All posts in category ecofeminism

Changing the tune

Today is the anniversary of Jack Layton’s death. In 2011, I was at the Banff Centre, part of a Carolyn McDade and friends recording project with about a hundred women from different places in Canada and the USA. As I headed to breakfast that morning, one of the women from our group was in tears. When I asked what was the matter, I learned that Jack was dead.

I was shocked, went to tell another woman, and the rest is a blur. I know that we honoured him and his work with a moment of silence in the recording studio. And I remember the women from the USA asking about Jack and listening to our stories about him as well as the history of the NDP, the CCF, and the Farm and Labour parties that preceded them.

On the day of his funeral we recorded “Now You Can Go On”, one of four songs Carolyn wrote based on the words of the poem, You, Standing There Reading This: Stop, by William Stafford. It was such a fitting song for that day.

Later, my USA roommate, Ginny, and I sat in our room in Lloyd Hall, crying, as we listened to Stephen Lewis deliver Jack’s eulogy. Everyone, from both north and south of the border, was deeply moved. That deeply emotional experience made its way into our recording. The CD, Widening Embrace, is more powerful as a result.

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by Bernadette Wagner on August 22, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in activism, carolyn mcdade, ecofeminism, music, NDP
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Posted by Bernadette Wagner on August 22, 2015

https://thereginamom.com/2015/08/22/changing-the-tune/

That’s done!

A month can zip right by when one is engaged in community and writing!  As of Saturday, the regina mom completed the in-person requirements as writer-in-residence at the Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre.  A great Regina Beach and area crowd turned out to the launch of TALES FROM THE LAKE so if you’re interested watch for more about that over at This hot place.

Over the month, a couple of young friends I worked with on the Ryan Meili campaign have given birth and, thanks to a Facebook conversation about diapers, the regina mom remembered this poem, posted here in honour of the new babies, Thomas and Sasha.

Clothesline chat

    for June

She is not ashamed to hang
her toddler's diapers on the line, even
though neighbouring lines boast
like‑aged children are potty‑trained.

She smiles to the other mothers
shakes and clips moist white flags
to the wire despite decades old decrees 
children be free from diapers at precisely age two.

She visits another mother, helps 
move a table to the basement where 
on a wooden clothes rack 
diapers drip dry.

c. Bernadette Wagner

(And posted with gratitude that the times have changed.)

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by Bernadette Wagner on April 17, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in ecofeminism, feminism, poem, women
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Posted by Bernadette Wagner on April 17, 2013

https://thereginamom.com/2013/04/17/838/

Save the date! #SWF13

the regina mom is so very excited! As you regulars are aware, she attended the Women’s Forum des Femmes in Ottawa in October and had a fantastic time.  So, she brought the idea home and is happy to invite you to save the date!

—–

Saskatchewan Women’s Forum 2013

 

If you are interested in women’s rights, in connecting with individuals and organizations who have been working on women’s issues recently and through the decades, and in spending a weekend learning, having fun, and moving a women’s agenda forward in our province, then:

 

Please set aside Friday, January 18 (evening) and Saturday, January 19, 2013!

 

We are a coalition of women and organizations who have come together to plan a Saskatchewan Women’s Forum taking place at the Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon. For too long, we have been having conversations in isolation from each other about the current context that women and women’s organizations find themselves in. So we are creating this opportunity to collectively develop how we can move forward on the issues that we care about.

 

We are currently finalizing our program, which will be centered on women’s stories and respectful of intergenerational, intercultural and diverse experiences. If you are interested in attending, please respond back to us (at michelle.beveridge@oxfam.ca, 306.242.4097)) and we will ensure you receive the program and registration package by mid-December.

 

In the meantime, please save the date! And get in touch with us if you would like to be part of the planning, to volunteer at the forum in any number of capacities, or have other ideas for us.

 

Registration is $50/person. (Please let us know if you are in a situation where you would only be able to attend with a reduced rate, or conversely, if you are able and willing to donate  money to assist in covering a portion of registration for others.)

