We Are Not Alone

Nope, there are aliens everywhere. But sometimes you have to go to Paris to find them. Sigh, it’s a tough job, but’s someone’s gotta do it. Not that I went to Paris thinking, “Hey, I’ll spend an entire evening hanging out in a bookstore, discovering exciting new writers.” I was pretty much intending to eat, sun myself, see some art, and walk around pretending to be an infinitely cool Parisian chick (or is it chic?) with way, way better hair.

But about 5 hours after arriving in the city of love, it was a bookshop that made my heart beat faster. OK, the extremely rich chocolat chaud that had formed “lunch” might have had something to do with it, but I think it was mainly down to Les Mots à la Bouche (words in the mouth), <www.motsbouche.com> a librairie fantastique full of incredible queer literature.

While it made me sad that Amazones d’Hier no longer seem to exist in Québec (if they do, and you know how I can contact them, let me know!), it made me excited to see how many other fantastic feminist and grrrl-centred magazines and presses there are coming along to fill the space. OK, so none of them are a patch on Shebytches, but – if you have a moment – check out:

Scum Grrrls – 100% feminist energy from Belgium, in three languages (English, French, Dutch)! Articles include in the Spring 2006 (Bodies) issue include... feminist radio, celebrating the menopause, wearing the burqa, the feminisation of teaching... and, of course, the continuing adventures of PéPé (le petite princesse) in outer space. You can check out their website at http://www.scumgrrrls.org. There’s a CD of excellently loud grrrl music with the Summer 06 issue & you can listen online! Also, it totally counts as French practice ;)

Girls Like Us is a lesbian quarterly published in Amsterdam (home of queer coolness), and has interviews, photo galleries, and historical articles using material from Homodok, the lesbian archives in Amsterdam. There are women singers, skaters, rabble rousers, rebel arousers... http://www.glumagazine.com.

And finally, Slit. Hmm, how do I describe Slit? Like On Our Backs, except actually sexy and really political? I try to imagine a North American mag that would feature a profile of an artist who works with plastic surgery, an in-depth interview with Algeria’s leading women’s rights campaigner and a burlesque centrefold? Apart from Playboy ;) It’s Australian, it’s in your face, it’s radical and it had a special issue on pink, so how could I not love it? http://slit.cat.org.au – although not if you’re shy...

(Hmm, and lest I forget, the UK’s own sex toy-shopping, women leader-celebrating, male advertiser-baiting Verge, http://www.vaginamagazine.co.uk, which is only at Issue Zero, but look to hear more from us soon!

So, Shebytches are in pretty good company, I reckon – a world full of women agitating, partying, posing, laughing, growling, stomping, releasing, and, by goddess, talking to one another. And now with the existence of the magical InterWeb, it’s possible to find out what that conversation is in Australia, Belgium, Algeria, Iran, South Africa...

Oh, it’s so cheesy, but I have to do it... “I can feel them, Buffy. Slayers are awaking everywhere.”

Grin.

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