Hedgebrook Celebrates International Women's Day!
The impact of Hedgebrook has a ripple effect as alumnae go out into the world and tell their stories. Their work has made it onto stage and screen, concert halls, lecture halls, classrooms, stadiums, poetry slams, bookstores, libraries and even Congress!
For International Women’s Day we celebrate our Hedgebrook sisters around the globe. Here are a few updates on how our alumnae are authoring change in their part of the world.
Shasta Grant – Singapore
In Singapore, I’ve been meeting up with a group of diverse women writers for "submission parties.” We get together and submit our work to journals/contests/residencies/etc. It’s a great way to make the business end of writing more fun and social (and of course, it’s wonderful to cheer each other on!). I’m working on revising a novel and — fingers crossed — will send it to my agent next month. My website is www.shastagrant.com
Edna Manlapaz– Philippines
Currently I am Executive Director of Sacred Springs: Dialogue Institute on Spirituality and Sustainability at the Loyola School of Theology here in the Philippines. This coming school year, we are introducing into our Certificate Program in Integral Ecology a theological course grounded in eco-feminism. Yes!
Minal Harjatwala – India
My travel guidebook to Fiji is about to launch, with an emphasis on local artists/artisans including women landowners, business owners, artists, entrepreneurs, and eco-friendly tour operators. I met an indigenous Fijian divemaster who was part of the original group of divers who mapped the Rainbow Reef, now considered one of the world's top dive destinations for soft corals (she has a dive site named after her). And I profiled a trekking company run by another woman, where indigenous Fijian guides co-own the company and lead hikers through their own mountain highlands. In Fiji--where indigenous communities own 87% of the land--travelers have plenty of choices that strike a good balance of having a great time while also learning and respecting the gorgeous land and sea. Women and LGBTQ people are creating change in Fiji, which is also taking on a leadership role in battling the climate crisis and taking in climate refugees from other island nations in the South Pacific. It was my honor to meet some of the folks doing this important work and help draw attention to it. The book (with 100+ color photos, so perfect for armchair travelers!) is in pre-orders now. My own website is www.minalhajratwala.com.
Monica Macansantos– New Zealand
I recently earned my PhD in Creative Writing from Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters in New Zealand, and I am currently finishing the novel I worked on as my dissertation, which centers women's experiences during the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines. I am also about to attend another residency in the US, the KHN Center for the Arts in Nebraska, where I hope to finalize edits on my novel. I also work as a freelance journalist, and have written about topics such as a mining disaster in the Philippines, Filipino food in the diaspora, Filipina sexuality, and mourning my father's death for anthologies and outlets such as The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Around the Globe, VICE New Zealand, New Naratif, SBS Life, andAotearotica, among other places. You can learn more about my recent projects on my website, monicamacansantos.com. Here is a picture of my workspace in New Zealand, where I lived until very recently.
Githa Hariharan –India
My new novel, I Have Become the Tide, was just published by Simon & Schuster in India; and an edited volume called Battling for India: A Citizen's Reader will be out later this month.
Tania De Rozario – Singapore
In January 2019, my new book, "Somewhere Else, Another You", was released by Math Paper Press. On 15 March, I will be speaking on a panel about "Writing Across Intersection: Asia Diaspora"as part of Growing Room, a festival organized by Room Magazine, Canada's oldest feminist literary journal. On 28 March, I will be on an AWP panel called "Assimilate This!: Queer Literary Community as Sites of Mobilizing & Resistance", where I will be talking about Queer Lit communities in Singapore.
Mary Teng – Australia
My translation of 60 Chinese classical poems, ‘Not Perfect’ is in its second imprint; I am writing a memoir that includes my poetry and running a bilingual poetry workshop as a volunteer at MOSAIC, a multicultural center. Most members are migrants. They bring their favorite poems in their native tongue and read them to the group; I help some of them translate those poems into English. More on our website: bilingualpoetry.wordpress.com. photo by William Yang.