 

Sincerely,

Michelle Beveridge and Katelyn Jones, Oxfam Canada, Saskatoon

Sue Delanoy, Elizabeth Fry Society, Saskatoon

Diane Fletcher, Vadis Group, Saskatoon

Lori Hanson, U of S, Community Health and Epidemiology, Saskatoon

Laura Hopkins, Saskatoon Women’s Community Coalition

Lori Johb, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, Regina

Audra Krueger, U of S, Centre for the Study of Co-ops, Saskatoon

Darla Leard, Canadian Labour Congress, Saskatoon

Barb Macpherson, YWCA Saskatoon

Adriane Paavo, Prairie Lily Feminist Society, Regina

Priscilla Settee, U of S, Native Studies, Saskatoon

Lenore Swystun and Samantha Mark, Prairie Wild Consulting, Saskatoon

Laura Westman, Saskatoon

Bernadette Wagner, Regina

 

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by Bernadette Wagner on December 3, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in activism, ecofeminism, economics, environment, feminism, First Nations, Niki Ashton, reproductive freedom, Ryan Meili, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, sexism, women, writers, youth
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Posted by Bernadette Wagner on December 3, 2012

https://thereginamom.com/2012/12/03/save-the-date-swf13/

Read it, weep, then do something!

the regina mom thinks that Andrew Nikiforuk has summarized the Stephen Harper Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Project bullshit quite beautifully, if anything about this shitstorm can be said to be beautiful, that is. Go. Read. Canadian Democracy: Death by Pipeline.

Have your emotional moment then message the PM, just a short message is fine, to let him know what you think.* the regina mom provides the PM’s contact info, for both his Ottawa and Calgary offices, below.

IN OTTAWA

Landmail:
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

Telephone:
613-992-4211

Fax:
613-941-6900

E-mail:
pm@pm.gc.ca

Twitter:
@pmharper

IN HIS CALGARY CONSTITUENCY OFFICE

Landmail:
1600 – 90th Avenue SW, Suite A-203
Calgary, Alberta
T2V 5A8

Telephone:
403-253-7990

Fax:
403-253-8203

*Note that trm does not believe that our messages will move Mr. Harper to stop the pipeline project. They will let him know that we’re still watching his every move.

3 Comments
by Bernadette Wagner on August 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in activism, Alberta Tar Sands, Canada, ecofeminism, environment, First Nations, North American Energy Security, oil & gas, Parliamentary democracy, Stephen Harper
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Posted by Bernadette Wagner on August 24, 2012

https://thereginamom.com/2012/08/24/read-it-weep-then-do-something/

Performance Tonight!

Vertigo Reading Series Posterthe regina mom is pumped for a performance at the Vertigo Reading Series tonight in Regina.  She’s edited this poem and will slip it into the mix because she has to try out the change and thinks it will fit into her love-themed, genre-hopping set list.

 

trm‘s favourite guitar guy will be on hand to accompany her on a performance piece, “Love Song for Emma Lake,” an earlier version of which you may have caught at the Regina Folk Festival or a Briarpatch Magazine fundraiser a few years ago.

 

It’ll be an eclectic mix of kidlit, poetry, performance and song.  See you there! 7:30 pm Crave Kitchen & Wine Bar, 1925 Victoria Ave.

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by Bernadette Wagner on February 13, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in activism, ecofeminism, poets, The Arts, women, writers
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Posted by Bernadette Wagner on February 13, 2012

https://thereginamom.com/2012/02/13/performance-tonight/

The Book Is Here!

Some of you already know that I’m a poet as well as an activist.  My first book is now available.  This hot place cover image You should be able to find my collection of poetry, This hot place, at bookstores across Canada any day now.  I received my copies from  Thistledown Press a week and a half ago.

I begin a western Canadian tour in April with confirmed stops in Regina, Earl Grey, Prince Albert, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Gabriola, Calgary and Vancouver.  It’d be great if my activist, writing and family friends were able to make the events we’ve lined up.  The more the merrier, y’know?  Tour dates are here, at my book blog.

If your town is not listed just let me know and we’ll see what we can work out.  I ‘m open to sharing my work in a variety of places, from curling rinks to bookstores, art galleries to bars, living rooms to conference rooms — you name it!  I’ll try my best to work it into my schedule.

I’ll head east for a few gigs in Ontario and the Maritimes and then south, down the Pacific coast, after the USA release of the book sometime in September.

Hope to see you somewhere along the path!

