Why I started Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam!
Remember the ERA? The Equal Rights Amendment? I do. The one that’s still NOT the law of the land or the world?
Remember Phyllis Schlafly? The anti-Feminist? The hypocrite. The lawyer. I do.
She did everything in her power to burn the ERA down. We lost back then, but we never stopped fighting. It’s still not ratified and the way things have been going, I don’t expect we’ll be seeing that victory any time soon, so we need to take care of one another, not just emotionally, not just socially, but economically, too.
That means supporting one another’s ventures. Spending on women-owned businesses. Paying it forward any way we can. It doesn’t always have to be cash. But let’s face it, cash still makes things happen, gives us power, and we don’t talk about often enough.
The fascist patriarchs in this country want to take away our right to vote. They’ve already taken our bodily autonomy.
Now, we have to fight even harder because the idiots in charge want us barefoot, pregnant, stupid, and silent. They want to enslave us.
Well, I prefer to keep wearing shoes (but no socks), I’m too old to get pregnant, I’m smart, and loud, and I will never, ever stop talking, telling stories and bringing other women together to tell theirs.
If you haven’t been to Wham! Thank You! Slam! you want to check this out. It’s not just a fun playground. It’s a battlefield. But our weapons aren’t guns.
Our weapons are words. Our weapons are our wallets and our love.
The theme for this month’s slam is ERA Now, Dammit!
The Players:
This is a community effort and I can’t do it alone. Eileen Dougharty is a huge contributor to Wham! Bam! and to me. She’s writing great copy. She comes up with one pithy zinger after another. I don’t know how she does it.
She’s the one who named us Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam!
Slamone is supposed to help, but we hardly ever see her, and Mel Moseley is my go-to Zoom maven. Jeanne Vitale is our video editor and my oldest friend.
Some of our positions are paid, and some aren’t. All the income from subscriptions and ticket sales are going to expenses and I’m building a fund so that in the near future we’ll be able to pay honorariums to our storytellers. I haven’t spent a single cent on myself. I use my design job to fund my work.
Consider that my quarterly financial report.
Here’s the thing. I’m not great at asking for help. I like to do things my way. So this is a departure from my usual M.O.
A lot of us think we have to take the world on, solo. I don’t want to live that way anymore. It’s a hard habit to let go of, because it tends to make me feel vulnerable.
I’m fierce. I’m also a lover. And vulnerability? It’s a superpower.
How it works:
Storytelling builds community and we need community right now and always.
We’re providing a virtual stage to showcase women’s stories and women’s voices.
If you’re a feminist, a cis or trans woman, nonbinary, or a person of color, you’re welcome to come tell a story. If you’re mad as hell about the way things are going, come tell a story. The only requirement is being a writer on Substack.
Every time one of you takes the stage to tell your story, your potential audience is multiplied, because between us, we have thousands of readers. We create a video record that can be watched for years.
When you sign up to tell a story you get at least a month of free promotion from us.
For now, we’re not featuring male storytellers. Sometime in 2027, I’d like to invite feminist men to come tell their stories. I’m thinking maybe an all-male revue. Like Chippendales. Or not. Because being clothed at the slam is absolutely MANdatory.
I’ve always been a feminist; I became one at the age of five.
The patriarchy is toxic and deadly; it’s divisive and cruel. We’re creating a structure that’s flexible, unifying, and non-competitive. There’s love here. A lot of the women participating in Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! have been writing about the power and purpose of building matrifocal communities. They’re teaching me so much and they’re telling their stories right here.
The Ask:
1. Become a paid subscriber. An annual paid membership comes with free entry into every monthly slam. You get 12 shows for the price of 10. And there are no ticket fees.
2. A monthly subscription gets you entry for as long as you’re subscribed. And there are no ticket fees.
3. Buy a ticket and come to the show (there are fees). Then, become a paid subscriber.
4. Make a tax-deductible donation. WBTYS now has a fiscal sponsor, a non-profit arts organization called Fractured Atlas. So now we can offer this option. Donors will receive two guest tickets for any contributions above $100. Any donation of $1000 or more will receive tickets and some fabulous merch.
5. Sign up to tell a story. C’mon. You know you want to. That’s another way to give.
6. Volunteer! We can always use some help. DM me (Nan) and we’ll talk.
Please remember, if you can’t afford to buy a ticket, let us know and you’re in. DM me.
This month we’re featuring: Mesa Fama, Ally Hamilton, Prajna O'Hara, Jen St. Germain, Rebecca Mack ☕, Wyrd Sister, Eileen Vorbach Collins, Dina Honour, Jazmine Becerra Green, and Abigail Thomas.
If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet for Saturday’s show, now’s the time!
Sample some of the stories, or watch them all!
