._. 3 F. 16 - OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS — MARCH 1998 I-eviws IIBWS and Beaming at the woman behind the glass encased counter, Susan Lawrence, a budding jewelry designer, fi- nally thought she had found that for which she had been E‘ searching. A participating 3 member of the Women's Work :'_ Project, it was her task to locate E a shop where she could display "g a board of her work. After § much arduous searching and < the recommendations of sev- ’ eral associates, she had finally ‘ x re - . - ‘jé - . Michelle Parkerson, D1 Work of Audre Lorde" ctor of ”A Litrmy for Survzv . BY LAURA CRAiN — — — — — ‘ Filmmaker Michelle Parkerson will speak Monday 11 at 7:00 pm at St. Michael's College McCarthy R talk will include a film screening of A Litany for S ‘I and Work of Audre Lorde. This event is ‘free and 0 _ For African American, lesbian, writer, perform independent filmmaker Michelle Parkerson, the done to document the lives of those who exist 0 gins. With camera close at hand, Parkerson has nist cinematic vision to uncover and expose the can American women's lives. On March 9, at St. lege, Parkerson will share her artistry and her kn public presentation: Mining the Margins: Film ism, and the Audre Lorde Film Pro’ @ As part of her lectureat St. Mike's screening and discussion of her ace the Life and Work of Alld re Lorde. The film (co—dire Gay Griffin), celebrates the life of one of this gifted, courageous and accurate writers: self-d lesbian, feminist, warrior, poet, mother, Audre 1934, Lorde battled breast cancer for many years b in 1992. Her writings were the voice and the in A 1 march aMONDAY The Gay & Lesbian Literature and Film Club of Burlington. 7:30 p.m., Rhombus Gallery. Gay And Lesbian Interest Film: Satan’s Brew, 112 minutes, 1976. Written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. ln German with English subtitles. Satan’s Brew is Fassbinder’s most outrageous and hilarious film. This very black comedy about a would-be poet who imagines himself to be the reincarnation of Stefan George, the 19th century homosexual German romantic poet, is a biting indictment of the politics of fascism and the cult of the individual. WEDNESDAY Self Defense/rape awareness . . .w.orkshop.. First in.a series of two I - l l - s 1 . v f51‘i§i¢ ‘ PA three—hour classes sponsored by the Burlington Women’s Council in cooperation with the Burlington Police Department. 6:30-9:30_at Fletcher Allen Hospital Campus in Burlington. Open to all women regardless of ability to pay. 865-7200 HIV Public Policy Steering Committee, 5-6:30 p.m., at Vermont CARES office, 73 Main Street, Montpelier, Room 23. Call PWA Coalition (800)698-8792 or CARES (800)649-2437 for more information. @FRlDAY lt’s Elementary will be shown by Outright at Lyndon State College, 6:30 pm. There will be a panel discussion after the movie. The event is sponsored by Lyndon State College’s GSA club. FMI call 748 8645 or 865 ‘ 9677 Free. decided to solicit this ”progres- sive store.” The interview pro- ceeded quickly and Susan de- scribed many of her beaded pieces with great enthusiasm before concluding her presen- tation by mentioning a third of ‘her display was specifically oriented to gays and lesbians. ”It (doesn't) say anything. It (is) just a collection of pink tri- angles," she noted. Immedi- ately the shopkeeper, as if be- ing maneuvered by a puppe- teer, threw up her hands in re- proach before announcing, ”I’m sorry, but we cannot allow you to display in our store. We don't want to engage in any controversy.” Despite her pro- testations the shopkeeper re- fused to change the store's ”of- ficial policy,” and Susan exited the establishment with a great sense of disappointment and anger. Later she would secure a position in another shop win- dow for her display; however the events of that day in 1993 have never been erased.