Contents:

I.     International Directory of Women's Media 

II.   Highlighted Women's Media on this web page:

III.  Women's Media Articles & News

IV. Women's Media History Resources

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Women's Media

Women-owned media, by & about women, are at the heart of the women's movement. Women-owned media make it possible for women to speak for themselves.

We, as women, have not been able to rely on the male-owned corporate mass media to be our communications system. The male-owned "women's magazines," newspapers and broadcast media have not been a place for us to share information vital to our survival. When mass media gave coverage to our concerns at all it was because women's media raised our issues so strongly that they could not be ignored. The issue of violence against women is an example. Even we we obtained coverage it was not always accurate or respectful.

The strength of women's media has grown tremendously since the 1960s. The early publications played a key role in sparking and spreading the movement. Now with the internet we are increasingly communicating on a global level, speaking for ourselves and organizing on the issues close to our hearts and vital to our survival. We are able to tackle issues that once may have divided us. We are listening to each other and sharing perspectives and information.

I.   Directory of Women's Media

   http://www.wifp.org/DWM/DirectoryWomensMedia.html

The Directory of Women's Media is located on this website (no cost to access) and is available from WIFP in print form (at cost).   If you are connected with a women's media and would like it to be included in the continually updated online version and the periodically published Directory of Women's Media, you will find information about inclusion on this website and at the top of this page.

Send us your entry for the Directory of Women's Media

Print Edition available      details

II. Highlighted Women's Media

Highlight on a Women's Radio Show: The F-Files    highlight

Help celebrate Rain and Thunder's 10th Year Anniversary!

Women’s Radio Shows    highlight

Women's International News Gathering Service (WINGS)    highlight

Women News Network    highlight

Women Behind the Camera    highlight

SEN Magazine   highlight

NEW: Persimmon Tree: An Online Literary Magazine for Older Women   highlight

New Journal from Agenda Feminist Media in South Africa   highlight

Canadian Women Studies     highlight
Les cahiers de la femme

Feminist Media Studies      highlight

End of the Show for Rockrgrl      highlight

Women and Earth    highlight

Many More on Page 2

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Highlight on a Women's Radio Show: The F-Files

About the F-Files: "The F-Files, founded in April of 2004, is a grassroots, feminist radio show dedicated to radical change via direct action. We despise the pornography industry. Our goal is to provide information on a variety of topics as they relate to womyn and the intersectionality of race, class, sexuality and other forms of hierarchical oppression. We'd deport the Minute Men in 59 seconds. In the process of providing alternative radio, we struggle to "free speech" from the corporate, white, male hands that continue to strangle dissenting voices. MTV sucks. We do not claim to be free of ideologies but we refuse to shove them down your throat as is often the case with corporate owned, hegemonic media which causes many womyn to vomit among other things. Organized religion is a scam. While everyone is entitled to our opinion, we would like to make it clear that even though the F-Files has an obvious political slant, we are not afraid to challenge our own beliefs. As a result, our opinions and ideas are constantly evolving and may deviate from those expressed in previous recordings. At the same time, various ideas are validated and reinforced as new shows are recorded, literature read and experiences shared. . . . We still hate the pornography industry."

The F-Files is currently broadcasting on three college stations.

For more information: http://www.ffiles.net/

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Help celebrate Rain and Thunder's 10th Year Anniversary!

SUPPORT RADICAL FEMINIST PUBLISHING!

November 2008

Issue #40 of Rain and Thunder: A Radical Feminist Journal of Discussion and Activism is now OUT! If you are looking for a grassroots, activist-driven, radical feminist publication look no further! Please help ensure our continued existence by subscribing and contributing to our pages!

Some highlights of Issue #40 include:

* "On Rain and Thunder Turning Ten: Reflections on a Decade of Radical Feminist Publishing" by Nayiree Roubinian

* "The Power of Naming and Change: Reflections on Rain and Thunder's 10th Year"
by Kim Rivers

* "Radical Feminist Media Matters" by Garine' Roubinian

* "Feminist - Three Score and More" by Judith K. Witherow

* "Radicalism on Paper: A Timeline of Rain and Thunder 's Herstory"

* "Rain and Thunder Celebrates 10 Years: A Conversation with the Rain and Thunder Collective"

PLUS...

Congratulatory notes and reflections from our amazing readers and contributors...

Articles from the Rain and Thunder archives...

Poetry, news, actions, feminist hotline and MORE!

Subscriptions for one year (4 issues) are $1 for every $1000 you have in income a year. More if you can, less if you can't. Institutional rate is $30/year. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Also available for $5 each are sample and back issues of the journal. Subscriptions can be made by check or money order. Outside the USA: subscriptions cost the same as above plus $10. Payment must be by International Money Order.

Please take part and help our community thrive!

Rain and Thunder
PO BOX 674
Northampton, MA 01061
rainandthunder@yahoo.com
http://rainandthunder.org

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Women’s Radio Shows

Compiled by Sarah Glover, WIFP
July 2008

51%: The Women’s Perspective
Host: Susan Barnett
Email: sbarnett@wamc.org
Website: http://www.wamc.org/prog-51.html
Description: In America, women make up more than half the population. Worldwide, women are expected to outnumber men within the next fifty years. And every issue we face is one that affects us all. Whether it’s the environment, health, our children, politics or the arts, there’s a women’s perspective, and 51% is a show dedicated to that viewpoint.

Feminist Magazine
Hosts: Various
Email: feministmagazine@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.feministmagazine.org/, http://kpfk.org/programs/proglist/82-feminist-magazine.html
Description: Dynamic discussion of news, views, politics and culture with feminist perspective.

Her Turn
Host: Diane Farsetta
Email: wort@wort-fm.org
Website: http://wort-fm.org/programming-news-local.php#herturn
Description: News and information by and about women in a magazine format. Includes shorter news stories and in-depth features produced by the Her Turn Women’s Collective.

In Our Voices
Host: Nkenge Toure
Email: InOurVoices@aol.com
Website: http://www.pacifica.org/program-guide/op,program-page/station_id,5/program_id,440/day,Friday/
Description: "In Our Voices " is a public affairs program focusing on issues from a woman's perspective. Built on the concept that everything is a woman's issue. This show is a platform for the voices of women.

Issues for Your Tissues
Host: Katie Vitale
Email: issues4tissues@gmail.com
Website: http://www.koop.org/?page=schedule§ion=issuesforyourtissues
Description: A show about reproductive rights & education.

Joy of Resistance
Hosts: Linda Freeman, Fran Luck, Erin Lee Mock, Sofia Quintero, Steffie Brooks
Email: joyofresistance@wbai.org
Website: http://wbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=376&Itemid=142h, http://www.pacifica.org/program-guide/op,program-page/station_id,4/program_id,56/day,Thursday/
Description: Multi-cultural feminist radio

Uprising
Host: Sonali Kolhatkar
Email: uprising@kpfk.org
Website: http://uprisingradio.org/home/, http://www.kpfk.org/programs/152-uprising.html
Description: Uprising emphasizes connecting global issues with local ones. Simply informing listeners of the problems in the world and our communities is not enough - we hope to motivate our listeners to take an active role in their communities.

Wakeup Call
Hosts: Deepa Fernandes
Email: dfernandes@wbai, comments@wakeupcallradio.org
Website: http://wbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=338&Itemid=142
Description: Wakeup Call is WBAI's morning drive-time news magazine. The show features in-depth coverage of local, national and international news, social and cultural issues and events. The focus is on human rights, peace and social, economic and racial justice. We bring voices and perspectives that are excluded from mainstream media.

Women’s Magazine
Hosts: A group of diverse women of various ages and races.
Email: womensmagazine@comcast.net
Website: http://www.kpfa.org/womensmagazine/
Description: The Women's Magazine is an hour-long radio program that airs on KPFA radio that presents and discusses women's lives and issues globally and locally from a radical multiracial feminist/mujerist/womanist perspective. We bring women's issues, lives, culture, music, struggles and achievements to the forefront and bring a feminist critique of issues important to the progressive community.

Women’s Show
Hosts: Mary Glenney and Arlene Engelhardt
Email: arlene@WMNF.org, maryg@WMNF.org
Website: http://www.wmnf.org/programs/show/303
Description: An eclectic feminist/womanist radio magazine. Music is mixed with arts and multicultural features including interviews, film and book reviews, announcements, news, speeches and documentaries by and about women.

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Women's International News Gathering Service (WINGS)

By Bonnie Carlson, WIFP
June 2008

Founded in 1986, the Women's International News Gathering Service (WINGS) is dedicated to broadcasting women's issues over the radio. According to its mission statement, WINGS is "an all-woman network of reporters producing and distributing news and current affairs programs by and about women around the world".

The group's biggest undertaking is its weekly news radio program. This weekly segment features international news items pertaining to women. The program's topics range from a piece on Sonia Jacobs, the only female death row inmate of Florida, to an anti-violence speech given by Chung Hyun Kyung, a Korean feminist theologian. WINGS also accepts guest contributions to its radio program in the form of written or recorded news stories. An archive of past radio segments is hosted by the University of Sought Florida Department of Women's Studies and is available through the WINGS website.

Once a year WINGS also produces an hour-long radio program called the Women's News Roundup to feature the "hottest women's radio news stories of the year". Recordings of this annual broadcast are also archived and available online.

WINGS Exectuive Producer, Frieda Werden, is a WIFP associate. For more information visit www.wings.org or subscribe to their mailing list by contacting wings@wings.org.

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Women News Network

By Amy Buck, WIFP
June 2008

The Women News Network (WNN), started and directed by Lys Anzia, has a goal of bringing international women's news that is often not covered by mainstream media to anyone with an Internet connection. WNN writes articles, and features video and radio clips that apply to the interests of women. Anzia began WNN in 2006 after being inspired by a writing assignment that was meant to cover "global women's news." From this broad topic, Anzia was inspired to more frequently cover women's stories.

On the website (womennewsnetwork.net), there is an article archive that features one or two articles per month. These articles feature a wide variety of topics and are written either by WNN staff or an associate. WNN also highlights articles from outside sources in their Global Breaking News Portal. A new feature of the website that utilizes odiogo.com allows for select articles to be downloaded as a sound file. Odiogo.com puts text into a voice format so that women can listen to these articles on the go or away from the computer.

The Women News Network Video Collection features 432 videos submitted to the Network. To browse through these videos, you have the option of searching through the Most Watched, the Most Watched This Week, or a variety of key words including: children of the world today; educate the world; empowering women; the F word itself (feminist news); international women’s rights; and many more. The videos are further organized to feature the most recent video submissions before the older submissions.

The Women News Network Radio Collection, like the video collection, features radio clips that concern women worldwide. Specific clips can be found and played through live stream on the website, or listeners can subscribe to the WNN radio podcast that will automatically update your computer’s radio clips when they are released.

Through this website, WNN is able to bring news concerning women to an international audience. With their easy to navigate design, articles are easyto find and read, as are the videos to watch, and the radio to listen to. The multimedia focus of the website allows women everywhere to watch, listen and read important news that may not be covered by mass media in the U.S. or elsewhere.

Women News Network
Email Address: Womennews2000 [at] yahoo.com
U.S. Phone Number to the WNN Colorado Office: (011) 303 241 2555
Website: http://womennewsnetwork.net/
Description: A Multimedia website designed for International Women looking for International News updates.

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Women Behind the Camera

"Women Behind the Camera" is the first documentary to examine the lives, work and challenges of camerawomen around the globe, including camerawomen who survive the odds in Hollywood, Bollywood, Afghanistan, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Senegal, the U.S. and other countries. Thomas McKenny of the International Cinematographers Guild has called it "an important film for everyone who collaborates on motion pictures and all who watch them. The most world-wide film since 'Winged Migration.'"

The camerawomen in the film range from top pioneers, like African-American camerawoman Jessie Maple Patton, who had to sue the union and television networks to get jobs...to Shu Shi Jun, who traveled throughout the New China as Mao Ze Dong's cinematographer...to Ellen Kuras, ASC ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind")...to Rozette Ghadery, one of the first camerawomen in Iran, who shot a film about chemical warfare in Kurdistani Iraq.

Kathleen McHugh, Professor and Director, UCLA Center for the Study of Women, says, "This documentary brings women cinematographers around the world clearly into view; its scope is breathtaking and the women's voices riveting." We are hopeful that the film will enable grassroots connections to grow from country to country and woman to woman on a cross-cultural basis.

After six years of production around the world, the new feature will hold its World Premiere at the Globians World & Culture Festival in Potsdam, Germany on August 15, with a U.S. Premiere at the Moondance International Film Festival, Universal Studios CityWalk Theater, Hollywood, California, September 7-9. The film has won the Insight Award for Excellence in Documentary-Editing and the Accolade Competition Award for Excellence in Contemporary Issues/Awareness-raising. "Women Behind the Camera" is based on Alexis Krasilovsky's book of the same name (Praeger 1997).

For more information about the film, please visit our new website at www.womenbehindthecamera.com.

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SEN Magazine

By Chelsea Cundiff, WIFP
April 18, 2007

In the Muslim world, where men have ruled for centuries, Muslim women in Europe are beginning to find ways to take a stand against forced marriages and other forms of oppression. Not surprisingly, the Internet has become a mode of free expression for Muslim women in Europe, and because it is so open and widely used as a means of exchanging information all over the world, their voices are really being heard.

Senay Ozdemir, Editor in Chief and founder of SEN Magazine, advocates for young women of Islamic background living in the Netherlands. An article in the December 1, 2005 International Herald Tribune says SEN Magazine: "addresses topics ranging from mixed marriages to ideas for Ramadan, Islamic banking, domestic violence, and how to address virginity, abortion or birth control while respecting the Koran. Arts reviews alternate with fashion, from the demure to the daring."

SEN Magazine, which Ozdemir founded in March 2004, features successful Mediterranean women such as lawyers, artists, engineers, and businesswomen as well an advice column, which contains very serious and modern concerns of Mediterranean Islamic women. The magazine made the switch from print to an entirely online publication in January 2007 and can be accessed at www.senmagazine.com. The content of the website is primarily in Dutch.

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NEW: Persimmon Tree: An Online Literary Magazine for Older Women

Persimmon Tree: An Online Literary Magazine for Older Women is now out and available. Published in association with Mills College, the first issue offers fiction by E.M. Broner, Marilyn French, and Jane Lazarre; nonfiction by Sandy Boucher and Daphne Muse; poetry by Ruth Stone; and photography by Melanie Manchot.

Persimmon Tree, an independent online magazine associated with Mills College, seeks submissions from women over sixty. Each issue of the magazine will include several fiction and nonfiction pieces. The work of one poet will be included, as will that of one visual artist.

The magazine comes out quarterly—March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15.

You can subscribe free and read the magazine online at http://www.persimmontree.org/.

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New Journal from Agenda Feminist Media in South Africa

19 March 2007
   
Agenda is busy preparing to launch its subscription service for the year with its first journal, issue 71.
 
Agenda will publish a journal focussing on the topic of Engendering ICTs in May 2007. This journal will explore how women can take advantage of the ICT revolution and what women’s obstacles are to using ICTs and tackle the following questions:

What opportunities will ICTs offer women in achieving the Millennium Development Goals? What are the obstacles to using ICTs to economically empower women? How can ICTs empower women in the informal economy? How can ICT policies be engendered? What are the dangers of creating a digital divide, a disparity between those who make use of ICTs efficiently and effectively, and those who do not? Do women in Africa have the capacity and skills to make effective use of ICTs? The ICT revolution has only really impacted the major cities so far - how can we deploy a sustainable ICT infrastructure that empowers marginalised people living in rural areas, particularly women?

Michelle Odayan, Director
Agenda Feminist Media
Room E302, Diakonia Centre, Diakonia Avenue
Durban - 4001
P.O. Box 61163
Bishopsgate - 4008
Tel: 031 304 7001 Fax: 031 304 7018
Website www.agenda.org.za

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Canadian Women Studies
Les cahiers de la femme

by Amanda Glensky, WIFP
November, 2006

The Canadian Woman Studies editorial board said that in the past 28 years it attempted to create a forum for all women by providing a variety of women with current writing and research about feminist subjects.

The publication says: "By demystifying our communications with one another we are actively working towards serving as a middle ground between the scholarly and the popular, between theory and activism." Canadian Women Studies is a bilingual quarterly, written in both English and French. Luciana Ricciutelli is currently the editor-in-chief.

The articles in the Winter/Spring 2006 issue of Canadian Women Studies center on the theme "Ending Woman Abuse." The articles are classified under six headings including: standing against abuse, experiences of victims, resistance in ending woman abuse, questioning the effectiveness of institutions against abuse, poetry and book reviews.

The editorial board writes that submissions published in the Winter/Spring 2006 edition are from women that are anti-violence activists, frontline shelter workers, women who have experienced male violence, researchers and academics. The board adds that articles feature voices of Aboriginal women, women of color, lesbians, young women and girls, women in prostitution, trans-identified persons, poor and homeless women and psychiatrized women.

Past themes of the journal include: Rural Women in Canada (Summer/Fall 2005), Women and the Black Diaspora (Winter 2004), Women's Health and Well-Being (Fall 2004) and Benefiting Women? Women's Labor Rights (Spring/Summer 2004).

To purchase a subscription of Canadian Woman Studies enclose check or money order payable to: Canadian Woman Studies, 212 Founders College, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada. Telephone: (416) 736-5356. E-mail: cwscf@yorku.ca. Web site: http://www.yorku.ca/cwsc

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Feminist Media Studies

by Amanda Glensky, WIFP
November, 2006

Feminist Media Studies is a peer-reviewed journal of researchers applying feminist perspective to communications and media studies. It features work by scholars, professionals and activists around the world that discuss and analyze the historical, philosophical, cultural, social and political ways a variety of international media portray women.

Feminist Media Studies is published quarterly, in March, June, September and December. Each issue features research articles and either book reviews or commentary and criticisms. Every piece in the journal relates to a central theme established for each issue. September 2006 focuses on "Feminism, Media and the Politics of Identity." Its articles discuss gender and sexuality in U.S. media after Sept. 11, gender and class issues in the program "Joe Millionaire" and an investigation of how Turkish media portrays female victims of sexual violence.

The issue also features reviews of books like "Feminism in Popular Culture," edited by Joanne Hollows and Rachel Moseley and "The Musical: Race, Gender and Performance," by Susan Smith. Themes of past issues include "Tessa Perkins--In Memoriam," "The Media Gendering of War and Conflict" and "A Fat Issue." Editors Lisa McLaughlin and Cynthia Carter write an editor's introduction in each publication explaining the theme and a preview of the articles. Feminist Media Studies also has a large and diverse editorial board representing countries such as Jordan, Mexico, the U.S., Canada, South Africa, the UK, Israel, Australia and the Netherlands.

Feminist Media Studies is published both in print and online. To subscribe, residents of the U.S. and Canada should contact Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis, Inc., 325 Chestnut Street, 8th floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19106, USA. Telephone: 1-800-354-1420. Residents in the UK, Europe and the rest of world should contact Taylor & Francis Customer Services, Taylor & Francis Informa UK Ltd, Sheepen Place, Colchester, Essex, CO3, 3LP, UK. Telephone: 44 (0)20 7017 5544. Inquirers can also e-mail tf.enquiries@tfinforma.com

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End of the Show for Rockrgrl

By Sara Burnes, WIFP

"I can't take any more of the cool kids," explained ROCKRGRL founder and editor-in-chief Carla deSantis to Neva Chonin of the San Francisco Chronicle (29 January 2006)"I need a hipsterectomy." Indeed, she will be removing herself from the forefront of the hip music culture. After eleven years of publishing a rock magazine with the tagline, “Supporting a woman’s right to rock,” deSantis has decided that ROCKRGRL’s days have come to an end. 

According to the ‘zine’s web site (which continues to offer back issues, merchandise, and helpful links), deSantis was dissatisfied after reading an article in Rolling Stone’s “Women Who Rock” issue which asked them about their favorite perfume, but not about the music they produce. ROCKRGRL magazine, therefore, was designed to meet the needs of aspiring women musicians and fans, by focusing on the music. The magazine also sponsored conferences for 2005 and 2006, and a camp for young girls who aspire to rock ‘n’ roll glory.

ROCKRGRL Issue #57, which was released in the fall of 2005, featured the typical array of instrument tips, articles about up-and-coming artists, and, of course, many stories about women who rock. It is available for purchase at www.rockrgrl.com.

WIFP is saddened to learn about the end of the publication of this valuable periodical, and wishes deSantis and aspiring young women rockers everywhere the best of luck in a post-ROCKRGRL world.

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Women and Earth Update

by Sara Burnes, WIFP
November 2006

Women and Earth is a bilingual (Russian and English), multidisciplinary almanac based in New York.  Within this publication nestles a smaller almanac, Women and Russia, the original brainchild of editor-in-chief Tatyana Mamonova.  Mamonova’s experiences as a Russian feminist are in themselves quite a story, as she was exiled to Vienna and given political asylum in France under the Breznev regime. Her most recent issue, Volume 15 of Women and Earth/Volume 27 of Women and Russia, celebrates “25 Years Since the First Tour,” which began with Tatyana’s exile at the end of 1980.  Despite all of her contributions, however, Mamonova is still a stateless person, without citizenship or a passport.

"Women and Earth Almanac"

by Eleanor Biddle, WIFP
February, 2006

Many non-profit organizations operate on a level that some may refer to as "small." (Why, just because they're not owned by Rupert Murdoch?) No matter the level, many organizations produce publications and other materials that reach their audience on levels beyond mindless entertainment. As is the case with Women and Earth (WE), that takes a widely diverse approach to reaching audiences through magazine publications, conferences, forums and educational panels.

WE was founded in 1979 by Tatynana Mamonova, who was exiled from the former Soviet Union for her work in this organization and in other pro-feminist activities. The group started as the "Women and Russia Almanac" but as the organization progressed, the name changed to the all-encompassing "Women and Earth Almanac" in 1991. WE was founded with the goal to unite women by providing a space for women to share their experiences, their accounts of "herstory," and to encompass the experience of all women. WE practices these ideals to provide a forum of feminism for all women, not just Western women, as many institutions practice (with good intentions). Women and Earth make it part of their mission to raise money to give free out copies of their Almanac and free conventions in various locations around the world. WE seeks to provide more and more women a space to partake in feminist activities and goals that may not be currently available to them.

WE makes their publication available free to underprivileged women of Russia, and other areas such Europe, Africa and North and South America. The Almanac is published in both Russian and English and some articles have been translated into French. WE is constantly looking for new areas of the world to involve in their multi-cultural exploration of feminism, by holding chapters in New York (their main office), Russia, Turkey, West Africa, France and the Dominican Republic. Women and Earth strive to share the stories of women by women, about women, and for women, to explore and further everyone's knowledge of women's experiences all over the globe.

Women and Earth's all-encompassing morals are articulated in their yearly Almanac publication. The Almanac includes stories of past experiences, dialogues of feminist perspectives, poetry, reviews on places of tourism and more. WE opens their publication to anyone interested in submitting work. They do not limit their contributors because of one's gender, sexual orientation, cultural or religious background, etc. WE looks to continue their goal of a safe space for the expression of ideas and experiences, by reserving the right to not print any material that is "sexist, racist anti-Semitic or anti-lesbian."

To contribute content or donate to this organization please visit their website:
www.dorsai.org/~womearth/ (temporarily down for maintenance, and we hope will be back up soon).

Or e-mail WE at:
womearth@dorsai.org                or               womearth@yahoo.com

Or send letters and donations to:
Women and Earth Global Eco-Network
World Headquarters
467 Central Park West, Suite 7F
New York, NY 10025 USA

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More on women's media highlights and resources on pages 2 & 3