Join Seal Senior Editor Brooke Warner for a live webinar (sponsored by She Writes) on Weds Dec 8 (10am PT/1pm ET)

THE WEBINAR: "EVERYTHING YOU WANT AND NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GETTING YOUR NONFICTION BOOK PUBLISHED IN TODAY'S PUBLISHING CLIMATE"

Weds Dec 8 10am-11am PT | 1pm-2pm ET, via web and call-in
Hosted by Deborah Siegel

Watch the YouTube promo.

NWSA 2010

Seal Press had a great time at NWSA 2010. We had a wonderful group signing with Courtney E. Martin, editor of Click, Shira Tarrant, author of Men and Feminism, Amber Kinser, author of Motherhood and Feminism, and Elline Lipkin, author of Girls' Studies. We also had a reception and signing with Jennifer L. Pozner, author of Reality Bites Back.

We were also lucky enough to meet some fabulous contributors including Susan Lopez, contributor to Yes Means Yes, Siobhan Brooks contributor to Colonize This! who was promoting her new book Unequal Desires. One row over from our booth was Soapbox Inc featuring Jennifer Baumgardner, contributor to Click and Dear John, I Love Jane.

We were able to interview a few authors so please enjoy this recap featuring Jennifer Pozner, Amber Kinser, Elline Lipkin and Susan Lopez. Feel free to share your favorite NWSA panels and events. We look forward to seeing you next year!

DIY Activism Worldwide

Nicholas Kristof wrote a beautiful piece in Wednesday's New York Times—"D.I.Y. Foreign-Aid Revolution"—about women who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place, especially for other women. One woman he focused on is Lisa Shannon, author of A Thousand Sisters, who has been working tirelessly since 2005 to help improve the lives of Congolese women.

Read the story, and get inspired!

Michael Kimmel Speaks Out on the Yale Fraternity Incident

Michael Kimmel, a well-known masculinity scholar and author of the upcoming Seal Press book, FeMENism: A Guys Guide (Fall 2011) has written an editorial for the Ms. Magazine blog discussing the outcry over a group of Yale fraternity members who shouted disgusting and sexually explicit obscenities against women while marching through campus earlier this month. The students were pledges of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

We are very proud of his response. It's well worth the read, and can be viewed here.

Feministing also posted about the story, and Kimmel's piece, here.

Broad Recognition, a feminist publication written by Yale students, published a link to a petition urging Yale President Richard C. Levin to speak up and publicly denounce the actions of these students. To learn more, visit their website.

Join Us for a 'Beautiful You' Blog Tour

October is the official publication month for Beautiful You: A Daily Guide to Radical Self-Acceptance by Rosie Molinary. Drawing on self-awareness, creativity, and mind-body connections Beautiful You incorporates practical techniques into a 365-day action plan that empowers women to regain a healthy self-image, shore up self-confidence, break undermining habits of self-criticism, and champion their own emotional and physical wellbeing.

To celebrate the release of this incredibly important book, we've organized a Beautiful You blog tour from October 11th to October 25th and we hope you join us on the journey:

Family Rooted in Love kicked off the tour yesterday with an inspirational post on October 11th.

Today, October 12th, join Amaretto Girl for a review, Q&A, and giveaway!

On October 13th, head to Imperfect Spirituality for a two-part Q&A. Part one is posted, here.

Also, on the 13th, head to Marjolein's Book Blog for a Q&A and giveaway!

Head to Thighs and Offerings on the 14th for a review and Q&A. Also see an introduction to Rosie and the blog tour, here.

Dara Chadwick, author of You'd Be So Pretty If, will host the tour on the 15th.

On the 16th, Molly on the Run, will post an interview with Rosie.

The Shared Table will post an excerpt on the 17th, about stepping outside your comfort zone.

Head to I Have a Backbone on the 18th!

On the 19th, check out a review on Fiona's blog at Rachel Simmons.com.

Melissa Hart, author of Gringa: A Contradictory Childhood, will review at Butt to Chair on the 20th.

Head to Viva La Feminista on the 21rst!

Eat Without Guilt will host the tour on the 22nd.

On the 23rd, stop by Body, Love, Wellness.

Fighting Windmills will be our Beautiful You stop on the 24th!

Our final stop on the tour with be with Fancy Pantalons, on the 25th.

We hope you enjoy the tour and look forward to hearing from you at these blogs and beyond.

