1973, the year 13th Moon was first printed, also marked the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade, which granted women the right to a safe abortion. This was just one example of the stakes that the feminists of the time were up against.
The independent documentary, “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry,” is made up of multiple testimonies of those in the Second Wave feminist movement, painting a picture of how women went unbelieved in cases of abuse, rape, or miscarriage. Such disbelief caused them to go silent—or, at least, to appear to go silent—for their own well-being. Yet, they continued to share solace and routes to safe spaces and underground abortions with each other in hushed whispers.
I appreciate the title of “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry” because it so perfectly sums up the white-hot light of catharsis that burns off the old, repressed rage to make way for the new.
Instead of a spotlight, the editors of 13th Moon wished to shine a moonbeam on women’s writing—a softer, more understanding light that obtains its power from reflection.
As they say in their own words:
“Because the surrounding culture has tended to erase women writers from history, our work has needed rediscovery and preservation anew for each generation. Those differences which have characterized women’s writing in traditional modes have often been either ignored or erased as defects or failures, rather than understood as distinctive values.
At the same time, those of us who believe, with Audre Lorde, that we ‘cannot dismantle the master’s house with the master’s tools,’ are often excluded from or remain peripheral to male-dominated avant-gardes, needing to modify our work to fit those norms…” (Wikipedia)
Read up on Audre Lorde, self-described “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” on the Poetry Foundation website.
And make sure to educate yourself on her work at the Audre Lorde Project.
As I went through the pages of 13th Moon, I was constantly reminded of the power of providing nurture. Nurture is warm, soft, and never asks to be recognized—it is simply felt. I believe it is a “distinctive value” that is inherently feminine. The choice to move in silence, to wear the invisibility like a cloak, is something that has its own beauty. There is humility to it, but also a grace and a confidence that comes from within.
For example, the effortless delivery of “Oh, this old thing?” would lose its charm after detailing the hours of hunting in the thrift store to find your own version of Diana’s “Revenge Dress” (Reader’s Digest).
The simplest of words become tokens of nurture with the weight of understanding and care behind them. A shared sentiment I often hear is, “It just feels nicer when I get complimented by a woman.” Perhaps this is because it feels less transactional. However, I feel it’s because there is a deeper recognition. Every “I love your eyeliner” is also an “I see your effort,” a “your technique is flawless.” Such compliments are meant to honor how the wearer moves through the world.
Perhaps this is why the work of women resonates so deeply to me. It’s a secret code that spurs from sisterhood. A code unspoken, yet echoing loudly. A code to be celebrated.
But, before we begin celebrating anything and everything feminine, I invite you to imagine what “femininity” means to you.
The blue sky is no longer the limit. Look to the moon. Is there a face in it? A man on it? Is she a woman, appearing out of nowhere, grinning back with a Cheshire smile?
This moon is beyond our world, and possibly beyond words. Defining it as a rock in space stuck in our orbit, ending at its physical body, would technically be correct. But then you’d be missing half the magic.
You’d miss how it disappears between new and full. You’d miss its pulling of the tides with a force of gravity we have yet to fully understand. You’d miss its odd ability to follow us home on long car rides, assuring us of safety and granting us comfort on dark, winding roads.
In the past few years, there has been an increased demand to define women. Instead, I invite you to un-define. Un-assume. And look around completely into the collected works of 13th Moon.
WHERE TO NEXT?
II. Women Moving Through Time
III. Women in Music: The Personal and the Political
IV. Celebrating Women Celebrating
CONCLUSION: Women Who Write