to M L Madison and Brittany Shoot for their Feminist Review co-editorships!

More later.

Chella

The motif continues.

2008-10-31T11:59:00.000Z

Happy Halloween!

I went as Ms. Scarlet from Clue* to our Cluedo**-themed Halloween dinner and cocktail party. It was fun dressing up as characters from a different Tim Curry film for a change, actually.

Just a quick note to say that Zine Yearbook 9 has just come out and it includes 2 pages from Adventures in Menstruating, as well as lots of other good stuff. It's kinda like the Doctor Who Annual and it's pretty rockin'.

I was lucky enough to get a free copy as a contributer, and it's at my mom's house as we speak. She's loving it and sent a couple of pictures.

I can't wait to read it myself. Hooray for parcels in the post!

In the meantime, I haven't forgotten about Adventures in Menstruating #4, which is long overdue. We've had some big distractions over the last couple of months, but are getting back into the swing of things now, so I'll keep everyone updated if we get time to do any live stuff before the end of the year.

Until then, careful now with the candy corn.

Chella

* Clue is called Cluedo in the UK.
** Cluedo is called Clue in the USA.

I take mind maps literally.

2008-09-24T00:02:00.018+01:00

On one of the translucent, subject specific, topological maps layered horizontally in my brain, there is a Public Toilet Map. This is handy for obvious reasons, but sadly my mental map has become marred due to an altogether avoidable quirk I've picked up in recent years:

I photograph toilets.

This means that some of the little mental map icons have related images attached to ratings now. Sheffield train station: AVOID. Copenhagen airport: Import a 'number 1' with reckless abandon - these toilets are lovely.

The reasons for the ratings range from practicality to aesthetics - space for a sanitary disposal unit (SDU), space for your ass, inherent design flaws in the SDU and related mess of the cubicle...width has a lot to do with it. In fact, the whole thing started when I was doing action research for my comedy performance lecture on public sanitary disposal, The SDU and YOU.

After this past weekend, sadly, my tiny bladder is no longer overjoyed with Marks and Spencer's second story standby in the centre of town - you have to be Narrow McNarrowstein to feel the facilities are, in fact, facilitating anything like the relief you're after. The height is also a concern, unless you need a handy armrest. I can't get that comfy in a public toilet though, no matter how much good reading matter I have in my tote. It's confusingly huge and could be a bidet, or a baby changing table or something. Maybe a drinks cabinet. Amazingly, the cubicle photographed above is not the narrowest in town, in that you can actually see space between the SDU and the bowl, so I'll not complain any more about this photo.

But, to quote Kermit the Frog in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, let's view the problem from another angle:

The toilet paper dispenser is in my 'dance space', as it were. Come on, M&S, I have just about managed to learn to replace the empty toilet roll in my bathroom at home with a new one as soon as the old one gets used up (Does this make me a grown up? Or would a real grown up be mature enough not to ask?), how come you can't get your ducks in a row? Next refit, let's go for wider cubicles (or hey, even actual cubes maybe) and a more minimalist design all round.

Coincidentally, I added this rating to my toilet topology on the same day the Guardian G2 ran an article about women and the design of public spaces. I was psyched to discover that there is a women's design service, and that they actually have produced a definitive work about toilet cubicle design. I was just as unsurprised to read measurements and statistics evidencing male-centric urban design. Read the article at the link above, and check outthe WDS website Gendersite for articles and case studies on women and public inconveniences.

And as usual, check back here for updates to my own personal (if ad hoc) case study.

Chella

P.S. Some of the other maps in my head include: Subway Stops, Cafes that have Soy Milk, Copy Shops and Branches of Muji.

Back in Town

2008-09-05T18:49:00.004+01:00

Had a great summer, came home to see the BBC coverage of RepubliCon (it sits better with my zeitgeist if I fool myself they're comic book collectors or sci fi fans). Found this awesome vid courtesy of an FCW mailing.

Cheers to those who came to the readings and we'll update more thoroughly soon!

In the meantime, I'm gonna go register absentee.

NYC - Bluestockings reading tonight!

2008-08-22T07:11:00.003+01:00

So we're doing a reading at 7 pm at a great venue on the lower east side where we've read twice before and been made to feel really welcome. Directions/info available here.

We've practically been in a different state for every day of our visit - four in one day on Tuesday...hoping to see some familiar faces at the show!

Oh yeah - check out the menopause episode of That 70s Show - it rocks.

Chella

dumplings

2008-08-10T17:33:00.003+01:00

We're on the road in about 20 minutes, which is just enough time to say a quick thank you to our awesome hosts at la-diy-fest Berlin and to the other performers for sharing their stuff with us. More later!

(Edited to add that the title is dumplings in honour of the dumpling cafe just north of neukoln in Berlin. Their all-day, all-you-can-eat brunch was an amazing way to spend Sunday, and although I only managed four dumplings, they were awesome. Sarah read some poetry, I coveted the 1950s chairs and coffee tables, and it was awesome. I'll post a link when I get hold of it, because, seriously, guys, dumplings.)

Show time.

2008-07-31T00:01:00.004+01:00

This is what it's supposed to look like. Although, you know, you tell me - do you prefer the one font or the two? I like the bewitched-esque font for the newlywed-ness, but the century gothic has been the zine cover default for a while now, although London Between is the inside default.

Anyway, logo aside, the gigs are as follows:

Friday 8th August, 7:30 pm
Studiobuhne, Kreuzberg, Berlin

Friday 22nd August, 7 pm
Bluestockings Bookstore,
Lower East Side, NYC

If we have time for more, I'll fill you in, but you've got two continents to choose from so far.

Chella

Zinecore Radio

2008-07-27T01:53:00.004+01:00

So I have always had the opinion that if you do three or more of something, you're in it for the long haul, probably ever since tenth grade geometry when I started plotting points with feeling. Hannah Neurotica is getting ready to do her fifth episode of her radio show and wants some readers and listeners. Check it out.

Speaking of three of something...the new issue of AiM isn't ready just yet- it's the live show we're fixin' to do, that flyer below. For some reason it's uploaded in blue, but it's actually meant to be red and black! I'll speak to my adobe-wrangling friend John about vectors when he gets back from Canterbury, but in the meantime, enjoy the purdy colours.

Chella

...and we're back.

2008-07-24T00:16:00.005+01:00

Feminist Tested, Feminist Review Approved

2008-06-06T04:17:00.004+01:00

So, Feminist Review has done a piece on the zines, and it's pretty darn glowing. I'm incredibly flattered and just wanted to say thanks. Their website is a pretty handy-dandy resource and I'm adding it to my links over there on the right.

Thanks to Brittany Shoot, who does half of HollaBackBoston among other nifty things, for the props.

I'm kinda speechless, which is very out of character for me. I'll just point out the awesome patchwork of covers someone over there put together to go with the article.

Cheers,
Chella

Leitmotif.

2008-05-31T01:56:00.007+01:00

Evidently, we are demolishing and redecorating. Earlier today, we went into town to escape the plaster dust and meet our friend Jemima from Firesuite and her new (and adorable and generally well-behaved-except where coffee chains are involved) dog (she peed on Cafe Rouge's alfresco area, which was kinda funny and no one got hurt).

On the way back, I saw a lonely maxipad on the pavement between a bus stop and a building.

I spent an amused few minutes on a mini stake-out (ok, I pretended to be waiting for a bus at the bus stop - but it was totally a stake-out) and saw that no one passing by acknowledged it or appeared to notice it or react to it, but somehow no one stepped on it. It was spooky. Like a ghost pad that no one sees but everyone can feel its presence, like a little shiver of social stigma up the spine. Only one guy of about 20 passersby actually visibly took an extra big step around it, but that was it. Even the guys holding heavy boxes of computer equipment they could barely see over missed it. So that's a 5% acknowledgement quotient by my count, with a 1% margin of error allowing for human spatial awareness on the city streets which helps us navigate by some kind of jedi mind trick anyway.

At the same bus stop, this charming piece of eye pollution was also on display.

Let me break it down:

First of all, it's a patronising South Yorkshire transit ad operating under the misapprehension that it gives a shit about affordable and convenient public transport, so, you know, totally fair game.

Secondly, the 'artiste' cleverly (or serendipitously) uses the 'together' tag line to urge us into collective action. So far so adbusty. But the message derails here, I feel, in that the writer goes on to urge the gentle reader (in words and universal symbols) to defecate. Not on the bus, not about the decline of affordable and convenient public transport, just, ya know, kind of in general, it would appear. There is an acknowledgement that this would be a taboo act, in that we should 'miss behave', so it's not a complete non sequitur. The public installation concludes with a recent addition to the English slang canon which onomatopoeically namechecks the sound machine guns make when they are shot off into the air in celebration. I absolutely hate that this word has fallen into common use, particularly among school-age boys, and I challenge it every time I hear it as normalising gun violence and casual gun use.

Thirdly, I feel there are mixed messages I must reconcile and address the following contradictions to our mystery author: we should misbehave and defecate publicly, but not be so vulgar as to call it anything other than a 'poo'; we should use preschool terms instead of anything so crude and fricative as 'crap' or 'shit', but the extremely violent and plosive 'brap' sound effect simulating a machine gun salute is fair game; the handwriting, terminology and bathroom-wall-humour aspect point to a probably young probably male-identified writer, but he urges us to 'miss' behave (is the message only for women or is it an unfortunate spelling error?); and we're discussing poo, but the pen is red - don't you feel you've missed a trick here?

And finally, also to the artiste, if you have a permanent marker in your hand and you're on a city street, do something beautiful or at least spell correctly.

Sorry, end of rant.

When we got in later this evening and trudged our veggie gyoza-ed asses up to bed, the first thing Sarah said as we walked upstairs toward the partially de-wallpapered corridor was, "Oh, it looks like a bloodstain on underwear."

Hiatus-shmiatus.

-Chella

Hélène Cixous quote

2008-05-26T00:38:00.004+01:00

And why don't you write? Write! Writing is for you, you are for you; your body is yours, take it. I know why you haven't written. (And why I didn't write before the age of 27.) Because writing is at once too high, too great for you, it's reserved for the great - that is, for great "men"; and it's "silly". Besides, you've writtena little, but in secret. And it wasn't good, because it was secret, and because you punished yourself for writing, because you didn't go all thw way; or because you wrote, irresistibly, as when we would masturbate in secret, not to go further, but to attenuate the tension of it, just to take the edge off. And then as soon as we come, we go and make ourselves feel guilty - so as to be forgiven; to forget, to bury it until next time.

Write, let no one hold you back, let nothing stop you: not man; not the imbecilic capitalist machinery, in which the publishing houses are the crafty, obsequious relayers of imperatives handed down by an economy that works against us and off our backs; not yourself. Smug-faced readers, managing editors, and big bosses don't like the true texts of women - female-sexed texts. That kind scares them.

-Hélène Cixous summer, 1976

Sarah just read me this from some research for a paper she's writing and I was like...yeah.

-Chella

Dum dum de dum...

2008-05-09T20:54:00.002+01:00

So...we thought we'd manage to make it to Ladyfest London at least as spectators, but if we're gonna make honest women of each other next month, we've gotta get down to business here with the insane amounts of planning going on.

Charlotte in Sheffield said that Annie Sprinkle in New York said that lesbian!weddings were shockingly traditional, even when deconstructed and undermined at every radical feminist angle. Or something like that. I'm paraphrasing. And I think it was Annie Sprinkle...

In any case, we're on hiatus til the end of July, and then hoping to head to the US until the end of August. We're finally planning to get to the west coast, so if you're gonna be there, give us a bell. I'm hoping to get Adventures #4 out by then...should I be putting that in writing at this stage? I'm reminded of what Douglas Adams said about deadlines.

Cork was great - can't say that enough. Hope Ladyfest London is just as awesome - I can vouch that the film programme will be, and Saturday night's band lineup is pretty inspired - get down there if you can, if you haven't already, and to our pals that are working it for the festival - you know who you are - hope you're having a wicked time and that it all goes according to plan.

Ladyfests have become a bit of an addiction for us, I think - there are holes in my mental map for the ones we haven't been to now. I've just done a tiny comic for Il Pleut des Gouines #10 all about that - and that was the last official activity on our radar for about six weeks.

I'm still on the email, and we're still 'at home' to visitors, and we totally need to do coffee with the Cartwheels, and I'll probably blog a bit more instead.

Have a good one.

Chella

From MAN to ORK

2008-04-27T05:01:00.000+01:00

And to think we were nearly turned away and diverted to Shannon because of the fog. We've been here since 10 pm Friday night and it's been awesome. Off to bed now, to dream of trance cello, amazing bands, and late night jam sessions with instruments provided by toys r us. Thanks and well done Ladyfest Cork! Full update after we return and recover from three all-nighters in a row.

Chella

Cork: city of dreams and menstrual comedy.

2008-04-24T23:00:00.004+01:00

Should you happen to be in Cork, Ireland this weekend, here are our Ladyfest gig and workshop details:

Funny Period - random comedy bits from us: Friday at midnight at Cyprus Avenue above the Old Oak on Caroline St. Queen Kong are on just after us, and I promise not to be the catalyst for an international incident involving ski pants again. (Sorry, Dave.)

Saturday we are doing 2 workshops in the Lee Room of the Victoria hotel:
1 - 3 pm is Bloody Brilliant - menstrual musings, comedy and activities
5:30 - 7:30 is the impro(v) comedy workshop - we wanted to call it Whose Cunt is it Anyway? but it's just listed as an impro(v) workshop.

If I can swing it, I'm hoping to screen my short film, The Fuck You Story, sometime Saturday evening.

And Saturday night, also at the Cyprus, we're following Party Weirdo who are on at 9 pm. We're doing 9:35 til 10:05 and it's gonna be our usual shtick plus some new bits and any impro we try out with some new impro peeps, we hope.

Then after that it's our Hag night! If you're in Cork, please join us!

If you're in Sheffield, I can recommend the Fem08 conference, afterparty hosted by Lola and the Cartwheels.

If you're in Stratford, please attend Shakespeare's birthday party for me.

If you're in London, be our proxies at the London Zine Symposium. This is my first time missing it and I'm gutted. Big up to Nat and Edd for organising this every year, and cheers to Eran for making all the previous ones tons of fun.

If you're anywhere else, I hope you, too, have a lovely weekend. In fact, I'd like to know what you get up to!

Chella

Digesting with a short attention span.

2008-04-20T22:56:00.003+01:00

I have become a matzoh ball.

Watch the pretty colours as we roll off to bed.

Happy Passover to those of a passoverly persuasion.

nearly on the road

2008-03-26T13:11:00.002Z

i'm just trying out writing from my phone. I'll be in new york for a week from this friday and may do a reading sunday afternoon. Pardon the lack of caps.

Writing lines...

2008-03-24T23:33:00.004Z

I will not adhere to a self-imposed media blackout.
I will not adhere to a self-imposed media blackout.
I will not adhere to a self-imposed media blackout.
I will not adhere to a self-imposed media blackout.
I will not adhere to a self-imposed media blackout.

You'd think I'd be good enough at multi-tasking to maintain a blog, check my myspace, return emails and lead a fairly ordinary life, right?

Luckily, I managed to remember various user names and passwords, looked at the old myspace, and discovered Party Weirdo were playing about 2 miles away from us tonight, about ten minutes before the doors opened. So we scarfed down spaghetti, got dressed, and dashed out of the house. We got there about five minutes before the first band, which was a hilarious guy who did covers using a music program on an old nintendo gameboy. It was one up from circuit bending and we were totally hooked. He'll be on our myspace soon.

The Weirdos rocked the house as usual, to a pretty hefty crowd, and Em did mad things with her pointy-fingered dancing. It was the first time we actually saw Chart Your Cycle the song, as we'd been backstage last time waiting for our cue. Hopefully they'll post some photos somewhere soon (I was stunt photographer). And I would have missed the whole thing if I'd kept avoiding the internet.

I'm in New York next week, I should mention, which is one of the perks of having not quit my day job. If you're around, give me a shout.

Chella

Ladyfesting...

2008-02-23T21:43:00.003Z

Just a heads up that we've been invited to perform and do a workshop at Ladyfest Cork at the end of April.

So...get your Cork on.

Hope to see ya there.

Chella

New Year's Resolution: Say it with tampons!

2008-01-24T22:55:00.001Z

Thanks to swissmiss for pointing out this inspired addition to the collective tampon art canon. This UnBeige logo was designed by Melanie Rodgers, and it's screaming out to become a font or text generator of some kind, no? I can think of a hundred uses.

In other news, I'll be posting some highlights from our recent New York trip in the coming days. Jet lag has hit hard this year.

And a couple of people will be pleased to note that I've finally routed out the obscure (to me) bit of blogger that wasn't set to display comments. You can now comment at will!

Happy belated 2008!

Chella

Merry Christmas

2007-12-26T04:58:00.001Z

Merry Christmas, to those who are that way inclined!

Last night, in my jet lagged stupor, I did a silly thing, and I feel I should give a brief chronology of how this silly thing came to pass. First of all, at the end of Chanukah I had another look at Tampon Crafts. They have some groovy Christmas crafts you should check out, as well as an extremely complex New Year's Eve disco ball. So I was already thinking about trying out one of crafts on there. Then I got an email forward from my mom which contained the following message and photo:

My dear friends and relatives……

Somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes.

* Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags.

I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself....

Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you.

(Thanks to whomever originally created this fwd and took the photo, by the way.)

And finally I really did actually intend to get my mom slippers as one of her Christmas presents. We have a big tradition of throwing a few cheesy gag gifts in with the real ones, particularly for my parents. So the inevitable happened, and I got to work using this stuff:

to make these:

After she had a good laugh, we gave her the real ones.

Happy holidays!

Chella

Oh yeah - for constant readers who are also observant, we do Chanukah and Christmas at my house.

Come to NYC for a reading!

2007-12-23T14:12:00.001Z

We're heading to New York tomorrow morning for a couple of weeks, and I've booked a reading from Adventures in Menstruating #3 at Bluestockings on January 2nd at 7 pm.

Please pass the message on to your NYC pals, or come along yourself - we'd love the support!
Here's some more info from the listing:

Menstrual Taboos are so 2007...

Bluestockings Zine Reading: Adventures in Menstruating #3 – Funny. Period.

Wednesday, 2 January, 2008. 7 pm. FREE.

Start the year with some menstrual mayhem as Chella Quint and Sarah Thomasin launch the third issue of this popular UK comedy zine. Readings will include comic poetry, product testing, and deconstructions of vintage feminine hygiene ads. As always, Adventures in Menstruating welcomes menstruators and non-menstruators alike.

Bluestockings is located at 172 Allen Street between Rivington and Stanton, one block south of Houston and 1st Avenue. (Trains F: 2nd Avenue, JMZ: Essex/Delancey Street.) For more information call Bluestockings on (212) 777-6028.

Drop us an email if you think you can make it, or come introduce yourself if you stop by.

Chella

Happy Chanukah from Adventures in Menstruating!

2007-12-08T22:47:00.000Z

No menorah?

No problem!

Tampon Crafts

For all your holiday tampon needs.

Seriously, this is a website devoted to arts and crafts made entirely of tampons and ordinary craft supplies like hot glue and poster paints. I wish I'd seen this last year when I had to make an emergency menorah out of play-doh and tin foil. This one has more panache, though, I feel, while retaining the quaint, childhood charm of those 'pull the tab of orange paper through to make the candles light' style ones from kindergarten.

There are crafts for several holidays on this website, so if you've got some tampons kicking around that you'll never use, check them out.

Heck, even if you never make 'em, they're pretty funny. That picture at the top is my menorah from last night, by the way. I found it in the attic.

Chella

Habit-forming...

2007-12-03T22:39:00.001Z

Ok so I can see now that I'm going to have to label the toilet posts cos there's gonna be a whole slew of them eventually. It's becoming compulsive.

Up till now, I never saw a UK sanitary disposal unit I didn't hate. This SDU is no better or worse than its peers, but it's the placement I find could not go without comment. Yes, in a public toilet in York, amidst crazed Christmas shoppers, I found SDU nirvana. Notice the butt and leg space around the SDU, which is placed at - dare I say it - a rakish angle. I never thought I'd see that.

Sanitary disposal units are a money-making, period shaming, hygiene-fear scam at best, and, in tiny cubicles designed by people who just don't think, most are a practical irritant as well. As you can see, though, the spacious cubicles in York are worth the 20 pence entry charge. (Although both times I used the public conveniences there, a different nice old lady clandestinely held the door open so I wouldn't have to pay. Thanks for the hook ups, old ladies of York!)

You'd think that for once, I wouldn't feel I had to photograph a toilet, but my lack of ire was so thoroughly replaced by self-righteous joy that I had to take a 'well done' picture and post it here, in case any public toilet designers see this blog and take note.

Ironically, this was the only un-crowded area of York last Saturday.

Chella

Something else Chella's parents can be proud of.

2007-11-06T19:22:00.000Z

The other night, we went to a groovy show to support some bands we've shared the bill with at various Ladyfests. We met the band Valerie at Ladyfest Leicester, and throughout the night, they kept introducing Chella to people as 'the one who photographs toilets'.

Yeah, it's true. Chella did a performance lecture called 'The SDU and YOU' at Ladyfest Leicester and a lot of the slides included photos that name and shame the badly designed sanitary disposal units in public toilets throughout the UK. (They're not so bad in other countries. We don't know why this is.)

For example, the one above is jammed in right next to the toilet seat, and the lid is actually OVER the seat. Now, if, like most women, you a) sit down to pee and b) have an ass bigger than your head, you will not be able to open the lid. You will also have it jammed up against your ass.

Anyway, all is explained in the live show. Just thought we'd share Chella's illustrious new title with ya.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T23:54:00.000Z

And watch out for those menstrual zombies.

Ladyfest Leicester Workshop.

2007-09-30T23:37:00.000+01:00

So here's the scoop on Ladyfest Leicester, from Amy, one of the awesome organisers:

Saturday 6th October
Basement Bar, The Looking Glass, 68-70 Braunstone Gate, Leicester, LE3 5LG

12.30pm - 3.15pm (with one 15 minute break in the middle, approx 2pm.): Zine workshop (as it's so long, people can bring in food if they want) - workshop leaders Alexis and Neely Bat
3.30pm - 4.30pm: DIY Menstrual Products - workshop leader Jenny
4.45pm - 5.30pm: Chart Your Cycle Roadshow! (those who want to stay on from the previous workshop can do, if they want...they will have to pay extra tho!) - workshop leaders Sarah and Chella

All workshops will be £1.50 - if anyone wants to do both of the last two, they'll pay £2.50....we're nice like that! Or obviously free to weekend/day ticket holders.

And then all the fabulous music, spoken word, etc. at Sumo, 54 Braunstone Gate Leicester Leicestershire LE3 5LG.

Sunday 7th October
Upstairs Bar, Firebug, Millstone Lane, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 5JN

12.30pm - 2pm: Comic Workshop - workshop leader Selina
2.15pm - 3.45pm: Stitch N' Bitch session - workshop leaders Karen and Jen
4pm - 5.30pm: TBC v. soon

Again, all workshops £1.50 each, weekend/day ticket holders free.

And then more fabulous music, spoken word, etc. at Sumo. Hurrah!

More details at: http://www.ladyfest-leicester.moonfruit.com

So as you can see, we'll be there Saturday with quite a bit of new stuff we've been working on and a few old favourites. Since it's more of a workshop format, the show will be a little more interactive. We'll also be bringing along the Mobile Menstrual Zine Library. Adventures in Menstruating #3 will be available as well, for purchase or trade.

We're really psyched to be sharing the bill with Jenny's pad workshop, and Alexis and Neely's zine-making workshop (which should be amazing, from all indications).

Hope to see ya there.

Adventures in Menstruating #3 Launch At Ladies Rock!

2007-08-16T18:20:00.000+01:00

Getcher zines here, folks. Adventures in Menstruating #3 is here with full colour covers, because I finally got my ass to the photocopy shop. The zines will be available all weekend for those who are attending Ladies Rock, with a reading at 1 pm Saturday, and will be on sale at the Windmill, Brixton this Sunday (doors open at 5 and it should be a kick-ass gig).

It's in a limited run but is available to UK distros - if this is you, get in touch!

Please forward to ladies in London.

More info at Ladies Rock.

Hope to see you there!

Chart Your Cycle-The Song...Release Party!

2007-06-28T22:50:00.000+01:00

Well. It was the best of times, it was etc.

Due to both slow passport processing and a demanding day job, I couldn't even think about getting to Dublin tonight, but loads of others did and I'm so psyched! The song written for us by Party Weirdo has been released by Stitchy Press and tonight was the launch.

Please support Party Weirdo and get your hands on a copy in 7 inch vinyl or cdr.

And stay tuned - we are going to make it over to Dublin next month and hope to pick up some to distribute with the zine.

So - well done and thanks to Party Weirdo for the props! Good on ya to Siobhan at Magical Girl and Willie and Natalia of Stitchy Press.

Nothing like reading zines on the train home.

2007-05-13T23:38:00.000+01:00

We're getting used to this funny old commute down to that London. Zinefest was awesome. We showed some new material to a bunch of decent people who gave us feedback we could use.

I got to have a brief look at the exhibition in the Women's Library, and had a chat to some of the staff there - they were totally welcoming and I had a good chat to them. I bought a Women's library pen. Ok, I acutally bought two because if I ever buy one thing like that, I never use it. I've only just started using some of the Lisa Frank stickers I had as a kid in the 80s. I'm a stationery freak.

Crazy star-crossed moment of the day: Nearly didn't get to meet Daria of Revenge of the Nerds Distro who'd come to London from Poland. Through the magic of a hastily scrawled postcard and messengers from the 56a Library's distro, we were able to finally chat in person.

