Headline »

Sunday, 6 October 2013 – 5:19 PM | Comments Off on A long-overdue Bent Alaska update — October 2013

Bent Alaska’s blog will continue in hiatus indefinitely; but the Bent Alaska Facebook Group on Facebook is thriving — join us! A long-overdue update from Bent Alaska’s editor.

Read the full story »
News
Features
Society

Politics, religion, etc.

Commentary
Life

Arts, sports, & other stuff we do when we’re not at work. Or even when we ARE at work.

Home » Archive by Category

Articles in Arts

Alaska’s Barnes & Noble stores join national No Name-Calling project

Tuesday, 4 January 2011 – 11:33 PM | Comments Off on Alaska’s Barnes & Noble stores join national No Name-Calling project
Alaska’s Barnes & Noble stores join national No Name-Calling project
January is “No Name-Calling Month” at Barnes & Noble, and B&N stores nationwide are hosting events in support of GLSEN’s annual No Name-Calling Week, happening this year on January 24-28, 2011. Stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks will hold Storytime readings and art activities before NNCW, and teaching materials on name-calling and bullying will be displayed during the month.

“Bringing awareness to the seriousness and severity of name-calling, teasing, bullying and cyber bullying is very important to Barnes & Noble. We’re pleased to be partnering with Simon & Schuster and GLSEN for such an important effort,” said Mary Amicucci, vice president of Children’s Books for Barnes & Noble.
“GLSEN is excited to work with Barnes & Noble to bring No Name-Calling Week’s message of respect to youth across the country throughout the month of January,” said Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Executive Director Eliza Byard. “As the world’s largest bookseller, we applaud Barnes & Noble for embracing this opportunity to raise awareness about the problems of name-calling and bullying.”
No Name-Calling Week is a week of educational and art activities aimed at stopping name-calling and bullying of all kinds, including anti-LGBT harassment. Lessons and resources for elementary, middle and high schools are available online HERE.
Barnes & Noble’s No Name-Calling Storytime in Anchorage is on Saturday, January 15 and includes the two books recommended in the press release quoted below. The Fairbanks Storytime is scheduled for Saturday, January 22, and involves a different book.
Barnes & Noble stores across the country have events planned throughout January to recognize No Name-Calling Month including: All stores will host a national Storytime event on Saturday, January 15 at 11 a.m. The event will include a Storytime reading of the books Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes and One by Kathryn Otoshi, arts and crafts and other activities.
From January 15 through January 23, stores will host Barnes & Noble Educator Appreciation Week. Stores will have No Name-Calling materials available for teachers and educators including book recommendations, tip sheets for organizing No Name-Calling events, lesson plans for elementary and middle school students, classroom posters and buttons, [and] in-store panel discussions with GLSEN local chapters. Exclusive No Name-Calling articles by James Howe and Jodi Picoult will be featured in the January line-up of the More In Store program available on NOOK, the Barnes & Noble eBook Reader.
Barnes & Noble.com will feature a No Name-Calling page. Exclusive video content from bestselling children’s, teen and adult authors will be placed on the site during the month of January… The authors will discuss their thoughts on and experiences with bullying.
Barnes & Noble stores will also provide information on GLSEN’s Creative Expression Contest for Students:

The Creative Expression Contest is an opportunity for students to submit essays, poetry, music, original artwork, or other pieces that convey their experiences and feelings about name-calling, and their ideas for putting a stop to verbal bullying in their schools and communities. This year, we have added a new High School category to the contest for short-film submissions that focus on anti-LGBT name-calling and bullying in school. The goal is to have students working on their art pieces during the week as a way to learn about and deal with name-calling and bullying.

For contest guidelines, school resources and more information, visit No Name-Calling Week.
Thanks to GLSEN and their partners for the LGBT-inclusive No Name-Calling campaign, and to Barnes & Noble for bringing the anti-bullying message to their bookstores in Alaska and throughout the country.

Gay & Trans films in the Anchorage International Film Festival

Friday, 3 December 2010 – 8:59 PM | Comments Off on Gay & Trans films in the Anchorage International Film Festival
Gay & Trans films in the Anchorage International Film Festival
December 8 is Gay-La Night in the 2010 Anchorage International Film Festival, with two shorts and a feature at Bear Tooth, and an after party at Mad Myrna’s.

This year’s Gay-La program includes three films about gay men: Now and Forever, a supershort about an artist, a painting and two hearts that become one; a short narrative called Bedfellows, a modern-day spin on a fairy tale genre with two gay characters in the classic boy-meets-girl story set in New York City; and an award-winning one hour documentary Holding Hands, about Craig and Shane, a couple in Australia, who face a difficult journey to recovery after suffering a hate crime. Join AIFF for the screening and then head to Myrna’s for drinks and food.
Holding Hands won two awards at the Spokane GLBT Film Festival last month, including the audience choice award. More about Holding Hands, and the trailer:

“Craig and Shane were holding hands when they fell victim to a brutal hate crime off Sydney’s Oxford Street in 2007. The image of Craig’s shattered face on the cover of the local newspaper called Sydney’s queer community to action, and the couple were nominated leaders of the 2008 Sydney Mardi Gras Parade. The hardest year of this young couple’s lives is documented through endless surgeries, physical and psychological recovery and their struggle to plan for their future. But at its heart, Holding Hands reveals that even in the worst circumstances, we can all create positive change.”

