Viva la Feminista

NaNoWriMo is upon us once again and the deadline to write 50,000 doesn’t seem any less of a challenge. This is especially so for moms who may have to juggle jobs with children. How can we stick to the schedule of writing 1667 words each day for 31 consecutive days, while remaining creative?  The only reason I am seriously considering it this year is that Ella will be participating through school. The whole 7th grade is participating! If I'm gonna be bugging her about her 1667 words a day, why not join her? But how? The Internet is full of advice about how to undertake NaNoWriMo successfully. But no one yet has asked the writers who do it each year for their best strategies and tips for staying committed to the very end. Until now, that is. Fortunately, Stop Procrastinating , the productivity website, has surveyed 2000 NaNoWriMo writers ahead of this year’s challenge to find out what kept them going until the very end. There’s no doubt that...

DANGER! SPOILERS BELOW! . . . . . . This show has the same potential that Kara Zor-El has as a superhero. The pilot did not reach the full heights that I came in hoping to see, but that is why it is a pilot. There is a lot of good for the show, a few plot holes that we are supposed to ignore and because I sometimes read spoilers know a little too much to enjoy the pilot on its own. NPR has dueling reviews today, both with valid points. David Bianculli correctly points out that the most vivid character is that of Cat Grant, played by Calista Flockhart. It may be due to the fact that we have seen this character before in many incarnations, including as Bianculli notes, The Devil Wears Prada. I am eager to see how Winn Schott evolves from love-struck-guy to her Q after his excellent work on her costume, even if there is a cape. And let's not forget the handsome and oh-so-grown up James Olsen.  He reveals (I told ya, spoilers, yo!) at the end of the pilot that Superma...

Not talking about HIV or AIDS is our first instinct.  Everyone's first instinct. It is a scary topic, even with all the progress the medical community has made to turn a once certain death sentence into a chronic disease. studies show that talking about HIV/AIDS helps people to know what to do to prevent and treat HIV. This saves lives and protects health. The things to talk about are HIV prevention, HIV testing, and condom use, all of which lower new HIV infections. For many in our community, family is our primary social unit and source of support. Our family also is the first line in preventing HIV infections. Parents talking with their children are very important. Young Hispanic/Latinos, ages 13-24, made up 20% of all new HIV infections among youth in 2010. This is not acceptable. Disclaimer: I am being compensated for participating in this campaign. This is a sponsored post. 

The sexualized depiction of female superheroes has always been a point of contention about anointing Wonder Woman or Xena as feminist icons. The male-gazed bodies out weigh the feminist messages for some. As one friend’s daughter asked, “How can Wonder Woman save people in her underwear?” A meme that continues to pop up in my Facebook feed has Wonder Woman announcing that if she doesn’t get pants, no one gets pants. So when I found out that Mattel was being tasked with creating the action figures for DC’s Super Hero Girls project, I was skeptical. How could the company that brought us “I hate math” Barbie (No, I’ll never let them forget that one!) create anything but a Batgirl who looks more in need of a sandwich than one who can bust down a door? Well one quick trip to Mattel HQ and I was proven wrong. As a disclaimer upfront, I was a gender and body image expert brought into review the line and offer my point of view. I was paid for my time including travel and hotel. I di...

We're into the first month of school here in Chicago. It's now time for book reports and research projects to become due. One of the biggest challenges to many kids is where to start. Who to write a biographical essay on? And the idea of reading through a mountain of biographies can be daunting.    She Takes a Stand: 16 Fearless Activists Who Have Changed the World By Michael Elsohn Ross is a must have for your kid's library at home and at school. In the same vein as Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys , this collection of short, accessible and fact-packed essays about 16 inspiring women. My 12-year-old daughter read the book for her current book report project. She reports that the essays are easy to read and finds the women profiled interesting. Her favorite? Mother Jones. BE STILL MY HEART!! Why? Because she felt that essay read more like a story than a series of facts. I read the essay on Rigoberta Menchu a...

You may notice an ad on the sidebar that says "We Can Stop HIV". That is because I have been asked to join the CDC's HIV Awareness campaign. One Conversation at a Time , a CDC campaign, is a call to action for our community to talk about HIV and AIDS, increase HIV and AIDS awareness, and decrease HIV-associated stigma and shame. Now you might ask why we need a special emphasis in the Latino community. The fact is that " [m]ore than 1.1 million people are living with HIV in the United States and about 50,000 people become infected each year. As Hispanics/Latinos, we account for 21% of these new HIV infections. "Compare this to the fact that Latinos make up 17% of the population in the United States. This is unacceptable. Stay tuned throughout the campaign as I share more information about HIV and its impact in the Latino community. Join LATISM’s Twitter chat on Thursday, October 8, 2015 at 9:00 ET. Use either use the #OneConversation or #UnaConversación ...