With Gay Abandon Endorses.... Sister Spit!

Michelle Lea (photo by Amos Mac)

Do you ever lie awake, dreaming of the early '90s, while listening to the likes of Sleater-Kinney, Bratmobile, Heavens to Betsy or Bikini Kill? Do you reminisce back to your Doc Marten days when Doc Martens made their first fashion resurgence? Do you ever wonder what life would be like if the Riot Grrrl scene didn't disintegrate (albeit, many rad things have been birthed by this action – like Ladyfest, and Girls Rock Camp...)? Do you ever think about what happened to the feminist queer riot grrrl writers inspired by such an amazing time in our recent history? What? Not really? Well, let me tell you why you should think such things...

1) First off, I really shouldn't need to convince you about the radness known as the Riot Grrrl movement... If we do need to go back to square one for this, I recommend getting yourself hooked up with a mix-tape of Sleater-Kinney, Huggy Bear, Team Dresch and Bikini Kill, for starters...

2) Doc Martens always were, and still are, the best invest-ment for a good pair of boot-stomping-good-times boots. Money well spent, in my opinion.

3) The demise of the Riot Grrrl scene? Well, to make a long story short – amazing DIY feminist movement showcasing kick-ass women in the male-dominated music world, got eaten alive by the corporate take-over of it, and the birth of Spice Girls-style “Girl Power.” The spirit of the Riot Grrrl movement lives on in many DIY bands, festivals and co-operative skill-sharing, like Ladyfest, a DIY feminist fest that occurs internationally, and Girls Rock Camp, which inspires young girls to experience the power of musical expression, also occurring in many cities everywhere (including right here in Montreal!!).

4) Feminist queer riot grrrl writers? Besides being a movement that inspired girls to rock out and voice their politics through music, the Riot Grrrl movement birthed modern 'zine' culture as we know it, inspiring many people to express themselves through words, without having to be “validated” by patriarchal institutions like school. And yes, like the music, these writers still do amazing work, and still express themselves through alternative media sources and small presses, as well as readings...

Why am I telling you this? Because I don't want you to daydream away your chance to see one of the best things to come to Montreal in a while! Sister Spit – the next generation! Sister Spit, a spoken word and performance collective, was originally founded in 1994, at the height of the Riot Grrrl movement, and featured young writers and performers that toured the globe. They released spoken word albums on the feminist lesbian label Mr. Lady Records, from San Francisco, which was also home to bands like The Butchies and Le Tigre. After a few years on hiatus, Sister Spit is back, a reunion spearheaded by one of its founders, Michelle Tea.

Michelle Tea is an author known for her autobiographical works that explore feminism, race, queer culture, class and sex work. Her award-winning books and anthologies, like Valencia, Rent Girl and Rose of No Man's Land, have inspired many people, much in the same way that riot grrrl music has, to express themselves in their own DIY manner. Let Sister Spit – the next generation inspire you at 8pm, on Tuesday April 27th 2010, at Il Motore, 179 Jean Talon O.!

In the van will be the “legendary, raucous, rowdy performance gang of queertastic brilliance! This multimedia explosion of zinesters, fashion plates, slam poets, novelists, performance artists, poets and fancy scribblers - featuring queer luminary Michelle Tea, legendary trans film director and screenwriter Silas Howard, queer graphic novelist and anti-racist activist Elisha Lim, lesbian slam-poet/performance artist Lenelle Moise, trans psychic memoirist Len Plass, queer zinester/portraitist/graphic novelist Nicole J. Georges, and Power Point loving shape-shifter translady Annie Danger!! ALSO featuring Montreal's own poetic virtuoso, Trish Salah!!!” More info can be found here!