5 Indie Hipster Things to Do in Portland
Thanks to feminist blogger Shannen Roberts for including us in this blog post about 5 feminist things to do with your Portland weekends!
Dear brave bold passionate patient fabulous fierce feminists,
Our all-volunteer board of directors is working tirelessly to help implement and streamline our all-volunteer-run nonprofit in to the thriving feminist community organizing space we all fiercely desire. Tonight at 6:30PM, the board of directors will be reading an open letter and working closely with community members to move forward in an open and transparent way. As always, tonight’s monthly board meeting is open to the public. For those who cannot make it tonight, please see below for the letter.
The current Board of Directors stepped up last fall. Together they brought years of NPO, grants, grassroots organizing, program and planning, financial planning, marketing, donor cultivation, fundraising, management and policy and procedure experience to the organization. They have dedicated many hours and hard work to reaching these goals. Their main objectives were to help IOW become a socially responsible and fiscally sustainable organization. They have brought forth two viable financial strategies, innovative marketing campaign ideas and strategic program plans to help navigate IOW into sustainability and away from financial crisis. They have analyzed the current structural model of the organization and have made several recommendations to help begin the process of creating a sustainable future for the organization.
Now is the time to implement a plan to become socially responsible. They have worked on inclusivity campaigns, setting up policies and procedures to protect those using IOW’s space and have made steps to become a more diverse space that makes intersectional feminism a priority. They feel like the next step to creating a truly diverse organization is ensuring that we create a space for a diversity of feminists to take on leadership roles.
They feel like the best thing we can do is step aside and make room for a more diverse-intersectional Board. It is with much gratitude and respect that Louie, Caitlyn, Lauren, and Nicole are choosing to step aside to make more space for new diverse leaders. Alison will be stepping down from her secretary position to create room for new board members too (she will stay on the board as an “at large” member). The exiting Board Members will be available for consulting in their professional fields and will still be actively involved in IOW. They would also like volunteers to know that they can reach out for letters of reference, etc. They want to continue to support the career goals and upward mobility of IOW volunteers!
Love and Solidarity,
Board of Directors
In Other Words Feminist Community Center
Thank you so much, Portland, for your passion, patience, time, energy, love, and support. Thank you for holding us accountable, and for participating and stepping up when it was needed.
Please remember to mark your calendar and plan attend our upcoming General Assembly at the end of this month, where we will hold a vote on major structural changes to In Other Words.
Please direct any questions to board[at]inotherwords[dot]org. In Other Words Feminist Community Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit that is entirely run by volunteers and survives thanks to lots of small individual gifts from generous feminists like you. We couldn’t do it without your help. Thank you.
Pudge PDX Bookworm Photoshoot
In case you missed it, here’s the incredible “Bookworm Photoshoot” done recently by Pudge PDX at In Other Words Feminist Community Center.
Bookworm Photoshoot!
Pudge PDX is all about body empowerment and they have an uplifting message which you can learn more about and contribute to by going to their website.
Happy reading ladies!
“To all our dedicated volunteers,
We’ve listened to your thoughtful comments, and while we still have staffing/operational problems that have necessitated some abrupt changes we will be working with you to bring a plan and vision for IOW’s future to the next General Assembly for a vote.
In preparation for that vote, we’ve scheduled a number of brainstorming sessions over the next few weeks. We hope you will both join a working session to contribute ideas and help design our path forward and attend the General Assembly to cast your vote. Here are the meeting dates:
- Wednesday, April 1st, 6:00pm at In Other Words – This is part of an ongoing process and is a meeting that will focus on how we can ensure that future plans for IOW are inclusive of marginalized communities.
- Wednesday, April 8th, 6:30pm at In Other Words – Brainstorming around the proposed event space/book curation model.
- Sunday, April 12th, Noon at In Other Words – Brainstorming around the proposed event space/book curation model.
- Saturday, April 25th, 2PM at In Other Words – General Assembly Meeting–and VOTE on major structural changes. UPDATE: click here to watch the recording of the General Assembly
We continue to be blessed with passionate volunteers, and we’re looking forward to working together to become the sustainable organization our community needs.”
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Sincerely and In Solidarity,
board of directors
In Other Words Feminist Community Center
Spring has arrived!!! Women Songwriters Night Recap
Jaspar Lepak (Left) and Avery Hill (Right) take turns playing.
Spring sprang this past weekend at In Other Words, gently and serenely, as we welcomed a very special event into the space entitled “Women Songwriters Night” and hosted by Avery Hill. Hill is a singer/songwriter herself, who has a new collection coming out entitled “Dreams and Ghosts,” which you can preorder now. She puts this event together approximately three times a year at different socially-minded organizations throughout the Portland area. Avery feels deeply that “The arts have the power to bring people together around important causes” and enjoys organizing events with that intent in mind.
Avery is a magical storyteller whose music paints elegant vignettes of peace, home, and gratitude for beauty. She weaves remarkable tales that reach into the depths of her family history and her own imagination. Additionally, in honor of the recent equinox, she sang a lovely celebration of springtime. I could feel the buds of spring breaking the soil anew, the blossoms, the birds, and the brand new air. Nothing summons springtime and rebirth like the romantic, soothing voice and gentle folk guitar music of a powerful female.
Avery was followed by Jaspar Lepak, who brought an alternate set of equally astounding cards to the table Saturday night. Jaspar is the voice of vulnerability and strength. Where Avery soothed, Jaspar unsettled. She speaks wonderfully of love and beauty, but it was her powerful expressions of pain and longing that were particularly impactful, especially in contrast to Avery’s heroic positivity and nostalgic storytelling. Jaspar treads the shadowy and cold grounds of suffering and unfulfilled desire in quite a few of her songs. But as she poignantly expresses in her anthem to women entitled “I Know a Woman” this is part of woman’s gift to the world, to feel so strongly and honestly; and in her vulnerability she contributes her vibrance and energy to this earth.
Avery and Jaspar each create their own unique type of powerful feminine music which, performed live at our feminist center, moved me to tears multiple times Saturday night. As the event staff for the evening, I felt a distinct duty not to hide those tears, as they united me in solidarity with these women and their brave and vulnerable expressions of self. You can stream Jaspar’s feminist anthem on her website. You can also listen to her “Song for Spring” to fill your heart with the new season.
Thank you to these fabulous artists for visiting us. We hope to have you back for “Women Songwriters Night” very soon! And happy spring everyone!
March 2015 Board of Directors meeting!
Our new board of directors has been working hard helping us lead and streamline our forward motion towards sustainability in terms of finances and volunteer capacity for our bold brave fierce feminist space! Part of that forward motion includes gathering at their monthly board of directors meetings to discuss the movement throughout the past month, hear and discuss community feedback, and make decisions together. The March 2015 board meeting is no different! As always, there will be time dedicated to public comment.
Agenda and details for tonight’s meeting:
In Other Words Feminist Community Center
Board of Directors: March 2015 meeting
6:30PM, March 19, 2015
14 NE Killingsworth St Portland OR 97211
AGENDA
I. Opening Business (6:30p-6:50p)
a. Approve February Minutes – 1 min
b. Vote on Secretary Transition – 2 mins
c. Vote on HR Transition (Louie) – 2 mins
d. Community Forum – 15 mins
II. Board Committee Updates (6:50p-7:40p)
a. Financial Update (Sara) – 15 mins (including Insurance Policy Update)
b. HR Update (Louie/Cait) (Supervising Staff, new PM, Grievance Policy) – 10 mins
c. Conflict of Interest and Social Media Reminder (Louie) – 5 mins
d. Library Update – Louie – 5 mins
e. Fundraising Update (Allison) – 5 mins
f. Operations and Website Update (Adrienne) -5 mins
g. Board Openings (Louie)– 5 mins
III. IOW Moving Forward (7:40p-8:50p)
a. Community Feedback (10 mins)
b. Next Steps (20 mins)
c. Financial Modeling (15 mins)
d. Communications Plan (15 mins)
e. Timeline/To Dos (10 mins)
[CANCELED] Volunteer Orientation at In Other Words
Update: This event has been CANCELED until further notice. Sorry for any inconvenience!
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Are you interested in giving back to your feminist communities through a volunteer commitment? In Other Words Feminist Community Center is entirely guided and operated by volunteers! We have a volunteer leadership spot for YOU in our feminist volunteer family!
If you’re a new volunteer, please plan to attend the March volunteer orientation!
- When: March 14th at 4:30PM (orientations usually last about 45 minutes)
- Where: In Other Words Feminist Community Center, 14 NE Killingsworth St.
- FB: Facebook event link
- Please RSVP so we know how many people to expect. Send an email to volunteer[at]inotherwords[dot]org with your name, preferred pronouns, contact information and your general weekly scheduling availability for shifts, and any special interests/skills you might like to contribute to In Other Words.
Feel free to contact volunteer[at]inotherwords[dot]org with any questions.
Featured Artist: Sabrina Harris
Artwork by Sabrina Harris has been on display at In Other Words this past month and will continue to be featured through the end of March. Please stop by In Other Words to check out her pieces, which are also for sale. See below for a description of the artist and her work.
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Sabrina Harris is a mixed media artist who lives in North Portland. Her artwork explores the depths of human experience and life cycle. She seeks to display this depth through the use of layers, texture and symbolic imaging. Her artwork is process driven, emotive, and not premeditated. In this series she explores interconnectivity and healing using plant fossils as her muse.
Art Show: Shelley Stefan, “B is for Butch”
Shelley Stefan is on her university Sabbatical in 2015 and comes to PDX Q Center to exhibit her work entitled “B is for Butch,” a series of paintings and drawings formerly shown in Harlem, New York City, the Fraser Valley, and Vancouver, BC, and recently lectured on in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, China.
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- Shelley Stefan
- “B is for Butch” Art Exhibit
- Opening Night – March 5, 7pm
- PDX Q Center, 4115 N. Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR
- Free
- Facebook public event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1556624831290688/
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Here’s a video clip from when “B is for Butch” debuted in New York City:
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Shelley Stefan is Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. She was born in 1974 in the Chicago area, and received her BFA from the University of Notre Dame in 1996 and her MFA from Maine College of Art in 2006. Between academic degrees, Stefan spent several formative years as a resident of Portland, Oregon, living and working as an artist in the SE, NE, and North Portland communities. Stefan’s artwork involves themes of love, emotion, protagonism, and self-reflection, and for 2 decades has incorporated topics about introspection and contemporary queer culture. Shelley Stefan has exhibited, taught, and lectured in Canada, the US, and China and has engaged several public projects on the topic of art for social change.
You’re Invited: Alberta Main Street Community Check-In
Nearly five years ago, almost 100 people with a stake in the Alberta Street business district gathered at the Alberta Rose Theatre to develop a community vision for Alberta Street. Together, we developed our mission, twenty-year vision, five-year goals and guiding principles. It is now time to determine what is working, what is not and where we go from here. You’re invited to share your ideas, insights and imagination!
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Join us on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 for an opportunity to gain historical perspective and to help identify priority projects, programs and events that you would like to see implemented in the future. It is our mission to advance efforts to develop Alberta Street as a vibrant, creative, equitable, and sustainable commercial district serving residents and visitors to our community. All are welcome – please join us! Diverse community-wide participation is critical to our success.
- Tuesday, February 24, 2015, 6:30 – 9 PM
- St. Andrew Catholic Church Community Center, Oscar Romero Room, 806 NE Alberta Street
- RSVP online: www.albertamainst.org
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Alberta Main Street is a community and economic development nonprofit organization engaging residents, business and commercial property owners, and anyone with a stake in the future of Alberta Street utilizing the Main Street Four-Point Approach®. The four points (design, promotion, business development and organization) work together to build a sustainable and inclusive commercial corridor.
Volunteer-driven committees and the Alberta Main Street Board of Directors plan and implement projects, programs and events that draw people to the district (promotion), create a functional and welcoming physical environment (design), support the economic vitality of the district (business development and engage volunteers and raise funds to ensure capacity to achieve our goals (organization). In addition to the four points, Alberta Main Street’s equity committee works to ensure our efforts support and engage everyone within the district.
Vibrant communities don’t just happen – they need a vision, they need leadership, they need coordination and they need participation by all members of the community. Alberta Main Street will only be as strong as the community investment in it. We want your ideas, insights and imagination! Please let us know you are coming, RSVP online at albertamainst.org, email rsvp@albertamainst.org or call (503) 683-3252.
In Other Words 