August 31, 2020

Hello,

This email will find most of you on Monday, somehow already the last day of August. On Wednesday at 3pm EST, please join Alexandra, Brittany, Catherine and I at the virtual IES Annual Conference for our panel "Not Your Average Old Boys Club: Supporting Female Talent Beyond the EP". To register and view more details, click here. We are very proud of our work for this and feel impassioned about the topic, as we hope to demonstrate during our presentation. 

Also upcoming is our September BOSLady meeting on the 8th at 8:30pm EST. If you did not receive a Google calendar invite, please let me know and I will get you that link. We will be discussing Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women by Kate Manne.  

The Weekly Three

1. Something about professional and intellectual mentors and heroes: In this article, Goddard gives "mentor" a definition that I would typically ascribe to a hero. I like her labeling of such people in this way because it refrains from putting them on a pedestal in the way you would be tempted to when discussing a hero. Where a hero inspires effortless awe, labeling a person as a mentor prompts the work of asking yourself what parts of them you admire most and what of theirs you can emulate or learn from.

In an interview on The PanPsycast, Kate Manne is asked to name her "intellectual heroes", to which she responds "hashtag no heroes". She explains that this is an "attempt to somewhat debunk authority as a structure...less in terms of heroes and more in terms of inspiring figures, influential figures and people who I've learned from". Her interview is over two episodes and discusses both Entitled and her previous book, Down Girl.

2. Something about the "therapeutic power of narrative": This article from Vulture is a comparative piece on the depictions of rape victims, trauma and coping mechanisms in I May Destroy You and I'll Be Gone in the Dark. Having only personally watched the latter of the two series, I can confirm that one of the most deeply troubling parts of the story was hearing the Golden State Killer's rape victims explain their silence and shame following the attacks, not in small part due to the cultural treatment of rape in the 70s and 80s. There is ultimately a redemption of some sorts decades later when the victims meet and are finally in the presence of others who know, who get it, no explanation needed. Their common experience provides a space in which they have the safety and freedom to finally talk. As we have spoken about many times in our meetings, we have stories that make us feel isolated and make us legitimately question our sanity and competence. When we tell these stories, they lose their power over us. Telling the story lets us take control of the narrative and gives us power where we had none. As the author of the article puts it: 

Absorbing or sharing such stories doesn’t take away the trauma or the fear. That still exists. But it instills a sense of order around what are often the most chaotic moments a person will experience in their life. Storytelling makes us feel like there is sense even where there may be none.

(photo from Vulture)

3. Something about the National Parks and design: When we think of aesthetically successful design, we usually don't think about the National Park Service. This collection of brochures, advertising, maps, etc. might challenge that. In the spirit of socially distancing outdoors, I thought this would be an enjoyable, light conclusion to this week's letter.

Until next time,

Amber