Music of Women's Struggles and Recovery

The following suggestions for music dealing with women's
struggles and recovery appeared on WMST-L in March/April 2004. 
For additional WMST-L files available on the Web, see the
WMST-L File Collection.

Greetings to the List, 

I am working on my dissertation related to the experience of women who
have left psychiatric institutions and returned to community settings.
And I have asked for your help from time to time about certain
questions that have come up for me, and your help has been truly
wonderful.  I am now working with a small group of women here in
Connecticut and we are trying to put on a radio show related to women
and recovery.  We would like to include, in addition to women who
share some of their experiences as part of this show, examples through
music of women's struggles and recovery.  If anyone knows of any songs
out there that relate (and it can be pretty broad or general) to
women's emotional struggles and experiences of recovery, please let me
know, I very much appreciate your help.

Fran Martin

Ginny Frazier has a CD out about women and recovery.
Try Therese Edell "Emma."  Also "testimony" by .... can't remember her name,
lesbian performer.
Deb

The performer mentioned below is Ferron.

Marilyn Grotzky
Auraria Library
Denver, CO 80214

Ginny Frazier has a CD out about women and recovery.
Try Therese Edell "Emma."  Also "testimony" by .... can't remember her
name,
lesbian performer.
Deb

Ferrononline.com will give you her homepage and a less than flattering
picture.  Of course, as far as I can tell, Ferron has never cared in the
least about flattering photos.  You might consider Heather Bishop too --
there's a link from Ferron.online.

Ferron's voice and poetry have been compared to Bob Dylan's -- she's not
melodic but can be addictive.

Take care,
Marilyn

<Francesa Martin writes:
...examples through music of women's struggles and recovery.

Hi everybody,

I have compiled an annotated list of songs and compilations
addressing sexual assault and domestic violence. I'm sure many of
these songs would be useful here as well.  You'll find the list at:

http://creativefolk.com/abusesongs.html

:-) Gerri
Creativefolk.com
AfroAmericanHeritage.com

You can't find any more genuine women's music than the songs the women wrote
and sang during the suffrage movement.  These are available on CD/cassette
"Hurrah for Woman Suffrage!" which comes with songsheet/booklet giving the
lyrics of the songs for sing-a-long or recreation along with a historical
summary of the suffrage movement.

See my website for details:
Miriam Reed, Ph.D.
www.miriamreed.com
miriam  AT  miriamreed.com
917 710-2354

I would direct you to Carolyn McDade
http://www.gis.net/~surtsey/mcdade/  .  She writes rich poetic lyrics
and haunting, singable melodies for women's communities.  Her work
includes songs of rage, healing, protest and they celebrate the tenacity
of women and women in community.  Her most recent work has focussed on
the connections between healing for women and the land.  She is from
Massachusetts, although her last two recordings were made in Canada with
Canadian women who have organized to participate with a consciousness of
women creating culture under the name Sacred Web.

Caryn Douglas
Winnipeg, Manitoba