ILENE RICHMAN
FERTILITY AWARENESS CENTER
Do You Know What's In Your Underwear? Introduction to Fertility Awareness.
On participating in Vagina Festival 2007:
A key component of my mission as a Fertility Awareness educator is to bring the private issues of sex & reproductive well-being into the public sphere. And part of that process involves making people, especially women, comfortable with their "private parts." Men in general are far more comfortable with their genitals, perhaps because they are easily visible, but no doubt also because of the powerful and positive associations the male organ and its attendant sexuality have in societies throughout the world, both ancient & modern. Society's relationships with women's genitals, and with their sexuality and their cycles, tend to be far more ambiguous, and in many cases outright negative. Women's cycles are routinely overridden with hormones. Normal monthly bleeding is considered shameful. Rape is used as a tool of war. The list is literally endless.
Fertility Awareness fosters a healthy and positive relationship with female sexuality and the reproductive process. So naturally I was drawn to the Vagina Festival, which, like the V-Day org that inspired it, seeks to bring these taboo topics into the light, where they can be examined and celebrated. Nothing better illustrates this concept than the photographic work of the organizer, Alexandra Jacoby, and it was through an exhibit of that work that I came to the Vagina Festival.
Private parts in a public space - what could be better? I look forward to sharing Fertility Awareness with the participants.
About Ilene Richman:
Ilene Richman is the head of the nonprofit organization The Fertility Awareness Center. The Fertility Awareness Center provides instruction in Fertility Awareness, which is a system by which a woman can understand on what days of her cycle she is fertile. She can use this information to practice effective & natural birth control, or to help her achieve pregnancy, and in general to be more empowered around her sexuality and her health. Fertility Awareness is information that every woman should have, regardless of her sexual orientation or relationship status.
Note: Fertility Awareness is based on observation of the body and has nothing to do with the Rhythm, or Calendar Method, although the two are often confused.
Benefit Announcement
SHARE THE LOVE: A BENEFIT FOR THE FERTILITY AWARENESS CENTER
When: V-Day, February 14 th @ 8pm-11pm
Where: The Stroll, 109 S. Portland Ave. Brooklyn, NY (C Train to Lafayette Ave.)
Admission: $5-$20 Sliding Scale. Includes One Drink!
What: Please join us for an evening of music, dance, and poetry in support of the Fertility Awareness Center. Proceeds will go towards the purchase of an LCD Projector, which will enable us to educate and empower women and couples throughout New York (and elsewhere) in Fertility Awareness and Body Literacy.
Featuring:
Dance by Zahava
Poetry by Onome
Acoustic Guitar by Keith Otten
Irish Fiddle by Aisling
Acoustic Folk by Amelia
Raffle Prizes:
The Garden of Fertility (Autographed by Katie Singer)
Truffles by Lagusta' s Luscious
Membership at Bluestockings Bookstore
Health Consultation with Melissa King (valued at $125)
And More!
Contact:
admin@fertaware.com,
212.475.4490
Website: www.fertaware.com
For more on Vagina Festival 2007 speakers >
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VAGINA FESTIVAL 2007
took place on FEB. 16-18
at
AGNI GALLERY, NYC
Proceeds were donated to V-Day. We were honored to present two performances of The Vagina Monologues.
About Vagina Festival 2007 >
View the 2007 Program >
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN >
At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her. Violence against women and girls is a universal problem of epidemic proportions.
V-Day's 2007 theme Reclaiming Peace seeks to make the connection between the worldwide anti-violence work of V-Day activists with our collective desire for peace and an end to armed conflicts. “We are saying that if a government supports the use of force, weapons, violence as a method of control and dominance, this models and gives license to the same kind of behavior at home,” stated V-Day Founder/Artistic Director Eve Ensler.
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