Women and the Media

That is the title of a sure-to-be fascinating conference taking place in Cambridge, MA, from March 18 through 20. The idea behind the event is best summed up by the event's woman-focused subtitle: "Taking Our Place in the Public Conversation."

Worthy topic, don't you think? Here is the thinking behind the theme of this year's conference, which is being presented and sponsored by the Center for New Words and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Program in Women's Studies: "Tired of what you hear on the nightly news -- and the absence of women sources, speakers, pundits, and subjects? Ready to see progressive women's ideas and lives treated as if we matter? Then don't miss these two days of workshops, keynotes, and connections. From the opening talk to the closing reception, you'll be taking your own place among women determined to change the conversation."

Keynote speakers at the weekend-long event include Medea Benjamin,
co-founder of Code Pink and Founding Director of Global Exchange;
author and journalist Daisy Hernandez; commentator Jill Nelson; and journalist/writer Maria Hinojosa. There is also a distinguished list of featured speakers and panelists including Heather Findlay, editor-in-chief of Girlfriends magazine; Ms. Musings' Christine Cupaiuolo; Alternet senior editor Lakshmi Chaudhry; economist and author Julianne Malveaux; Betsy Reed, senior editor at The Nation; activist Ann Northrop, and many others, including me. Among the media-focused topics of discussion: Lesbian Weddings and Culture Wars; Getting Women Heard - On Air, On-line, On Deadline; Feminists in the Media Reform Movement; and Taking Back the Language: Our Moral Values. If you have an interest in bring more progressive female voices into the national debate over media, government, and values, you won't want to miss this year's offering.

Join us at MIT's Stata Center, won't you? Register via the CNW site. I'll look forward to seeing you there in March.