Women Writers: 2007

On October 1, 2007, I hosted an event titled SPEAK OUT for Safety at Michigan's State Capitol building in Lansing. The anti-violence advocates, survivors, and neighbors who took part shared a wealth of intellect and heart on the matters at hand: neighborhood safety and preventing violence against women.

I recently uploaded photos taken by Paul Potts and Anaya Keaton at this event. They are available via my Anti-Violence Advocacy album on Flickr.

October 1 is The Day of Unity for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. And the SPEAK OUT was an excellent instance of people allying - across neighborhoods and communities - to promote safety for everyone. I still draw upon that event's strength when I envision possible positive change, with the hope that no one else will be violated of violence.

Pictures now available on Dey of the Phoenix (MySpace , see Artists album) from...

DeShaun Snead's Love Show (15 Dec) @ Scene Metro Space

and East Side Poetry Open Mic (18 Dec) @ Magdalena's Tea House.

EAST SIDE POETRY OPEN MIC

Tonight is the final ESP Open Mic I'm organizing at Magdalena's Tea House.

DeShaun Snead, smashin' jazz artist who just featured in The Love Show (Scene, 15 Dec), is hosting the evening! 7:30pm sign-up, 8pm reading, $5 cover.

Proprietor Miko Fossum plans to carry on this three-year-old, once-a-month venue for poets and poetry admirers, so stay tuned to Mag's web site for an update! My deepest appreciation to Miko and the invited hosts since April

Erin McLaughlin, Amanda Dubey, and Chris Pereira (May); John Thompson (Jun); Franny Howes (Jul); Lisa Sayles (Aug), Gianni "Tupaco" Risper (Sep), and Susan Harris (Nov).

KEEPING WOMEN SAFE "CAMPAIGN"

Much thanks to every person who gave support as I urged Lansing local officials to prioritize preventing violence against women (mid-August to early December).

When I sent my first letter to Mayor Bernero (15 Aug), I had no idea what laid ahead (see Facts from the Campaign below). But the efforts were fruitful due to the commitment and risk-taking stamina of many golden-hearted individuals.

...AND I'm glad to say that strong women and allies are working to keep women safe in our community!

FACTS FROM THE VAW CAMPAIGN

month-long silent treatment by the Mayor and my Council Member Harold Leeman (Ward 1),

letter received from the Mayor one week after I filed a citizen's complaint about his violating Obligations of Leadership according to Lansing's City Charter,

steadfast support from Rina Risper, President and Publisher of The New Citizen Press,

meeting strong women at City Hall who prioritize this safety issue, including Jessica Narodowiec and Anne Hodges,

consistent communication with and assistance offered by Council Member Carol Wood,

collaborating with local and state anti-violence advocates and survivors of violence for the SPEAK OUT for Safety (Oct. 1),

nonprofit director Joan Nelson confirming to me that she instructed her staff not to attend the SPEAK OUT for Safety on behalf of the Allen Neighborhood Center,

holding historic meetings with Lansing City Council Committees, which yielded a 2008 sub-committee for follow-through on suggestions to prevent violence against women,

nonprofit director Susan Shoultz pulling out EVE Inc. from the Committee of the Whole dialogue (one week and a half prior), followed by a phone apology (two weeks later) if I took this action "personally," and her continued refusal to meet in person with mediators.

2007 offered me plenty of memorable moments including...

first solo feature performance (OKC, OK)

summertime in the Flemish city of Leuven

first time driving on the left side of the road (July trip to UK)

invitation from Prof. Leonora Smith to talk with her MSU students about my community work and poetry

first nonacademic publication: The Red White and Blue

unexpected company by City Hall elevator: Lansing's Mayor Virg Bernero on the day I filed a citizen's complaint (about his violating the City Charter under his obligations of leadership)!

More fun factoids about 2007 are available at MySpace blog Dey of the Phoenix under the Dec. 10 post Year in Review. Topics include gorgeous people, Survivin' & Thrivin', and my gratitude list.

From Leonora Smith, author of Spatial Relations:: Melissa Dey Hasbrook’s poetry comes from her strong, relentless voice—a voice that rises not from the throat but from deep inside the body—from the solar plexus and the womb. Mad, damn mad, and sometimes wonderfully sassy: “I’d like to see Donald Trump make a toilet bowl shine,” she says: that’s what it means to be “unskilled labor.”

It’s no accident that the first poem in Hasbrook’s Blame it on Eve! opens with an epigraph from poet/feminist/political activist Susan Griffin. There are notes from other street corners in this book: call and response to the Beats’ harangues, to the slam scene’s tough percussions, to the protests of the working man and woman, and to all the never-back-down feminist poets who used their voices to name injustices and keep naming them until men and other women were forced to listen.

Hasbrook’s kind of “edgy” poem is honed like the edge of a blade to slice through crap, to stand off wife beaters, and to dismantle fences at the borders before Bush has time to put them up. It’s clear why she invokes Griffin, whose poem, “I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman,” ends with the lines “there is always a time/for retribution/and that time/is beginning.”

Hasbrook’s voice hits this and other notes, but her poetry is not the work of yesterday; it is the poetry of now. Like some other poets of her generation, Hasbrook is using her poetry as a way of imaging and making a space in this “post-emancipation proclamation nation” where the words poet/feminist/activist don’t need backslashes. And this is where you find the sweetness in this book: generosity, gratitude—running strong and deep beneath the surfaces—hope that her words are making it possible for others to find a solid place to stand.

PRESS RELEASE - DECEMBER 6, 2007 – Blame It on Eve!

Blame It on Eve! is the first solo poetry compilation released by Melissa Dey Hasbrook, and authors Carol Davis Koss (OK) and Victor Villanueva (WA) offer up praise about her word art.

Blame It on Eve! is an electronic book available on CD through Everybody Reads Books and Stuff of Lansing, Michigan, and soon through its website.

The release party for Blame It on Eve!, held Sunday, December 2, 2007, at the Grand Café/ Sir Pizza in Lansing’s north end, kept tables full even after an ice storm. MC Dr. Jenn Nichols, Everybody Reads, Musician Barb Barton, poets Lisa Sayles, Chey Davis, and Susan Harris also joined the show.