Gender Outlaws Blog Tour 9/27 - 10/8

Seal Press is sending Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation on a blog tour! For ten days reviews will be popping up on a variety of feminist/trans/genderqueer sites. We'll be updating the blog as the posts appear. Check out the reviews that were posted on Monday and Tuesday and visit Riot Nrrds Comics for a webcomic review today.




Follow the tour here:

• Monday, September 27th - Everett Maroon posts "The Next Genderation" on I Fry Mine in Butter

• Tuesday, September 28th - Rose Spotts reviews on Twisted Peppermint

• Wednesday, September 29th - R. J. Doughty's Webcomic Review on Riot Nrrd Comics.

• Thursday, September 30th - Jamie Ann Royce posts on Stuff Queer People Should Know

• Friday, October 1st – Hannah Royce posts on Walking the Labrynth

• Monday, October 4th – Zane McHattie posts on ED Recovery

• Tuesday, October 5th – Nome posts on That’s What Ze Said

• Wednesday, October 6th – Jac Stringer posts on Midwest GenderQueer

• Thursday, October 7th – Bevin Branlandingham posts on Queer Fat Femme

• Friday, October 8th – Sinclair Sexsmith ends the tour on Sugarbutch Chronicles

Feel free to join the gender conversation!

Seal Press Books—Now Available on the iPad!

Good news for our Apple-happy technophile readers: 36 new and classic Seal Press titles are now available for the iPad via the Apple iBookstore.

All 36 available titles are listed below for quick reference. There are still some kinks—we think it’s pretty funny that the Daphne Gottlieb-inspired anthology Fucking Daphne is listed under Health & Fitness, for example—but it’s a start!

Now available:
Addicted Like Me
Affection
Better Than I Ever Expected
Book by Book
Fucking Daphne
Full Frontal Feminism
He's a Stud, She's a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know
Hellions
How to Cook a Dragon
Girldrive
Girls' Studies
Gringa
Invisible Girls
Just Don't Call Me Ma'am
Laid
Lesbian Couples
The List
Living Canvas
Marie's Home Improvement Guide
Marrying George Clooney
Navigating the Land of If
The Noncyclist's Guide to the Century and Other Road Races
The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women
Open
P.S.
Purge
The Purity Myth
She-Smoke
Tales from the Expat Harem
Tango
A Thousand Sisters
Travel Therapy
Two Is Enough
When the Piano Stops
Women of Color and Feminism
Yes Means Yes

If there’s a Seal book you don’t see on the list that you’d like to have in ebook form, we’d love to know. And for those of us who still enjoy the printed word in its printed form, we assure you that Seal books continue to be available in local bookstores everywhere.

Happy reading!

Lisa Shannon Makes Oprah's 2010 O Power List

A Thousand Sisters author Lisa Shannon is one of only twenty women to make Oprah's 2010 O Power List - an homage to the women who "blew us away this year" - in which she is profiled alongside Julia Roberts, Diane Sawyer, and various other amazing women.

Shannon's tireless efforts to help the women of Congo are highlighted in her O Power List profile: "Shannon went from bystander to activist, forging intimate friendships in the Democratic Republic of Congo and using her passion, her empathy, and her dedication to forever change the lives of scores of women [. . .]"

Visit Oprah.com to read more about Lisa Shannon, and to see who else made this year's list!

Gloria Feldt introduces "No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think about Power"

Feminist icon Gloria Feldt gives women the tools to lead an unlimited life in her new book No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think about Power. Check out her inspirational and informative video below and pre-order a copy before the October release date.

Mistakes Families Make When Dealing With Addiction

To help bring attention to National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month Seal authors Karen Franklin and Lauren King have written the following article. Franklin and King are the authors of Addicted Like Me: A Mother-Daughter Story of Substance Abuse and Recovery, a personal account of addiction and how it affects the entire family. Both have struggled with addiction, and now work to help others in the recovery process. Their website is http://www.addictedlikeme.com.

The Top Five Mistakes Families Make When Dealing With Addiction

Dealing with a loved one’s growing addiction can be one of the most challenging and stress filled issues we will ever deal with. When addiction enters our homes, it can feel as if an illusive enemy has taken over our family bringing chaos and destruction. Denial, confusion, anger, fear and shame begin to overwhelm us and we naturally react by trying to get control of the situation. The thing that hurts family members most of all in this situation is the lack of knowledge that addiction is a disease that cannot be controlled. Here is a list of some of the top mistakes we can make with our addicted loved ones.

1. Bailing them out
The nature of addiction will eventually lead to troubles for the addict. In most cases our desperate loved ones will turn on the manipulation to try and get us to “fix” the problem. This is when we need to practice a loving detachment and allow them to experience the pain of their consequences. Most addicts are in deep denial that they have a problem that is affecting their lives. They will never accept help if we make it easy for them. It will be impossible for them to face the truth until they begin to feel some of the repercussions of their own bad decisions.

2. Trying to control their behavior
When we try to control addictive behavior it generally ends up with our own frustration and disappointment. Addiction is a disease that manifests itself through the addict’s words and actions. When my daughter was out of control, I fought with everything in me to try to get her to change. Sadly, it never accomplished anything. What worked is when I sought the help of addiction professionals for her illness. Once the disease of addiction was treated, changes in her behavior for the better swiftly followed. The best thing we can do for our loved ones is to empower them to enter treatment and seek assistance in changing their own lives.

3. Giving them more chances
Many times when a loved one is abusing drugs they become willing to protect their secret at any cost. This includes telling family members what they want to hear. Most addicts will promise they will change with a convincing sincerity but we must remember that they are in the grips of a disease that will ultimately drive their behavior. Those that are further along in their drug abuse may be incapable of keeping promises or adhering to any agreements you make. Though you want to respect your loved one’s independence and privacy, it should never be at the price of his or her health or safety.

4. Waiting for the bottom to fall out
The problem with waiting for every addict to hit rock bottom is some will die, get arrested, or suffer great, irreversible harm before they get there. All addicts have their own bottom when they decide enough is enough. Get help for yourself and connect with professionals that can guide you to help raise the addict’s bottom.

5. Wasting a good crisis
There may be one, and only one, opportunity to approach the sick person and convince them to enter treatment. Don't blow that chance. Act before drastic measures are needed and dire consequences appear. A crisis event can be an opportunity for some families to confront the addict. Facing real consequences can wake some addicts up. Any intervention, either formal or informal, is an attempt to convince an addict that they are at their bottom, and it is time to make a change. The goal is to get the addict to the place that they stop fighting for their addiction and are willing to give recovery a chance.

Some 22 million people in this country are addicted to drugs or alcohol and it can happen to anyone. Families need to understand that ignoring signs or blaming it on others is not going to help your loved one. You need to seek help so it doesn't escalate to a much worse problem. Families in denial are not helping the addict, they are actually harming them. What’s important to remember is that when you learn your loved one has used drugs or alcohol, take it seriously. There isn't any shame in having a family member that is struggling, there is only shame if you don't reach out and seek help.

Giveaway to Reach 1,000 Fans on Facebook

Seal's fan base on Facebook is growing daily and we'd love to reach 1,000 fans. Head over to our page and "like" us and if you're the 1,000th fan, you'll win a book of your choice from SealPress.com and we'll donate $10, in your name, to Women for Women International.

We look forward to seeing you on our fan page and good luck!

Lisa Shannon on ABC World News

Last night, activist and A Thousand Sisters author Lisa Shannon was profiled on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer. Lisa tells how she got involved with Congo, and she talks about her sisters there and why it's so important to help them. Go to ABCNews.com to watch the video and read the story!

For Your Viewing Pleasure: New Video for The Choice Effect

Are you a Choister? Do you even know what a Choister is? We just posted a great new video on our Seal Shorts channel on YouTube--featuring The Choice Effect coauthor Claire William--to help you figure it out. Check it out!

The Choice Effect Launch and Giveaway

Love choices but hate choosing? Welcome to the club! Make sure to catch Amalia McGibbon, Lara Vogel, and Claire A. Williams, authors of The Choice Effect: Love and Commitment in an Age of Too Many Options, during their publicity blitz this week.

In order to celebrate the launch of their book, the authors of The Choice Effect are holding a huge contest and giveaway, with your choice of a prize package worth $500, you don't want to miss it. Go here for the details.

Check out The Choice Effect in Newsweek's weekend story 'I Don't' The Case Against Marriage.

Also, head over to AOL and check out a great interview with Amalia on AOL's Lemondrop.

Head to NY Times Bestselling Author Tim Ferriss’ blog The 4 Hour Work Week for Claire's explanation of how the choice effect effects your relationships.

On Rantings of a Single Girl Lara's discusses "Why Dating and Breaking Up Lots is Awesome. No Really." Remember to check back in tomorrow for Single Girl's review and book giveaway of The Choice Effect.


Head over to BelleRenee for Lara's guest post called Choices and Why Adults Don't Get Summer Vacation.


Learn more about the authors and The Choice Effect at Seal Press or on

Facebook.

