Dickinson Read-a-Thon!

The craziest, coolest event is being held in the Twin Cities this Friday! In celebration of National Poetry Month (and what a great month it is!), University of Saint Thomas is hosting a day of Emily Dickinson. Every poem of hers will be read––from #1 to #1,789. The event begins at 8 in the morning and is anticipated to last an exhausting total of 14 hours. If you can't attend, the University is planning to have a live stream here. But really, who wouldn't want to cozy up in a gorgeous library and listen to the mysterious lines of our good gal, Emily?

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Berlin Bound

Exciting news––I'm going to Berlin, Germany this June for a fellowship with the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and the University of Minnesota. For the month of June, I will assist teaching English in classrooms while conducting minor research on German children's literature. My host family will likely be my cooperating teacher, and I am very excited to experience Berlin through an extended, somewhat assimilated stay.

I already booked my flight (eeps!) and I'll be leaving May 31 in the evening. . . I can hardly wait! I visited Berlin briefly in my high school years with a European history class, but it's been a while and I'm kind of nervous to go on my own!

Do you guys have any travel advice? I'll admit it: I've never flown or traveled alone. What should I be aware of and look out for? Do you have any good packing advice? I'd love your tips!

Girl Talk: On Feminism

Have you noticed a spike in Feminism lately? It seems as though women everywhere are working together to build a beautiful, powerful voice. No one is burning bras, but a female power is definitely surging. 

It's inspiring to see women helping each other. Too often there is animosity in the estrogen world. As SNL's Nasim Pedrad playing Arianna Huffington so eloquently put it during Weekend Update, "Nobody hates women more than other women." It's tragic, but often true.

So when I see a growing female community effort, it excites me.

There's something, though, that often bothers me when it comes to "feminism." It's treated like it's a bad, or frivolous, or eccentric hobby. While delivered with a wry smile, a man saying, "Oh, you're suuuch a feminist!" offends me. It's clear that these comments are somewhat deflection tactics; men are, unfortunately, intimidated by independent, intellectual, empowered women.

Here's what I'm thinking:

The feminism we're seeing right now is not misandry, so men, please don't mistake our empowerment for man-shaming. I think the trend we're seeing right now is equality. My creative sister will often say, "I'm not a feminist, I am a supporter of equality, empowerment, and community," which I find so refreshing.

It's not about drawing a divisive line between men and women. It's about treating women as if there need not be a line in the first place.

If you want to know more about what's happening in the world of "feminism," please check out these sites:

DARLING Magazine
The Lean In movement
SoulPancake and Darling teamed up for a great series, That's What She Said