Username:

Password:

Fargot Password? / Help

Tag: revolution

0

A Woman on the Wildside - A Taste of Freedom in Argentina

Author Anastasia Blackwell joins protesters in front of Tribunal in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

" I to be rocked to the soul by a passion I couldn't control, an obsessive,  unquenchable desire that burned through the night, blazed shadows against the stars,  and brought new meaning to a world gone stale.  Purpose."

Please Note:  "A Woman on the Wild side" is a blog written by Anastasia Blackwell chronicling her journey in Argentina, featuring a mysterious young man named Tamerlane Rivera.  The series will be published upon completion.

A Rebel is Born

America 1776 - a new constitution affords "men" their God given divine right to life, liberty and the pursuit of  happiness.

America 2013 - "The divine right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness  will never hold up in court,"  a prominent attorney told me.  "Courts are created for attorneys to make  a living and justice is for those who can pay for it."

"An injustice to one citizen is a blow to us all," I protested.

He nodded with a patronizing mile.

     'Art is a powerful means of expressing social, political and emotional discontent, and rebellion is often best clothed in subtext.  But sometimes you have to speak your mind, and not give a damn about the consequences', I wrote in my journal.

To that end, I took action.

In a serendipitous moment, alone on the Buenos Aires streets while visiting my son studying abroad in Argentina,  I came upon a political demonstration.  The passion and vigor of the congregated masses transformed the air with the thrill of  possibility.  The  throng  took me deep into their folds and moved me, like the undertow of a current,  to face an imposing judicial building.  Beneath the colorful flags of the demonstrators and the brightly lit Tribunal voices elevated by loud speakers exposed truths, both esoteric and unspeakable.

They cried out against a government that had lost touch with the needs and desires of its citizens. They spoke of  inflation, political corruption, unjust courts,  and greedy banks, and even darker, of  torture, underground justice, and stolen and murdered children.  It was a triumphant showdown of man against institution, beneath an enraptured sky.

The speeches of men and women of all ages and ethnicities echoed through the night, as tears were shed  and a torrent of human emotions swelled up and filled our hearts.  Light flooded from the windows of the stoic building, held strong by its columns,  unmoving, defiant, secure in its weight and position, as the police closed in.

We stood before the Goliath building, a glorious sea of humanity,  together in our purpose to fight for our God given rights  - the promise of Democracy.

A man positioned himself next to me - tall, powerfully built, dressed in a pea coat and jeans, with golden skin and lush dark hair spilling to his collar, topped by a black fedora displaying a gold crescent pin.  He bestowed warm brown eyes and a smile, his teeth glimmering white beneath the bloated moon.  His Spanish baritone resonated like a caress.

"You are an American?" he asked.

"How did you know?"

"We cannot allow government institutions  rule us through fear,"   he stated simply.

The night had grown cold with the passing clouds, and I folded my arms and drew my coat tight, while  searching his intense eyes.  Lost there, I saw something of myself reflected back, a part of me I had not known existed until that moment - and something profound began to awaken.  Flags waved the image of revolutionary Che Guevara and patriotic music stirred the citizens to near riot.

"I am a single mother.  How can I stand up against a powerful male patriarchal system?  The American constitution was meant to be democratic, but it was forged by founding fathers, not mothers."

“Your founding fathers fought a similar battle, only as the bastard children of a strict and unyielding father across the Atlantic. You can accept their remedy or choose your own.  There are many ways to revolt and many ways to achieve your goals once you set them,” he said, with a charming smile.

"Are you a revolutionary?"

"A transformationalist."

"I'm not familiar with the ideology."

"My name is Tamerlane Rivera.  Welcome to my country," he said, and he offered his hand.

The crowd roared, canons fired, and a zealous, chaotic energy infused the square that was intoxicating, exhilarating.  Yet, it wasn't enough - I wanted more.

I wanted to be rocked to the soul by a passion I couldn't control, taken to the furthest edge of mind and body,  by an obsessive, unquenchable desire that burned through the night, blazed shadows against the stars and brought new meaning to a world gone stale.  Purpose.

journey shifted in the moment, my perception of reality altered, like awakening to a winter morning with  a freshly fallen blanket of snow, pristine, untouched, ready for the weight of the first footsteps to bring life  a hidden landscape ready for the taste of something new.

Challenging the Tribunal

Anastasia Blackwell

9-16-2013

 

 

0

Mature Heroines in Romance Literature

THE HOUSE ON BLACK LAKE HAS BEEN ADAPTED TO SCREENPLAY. GO TO HOME PAGE TO VIEW PROVOCATIVE CINEMATIC TRAILER

During my travels in promoting The House on Black Lake I have spoken to many women frustrated that most romance novel authors cut off heroine age at around 36, an age when most women have only begun to fully mature into their innate beauty and strength. Yet a good number of these authors are well into their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and even older.

