In Other Words, Women's Books and Resources

FIRST FRIDAYS: BurlyRama Craft Night 7:00-8:30 pm
This month: May 2nd BurlyRama is a night full of glitter, hot glue,
and feathers galore. Each month Sahara Dunes, with Burly Girl
Productions, and guest instructors, will be leading a class in the
how-to's of DIY in burlesque. Everything from tasty and smell-good
powder and pasties to home décor will be covered.

May's craft will be round pasties with matching wrist cuffs.
Materials provided for this craft will be-lightweight cardboard, felt
material, ribbons, vinyl, flower appliqués, and Velcro. Tools that
will be available to use are-pencils/pens, scissors, rulers, tape
measures, needle/thread, straight pins, hot glue guns, and compasses
or other round tracing tools. Step by step directions will be given
on how to make your fabulous pasties and cuffs. A sliding scale
donation of $5-$10 will be accepted at the door. RSVP at
burlesquewithbrains@gmail.com or call 503-869-3565 no later then April
30th.


EVERY SATURDAY: Oregon's Only Meeting of Eating Disorders Anonymous 10:00 am
EDA is a 12-step group that provides support, compassion, and
understanding for individuals who have (or have had) one or more
eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder,
pathorexia, food addictions, and many others. Eating Disorders
Anonymous is NOT THE SAME as Overeaters Anonymous: OA is an
abstinence-based program, while EDA encourages balance in all areas of
life. EDA does not specifically endorse food plans; disordered eating
comes from disordered thinking, and food and weight management
techniques do nothing to solve our thinking problems. People in all
stages of recovery are welcome at this meeting, including those who
may not be sure if they have an eating disorder. For more information
on EDA, please visit eatingdisordersanonymous.org. For questions about
this meeting, please call Lily-Rygh at 503.421.4511.


EVERY SUNDAYS: Homorobics 11:00 am
Don't miss "Homorobics" led by Sarah Shapiro and Nicole J.
Georges--Physically strengthening our community in a feminist, queer,
& body friendly environment with an emphasis on enjoyment... not
weight loss! Homorobics caters to our peers and delivers
beginner-level fitness through jazzercise, aerobics, and Freedom
Sweatpants Dance. Please bring a towel and hand weights (or bricks) if
you've got 'em. Sliding—scale donation $2-4.


FIRST SUNDAYS: The Portland Feminism Discussion Group 6:30-8:00 pm
This Month: May 4th Feminism Discussion Group facilitated by Jen Moore
is held on the first Sunday of every month. This discussion group is
a free flowing, exchange of ideas on a topic which we pick each month.
Next month's topic is: race and gender in the democratic party bid for
president. We are a friendly group with new members joining all the
time. This meeting is open to only women. If you consider yourself
female identified, you are welcome.


FIRST, THIRD, & FOURTH MONDAYS: Español Sin Fronteras! 6:30 to 8:00 pm
This Month: May 5th, 19th, 26th Sin Fronteras is happy to present
Español Sin Fronteras! Our friend and comrade Santa will be teaching
lessons, and sharing knowledge at In Other Words Books three times a
month. The class is introductory and is horizontally organized around
input from participants. This class will teach in many fun ways, that
means (of course) some grammar, lyrics of songs, poetry, articles,
more conversation, history, interesting places, and tips for travelers
etc. Please bring a notebook and pen. Cost for participants is from $5
to $10 per person per class. For more information check out:
http://www.myspace.com/sinfronterasolin.


TUESDAY MORNINGS: Yoga as a Transformative Art & Way of Being 9:00-10:00 am
Come and enjoy the evolutionary and integral practice of Hatha, Kriya
and Intuitive Movement with Elaina Beam.
* Explore the foundations and simple graces of asana (postures).
* Experience the profound effects of pranayama (breath work).
* Merge with your inner world through dhyana (meditation).

All level classes offer tools for developing flexibility of both body
and mind, while building strength, self-acceptance and peace. Simply
bring willingness and your beautiful self! Shanti! Suggested donation:
$5—no one turned away!


MONTHLY MEETING: Code Pink Meeting 6:30 pm
This Month: May 6th


EVERY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON: BurlyRama Core 12:00 noon
This Month: May 7,th 14,th 21,st & 28th BurlyRama Core brings you a
great lunch-time low impact, high energy routine that is geared to
focus on your abs, upper and lower back, glutes, chest, and you have
to option to sweat as little or as much as you want. This 55-minute
class will guide you through simple burlesque moves, while using fun
props to help you work towards a healthier you. This class is not
intended for weight loss, as much as it is for overall health and
feeling sexy about you!

Please bring a hat, boa, scarf, and opera length gloves if you have
them. Some props will be provided, however we may not have enough to
go around. $5 donation, but no one will be turned away. Childcare
will be provided by In Other Words staff/volunteer member. Children
will remain in store during the class time. Please RSVP if you need
childcare! If there are any questions, please contact Sahara at
503-869-3565 or burlesquewithbrains@gmail.com.