The City Pulse of Lansing ran a story about the release party titled “Poet continues push for community through couplets” in its December 5, 2007, edition as part of its Arts and Entertainment section.

Here is what readers are saying about Hasbrook’s collection:: “One portion of Blame it on Eve! is titled ‘No Mincing Words’ and one thing Melissa Dey Hasbrook does NOT do is 'mince words.' Her poetry is both political and confessional, exploring her society, the larger world, and herself. Hasbrook is a performance poet and, in much of her work, even on the page, we can hear her voice and her passion. “
—Carol Davis Koss, Author of Camera Obscura, Oklahoma City, OK

“Blame it on Eve! doesn’t blame Eve. The title is an irony. Or maybe it’s an echo. A profound one (irony or echo), one which Melissa Dey Hasbrook carves out with words: free verse, rigorously metered rhyming verse, sonnet to prose poetry. This is a wonderful, politically powerful collection, railing—beautifully—against institutions of all sorts: the academy, the State, the economy, the illusions of race and the realities of racism, and the institution of gender. At bottom, this is a tribute to women—to all that they give of life and love, of violence absorbed and resisted, of Word.”
—Victor Villanueva, Author of Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color, Pullman, WA

Updated 6:55am 12/7

There's a lot happenin' around the corner, and I'm not missin' any of these:

Carry the Dream, celebration event for The Leaven Center on Saturday, December 8.

Night of Hope Day of Peace Concert by Sistrum Women's Chorus of Lansing and Greater Lansing Gay Men's Chorus. I'm going Friday, December 14 (but there's also a show on December 15).

The Love Show featuring musician DeShaun Snead with guests on Saturday, December 15.

East Side Poetry Open Mic at Magdalena's Tea House with guest host DeShaun Snead on Tuesday, December 18.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Good news! The City Pulse of Lansing, Michigan, ran an article about my book release for Blame It on Eve!, my first solo poetry compilation. The e-book available on CD is for sale through Everybody Reads Books and Stuff (E. Michigan between Fairview and Clemons).

WORD ART HAPPENIN'S

Last night I whooped it up with a wonderful sampling of poets at SpitFire Poetry held 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at the Green River Cafe in East Lansing (on M.A.C. near Grand River). Blair was featured, an amazing folk singer and spoken word artist based in Detroit.

Upcoming in Lansing is the East Side Poetry Open Mic Tuesday, December 18, at Magdalena's Tea House (E. Michigan Ave., between Fairview and Clemons). It's the last month of my organizing this three-year-old venue, which I picked up in March. Musician DeShaun Snead is guest hosting. Sign up is at 7:30pm and reading at 8pm. $5 cover includes tea or coffee.

For 2008, I'm putting together a poetry spectacular titled Ancient River. Guest poets joining me sometime in mid-February are my friends Marycela and Deena Tyler. So scribble AR by MDH in Lansing in your new calendars!

Updated 11:30am 12/4 **name correction (see below)

This entry is an in-depth account of the dialogue for preventing violence against women, which took place on Thursday November 29, in City Hall's tenth-floor conference room.

Sections include

*Present
*Control Tactics
*Public Comment
*Contributors
*Suggestions
*Outcomes

PRESENT

Deena Tyler and I arrived early to City Hall for the Committee of the Whole to prepare for the dialogue. We set up photo frames with pictures and names of the women killed in Lansing during 2007. The Power Wheels from Duluth laid against the conference room white board, and a fact sheet about domestic violence and homelessness sat in front of the TV cased in a wood cabinet. Handouts were placed along the table where city officials sit and the seats for the public.

Jessica Narodowiec arrived next. This Lansing resident visited City Council on several occasions to address ongoing harassment she as well as other neighbors (for years!) have faced from someone on their street. Ms. Narodowiec secured a PPO against this individual, yet the person has continued harassment. The person turned themself in after not appearing at court and then was released on bond by a judge who disregarded another judge's no-bond order.

Also present were anti-violence advocates Kathleen Miller for MSU's Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention program and Erica Schmittdiel for MSU Safe Place.

Rina Risper, President and Publisher of The New Citizen Press, arrived after committee started but before the dialogue began.

Council Members Jeffries, Kaltenbach, Leeman, Matt, Quinney, and Wood were in attendance. Cm. Allen is out of state until next week, so Cm. Dunbar was the only member absent who was in town.

City Hall Regulars Charlene Decker, Darnell Oldham Str., John Pollard, and Ms. Timmons were there as well.

Mr. Jerry Ambrose, proxy for Mayor Bernero, left for most of the dialogue time, yet was present for other committee business. Disappointing, since I encouraged the Mayor to join or send someone in his absence. Even Mayor's aide Mr. Joe McDonald was present during committee business early on but was absent during the dialogue.

Additionally, **Mr. Michael Matthis, Legal Advisor to the LPD, was present for most of committee business including the dialogue. (Mr. Matthis attend The Safety Union after I requested the City Attorney's Office to send an attorney.)

CONTROL TACTICS

People trickled into the conference room while Ms. Narodowiec and Ms. Tyler swapped stories about surviving violence and perpetrators. VP Cm. Jeffries arrived and offered people coffee.

With the room mostly filled, I was approached by Diana Bitely, who works in the Council Office. She bared a message from Pres. Cm. Leeman: Would I remove the photo frames until our dialogue began? Because other business was scheduled beforehand.

I replied that I would rather not, but that the message didn't sound like a request but a direction. Consequently, I asked some people if they would hold the frames to display the pictures and names of the women who were murdered during 2007. (Thanks to Ms. Miller, Mr. Pollard, Mr. Oldham, and Ms. Timmons for their assistance!)

PUBLIC COMMENT

During public comment, Ms. Narodowiec and another Lansing resident Barb Kowalk spoke as survivors of violence. (Special thanks to Ms. Kowalk, who is my aunt, for attending.) Advocates Ms. Miller and Ms. Schmittdiel also made comment.

In particular, Ms. Schmittdiel conveyed information on behalf of colleagues who were unable to be present: Two incidents with Lansing 911 dispatchers who declined taking contact information from callers regarding violence directed at women, and the absence of promised police officers on both occasion.

Executive Director of the Fraternal Order of Police Tom Krug, who made public comment regarding surveillance camera funding, encouraged Ms. Schmittdiel to lodge complaints regarding those dispatch incidents. (A complaint form is available on the LPD web site under the menu option Information.)

CONTRIBUTORS

As scheduled, Ms. Tyler shared part of her survival story to lend insight to city officials as a veteran of violence. (Credit goes to Ms. Tyler for coining this phrase in one of her poems.)

I explained the absence of Andy Field, Eastside resident and community activist, who declined to attend. Understandably, sharing even part of one's survival story is very taxing, let alone doing so in public with strangers who happen to be city officials. As a result, I stepped in to share part of my survival story.

Ms. Rispers shared impromptu about part of her survival story. She stayed at EVE's House a number of years ago, and continues to advocate publicly for survivors and against violence.

SUGGESTIONS

Cm. Wood: Resource info about assistance with violence given to new Lansing residents. Learn what school district programs exist related to the issue. Council Members pledge to talk with kids in elementary schools about how to treat each other. City TV messages about assistance.

Cm. Kaltenbach: Communications through Lansing Neighborhood Council. More concentration on crime fighting efforts at the neighborhood level. A Parks and Recs program.

VP Cm. Jeffries: Special programs on City TV. Tracking responses by judges regarding the effectiveness of PPOs and bonds. Partner with Ingham County Human Resources, which has a bigger budget for this issue.

Cm. Quinney: Early prevention through public TV, schools, and neighborhood associations.

Cm. Matt: Information via the City web site. Budget in May for Human Resources.

Pres. Cm. Leeman: Human Resources Department programs and initiatives. Invite Board members from End Violent Encounters to committee meetings. Encourage Council Members to sit on EVE's Board.

Darnell Oldham, Sr.: Employment training requirements, like the State of Michigan, with information about stalking, etc.

Jessica Narodowiec: Public messages where survivors get information without the presence of a perpetrator - bulletin board, PSA during the holidays.

MDH: The Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence's publication A Vision for Prevention, which makes recommendations for local government to prevent violence against women. Breaking the silence around violence by developing conversations with children, and in schools, neighborhoods, and City Hall. Bring advocates and survivors to 2008 City Council meetings and committees, for presentations and tributes.

OUTCOMES

Committee of the Whole agreed to keep the prevention of violence against women as a pending matter through the New year.

A sub-committee will be formed to follow through on the suggestions made during the dialogue.

Advocates who were present at the dialogue will be contacted about future conversations on the issue.

A hot topic on the Eastside of Lansing these days is prostitution, one spoke on the historical wheel of the sex trade.

Back in October, the Lansing State Journal published an article headlining the arrest of 11 women in sting operations on the Eastside. The sting targets were women who sell sex (though of course there are men who sell sex too).

These women have been called by a range of names depending on the point in time and politics behind the mind. Here are just a few:: * prostitute
* sex worker
* courtesan; Synonyms: harlot, whore.
Related Words: coquette, flirt, libertine, siren, tempter, temptress, wench.; Disclaimer: I'm inviting responses on what you think as long as you indicate why you think it. Posting factoids from this or that article without your thoughtful reply will be deleted (hint - Gary!).

I visited City Council last night, 11/19, and spoke about how Lansing needs proactive measures to prevent violence and its targeting against women.

Visit this e-forum for the Lansing State Journal to read my public comment.

I wanted to pass on info about an event taking place in our community this Friday, November 23, which is Buy Nothing Day for the world!: "...environmentalists, social activists and concerned citizens in as many as 65 countries will hit the streets for a 24-hour consumer fast in celebration of the 15th annual Buy Nothing Day..."; "It'll be fun. Remember: The only thing we'll consume on Buy Nothing Day is brains! The more zombies, the better!"

Updated 7:43am 11/25

PRESS RELEASE – November 25, 2007 - City Talks about Violence: Lansing Officials Talk with Survivors and Advocates to Prevent Violence Against Women

Upcoming Lansing City Council Committees are scheduled to discuss preventing violence against women with survivors and advocates at City Hall's tenth-floor conference room. Public comment is scheduled at the beginning of these committee meetings, and individuals may speak up to three minutes.

On Thursday November 29, at 1:30pm, Committee of the Whole meets with survivors Andy Field, community activist and Eastside resident; and Deena Tyler, a former self-defense trainer and an invited artist at EVE's domestic violence candlelight vigil in 2006 and 2007.

On Wednesday, December 5, at 2pm, the Public Safety Committee meets with Cindie Alwood from the Women's Center of Greater Lansing; and Chris Singer, a survivor currently working for the Michigan Peace Team, and formerly with Sexual Assault Services of Calhoun County and the Prostitution Round Table of Grand Rapids.

For details about these events, visit The Women Writers blog or email deyofthephoenix[at]hotmail.com.

Scroll down all the way for the flyer!

Guess what?! My official release of Blame It on Eve! happens December 2. It's Gallery Walk Sunday at the Grand Cafe/ Sir Pizza of Lansing in Old Town, right by the river. Don't miss it!: Joining me are guests Musician Barb Barton and Poets *Deena Tyler, **Lisa Sayles, Chey Davis, and Susan Harris!

Everybody Reads (Eastside book store and more!) will be selling our books and music thanks to owner Scott Harris! He recently accepted my proposal to carry local artists' merchandise. Thanks, Scott!

Good work, Ms. Anaya Keaton, for getting a self-defense class going at the BCI!: Ms. Keaton is a regular at poetry open mics in our area. She also made public comment at City Council in September about preventing violence against women, and assisted greatly with the SPEAK OUT for Safety.

COMMUNITY EVENT
Updated Nov. 11: Thanks to those who could make it, including Chris Singer (MPT), Sgt. Joe Dionise (LPD), Matthew Mathis, Esq. (Legal Advisor to the LPD), Elise Harvey (Peace Education Center), Erica Schmittdiel (MSU Safe Place), Beth (neighborhood watch member), Earl Robinson (resident), and newly elected City Council Members A'Lynne Robinson and Eric Hewitt.

And thanks to WILX for running a story about the event on the six o'clock news, Nov. 11, addressing the prevention of violence against women!; * Addition! Eric Hewitt - New Council Member for Ward 1
* Addition! The NorthStar Center - from the Eastside
* Robin Mulligan - daughter of murder victim Stanley Patlu
* A'Lynne Robinson - At-Large Rep. for Lewton Rich Neighborhood Association
* Julie Thorne - loved one of murder victim Richard Leach
* Jillian Pastoor - Community Relations Coordinator for EVE Inc.
* Sharon Dade - Social Services Senior Manager for Volunteers of America Michigan
* MSU Safe Place
* Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program
* Chris Singer - Michigan Peace Team
* Sgt. Joseph Dionise - LPD, North Precinct
* Matthew Mathis - Legal Advisor for the LPD
* Carol Wood - At-Large Council Member

Updated Nov. 7

Nancy Allen told me about an exhibit now at Cooley Law School's lobby. Stacie Dubay Counseling Supervisor at EVE Inc., is the inspiration behind the piece: a door that illustrates life on the inside of violence and life on the outside or other side.

Check it out while you can! The building is open until 11pm, and the exhibit definitely will be there through Nov. 8, though it may be kept until Nov. 12.: Ms. Allen is a newcomer to the East Side Poetry Open Mic, who was recently published by the Sunshine Lady Foundation and is a survivor of violence.

GALLERY WALK SUNDAYS

I look forward to Deena Tyler's performance and book release of Ready for Me: Rough and Raw at the Grand Cafe/ Sir Pizza of Lansing in Old Town tomorrow, Nov.4, on Gallery Walk Sunday. The show starts at 2pm and is free.: Don't miss the Survivin' & Thrivin' open mic I'm hosting after her show!; We were honored to perform in the company of musician Barb Barton, who also graced the SPEAK OUT for Safety on Oct. 1. Here are MSU's State News articles for vigils this year and last year.; Thanks Miguel, Nancy, Jonathan, Deena, Neil, and Jessi for sharing your poems! And thanks to the moral-support folks who kept showing up throughout the night.; The comments I gave city officials with the poem "VAW" is available at this index (file: CityCouncilMtg29oct07.pdf), as is my follow-up letter from Oct. 30 (file: LetterCityHall_30oct07.pdf).; We are sounding off our challenges about pursuing safety goals and will problem-solve strategies with one another. Also, resources will be offered by community groups and officials.

HOPPIN'

Greetings from the Northwest where my next reading is at Zippy's Java Lounge in Everett, WA, this Thursday, October 11.

Closing out Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Deena Tyler and I are performing at the Candlelight Vigil organized by EVE Inc., MSU Safe Place, and partners: Tuesday, October 30, 6:30pm at The People's Church of East Lansing, MI.

Also on October 30, I am hosting East Side Poetry Open Mic at Magdalena's Tea House in Lansing, MI. Poetry starts at 8pm with guest Amanda Dubey from Relief Against Violent Encounter, as we dedicate the night to STOP THE VIOLENCE. Cover is $5.

KICKIN' UP DUST

Following up SPEAK OUT for Safety (Oct. 1), I continue corresponding with city officials and local media to prevent violence and its direction at women.

The results are noteworthy, especially about people who are dialoguing with survivors of violence.: Robin Mulligan visited the SPEAK OUT. She is the daughter murder victim Stanley Patlu and will be at the Safety Union - Sunday, November 11, 3 to 5pm at Gone Wired Cafe.

Through exchanges via the LSJ forums, Julie Thorne spoke on behalf of murder victim Ric Leach at the SPEAK OUT.

Due to an LSJ story, Detective Elizabeth Bonello joined the SPEAK OUT and addressed neighborhood watch opportunities.

RSVPs so far for the Saftey Union (Nov. 11) include an LPD representative, confirmed by Chief Mark Alley; and EVE Inc. Community Relations Coordinator Jillian Pastoor.; One week after filling a citizens complaint against Mayor Bernero for violating Lansing's City Charter (complaint available online), I received a letter from Mr. Mayor after a month of my writing him about violence against women.

The City Pulse published a cover story on October 3, titled If Boys Will Be Boys, Then Men Will Beat Women by Gretchen Cochran.

ILLUMINATING
The sun broke out at midpoint during the SPEAK OUT for Safety. The rain stopped before neighbors and anti-violence advocates started sharing visions for a safe city, and started again a half hour after we packed up. It was a great day!: LSJ staff Becky Shink photographed participants--and fabulously! Check out the LSJ Photo Gallery of the event.

And soon to be published: materials from the SPEAK OUT!; We'll "sound off" about our safety goals (responses we're receiving, brick walls we're hitting, ideas for more action) and strategize next steps to 2008.

During this gathering, a talking circle will take place. Also, there will be small and large group discussions.

City officials have been invited to join us for listening and asking questions.

UPDATE 2 Oct.: Chief Alley confirms that an LPD rep is coming!

UPDATED 30 September. Changes shown by ~NEW~.

~NEW~Cm. Carol Wood confirms her times at the SPEAK OUT: 11am-1pm.

COMMUNITY GROUPS
In addition to program contributors, groups setting up information tables all day are: *EVE Inc.,
*The NorthWest Initiative of Lansing,
*Women's Center of Greater Lansing,
*MSU Safe Place,
*The Michigan Peace Team,
~NEW~ and Neighborhood Watch.; *Leann C. Holland RN - Program Coordinator of the Sparrow Forensic Nurse Examiner Program (at the General Info Table),
*The NorthStar Center of Lansing,
*and The Triangle Foundation of Michigan (from 11am-1pm).; 11am - Opening
*Minute of Silence
*Honor Roll for Victims of Violence
*Musician Barb Barton
*Welcome by Tammy Lemmer - Program Manager of the Michigan Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence

11:30am - Contributors Set 1
*Deena Tyler - Survivin' & Thrivin' Host
*Jillian Pastoor - Community Relations Coordinator of EVE Inc.
*The Triangle Foundation of Michigan

12pm - Mix-n-Mingle (see note below)

12:30pm - Contributors Set 2
~NEW~ Neighborhood Watch
*Judge Amy Krause - 54A District Court
*Fr. Peter Dougherty - Michigan Peace Team

1pm - Mix-n-Mingle (see note below)

1:30pm - Contributors Set 3
*Melissa Dey Hasbrook - East Side Poetry Open Mic Organizer
*The NorthWest Initiative of Lansing
*Julie Thorne - Loved one of murder victim Ric Leach

2pm - Mix-n-Mingle (see note below)

2:30pm - Closing
*Logic the Poet - SpitFire Poetry Organizer & Nu Poet Collective Member
*Musician Chris Dorman
*Surprise Artist Performance for Send Out; *Y. for helping spread the word & improve flyer design,
*and Colleen from Gone Wired Cafe for copying posters PLUS letting an info table about safety be set up.