When I set out to write The House on Black Lake I could not imagine featuring a woman who was not fully mature in my book. All of the women featured in my novel are over forty, and there is an extremely seductive character well into her sixties. In the course of the trilogy that constitutes the entirety of the story of heroine, Alexandra Brighton’s journey, she and the women in her sphere will age with incredible beauty, dignity, strength, and romantic passion.

I do not promote a social structure that demeans women in their prime because they pursue what nature deems their best course, including mating with a young, healthy male. I say no, and so does my heroine.  Alexandra is desired by all of the conflicted males in the tale, and torn between the seductiveness of the younger male and the depth of her intellectual , sexual, and emotional equal, Ramey Sandeley. The elder patriarchal elite, represented by Roger Sandeley, find her both a treasure and threat, as she carries the ultimate power.

 We learn in the prelude to Alexandra’s story that she was a beautiful young woman taught to accept the role society had laid out for her. When she suffers a disfiguring affliction after child birth, she makes a vow at St. Andre’s Shrine, “Truth for Beauty” – a promise to follow her divine destiny in return of an unblemished face. As she attempts to follow her chosen path she finds herself demeaned and diminished by society. And when she leaves her powerful, wealthy, controlling husband, the court strips her of her children and financial security. Ultimately, she is left broke and alone. The journey into the underground of Black Lake is her only hope of salvation.

 The greatest fear of most mature men is abandonment and failure, and that is why mature women are stripped of their power when they choose to compete with, leave an older man, or cast eyes at younger men.  What is more inconsionable is that women strip themselves of their own and other women’s power by buying into stereotypes and myths, competing with other women, and accepting that beauty and money alone have value. And yet, it is the patriarchal elite who have the most to lose, for they squelch their only hope of a soulmate to nurture them at home and unite to govern the world with humanity and grace.

The House on Black Lake is a woman’s journey through the underground of society, subsequent transformation, and empowerment. The men and women who do not live by society’s rules, the gypsies, witches, and mystics, are Alexandra’s tutors in redefining what constitutes power and beauty.

Strange female creatures are being created in operating rooms all over the world as women accept a twisted notion of what allures, while the guile and determination that defines charm is further buried. Many mature women give up altogether  and live through their daughters. The opposite should be the norm, as young girls must learn from the vibrant females of our world, and not the opposite. They shall earn their place when they have passed through the trials of financial struggle, work, motherhood, sorrow, loss, and as well as travel, adventure, and passionate love.

 I yearn for the guidance of the goddesses of the past, and strive to become one worthy of following. I say it’s time for revolution, a revolution of mature heroines storming into modern society, a new breed to lead the younger generations.

Writers need to know what their followers desires. Contact them on their websites if you seek to learn more about powerful females and their adventures.

Scene from trailer/novel where sexy young artist Andre Labat (Tosh Yanez) seduces heroine, Alexandra Brighton, (Anastasia Blackwell)  a mother of two and well into 40's. He is one of three successful and powerful men who vie for her attention.

Another character, Luna Sandeley, is in her 60's with a wealthy husband, a younger lover, and the adoration of many others

0

RAW/WAR - Women Art Revolution

 

I had the great pleasure of being present at the opening of RAW/WAR on January 20, 2010 at the Sundance Film Festival.  My videos and images have been downloaded to the site and I can be assured that my work is stored in their archives and will not be lost.  Women and their histories must be acknowledged and heard if we are to gain the collective strength we need to prosper as a vibrant and whole society.
 
About RAW/WAR from their site:

The RAW/WAR project is generated from the idea that history is about access and authorship and that we, as a global digital community, can now all participate in its creation and change the way history itself is constructed. Using new technologies, current and future generations can create their own histories, breaking the cycle of omission and erasure.

RAW/WAR takes the form of an interactive, community-curated archive and an accompanying installation that provide a forum in which users can come together, share their stories and collaboratively contribute to the history of women�s art.

The project emerges from the documentary !Women Art Revolution. While the film provides a personal perspective of feminist activism in a national context, RAW/WAR opens up this dialogue to a global audience, connecting women and their histories worldwide.

An ongoing partnership with Stanford University Libraries (SULAIR) houses the !Women Art Revolution Collection in a publicly accessible online archive for study and research. The collection, acquired in 2008, holds the interview footage and transcripts from the film. Because of the retrievability of this information, there are no outtakes, subverting traditional notions of filmmaking. RAW/WAR is about continuing this ongoing lineage into the future and allowing users to add, and ultimately, remix, their own stories.

RAW/WAR is self-curated. This is achieved by rating and meta-rating and is intricately linked to the whole thesis of !WAR: shedding light on who is left out and why.

The RAW/WAR installation is a live participatory environment that allows users to �bring light� to the lost or invisible histories of women in art with virtual flashlight controllers accessing the interactive, community-curated archive.

The RAW/WAR project is a project by Lynn Hershman Leeson, in collaboration with Alexandra Chowaniec, Brian Chirls, Gian Pablo Villamil and Paradiso Projects.