Crazy star-struck moment of the day: A really nice guy came up to Sarah and said he'd seen us mentioned in Timeout.

Cheers to Naz who taught us bookbinding. Sarah's decided her next zine is going to be a limited edition hardback run of like...5.

I'm going to go back to watching Spaced and go to bed.

Cheers to Red for organising stuff, and all the Women's library staff for letting me use the copier.

Chella

Cheap(er) tickets to Menopause the Musical

2007-05-10T22:26:00.000+01:00

Hey, gang. Guess what I got in my email?

"I am so glad that you see it for what it is: a lighthearted look at the changes in life and not some Chekovian disaster evening! We have more fun for sure!!! We would be pleased to offer your readers what we call our Supergroup Rate. What it means is that an individual can call the Shaw Box Office (0870 033 2626), ask for the “Intranet Offer” and receive £10 off a single ticket (this is the group rate but offered on an individual basis). This rate will be valid for all shows through June 3. Additionally, students can purchase a ticket on the day for £19.75 with a student ID. All success to you!"
- Menopause the Musical's press officer

So if you want to see the show for yourself and form your own opinion, that's how you can do it for cheap(er). Don't get me wrong - that's a lot of money to spend all at once, and the show does have a few snags. But it's a kind offer and I'm happy to pass it on. I certainly enjoyed myself when I went. The Guardian sensibly edited out my admission of a moment of madness but I'll confess here - I actually joined the audience participation bit at the end of the show - complete with kick line and jazz hands.

Chella

Yesterday's News

2007-05-01T01:32:00.000+01:00

About two weeks ago I went to see Menopause the Musical. I liked it. From the reviews, you might think I was the only one laughing. But no. I wrote about it, and the Guardian blog published it.

Check it out by clicking the title of this post.

Chella

Holy Mackanoly! We're in the Independent!

2007-04-29T20:53:00.000+01:00

According to Luiza Sauma in Talk of the Town (the first page of the ABC section), "There's a zine for everything, it seems; from the traditional comics, radical politics and punk music, to self defence and menstruation. (Indeed, I spent a good 15 minutes flicking through the genuinely excellent Adventures in Menstruating.)"

I've corrected two typos in the quote above.

Maybe my future lies in editing.

If anyone could save us a cutting, I have some American fridge space my relatives will want to fill back in New York.

The article was about the London Zine Symposium, and it was awesome. We had the best vegan cheesecake in the world, spent some quality time with old friends from around the country, met some awesome new peeps from around the world, and traded serious zine.

The venue wasn't suitable for readings, which is a shame cos there were some people there who were also hoping to read and we wanted to hear their stuff! Next year, though.

Thanks to Edd, Natalie, Chris, Eran and everyone else who helped get it together!

How does it feel to be immortalised in song?

2007-04-20T22:15:00.000+01:00

Kinda like how Mulder and Scully would have felt, I reckon, if they hadn’t actually been fictional characters. Party Weirdo also performed at Ladyfest Berlin last summer. They played crazy good tunes – unpredictable, manic, and yet I enjoyed it…kinda like how I feel about menstruation.

So I contacted them about using one of their songs in a podcast I was planning. Cara, the guitarist in the band, said she’d do one better and write us a musical tribute. A few months later I got an email with the song link, and the day after that it was on the band’s myspace, which can be found here: http://www.myspace.com/partyweirdomusic.

Here are the lyrics:

CHART YOUR CYCLE
ADVENTURES WHEN YOU'RE MENSTRUATING
I FORGOT IT'S ONE OF A KIND
THE KIND I'LL FIND IS ALWAYS ON MY MIND

CHART YOUR CYCLE
MORE ADVENTURES MENSTRUATING
JEMILLA SHEMILLA
PROTECT YOUR WOMB, YOUR WALLS AND ALL INSIDE

CHART YOUR CYCLE
FEEL FREE TO DISCUSS AT ANY TIME
MENSTRUATING
LOVE IT HATE IT CRAMP IT ALL YOU WANT

The lyrics are one thing and the music is something else entirely – I really dig the sound and there’s loads of instrumental experimental grooviness. My favourite part is the end of the song, where you hear a little magical chime. Please listen to it if you can (if you’ve overcome your fear of the borg that is myspace), and show some love for this wicked band.

Oh yeah - I asked Cara who Jemilla Shemilla was.

She said it was her period’s stage name.

Awesome.