‘ Using the incident as motivation, it was not too longbefore Susan opened her own store, Phoenix Rising, a unique gift shop fea- turing authentic jewelry de- The Evolution of a Phoenix Rising BY MICHAEL C. Ai_i3ERo — — — — — - ygays an esrans. The jewelry store manager's feelings notwith- standing, when Susan decided to establish her store late in November of 1995,‘ she re- ceived a wealth of support from the Central Vermont com- munity. Friends from as far away as Burlington came just to paint the walls of the store, which are now covered with paintings from this month's most recent art exhibit. Local shopkeepers welcomed Lawrence into the business community, especially the founder of the Mystic Trader, who made the first purchase on opening day. ”Those people who came out in support of the store on that day... it made my heart feel very warm,” remem- bers Lawrence. In it's two years of exist- ence, Phoenix Rising has evolved into a many faceted ’ gift store centering on queer issues, representative art from different cultures and the beauty of women. With it's cre- ative advertising and uplifting feel, the store appeals to many people of all ages and sexual preferences. Although, ”the original aim was to have a queer store particularly cater- ing to the gay and lesbian com- munity... I speculated that the community was not large enough to support such a nar- row field....,” remarked Lawrence. Consequently, the store carries items from a vari- ety of people and the focus is not necessarily on a person's orientation, but the beauty of the work they create. ”I think many straight people who Dagmar Nickerson at Phoenix Rising, Reception from 5-7pm, exhibit runs through March 28th. Ms. Nickerson’s oil paintingsare an exploration of colo relationships anchored in an architectural sense of space while attempting to reflect to the viewer the inherent energy, psychology and sound of color. ' ’ SATU RDAY The Persephone workshop for women's healing, Kirk Alumni Ctr, Route 30, Middlebury VT, 10 am - 4 pm. The workshop offers models of healing for survivors of incest and other forms of family violence. $20 donation requested, scholarships available. 388 4205 FMl. Cross-country Ski or hike at Northfield Mountain in Northfield, ‘MA. Sponsored by Brattleboro Area Dykes and Women Outdoors. J 1:30,p.m. - come into the store are oblivi- ous to the major theme. A lot of the stuffl sell is made by the community, but not necessar- ily theme oriented.” Oddly, some of the most ular items at Phoenix Ris- can be found in the inno- -av» tive jewelry display or on nearby shelves. According to Lawrence, ”jewelry that has a goddess related them.. ancient feminine images are very im- portant to me. We live in a very patriarchal society... (it is) a goal of the store (to) bring in the deeply rooted female and try to figure out, ’Who is she?’ and ’How can we incorporate her into our lives?”’ One such piece in which these questions are illustrated is K. Robins’s ‘The. Healer.’ ”She (Robins) looks at what is deeply mean- ingful for women in particular. She’sVtaking old images and I making new interpretations out of them,” believes Lawrence. Jane Iris’s ’Spirit Healer’ is another piece which draws the same interpreta- tions. Other popular items in- clude jewelry by Ponce, a gay designer based in California, and the journals, greeting cards, photo albums and sta- -tionary of Running Rhino, a PHOENIX, p18 4:00p.m.. $7 trail fee. Bring snacks or drinks. Call Cheryl 603-357-4259 for details. Gender Role—Free English Country Dance for gay/lesbian/bi/ transgenders and friends — all welcome. Michael Cicone calling. 8:00-11:00 p.m.. Sliding scale admission $5—7 Brattleboro School of Dance, 17 Elliot Street, Brattleboro VT All dances taught- no experience or partners necessary, beginner’s introduction at 8:00 p.m. Please bring light-soled shoes to dance in (or dance in bare/stocking feet) smoke/ drug/alcohol free space call Howie Peterson at 603-563-8085 or Mike Duffy 802-257-8984 for more information. gsUNDAY Many Mansions Ecumenical . . l . . . ' l s l K: Cl: '- 5 C‘ .‘J .. L’r.::..~ /.5; \.»u Spirituality Group will be meeting to discuss the topic of Rebirth. 4 - 6 p.m.. For location call Tom at (802)655- 6706. lNTERNATlONAL WoMEN’s DAY Gay And Lesbian Literature Discussion - Book Night. Midnight In The Garden of Good &. Evil by John Berendt. . . will be discussed... and maybe dissed - This book is based on a true_ story of Savannah, Georgia’s “society" and is full of wonderful characters, including the.now famous Lady Chablis. lt’s a new film as well (not yet available for piracy) but A eventually it will appear on Glitter’s Screen. We'll pick a new book for April. 7:30 p.m., Rhombus Gallery Michelle Parkerson, independent filmmaker. Mining the Margins:FiImmaking, Activism, and the Audre Lorde l~.‘iIm'Project. 7:00 _-.._. ..|tllI.' ..i..x‘.