
| Performers and
Panelists, September:
Amanda Kail, Ami Mattison, Angela Boyce, Anna Wilson, Ariana
Waynes, Cheryl B., Colleen O'Hare, Cynthia French, Danielle
Montgomery, Daphne Gottlieb, Desdamona, Dessa Darling, Dolores
Garay, Elizabeth Stark, Elizabeth Thompson, Elizebeth Chavez, Erin
Johansen, Erin O'Briant, Gloria Yamato, Harvey Rabbit, Heather Gold,
Ishle Yi Park, Jen Joseph, Jennifer Blowdryer, Jill Nagle, Jundax,
Karen Garrabrant, Karen Ladson, Katie Daley, Lan Tran, Lauren
Wheeler, Lea Arellano, Letitia Hernandez, Letta Neely, Lindasusan
Ulrich, Mary Brutto, Melissa Hung, Meliza Banales, Minal Hajratwala,
Miriam Sachs Martin, Nathalie Illium, Nazelah Jameson, Nicole
Levine, Rachel Kann, Ryka Aoki De La Cruz, Sailor Jay, Sarah Gates,
Shauna Rogan, Solidad de Costa, Sonia Whittle, Souls Journey, Storm
Florez, Susan Chenelle, Tania Katan, Thadra Sheridan, Thea Hillman,
Wendy O Matik
ForWord Girls
Organizers:
Meliza Banales, Daphne Gottlieb, Thea Hillman, Erin Johansen,
Erin O'Briant, Shauna Rogan, Lauren Wheeler
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We came, we saw, we took back the
mic!
"(ForWord Girls) was easily one of the single most incredible
experiences of my life." - Rachel Kann, LA Poet and feature on HBO's
Def Poetry Jam
"Just a note to say good job, fabulous event, good work!" -
Miriam Sachs Martin, Bay Area poet and founder of Fierce Words
Tender
"You created such a supporting and welcoming place. I'm still
half in shock, have in awe... it was amazing, simply amazing...
thank you so very much!" - Ryka Aoki de la Cruz, LA poet
San Francisco was the home of the first annual ForWord Girls
(FWG), the first national women's spoken word festival, on September
28, at the Lesbian, Gay, Bi & Transgender Community Center.
Co-sponsored by the Harvey Milk Institute, FWG drew attendees and
performers from around North America. Women (and a few men) showed
up from as far-flung places as Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Georgia,
New York, Vancouver, Toronto and Washington, D.C., and from as close
as Los Angeles, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The over 250 performers and attendees were a diverse group, over
half of the performers being women of color, and the lesbian and
bisexual community represented as well. The disabled community was
represented, including the deaf community, accomodated by a team of
ASL interpreters. Ages of participants spanned seven decades,
creating generational diversity, as well.
The all-day festival consisted of panels and workshops,
interspersed with feature and open mic performances throughout the
day, culminating in the evening performance, which was a sell-out
event with standing room only.
If you attended and would like to share your words or pictures
with us, please email us at. If you'd like to receive announcements
about the next ForWord Girls in 2004, sign up on our yahoogroups
mailing list at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/forwordgirls-announce/.
If you would like to order a copy of the ForWord Girls anthology,
Take Back the Mic ($5 + shipping), please email us at.
our mission: The mission of
ForWord Girls is to create a space/event for women writers and
spoken word performers of all cultures and ages from all over. We
want to come together and hear, teach, entertain and inspire each
other. We want to share information about how we utilize the power
of the word. We want to recognize, sustain and further envision a
movement of girls who feel excited, skilled and unrestricted about
using our voices as a force for self-expression, social change, and
everything else we see fit to speak about.
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