Also screening in AIFF 2010 is Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives [link includes trailer] on Dec. 4 at Bear Tooth and on Dec. 10 at Out North. (Viewers must be 18 and older.)

“A group of transgender women are violently beaten and left for dead. After regaining their consciousness the violated vixens turn deadly divas and with their new-found confidence and courage, slice their way to vengeance. A homage to the exploitation/revenge films of the 70’s and 80’s, this film sets out to create a new and unique genre called — transploitation. Loaded with titillating dialog, bodacious bods and extreme violence, this revenge-fantasy proves that it takes more than balls to get even.”

The 2010 film festival runs December 3-16 at the Bear Tooth, Out North, Organic Oasis, Anchorage Museum, Wilda Marston Theatre and the Alaska Dispatch Hangar.
“North America’s northernmost independent film festival celebrates its 10th event by getting movie-goers out from the cold and into the illuminating glow of hot films from around the globe.”
Gay-La Night:
Wednesday, December 8
Screening at Bear Tooth at 8:15 pm
After Party at Mad Myrna’s starts at 10:00 pm

“Two Truths and a Lie” benefits Out North

Tuesday, 23 November 2010 – 6:00 AM | Comments Off on “Two Truths and a Lie” benefits Out North
“Two Truths and a Lie” benefits Out North

As we wrote last week, Out North needs our help. A national funder representing one-third of Out North’s budged has “changed direction,” and Out North need to raise money in order to keep giving us all the top-notch stuff they’ve been giving us for the past 25 years. One way you can help is to attend one, or even both, of Out North’s performances this weekend of Scott Turner Schofield’s “Two Truths and a Lie” — all proceeds of which will benefit Out North.

“Debutante Balls” benefits Out North

Thursday, 18 November 2010 – 6:00 AM | Comments Off on “Debutante Balls” benefits Out North
“Debutante Balls” benefits Out North

Out North needs our help. A national funder representing one-third of Out North’s budged has “changed direction,” and Out North need to raise money in order to keep giving us all the top-notch stuff they’ve been giving us for the past 25 years. One way you can help is to attend this Friday’s performance of “Debutante Balls,” all proceeds of which will benefit Out North.

Coming Out: A Work in Progress in Fairbanks this weekend

Tuesday, 16 November 2010 – 3:20 PM | Comments Off on Coming Out: A Work in Progress in Fairbanks this weekend
Coming Out: A Work in Progress in Fairbanks this weekend

Revive the Red Tent Productions would like to invite you to an evening in three parts:

  • “A Midnight Clear” by L.B. Hamilton
  • “Quintessential Image” by Jane Chambers
  • “Tree House” by Heather Warren

Sponsored by PFLAG Fairbanks and the North Star Community Foundation, this exciting night is Revive the Red Tent’s first installment of theatre dedicated to representing the LGBTQ community. Consisting of two one-act plays and a performative reading, the theme of the evening is centered upon the struggle of “coming out.” “A Midnight Clear” and “The Quintessential Image” are traditional one-act plays, in both the audience encounters characters struggling to make sense of their choices. “Tree House”, a piece written by local author, Heather Warren, is a semi-abstracted performance of a short story.

This theatrical production is primarily produced, designed, and performed by members of the local LGBTQ community. Performances will be at Dance Theatre Fairbanks on Nov. 19th and 20th at 8 p.m. Admission is $10.00 (more if you can, less if you can’t) and seating is limited. The show is not recommended for children under the age of 14.

Libby Roderick benefit for PFLAG Fairbanks

Tuesday, 16 November 2010 – 12:25 PM | Comments Off on Libby Roderick benefit for PFLAG Fairbanks
Libby Roderick benefit for PFLAG Fairbanks

PFLAG FairbanksLibby Roderick performs a benefit concert for PFLAG Fairbanks on Friday, November 19 at 8:00 PM. A limited number of tickets is available. Proceeds benefit PFLAG activities and the UU welcoming congregation. The concert will be held at the Unitarian Universalist church sanctuary (across the street from the Princess Hotel). The hall holds 150, so seating is limited. The UU is a welcoming congregation. *$32 each* cash or check only. Call 45-PFLAG pflagfairbanks@gmail.com.

