June 9, 2018
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| Maplewood Book Festival |
June in New Jersey! On June 9th I boarded an Amtrak Train at Penn Station and headed to the Maplewood South Orange Book Festival to participate in a #MeToo panel, reading and book signing of UN/MASKED, Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl On Tour.
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| With author Helen Wan |
Local festival organizer, Becky Kraemer, had added the panel to the new book festival because she felt it was important to talk about harassment and abuse in the work place and books that shed light on this issue. She invited me, along with author Helen Wan, (The Partner Track) to share our journeys from victims to activists. The panel was moderated by Fordham professor, Anne Fernald.
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| UN/MASKED |
My train was an hour late but I made it just in time to sneak downstairs to the reading room at WORDS bookstore in Maplewood. A nice crowd has assembled, including an old friend of the Guerrilla Girls, Michelle Hartung!
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| With Michelle Hartung |
Anne led us all through an open and thoughtful conversation about our journeys and how we came to use the truth of our stories for change. The audience asked stimulating questions and many provided stories of their own.
It always feels like this is a conversation that should not end. There needs to be a continual dialogue about how to end violence against women. #Timesup and #MeToo are not movements that have faded. They are important and necessary vehicles for women to speak out and support each other. There is momentum in harnessing the power of truth.
Thank you Becky, , Anne, Helen and Maplewood for the memorable afternoon.
Go Bananas!
Aphra Behn