SUPPORT GROUP: The National Vulvar Vestibulitis Organization
Facilitated Group 7:00 pm
This Month: May 7th The National Vulvar Vestibulitis Organization is a
501(c)3 committed to providing support and awareness for VVS. We
provide information about Vulvar Vestibulitis Syndrome and its
symptoms, treatments, and the stories of us women who survive and
thrive through this disorder. VVS is a pain condition that is
localized in the opening of the vagina. The National Institute of
Health estimates that 6 million women have this condition. Is sex
painful? Do you experience vaginal pain during everyday activities? If
you have intense itching, burning, and/or pain upon touch you may have
VVS.

Our main service is providing face-to-face support groups to help
women cope with VVS. It is a life-changing event that affects every
aspect of your life, and you shouldn't have to go through it alone.
The NVVO has created a caring, nurturing community of women who can
help guide you through the challenges of living with VVS. The
meetings are open to women only. If you'd like more information you
can visit our website and blog! http://www.nvvo.net or
http://nvvo.wordpress.com


FIRST THURSDAYS: Queer Polyamory Discussion Group 6:30 pm
This Month: May 8th If you have ever wondered "How do I do this
polyamory/open-relationship/non-monogamy thing?"...you are not alone.
Join us with your experiences, questions and ideas- they are an
important resource for this group. Those who attend will help
determine what topics we focus on—which could include: agreements,
consent and communication; jealousy; support; safer sex; struggles and
joys and survivor issues. Whether you have been practicing ethical
sluttery for years, or are just starting to think about it, you are
welcome. Open to all trans, pansexual, lesbian, gay and queer folks.
All ages encouraged. Hosted by: franciszka fierce- a local slut,
artist/writer and facilitator extraordinaire.


SECOND FRIDAYS: Dirty Queer 6:30 pm
This Month: May 9th Dirty Queer is an X rated open mic—a place to
celebrate sexuality and strut your creative stuff! Hosted by renegade
writer and poet Sossity Chiricuzio, Dirty Queer is proven itself to be
a thought provoking evening of excitement, laughter and full body
shivers. We're looking for queer erotic entertainers of all sorts:
dancers, jugglers, singers, musicians, comics, poets, storytellers,
gender performers ... if you can do it in 5-10 minutes or less (w/
minimal props/equip), this open mic's for you! It's highly recommended
to come early, and bring your own folding chairs if you can—we average
between 60-100 people every month. Everyone who attends has a chance
to win door prizes from local businesses. IOW asks for a donation of
$1/person for this event and more donations are always welcome.

Caveats: 18+, consent is key - so no references to children, animals,
dead people or forced/coerced sex. No hate speech or trashing each
other, period. No actual sex on the stage (check w/ the MC if you're
unsure on this one). Own your own triggers and respect the triggers of
others. Be mindful of your intentions. More info at our website:
dirtyqueer.com


CONCERT & SPOKEN WORD PERFORMANCE: Good Asian Drivers 3:00 pm
This Month: May 10th Good Asian Drivers consists of Kit Yan, a 23 year
old transgendered Chinese slam poet who has performed across the
country, and Melissa Li, a 24 year-old Chinese lesbian folk/rock
singer-songwriter. The mission of the Good Asian Drivers Tour is to
increase exposure for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer
Asian-Americans throughout the country. The tour strives to inspire
young artists and provoke dialogue on gay rights, transgendered
issues, feminism, and the marginalization of minorities. $5 suggested
donation.

More information can be found at www.goodasiandrivers.com and
www.youtube.com/goodasiandrivers. Yan and Li are also featured in the
June issue of Curve magazine.


SECOND MONDAYS: OLIN Study Group 6:00 pm
This Month: May 12th Join us as we will discuss such issues as the
current uprising in Oaxaca, the Zapatistas and la otra campana,
neoliberalism, social movements in Mexico, and border issues. This
study group is brought to you by Olin, a collective focusing on
Oaxaca. Olin is a working group of Portland Sin Fronteras Portland
whose focus as a group lies in building and understanding the border
and in fighting white supremacy. Their aim is to combat capitalism as
a system of domination and to link the anti-capitalist struggles of
Latin America to our own struggles here at home.


THIRD FRIDAYS: Girl Movie Night 6:30 pm
This Month: May 16th This month we will watch "The Education of Shelby
Knox." This 2005 documentary film tells the coming of age story of
Shelby Knox, A 15-year-old girl whose transformation from a
conservative Southern Baptist to liberal Christian and ardent feminist
parallels her fight for sex education and gay rights in Lubbock,
Texas. Movie Night is an event for woman-identified people to watch
and discuss films. For more info: http://www.girlmovienight.org/.


AUTHOR READING: Sober Truths: The Making of an Honest Woman by Jill
Kelly, PhD 2:00 pm
This Month: May 17th Writing Your Story, Reinventing Your Life. When
Jill Kelly began writing her memoir, Sober Truths: The Making of an
Honest Woman, she had little idea of how her life would change through
the process of crafting stories about her experience with alcoholism
and long-term sobriety. In this workshop/reading, Dr. Kelly describes
how telling our stories and sharing them contributes to healing and
opens up possibilities for re-inventing who we are. Book-signing to
follow. Jill Kelly, PhD, is a former college professor who now works
as an editor, writing coach, and visual artist.


AUTHOR READING: Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity by
Robert Jensen 6:30 pm
This Month: May 20th Join us for this powerful reading! Getting Off:
Pornography and the End of Masculinity, begins with the simple demand
of the culture: "Be a man." It closes with a defiant response: "I
chose to struggle to be a human being." And in between, it offers a
candid and intelligent exploration of porn's devastating role in
helping to define conventional masculinity. In other words: In our
culture, porn makes the man. Writing in his trademark conversational
style with a rigorous analysis, Robert Jensen easily blends personal
anecdotes from his years as a feminist anti-porn activist with his
scholarly research to show readers how mainstream porn reinforces
social definitions of manhood and influences men's attitudes about
women and how they treat them. Robert Jensen is a journalism
professor at University of Texas at Austin.


ONE TIME A MONTH on WEDNESDAYS: Women Writing for (a) Change 7:00 pm
This Month: May 21st Women Writing for (a) Change inspires women and
girls to craft more conscious lives through the art of writing and the
practices of community. This mission is rooted in the knowledge that
the well-being of women and girls has a positive effect on families,
institutions, and the planet.

WWf(a)C circles provide communities within which writers develop their
skills, strengthen their voices, enhance their health, and learn to
appreciate their capacity to create positive change in all spheres.
The emphasis of the class is on authentic voice, community- building,
and the exploration of writing as a creative, therapeutic or spiritual
practice and a tool of social change. Please come and experience the
safe and supportive environment that will inspire writing, careful
listening and respect for each woman's words. For more information
about Wwf (a)C in Portland, go to http://www.womenwritingwest.com.
Pre-registration is requested but drop-ins are also welcome. To
register go to info@womenwritingwest.com . WWf(a)C is a writing school
and community of writers that began in Cincinnati, OH in 1991. Karen
Waters, experienced in and licensed to use the WWf(a)C processes, is
bringing this community to Portland.

MONTHLY Radical-Feminist Series: That Time of the Month 7:00 pm
This Month: May 22nd In Other Words presents a radical dialogue series
entitled, "That Time of the Month"…a forum for discussing critical
political, economic and cultural trends of OUR TIME. This month's
forum is entitled: Prison Profiteers, Political Careers and the
Culture of Fear: Our Future Behind Bars

For the first time in our history, more than one in 100 American
adults are behind bars, with incarceration rates even higher for
people of color and immigrants. With the United States currently
imprisoning more people than any other nation in the world, "tough on
crime" policies are also tough on state budgets already stretched to
fund schools, healthcare, and human services. Are we really getting
the return in public safety from this level of incarceration or are we
contributing the merge between government and big business? What are
the national trends? How does Oregon compare? How are families of
people convicted of crimes, along with survivors of crimes working
locally to promote progressive reform and effective strategies that
expose the conservative agenda, reduce violence and increase safety?

Join us for an amazing panel of local activists and organizers
including: Caylor Roling from Partnership for Safety & Justice,
Gretchen Vala from Oregon CURE (Citizens United for Rehabilitation of
Errants), and Tara Herivel, local attorney practicing indigent defense
and editor and co-author of two anthologies: Prison Nation and Prison
Profiteers: Who Makes Money from Mass Incarceration.


LAST TUESDAYS: Dexter's Spoken Mike 7:30 pm
This Month: May 27th Dexter's spoken mic follows the strong tradition
that believes it's time to give writers "rockstar status" bringing
beginning writers as well as more established readers together, for
inspirational rants and performances. Dexter's spoken mic, (open to
all) will surely be a force to be reckoned with. So speak your heart
out from your memoirs, journal entries, and poems...do it with a
friend, or go on tour-- but first make sure to stop by in other words
books on the LAST Tuesday of every month for Dexter's spoken mic.
Dexter is a Portland writer. She spends most of her time digging up
awkward stories from her childhood, reveling in fantastical
eccentricities and sentimental moments, running away with the circus
and making her comic book (my red umbrella soon to be released) she
also has a new zine of memoirs called maybe it's something you ate.
Dexter hosts spoken mics in Portland and is secretly working on a book
about growing up with a single mom in an alternative household and the
various father figures that came along the way…shhhh--don't tell!


LAST FRIDAYS: Luna Music Series—Showcase of local female musicians 7:00 pm
This Month: May 30th For this month's featured artists check out:
www.myspace.com/lunamusicseries


SAVE THE DATE: In Other Words 2008 Literary Feast
Join us this year for an amazing event and a great opportunity to
support In Other Words Books & Resources. Mark your calendars—Friday,
August 1st 6:00 pm at the North Star Ballroom 635 N. Killingsworth
Court. Program details to come.


***As you know In Other Words Women's Books and Resources is a
non-profit. In fact, we are the only surviving non-profit women's
bookstore in this country. And we are among a dwindling number of
for-profit women's bookstores. In an effort to become more
sustainable we have decided to charge a minimal fee for events held at
the store. IOW ask a suggested donation of $1-$5 sliding scale for
store events, unless otherwise noted. No one is ever turned away.
All are welcome***