Miller to Maddow on gay rights: "I wanna be straight with you"

Wednesday, 27 October 2010 – 2:10 AM | 5 Comments
Miller to Maddow on gay rights: "I wanna be straight with you"

Rachel Maddow broadcast her show live from Anchorage on Tuesday night, after interviewing our U.S. Senate candidates and their supporters. Well, she interviewed Democrat Scott McAdams and write-in Lisa Murkowski, and finally got Tea Party Joe Miller to answer a few questions while walking through a building.
At one point she asked Miller, “Do you agree that homosexuality can be cured?” and he responded “it’s a state issue.” (Huh?) When she asked if he thinks being gay is a choice, he began part of his answer by saying “I wanna be straight with you.” (I guess he doesn’t know that she’s a lesbian.) Later in the interview, she corners him on the federal marriage ban, which he supports despite the fact that he thinks it’s a state issue. (Gotcha.)
Watch the Miller “interview” here:

The other segment that covered LGBT issues in Alaska was her candid talk with Tank Jones, bodyguard for Levi Johnston and tour guide for Rachel. At one point she asked if people here are conservative on social issues and are anti-gay, and he gave an interesting response:

No. Not here because we have… 3-4 gay bars here in this small town of Anchorage, and probably over half of the people that’s in these campaigns are secretly gay but they won’t come out. So we don’t really have a anti-gay movement here like they have in other places because… diversity runs big here, very very big here, so we don’t have that problem.

Well, there wouldn’t be so many people afraid to come out if they felt accepted by the community, and we obviously do have that problem here. We also have an anti-gay movement. On the positive side, his answer is the only comment on the show about gay life in Anchorage, and it completely denies the existence of the anti-gays. Anyone who disses the local bigots is OK by me.
Watch the Tank segment:

The best part of the evening was Rachel’s interview of Vic Fisher, a delegate to the convention that wrote the Alaska state constitution, and radio host Shannyn Moore. Vic points out that a constitution is designed to be a living framework, not a static document, and asks us to vote our values, not our fears. Shannyn notes that this election is part of an on-going feud between the Murkowski family and the Palin family. They both explain why we need to support and vote for Scott McAdams.
Watch the Vic and Shannon segment:

The other Alaska segments can be viewed on The Rachel Maddow Show and include interviews with Scott and Lisa and their supporters, and a great segment with ignorant Joe supporters. Between the taped sections, Rachel reported live from the Taproot Cafe in Anchorage. (Guess which bloggers can be seen behind Rachel?)
Thanks to Rachel and her crew for reporting from Alaska, and thanks to Shannyn Moore, Taproot and everyone who encouraged Rachel to visit. She rocks!

Cheryl Wheeler performs in Alaska this week

Tuesday, 26 October 2010 – 3:20 PM | Comments Off on Cheryl Wheeler performs in Alaska this week
Cheryl Wheeler performs in Alaska this week

Alaskans have two chances to see singer/songwriter Cheryl Wheeler: a solo show in Palmer on Wednesday, and a combined show with Dan Tyminski in Anchorage on Saturday.

Cheryl Wheeler writes folk music and love songs that have been performed by many other singers, for example Dan Seals and Chris LeDoux. But she’s also known for her comedy songs, including humorous ditties about potatoes, politics and religion. From “Dubya, Dubya” to “Lady Gaga’s Singing Program” and “Your God”, she entertains audiences with funny stories and songs in between the love and folk songs.

Cheryl and her wife Cathleen were married in 2004:

Since Cheryl lives in Massachusetts, she and Cathleen were able to get married. Cheryl’s sister flew up for the ceremony. When talking about the experience during her shows, Cheryl has mentioned that they are both surprised how different they feel now that they are married. They had assumed it wouldn’t make that much difference (other than legal issues), but have come to find out that being married really does make a difference.

Watch a music video of Aces, a classic Cheryl Wheeler song:

Rachel Maddow in Alaska Tomorrow!

Monday, 25 October 2010 – 12:30 PM | Comments Off on Rachel Maddow in Alaska Tomorrow!
Rachel Maddow in Alaska Tomorrow!
The Rachel Maddow Show will be broadcast live from Anchorage on Tuesday! Shannyn Moore, host of Moore Up North, made the announcement on her radio show and blog today:
Grab a Redbull and buckle up, Buttercup. The Rachel Maddow Show is coming to Anchorage! Apparently, our tight, 3-way US Senate Race is generating a lot of national interest. Rachel did a great 10 minute segment on our crazy race last week… [posted Friday on Bent HERE]
So, here are the details. Rachel will be broadcasting live from the new home of Moore Up North, Taproot, TOMORROW, Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 5:00 pm.
Tickets are free but limited. Go to the announcement on Moore’s blog, Just a Girl from Homer, to request your tickets.
Thanks to Shannyn and Linda Kellen Biegel for convincing the incredible (and openly lesbian) Rachel Maddow to give national attention to Alaska’s election!

Wear Purple today for Gay Youth

Wednesday, 20 October 2010 – 12:53 AM | Comments Off on Wear Purple today for Gay Youth
Wear Purple today for Gay Youth
October 20 is Spirit Day, when people all over the country are wearing purple to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying and to commemorate the youth who lost their lives because of anti-LGBT prejudice.
The idea spread on Facebook, where millions of people have committed to wear purple today. Many are turning their profile picture purple and devoting their status message to stop anti-gay harassment and celebrate diversity:

It’s been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and at their schools.
Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality.
Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools.
RIP Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase and Billy Lucas. You are loved.
This is not only for these 6 young men, but for all teenagers who have lost their lives due to bullying and abuse.
In this It Gets Better video, Broadway stars rock out in a celebration of life, in the wake of LGBT suicides across the nation: