Well, the first new thing is that I registered the domain name uppitywomen.net for my main Uppity Women page--the page that has been the table of contents page.
I had intended to register uppitywomen.org at some point, but I was beaten to it. So I realized if I wanted an uppitywomen url I should hurry up and get .net before it was taken.
Uppitywomen.com has been in use since before I began my project. I have a link to it from my homepage, and when the .org page is up I'll add a link to that as well.
There are other suffixes being added, but .org, .com, and .net are still the three most common.
I decided to go ahead and split my magazine off from my labyris page (though there will always be links between the two) because many readers find it confusing. I have a different projects in mind for the labyris home page, and at first envisioned Uppity Women Magazine as being simply one of the labyris projects--a subset. (I'm sure you remember from Math class those circles within circles and overlapping circles describing sets and subsets and intersecting sets...)
The feminist archives I am slowly developing, such as my domestic violence and surviving poverty pages, would contain some articles from Uppity Women but still be completely independent of it.
But I found some were mistaking these archives for Uppity Women articles, or worse, not even going on from my labyris page to the Table of Contents for Uppity Women. Since Uppity Women is one of the things I spend the most time on, that was frustrating.
There will be some design changes in the near future associated with the above change to continue separating and clarifying the two projects.
Mailing Lists
I have the capability to do a mailing list--a forum through email in which women can send out one email to the list address and it is distributed to every woman on the list. It's one of the cool features available to Cruzio Internet Office Customers. (I get these features at no cost because I am a member of Cruzio's staff.)
I'd like to hear from Uppity Women readers who would like to participate in such a list.
The other kind of mailing list, updates of Uppity Women or Labyris.com additions, is also easier for me to do now and I am wanting to hear from women who wish to be notified of new issues as they are uploaded or action alerts. These mails would not be high volume (I wish I was that productive!) but more or less on a quarterly basis. Since I hate Spam with a passion I don't just want to take addresses from my letters, but want women to explicity sign up for it. If you are interested in receiving such emails, please email me using uwnews@labyris.com with the subject line UWnewslist. A few peope have indicated previously they wanted to be on a mailing list, and they will automatically be on this one. I will also provide information with each email about how to be removed from the list.
Uppity Women Open Mic
I'd also like to hear from women who would like to come to a local (Santa Cruz, CA) open mic for women only. I've been considering organizing a series of them but would like to get an estimate of the level of interest. I need, for instance, to figure out how large a space to rent.
Woodstock '99
For updates on the Woodstock rapes or to join in bringing the rapists to justice, visit http://www.fanseverywhere.org/
SAD
Readers may have noticed a longer time between issues this winter. Those of you who've been around for the last couple of years will recall that I suffer from seasonal depression (all too cutely named Seasonal Affective Disorder for the acronym SAD). With the almost constant rains this winter I was hit harder than most years, and coinciding with this were some sweeping changes in my day job that had me working 9 to 11 hour days on a frequent basis.
I decided over the winter to plan a move to the Southwest United States within the next 3 years. I've tried light therapy but my experience has been that sitting in front of a bright fluorescent light for a couple hours a day is both unpleasant and not 100 per cent effective. My reading on the subject suggests that most people experience complete relief or a substantial reduction in symptoms by moving closer to the equator. My memories of living in L.A. indicate that by moving at least that far South or farther still, my symptoms should disappear. Dave and I researched and decided upon an area that we will investigate with a trip next year.
But for my remaining time here in Santa Cruz I will attempt to plan for a dormant period each winter. I am hoping to find some apprentice willing to at least update the calendar if not guest edit an issue. Please contact me if you are interested in doing so. And as always, my offer to tutor html for free in return for some help with either labyris.com or uppitywomen.net remains open.
I will always be open to calendar items and input from Santa Cruz women no matter where I move, and the internet makes such boundaries non-existant anyway. And of course I will visit frequently since I have many friends here, having been in Santa Cruz since 1985.
Fat Pride
The Fat Pride issue is scheduled for this October. I am still looking for submissions and have been fortunate to connect with Ruah Bull, my old mentor who jump-started body image education in Santa Cruz County in the mid-eighties. She has contributed an article that I'm sure will provide new insights and strategies to enhance body image. If you are planning to contribute please let me know that I can expect an article from you. I need to plan well in advance for this very special issue.
I hope you enjoy the Romance/Erotica issue. Happy Spring!
SINCE April 23, 2000 YOU ARE UPPITY VISITOR NUMBER 1211