Her/stry sponsors Their/Stry: Uncovering the History of the Women in Our families
Herstory is history written from a feminist perspective, emphasizing the role of women, or told from a woman’s point of view. The principal aim of herstory is to bring women out of obscurity from the historical record. It is a neologism coined as a pun with the word “history”, as part of a feminist critique of conventional historiography, which in their opinion is traditionally written as “his story”; that is, from the masculine point of view. (The word “history”—from the Ancient Greekἱστορία, or historia, meaning “knowledge obtained by inquiry”—is etymologically unrelated to the possessive pronoun his. MORE Wikipedia
“Telling your story is a revolutionary act,” writes Julia Nusbaum, creator of HerStry, which seeks to empower women through storytelling. Now HerStry is inviting you to tell – not only your own stories -but those of the other women in your family. Toward this end, the HerStry team has created a THEIRSTORY family interview guide. I encourage you to check it out and consider interviewing your moms, grandmothers, aunties and other assorted female relatives in your families and extended families. Details HERE.
Herstry Blog is a collection of curated stories from women around the world. It offers you an opportunity to join the discussion and share your own story.
Details on writing for HerStry are HERE.
“Writing women back into history. For too long women have been left out of the history books. Their stories are muddled or left untold. We think its time to change that.” the HerStry team
I was unable to interview my own mother, but told her story in For the Record: Remembering Mom,a memoir, which was published in an issue of Connotation Press. My notes on my father are published in poems including Brown Eyes … poems in memory of my father. It is good to do this, but it would have been far better to have had the opportunity to interview them. So go for it … talk, interview, write.
ABOUT
Poet and writer, I was once columnist and associate editor of a regional employment publication. I currently run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded. I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers. My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman. My poetry was recently read by Northern California actor Richard Lingua for Poetry Woodshed, Belfast Community Radio. I was featured in a lengthy interview on the Creative Nexus Radio Show where I was dubbed “Poetry Champion.”
* The BeZine: Waging the Peace, An Interfaith Exploration featuring Fr. Daniel Sormani, Rev. Benjamin Meyers, and the Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi among others
“What if our religion was each other. If our practice was our life. If prayer, our words. What if the temple was the Earth. If forests were our church. If holy water–the rivers, lakes, and ocean. What if meditation was our relationships. If the teacher was life. If wisdom was self-knowledge. If love was the center of our being.” Ganga White, teacher and exponent of Yoga and founder of White Lotus, a Yoga center and retreat house in Santa Barbara, CA
“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton
Jamie Dedes' THE POET BY DAY Webzine 