NU POET HOSTIN'

Check out the East Side Poetry Open Mic this Tuesday, September 25, @ Magdalena's Tea House with guest host Gianni "Tupaco" Risper, a Nu Poet Collective member and Eastern High School student! Sign-up @ 7:30pm with reading @ 8pm. $5 cover.

NEW HAPPENIN'

Congrats to Logic (Nu Poet Collective member) for organizing the awesome bimonthly happenin' SpitFire Poetry @ the Green River Cafe (E. Lans.)!: Survivin' & Thrivin' regs Anaya Keaton & Melissa Dey Hasbrook tried out the most recent open mic (9/21).

Visiting from Detroit, the featured poet Omari King Wise performed stunning works including Hard Girl and Sambos.

The poetry slam wrapped up the night with History winning 2nd place and T. Miller in 1st. Each received cash awards!; Musician Barb Barton,
MSU Safe Place (with info table),
Women's Center of Greater Lansing (with info table), &
NorthStar Center.

DOUBLE FEATURE

The Lansing area's got two open mics running back to back! Follow the links under Poetic Happening (menu to the right) for details about Spitfire (9/19) and Poetry in the City (9/20).

POWERFUL

Check out poetry by Lansing women residents about violence! Visit this web page and download the file titled CityCouncil_hndout17sep07.pdf .

Thanks to...: Julie Waterbury and Anaya Keaton for letting their poems be passed out to Lansing's City Council and Mayor at Council's meeting September 17.

Anaya for reading her poem during public comment in opposition to Act 99 and in support of safety in Lansing.

Rina Risper for attending public comment in moral support of Anaya and Melissa Dey Hasbrook.; invitations for presentations by anti-violence advocates at committee meetings--from Cm. Matt, Wd.3, at Public Safety; and from Cm. Wood, At-Large, at Committee of the Whole.

interest to learn more about primary prevention of violence from anti-violence advocates expressed by Council VP Jeffries, At-Large.; 9/14 Letter to City Council and Mayor about Act 99
LetterCouncil&Mayor14sep07_copy.pdf

9/16 Letter to City Council about Act 99
LetterCityCouncil16sep07_copy.pdf

9/17 Letter to Mayor about violating City Charter
LetterMayor17sep07_copy.pdf

9/17 Citizen Complaint filed against Mayor
Citizen_Complaint_Form17sept07_onln.pdf

9/17 Public Comment at City Council meeting
about Act 99 and safety in Lansing CommentCityCouncilMtg17sept07.pdf

UPDATED PHOTO GALLERY
Check out the new album Anti-Violence Advocacy now available from Women Writers.

PHENOMENAL!
Last night's Old Town Poets Creole Gallery re-opening was phenomenal with nearly 30 people reading 1 poem or performing 1 song each!

Some open mikers from Survivin' & Thrivin' made appearances. Julie W. read a poem reflecting on the women's lives lost this summer to violence; a line: The trees look strange to me. Anaya read one of her (as usual!) fabulous spontaneous poems; a line: Poetry is a lifestyle.

Among the first set of poets, someone read "Responsibility" by Grace Paley, who died in the past month. The inspiring poem is available at this web page (scroll toward the bottom).

Gianni "Tupaco" Risper, Sept. 25's guest host for ESP Open Mic at Magdalena's Tea House, read a firey poem entitled "America," calling out fellow Americans to confront our nation's doings in the world.

THE LATEST

Wednesday, September 12, Deena Tyler and Melissa Dey Hasbrook are heading to the Creole Gallery The Old Town Poetry Series is putting on an evening of song and poetry.

And Melissa gives away willow saplings in memory of victims of violence this Saturday, September 15, starting at 8am in the Lansing City Market.

Women's Center of Greater Lansing and musician Barb Barton are joining the Oct. 1 SPEAK OUT to keep Lansing safe! Check out event posters (see files with "Poster_")!

CITY GOVERNMENT NEWS
from Melissa...

My efforts to urge Mayor Bernero and City Council to "fix what's broken" within the Lansing Police Department are all about getting priorities straight to keep Lansing safe. Missing: the prevention of violence against women and ongoing direct input from residents.

Unfortunately, Mr. Mayor still has not acknowledged my correspondence (began on Aug. 17), and he left City Council before public comment this week (on Sept. 10). My comment made at City Council's meeting is published at http://womenwriters.us.to/stoptheviolence.

Today I attended the Ways and Means Committee for public comment and to hear discussion about Act 99, which is the Mayor's proposal for funding 10 (+1 spare) cameras at $350K. In supplement to the meager LSJ story about this meeting, I'm posting on the forums. Visit my posts and find the subject "The Real Story".

Lansing's SPEAK OUT for keeping our city safe is comin' togetha!

Hours are moved up now for 11am to 3pm.

Our line-up so far includes...: SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE
~Melissa Dey Hasbrook - Coordinator of East Side Poetry Open Mike
~Deena Tyler - Host of Survivin’ & Thrivin’ Poetry Open Mike
~Rina Risper - President & Publisher of The New Citizens Press and Founder of the Nu Poet Collective; ANTI-VIOLENCE & PEACE ADVOCATES
~EVE, Inc. - End Violent Encounter
~Triangle Foundation of Michigan
~Fr. Peter Dougherty - Founder of the Michigan Peace Team
~Judge Amy Krause - Lansing’s 54-A District Court; COMMUNITY RESIDENTS & GROUPS
~Rev. Nathan Dixon - Trinity AME Church & Founder of the Capital City Community Action Network
~The NorthWest Initiative of Lansing
~Logic - Nu Poet Collective & Organizer of SpitFire Open Mike; Media coverage for victims of violence...
See Zachary Chartkoff's Letter to the LSJ Editor.
Keeping Lansing safe...
See Anne Smiley's Cameras are bad idea for city, LSJ.; Check out my emails and letters at http://womenwriters.us.to/stoptheviolence.; Check out my posts on LSJ Forums, and Blogs of Derek Melot (Aug. 16 & Sept. 4) and John Schneider.

{?}Is Lansing's Poetry Scene Dying?: By Gianni Risper in the column Teen Talk.; Published by The New Citizens Press from an email addressed on Aug.26 to The City Pulse.; Join the conversation! See LSJ columnist John Schneider's Aug.31 post about safety in Lansing.; Correspondence to Lansing's media and local government about STOPPING THE VIOLENCE is now available.

FALL BLAST-OFF

The Old Town Poets return to the Creole Gallery on Sept. 12, 7:30pm, with open mike. Deena Tyler and Melissa Dey Hasbrook will be there!: The evening of song and poetry is a celebration of Robert Busby's positive influence in Lansing and his collaboration with local artists.; ... healing with poetry & advocacy (poems coming soon; see LSJ Forum posts)...

... writing local officials to prevent violence against women (see email to City Council and Mayor) ...

... writing local media to cover victims of violence fairly (see email, letters to editor, press release to media) ...

... using the City Pulse online forum Keeping Lansing Safe! (see CP Forums, then select News, and find Keeping Lansing Safe!) ...

... inviting residents and groups to participate at Oct. 1's SPEAK OUT (see Invite1Oct).; ... for survivors of violence..
... for loved ones who survived murder victims ...
... for children looking to adults for protection and example ...
... for adolescents looking to adults for leadership and inspiration ...
... for neighbors staying behind locked doors ...
... for ourselves, the heart of Lansing.

FALL IS FULL OF POETRY

Lansing's putting on many wonderful poetic happenings this season. Be sure to view the listing from WW for upcoming open mikes and events. (Right side, scroll down.)

KEEPING LANSING SAFE!

The Lansing Police Department reported the arrest of a suspect for the murders of Debra Renfors, Deborah Cooke, Ruth Hallman, Sandra Eichorn, and Karen Delgado-Yates. The suspect also is tied to the beating of a woman who survived last week (on Jones St.) and a series of attacks on Lansing women several years ago.: Lansing police: 'Serial killer' caught Aug. 31; Keeping Lansing Safe!

Karen Louise Delgado-Yates 41 yrs
"Police identify 14th homicide victim" Aug. 30

ROLL CALL

Look who’s caring to call attention to violence against women!: City Council member William Matt
http://www.billmatt.org/ see post "Crime Fighting Strategy" Aug. 29
Quote: "the [Mayor's] crime prevention plan fails to address building and supporting programs that prevent violence against women"
=letters to the Mayor and City Council do some good!

LSJ 'Brutal' death is a shock Aug. 29
"Eichorn was the fourth woman killed in the last five weeks in the city. "
=some kind of tally for the number of murdered women in addition to a total number of this year's homicides

Lansing Police (as reported by the LSJ)
Police: Attack may be related to 2 homicides Aug. 29
"Police are asking residents - especially women living alone - to take extra precautions for their personal safety."
=recognition of women's UNsafety in Lansing; to promote neighborhood safety &
to confront violence against women.; * a positive gathering of community members,
* a peaceful environment for residents’ to share experiences,
* a collaboration in order to network across neighborhoods,
* an information-sharing event with local & state groups,
* a free-speech event with story, poetry, & song, AND
* a direct message to the City Government:
}{STOP THE VIOLENCE!}{; EVE Inc. - End Violent Encounter

Survivin' & Thrivin' hosts
Deena Tyler & Melissa Dey Hasbrook

RINA RISPERS
of The New Citizens Press & NuPoets Collective

from Melissa...

PHONE CALL AWAY

Deena Tyler and I keep in regular touch during my trip to Belgium. Yesterday we chatted online when I found the LSJ headline about yet another murdered woman in Lansing.: Sandra Eichorn "'Brutal' death is a shock" Aug. 29; Number 13
for the unidentified 64-year-old woman
found murdered at 1813 S. Genesee, Lansing, Michigan
(note: now we know she was Sandra Eichorn)

Messages
for rosalind and haywood

The LSJ reports today: Lansing woman is city's 13th homicide:
64-year-old found dead in her home on Genesee Drive

TONIGHT!
Don't miss the East Side Poetry Open Mike at Magdalena's Tea House! Lisa Sayles, a Survivin' & Thrivin' regular, is hosting.

SPEAK OUT UPDATE
Joining us Oct.1 at Lansing City Hall are the Michigan Peace Team and
Triangle Foundation. A huge thank you to these groups!: Are you interested to join the program? Here's how to sign up!; A Vision for Prevention: Key Issues and Statewide Recommendations for the Primary Prevention of Violence Against Women in Michigan (2003) by Wendi L. Siebold

GOOD FACT

The Old Town Poets are returning to the Creole Gallery at 1218 Turner Street in Old Town on Wednesday, September 12, at 7:30pm.

Coordinator Ruelaine Stokes invites participants to sign up ahead and at the event to read one poem. The evening will be: "a real celebration of life, poetry, music, community, and the beautiful, spirit-filled gallery that Robert Busby created as a home for artists and the arts."; Urge local and state government officials to STOP THE VIOLENCE against women in Michigan.

Invite neighbors to SPEAK OUT at Lansing City Hall on October 1.

Support nonprofits working with survivors of violence, like EVE Inc. (Oct. 1 SPEAK OUT partner).

Write letters to editors, like Rina Risper (OCT. 1 SPEAK OUT partner) of The New Citizens Press.

from Melissa...

MORE WOMEN DIE DURING CHILDBIRTH, BUT WHY?

In the LSJ on Aug. 25 under the section Lifestyles, we find the AP story "Rate of women dying in childbirth on the rise" (subtitle reads Experts: Obesity, C-sections major reasons for increase) by Mike Stobbe. Stobbe reports, "Some researchers point to the rising C-section rate, now 29 percent of all births - far higher than what public health experts say is appropriate." Yet how is it that women are getting more C-sections than what "public health experts" recommend?

GOOD QUESTION!

A paper published in 2005 by the British Medical Journal indicates that this question cannot be answered because of insufficient documentation.

The authors analyze "US national birth certificate data on approximately 4 million births annually to create a new category-—mothers at 'no indicated risk'—-and then examines the growth of primary caesareans in these women from 1991 to 2001." (The BMJ is "published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association.")

The authors' conclusion sounds alarm:: The proportion of no indicated risk primary caesareans is growing rapidly in the United States, adding to the overall rise in primary caesareans. The major limitation of this study is the quality of reporting of items on the US birth certificate. However, we would expect that "defensive medicine" would encourage the reporting of a risk factor associated with the resulting caesarean. [...] It would also be inappropriate to equate no indicated risk caesareans with "patient choice" caesareans, as birth certificate data provide no record of the mother's intent.

Although some recent editorials have suggested that vaginal births carry risks comparable to caesarean births, health problems associated with caesareans have been amply documented. All of these risks may be easily outweighed by the potential benefits to a mother or infant with a condition that could have been avoided by a timely caesarean, but what if the caesarean was done without a medical indication? In the case of no indicated risk primary caesareans, particularly for younger mothers who plan to have more children and may be denied a vaginal birth after a caesarean, additional research is needed to elucidate whether the risks of a no indicated risk primary caesarean will be offset by associated benefits. (emphasis added, full story); (1) US birth certificates don't document the basis for caesareans,
(2) certain women are categorized as "no indicated risk" for caesareans--a surgery well documented as carrying risk, and
(3) "editorials"--in other words editors--claim equal risk between vaginal v. caesarean births, contrary to "public health experts"!

SPEAK OUT PREPARATIONS

Yesterday's post announced who is partnering so far for the SPEAK OUT @ Lansing City Hall @ noon on Oct. 1, where participants are welcome to impromptu share poems, songs, testimonies, and so on in promotion of neighborhood safety and confronting violence targeted at women.

We also are prepping a program of community members, artists, activists, and so on. Do you want to be in the line up? Then email deyofthephoenixAThotmail.com with: * your name,
* contribution at the SPEAK OUT
(-->poem, song, testimony, etc.),
* and about your interest or connection to the event theme
(-->E/N/W/S-side resident, survivor of violence, local artist, etc.).; Local poetry readers slip prison verse over razor wire
City Pulse, 22 August 2007

Women Writers of Survivin' & Thrivin' are joined by partners to SPEAK OUT @ Lansing City Hall on October 1 @ noon:: EVE Inc.
End Violent Encounter

Rina Risper
Publisher of The New Citizens Press
& founder of The NuPoets Collective; Rina Risper's Excuse me are you listening?
TNCP 19 August 2007

Lansing City Pulse's Trickle Down Crime Fighting
22 August 2007

Added 25 August:
LSJ's Dozens Attend Hunter Park Vigil
23 August 2007

Golly Gee! Today the LSJ published my letter to the editor submitted on Aug.15! Their title is "Report death trend":: Thursday's Letter to the Editor

UNPLANNED HAPPENING

I spent Wednesday with posters on the LSJ Story Chat. My online comments were "taken to task", so I put forward rationales for engaging residents in safety policymaking and confronting violence targeted at women. Exchanges are available below each story in a forum:: Wednesday's Letters to the Editor (Aug. 22)
Safety Plan (Aug. 21)
Police Say Husband Likely Shot Wife, Self (Aug. 22); Debra Waidelich - LSJ story "Police say..."; Mystery Woman, or The Weights of Silence
by Melissa Dey Hasbrook
for Taisha (*see below poem)

In trying to tell something,
a woman is told,
shredding herself into opaque words
while her voice dissolves
on the walls of silence.

Ressemblage.
From silences to silences,
the fragile essence
of each fragment sparks
across the screen,
subsides
and takes flight.

—Trinh Minh-Ha
Woman, Native, Other

Mystery Woman,
I cannot forget you,
though we never met in the flesh.
I read part of your story
the time when
you could not hear
or speak
or write.
You appeared one morning in Brooklyn,
alone and without documents.
People stared
at your pendant of the sun and moon
imagining you “Mexican”
by its design.
They suspected you “illegal”
since no one reported you missing.

I remembered you
while visiting my Northwest sister.
Laying in bed,
I held her arm
as she told me of harm
the day her husband tried to kill her
in front of their children.
Coldness swept over me
and my stomach turned sour
as silence weighted
the passage of her words.

I remembered you
while vacationing in Paris.
Laying in a hotel,
I held my lover
as a man struck a mother.
Her scream cut across
the narrow space
between our balconies.
Adrenaline pumped through me
and I leapt to my feet
as silence weighted
the absence of her words.

Mystery Woman,
I cannot forget you,
though we never will meet in the flesh
because you were found that morning
murdered and burnt.
But I hope to write part of your story
the time when
you could hear
and speak
and write.
I stare at your pendant shining,
imagining you
brown, yellow,
black, red,
and white.
And I suspect you present and watching
as I weigh your silence
with words.; Photos posted by her cousin Michelle
Arrest for Taisha's Murder
Acquittal of Man Charged with Taisha's Murder

from Melissa...

In today's LSJ letters to the editor NONE address the editorial Safety Plan. Questions cross my mind:

Was my letter the ONLY one submitted about the editorial?

Or did SO FEW submit letters to the LSJ in response to its assessment of the Mayor's plan (and/or LSJ coverage of victims of violence)?

How can there be NOTHING to print on this very important community topic?

