If anyone is in New York in the next two weeks, be sure to check out Until the Violence Stops: NYC, a two week festival organized by playwright Eve Ensler to help educate and promote awareness about violence against women, with events and venues all over the 5 boroughs. Like V-Day, which uses creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalise the spirit of existing anti-violence organisations, this festival includes monologues, plays and spoken word performances by artists such as Rosario Dawson, Brittany Murphy, Cynthia Nixon, Isabella Rossellini, Kerry Washington, Selma Hayek, Rosie O’Donnell and more, workshops and forums to discuss the issue and ways to change the alarming statistics, and even a self-defense class. Topics include rape, domestic violence, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sex trafficking, and even a panel discussion with women from global conflict zones. Read more about the festival over at Time Out New York (Antiviolent Femme)
And for those of you who are in town this weekend, come to Friends of the Birth Center’s 3rd Annual “Celebrate Birth” Picnic, which will be in Central Park this Sunday (June 18th). It should be a great afternoon, including birthday cake and lots of entertainment for the kiddies, and the $10 suggested donation goes towards (re-) opening a free-standing birth center in Manhattan after the tragic close of the Elizabeth Seton Childbearing Center. For more information, visit the link above. (Unfortunately, I’m going to be out of the city camping this weekend, but we get back on Sunday, and if we get back in time…I’ll be there).
