The Silences Between: Are Lesbians Irrelevant? World Social Forum, Mumbai, India, 16-21 January

In this essay, I reflect on my experience at the Mumbai World Social Forum in 2004. I begin with a discussion of silence as methodology in research with, by and about lesbians. I examine the silence around lesbian politics as well as the silences between lesbian activists and those they encounter in discussion, political activism and research settings. I explore some of the differences and similarities between Australia and India both within the mainstream culture and in the freedoms or otherwise of lesbians. I then go on to describe the workshop I organized for the Mumbai World Social Forum on “Torture of lesbians: what can be done?” in which a number of politically silencing factors come into play. I investigate the ramifications of this session in terms of the marginalization of lesbians at the World Social Forums and the implications for future Forums. The poem that accompanies the essay is extracted from “India Sutra,” a long poem that arose out of my attendance at the Mumbai World Social Forum and my subsequent travels in India with two lesbians, one of whom was born in India

India Sutra

The complete “India Sutra” appears in The Butterfly Effect by Susan Hawthorne (Spinifex Press, 2005)

Bibliodiversity: a manifesto for independent publishing

In a globalised world, megacorp publishing is all about numbers, about sameness, about following a formula based on the latest megasuccess. Each book is expected to pay for itself and all the externalities of publishing such as offices and CEO salaries. It means that books which take off slowly but have long lives, the books that change social norms, are less likely to be published. Independent publishers are seeking another way. A way of engagement with society and methods that reflect something important about the locale or the niche they inhabit. Independent and small publishers are like rare plants that pop up among the larger growth but add something different, perhaps they feed the soil, bring colour or scent into the world.Bibliodiversity is a term invented by Chilean publishers in the 1990s as a way of envisioning a different kind of publishing. In this manifesto, Susan Hawthorne provides a scathing critique of the global publishing industry set against a visionary proposal for organic publishing. She looks at free speech and fair speech, at the environmental costs of mainstream publishing and at the promises and challenges of the move to digital

Limen

this tiny crack in our lives wind and rain strewn stranded on the limen that space between water and sky rain and sun cold and heat When two women and a dog set off on a holiday they have no inkling of what's to come. They wake to find the river has crept up silently during the night. Trapped by floodwater, they devise escape routes only to be faced with more obstacles at every turn. Only the dog remains calm. This novella grips you with its language, its pace, its anxieties

The Spinifex Quiz Book: a book of women's answers

Who invented hieroglyphics? Who did Einstein's mathematics? Who led the defence of Viet Nam in 40 AD? Who invented the first computer? Who built the pyramid at Giza? Who developed the merino sheep? Who was the first writer in the world? Who invented the wheel? All were women. When the next person asks: Where are all the famous women artists/inventors/architects/writers/scientists? – this book will make it easy to find their names

The Exploding Frangipani: lesbian writing from Australia and New Zealand

Collection of poems and short stories from 28 lesbian authors. Diverse themes are explored from family and love to politics and spirituality. The book aims at enlarging the audience for lesbian writings which have remained largely underground. Includes biographical notes on the contributors

Cyberfeminism: connectivity, critique and creativity

An international anthology of writings on cyberculture and feminist interventions. A diverse and at times fractious discussion of issues raised by these new forms of cultural expression. The contributors engage with a range of questions including: What is cyberfeminism? How does feminism influence multimedia production? What are the possibilities for feminist activism and research on the internet? How are colonisation, cybersex and virtuality to be theorised? How do these technologies affect our theories about bodies and minds? And what are the implications for creative artists

Angels of power and other reproductive creations

In the tradition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, these writers rework images of the body. Imagination, vision and a sense of the absurd come together and demonstrate that women can resist the power of god-like scientists who long to create monsters and angels