3 Comments
by Bernadette Wagner on March 29, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in activism, ecofeminism, feminism, poets, Uncategorized, Western Canada, writers
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Posted by Bernadette Wagner on March 29, 2010

https://thereginamom.com/2010/03/29/the-book-is-here/

Going Green Begins @ Home

I got the first-born moved into residence at the University of Ottawa.  The husband is back to work.  The second-born is back to school.  The leaves are changing their colour.  The rodents  are eating my garden. And I’m revelling in some time at home all by myself!

Instead of using my time to rant, I thought I’d let you know about the good work the Cathedral Area Community Association is up to:

For immediate release                     September 8, 2009

Cathedral Village showcases green living

“Changing the world starts at home.” That’s the idea behind the Green Home Show, a sustainable living event presented by the Cathedral Area Community Association on Sept. 14.

In its second year, the Green Home Show is an open house where eco-minded home owners and renters will sample options to shrink their ecological footprint.

“Our inaugural event was such a success, we’ve had to grow,” says CACA board member Paul Dechene. “There’ll be more time, more exhibitors, a new venue, but the focus is still the same: clearing away the confusion around how to go green. We want people to go home with concrete solutions, things they can put into action right away.”

This year, the show will be expanding to embrace all aspects of green living. In addition to companies such as Regina Geothermal and Solar, Garbage Delight, the Regina Car Share Co-op and Energuide, the 2009 Green Home Show will feature the Prairie Sky School and sustainable fashions by Verve.

Plus, there will be an eco-café with food and coffee from Body Fuel Organics, Eat Healthy Foods, Evolution Catering, and Nature’s Best Grocery. Returning this year is the Silent Eco-Auction.

The event takes place at the Italian Club of Regina, 2148 Connaught Street from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14. Admission is free.

(-30-)

For information:
Paul Dechene, CACA Community Engagement Committee, 757-9849
www.greenhomeregina.com

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by Bernadette Wagner on September 8, 2009  •  Permalink
Posted in Cathedral Village, ecofeminism
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Posted by Bernadette Wagner on September 8, 2009

https://thereginamom.com/2009/09/08/going-green-begins-home/

Happy International Women’s Day

In celebration of the IWD, Canadian Dimension magazine featured several feminist articles and art in the current issue.  Happily, the editor has uploaded my article to their website.  An excerpt:

Eco-feminist action in the 21st century

Bernadette L. Wagner

Canadian Dimension magazine, March/April 2008

In early June, 2007, I was one of seven Saskatchewan women who made their way to Boston to record the vocal tracks for an ecofeminist recording project, My Heart Is Moved. In all, 85 women from ten different bio-regions of North America — many of whom had never before met — gathered to sing songs based on the Earth Charter, a global peoples’ document on sustainable living. All who traveled to Boston brought with them the breath and life of their local communities, the voices of all those in their singing circles, the amazing preparation and intention of the local group into the focused work of rehearsals and recording. The experience was profound and continues to shape me, much as the songs continue to take shape in community.

The Roots of Ecofeminism

Attempting to trace the origin of the word “ecofeminism” yields confusion. There are those who consider Francois d’Eaubonne, a French feminist and author of Le Feminisme ou la Mort (Feminism or Death), published in 1974 and translated into English in 1989, the originator. Others credit Susan Griffin’s Women and Nature or Mary Daly’s Gyn/Ecology: The MetaEthics of Radical Feminism, both published in 1978, as laying significant groundwork for ecofeminism, even though neither woman used the term in those works. Still others suggest that it could have been used by indigenous peoples or Black Americans working in their communities. What becomes clear in sorting through the literature is that no one woman can be crowned as originator, especially when the intricacies of oral cultures and realities of class are brought into the discussion.

Still, all ecofeminists can point to the work of Rachel Carson and her studies of birds and lakes as a significant root of ecofeminism. “Chemicals are the sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world — the very nature of life,” she said in her 1962 book, Silent Spring. That book rocked all of North America and much of the world, resulting in a backlash from the chemical industry and the scientific community.

Read the full article.

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by Bernadette Wagner on March 8, 2008  •  Permalink
Posted in carolyn mcdade, ecofeminism, environment, International Women's Day
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Posted by Bernadette Wagner on March 8, 2008

https://thereginamom.com/2008/03/08/happy-international-womens-day/