Bitch Media: Popaganda and Backtalk

This week, Dahlia and Amy discuss comments made by Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer, Donna Rotunno, insisting that women could avoid sexual assault by not placing themselves in risky situations. Plus we read some great listener notes that start conversations.    READ  “Ceremonials” by Katharine Coldiron is a twelve-part lyric novella inspired by Florence + the Machine's 2011 album of the same name. Between prose and poetry, it’s about two girls who fall in love at boarding school and the ghosts that follow.   WATCH  Netflix’s “Next in Fashion” features amazing designers and garments, with a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process.    LISTEN  “Sullen Girl” by Fiona Apple

This week, Dahlia and Amy get into the controversy over the publishing industry and the book that’s too big to fail. “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins, and her publisher, Flatiron Books, have been at the center of discussions about how the industry decides who deserves huge advances and to have their books championed, and what writers get left behind. Will this literary drama change the publishing landscape?   READ “I Know What I Am: The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi” by Gina Siciliano is a gorgeous look at the life of the seventeenth-century painter.   WATCH “Gloria Bell” stars Julianne Moore as a middle-aged woman living her ordinary life in this tender film.   LISTEN “religion (u can lay your hands on me)” by Shura

This week Dahlia and Amy talk about the beginning of the trial against Harvey Weinstein in New York. Weinstein was first exposed in 2017 in part due to the investigative reporting by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey at the “New York Times.” The story of that investigation is documented in their book, “She Said,” and reveals all of the work that went into their story.    WATCH “Watchmen” is a multivalent exploration of justice and corruption. Plus superheroes and great acting.    READ “The Friend” by Sigrid Nunez explores grief, canine companionship, and writing life. 
   LISTEN “Hit Reset” by The Julie Ruin

Dahlia and Amy ring in the new year (yay!) talking about how the world is burning down (boo!). The beginning of this decade can feel hopeless, but all hope is not lost: stay informed, organize, and create change.  WATCH Not to be confused with “Celebrity Couples Therapy,” “Couples Therapy” on Showtime is a really interesting look at the work of being a therapist. There’s also a very strange and engaging new “Dracula” miniseries on Netflix.  READ “Severance” by Ling Ma is the apocalyptic dystopian consumerist novel of our times.  LISTEN “Fresh Blood” by Eels

This week, Dahlia and Amy talk about the latest in the impeachment inquiry and whether it means we’ll finally kick Trump out of office. A whole crew of former and current government officials have appeared to testify as to whether Trump engaged in a quid pro quo with the Ukrainian president. The testimonies have revealed a Trumpian shitshow that points directly at that quid pro quo—but will it be enough to dethrone him?   WATCH “Parasite” by director Bong Joon-ho is a film for our times. Bong shows us how capitalism has failed us all in this smart, funny, and anxiety-inducing film.   READ “The Beautiful Ones,” a memoir that Prince was working on before his death, was meant to "be a handbook for the brilliant community," "a radical call for collective ownership, for black creativity," and “a book about freedom.” Featuring Prince’s own handwritten memoir pages, the book is also filled with photos, letters, and other rad Prince ephemera.   LISTEN “Rich Man’s World 1%” by Immortal Technique