Thinking back on the LSJ's coverage about the murdered child Ricky Holland, I wonder, where's the justice??: Letter to the Editor

August 21, 2007

LSJ’s Editorial “Safety Plan” (Aug. 21) raises questions about Mayor Bernero’s plan for a safe city but none address two issues especially impacting Lansing residents:

Who is the Mayor consulting from Lansing neighborhoods about how best to keep our communities safe? Video surveillance cameras will not intervene attackers breaking into our homes, as happened in the murders of Debra Renfors and Ruth Hallman.

Also, how is the City of Lansing going to confront violence targeted against women? Add Deborah Cooke and Brandon Williams to the list and we find that recent murders include one male, who at 17 years counts as a child.

Mr. Mayor, please engage the neighborhoods and women of Lansing directly in revising this plan for a safe city.

Melissa Dey Hasbrook
Lansing

from Melissa..

The Lansing State Journal published an editorial Safety plan about Mayor Bernero's plan for making Lansing, Michigan, a safe(r) city. The LSJ story raises questions about funding, cameras, and law enforcement.: Yet--AGAIN--no recognition is paid to the role of residents' direct input and involvement, nor to the pattern of violence targeted at women. And I sent ANOTHER letter to the LSJ editor; we'll see if they print THIS one.; SPEAK OUT @ LANSING CITY HALL
@ NOON on the sidewalk of Capitol & Michigan Aves.

Thanks to The New Citizens Press for steppin' up about victims of violence and neighborhood safety in Lansing, Michigan!

Rina Risper published Melissa's letter to the editor (see post Accountability, NOW!) in the latest TNCP.

Look for the print edition around town and stay tuned for the letter's online publication http://www.tncp.net/ .

And soon to come in the TNCP: Melissa's letter to Mayor Virg Bernero!

Melissa Dey Hasbrook is giving MySpace a try. Check it out:: http://myspace.com/deyofthephoenix

Deena Tyler is set to release her chapbook Ready for Me: Raw and Rough on Saturday, November 4! Stay tuned for event details.

Here is a poem from the book:: I Harbor No Illusions
by Deena Tyler

I harbor no illusions that I’ll go far,
that Oprah will buy me a car,
or I'll be a star.
I harbor no illusions that people don't judge my skin,
that losers ever win,
that everyone is my friend.
I don’t harbor those illusions.
There are days early in the morning
without warning
I feel my grandmother's presence and just for a moment, I am innocent again.
I believe…
I believe that Martin Luther King's dream could be true for me and you,
I believe we could love one another,
all be brothers.
I believe we could chase an ideal,
make it real,
make it worth living for.
I believe there is an honest man
who will take a stand.
Then…
the moment goes and heaven knows
that at any time without reason
it could become a killing season.
I could just be gone,
that everything I believed was wrong.
So I will not have delusions
about my illusions.
But I still want to believe.; usATwomenwriters.us.to

from Melissa...

The LSJ did leave a phone message asking for permission to print my letter to the editor, which I provided. But my letter is not included in Friday's letters. So...?

Derek Melot of the LSJ maintains its blog and recently posed on Mayor Virg Bernero's "plan" for safety in Lansing, which does not impress me. Check out Melot's post (Aug. 16) and my comment about (some reasons) why Bernero's plan is incomplete and misguided:

http://noise.typepad.com/derek_melot/2007/08/up-down-all-aro.html

Please join the dialogue! The LSJ Blog, your own blog, and/or a letter to the editor are some ways to speak up in the community.

from Melissa...

LETTER TO EDITOR

Today I submitted the following letter to the editor of the Lansing State Journal, community newspaper of my hometown. In this version, I provide links to the referenced stories. Let's see if LSJ publishes it AND what version of it they publish (since it's 149 words long, within the 150-word limit).: LSJ, please fairly report about victims of violence. “Police ID Woman” (Aug. 12) glimpses at Debra Renfors while “Victim Tried to Change Life” (Aug. 14) is lopsided. Overall, you obscure her person and this disturbing trend: a second woman murdered in the same house without anyone convicted.

LSJ’s portrait of a record not the person of Ms. Renfors contrasts your coverage of murdered neighborhood-activist Ruth Hallman. In both cases, humans were killed. Irrelevant details about Ms. Renfors’s history, like past intoxication, is sensational not responsible or insightful.

I request that you publish a feature about Lansing-area violence spotlighting women and children as the majority of victims. Consider how recent reporting on the murders of Julie Mishoe , Barbara George, and Brandon Williams fails to address this proven pattern. October is domestic violence awareness month, an ideal time for such a feature. LSJ, give victims and survivors of violence our due.

Melissa Dey Hasbrook
Lansing; http://www.endabuse.org/resources/facts/
http://www.nccev.org/violence/statistics/statistics-domestic.html
http://www.abanet.org/domviol/statistics.html
ADDED 21 AUG: http://www.now.org/issues/violence/stats.html
REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS

Here are stories about the victims (ones not linked in the above letter).: Deborah Kaye Cooke
Hunter Park homicide victim identified
The perpetrator/s murdered AND sexually violated Ms. Cooke.

Julie Mishoe
Murder-Suicide Victim's Family Speak Out

Brandon Williams
Victim, 17, remembered as 'loving'

Barbara George
Husband charged with killing wife in 1990

Barbara Jean Tuttle
2004 - the first woman killed at 1017 N. Washington Ave., Lansing.
Lansing's unsolved homicides

Debra Elaine Renfors
2007 - the second woman killed at 1017 N. Washington Ave., Lansing.

Ruth Hallman
Carol Wood remembers ‘Momie’
NO MAGIC, MAYOR!

An LSJ story-headline quotes Lansing mayor Virg Bernero about recent murders:: Mayor: "I wish I could wave a magic wand and stop this"; "Bernero said that most homicides in the city are drug related or domestic in nature, though he did not confirm or deny that today's homicide was either."

Friday, December 21, 2007

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Monday, December 10, 2007

Friday, December 7, 2007

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Friday, November 30, 2007

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

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Monday, November 19, 2007

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

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Saturday, November 3, 2007

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Monday, October 1, 2007

Monday, September 24, 2007

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

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Friday, August 31, 2007

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

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Monday, August 27, 2007

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Wednesday, August 15, 2007

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