The Seal Press Women's Perspectives Newsletter: Coming Soon to an Inbox Near You

It's June, and we here at Seal Press can finally celebrate a great Spring 2010 list of books that's now available to the world. Seal's newest books cover a wide range of topics, from ditching the South and overcoming gambling addiction to ditching our hangups about porn and sounding a call to action for women in the Congo.

The best place to find out about our new titles (and some that you may have missed)? Our Seal Press Women's Perspectives newsletter. Newsletter readers get the latest on new books, readings, and other book-related events, delivered straight to their electronic doorstep four times a year. To sign up, visit our newsletter sign-up page and select the Seal Press Women's Perspectives option. If you're in the academic world or simply staying current in the Women's and Gender Studies fields, you might be interested in our Seal Press Women's Studies newsletter, too.

The next Women's Perspectives newsletter installment comes out next week, so now's the time to sign up! Here's to a long summer filled with great and varied reads.

A Thousand Sisters for Mother's Day

These last few days I've had the honor of accompanying Lisa Shannon, author of A Thousand Sisters, to her events in the Bay Area. After listening to her discuss the war in the Congo, share the stories of survivors, and advise people on what they can do to make a difference, one thing remains clear: sponsorship offers the women of the Congo a human connection that helps them to feel like people again.

The simple knowledge that another person thinks about them, despite the distance, is a source of empowerment and encouragement for these women, helping them regain their dignity. And in return, the act of giving has helped sponsors all over the world to view the women in Congo, not as survivors of another world's war, but as their own sisters and mothers.

One of the strongest themes of A Thousand Sisters is the power of the human connection people share between and across cultures. Lisa wrote this book as if she were writing to her best friend; every word resonates with her passion, and exudes her hope for change along with her infinite love for the women of Congo.

A Thousand Sisters is about a family of women, connecting to each other across a huge cultural divide of class, of race, and of war. Lisa's words are the embodiment of a system of women helping women, of mothers helping mothers. This Mother's Day I think we should all consider giving this memoir, and making a donation to Women for Women International. Be a part of humanity's family of women by acknowledging the courageousness of our sisters of war, and thanking the mothers of Congo along with our own mothers and grandmothers this Mother's Day.

To learn more about becoming a sponsor and purchasing a copy of Lisa's memoir, please visit Women for Women International and Seal Press.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Book by Book

Celebrate Mother's Day by joining Cindy Hudson, author of Book By Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs, as she embarks on a month long blog tour organized by WOW! Women on Writing. For the next four weeks, you'll find Hudson on a new blog everyday, as she discusses mother-daughter book clubs and her life as a writer. Find her schedule below, complete with contests to win your very own copy of Book By Book.


Book By Book Blog Tour Dates:

Monday, April 19, 2010
Hudson will be chatting with WOW! Women On Writing at The Muffin. Stop by and share your comments for a chance to win a copy of Book By Book.

Tuesday April 20, 2010
Join her as she shares her thoughts on using passion to fuel writing at A Book Blogger's Diary for another chance to win a copy of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs.

Wednesday April 21, 2010
Thinking of starting your own book club but don't know where to begin? Get Hudson's advice, and her recommendation of Ten Book Club Favorites at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife.

Thursday April 22, 2010
Follow up for Ramblings of a Texas Housewife's review and giveaway of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs.

Friday April 23, 2010
Stop by Selling Books for questions and answers with Hudson.

Monday April 26, 2010
She visits Margot Dill’s Read These Books and Use Them for an interview. Check it out for the chance to win your own copy of Book by Book!

Tuesday April 27, 2010
Hudson talks about how Good Readers Make Good Writers at Hell or High Water Writer.

Wednesday April 28, 2010
Stop by Mom-e-Centric to find out how she makes time for herself during her busy life and how other moms can too!

Thursday April 29, 2010
Don't miss her interview at Finders & Keepers.

Friday April 30, 2010
Hudson gives helpful advice on Connecting with Readers Through Book Clubs art The Urban Muse.

Monday May 3, 2010
Read her essay, Identify Your Passions to Sustain Your Writing at Whole Latte Life, for another chance to win a copy of Book by Book.

Tuesday May 4, 2010
Visit Meryl Not's Blog for Hudson's essay on Interviewing Experts and another contest to win Book By Book.

Wednesday May 5, 2010
Stop by 5 Minutes For Books for a review of Forming a Mother-Daughter Book Club, and a chance to win Cindy Hudson's book Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs.

Friday May 7, 2010
Hudson discusses Family Volunteering at Crazed Mind.

Monday May 10, 2010
Catch her educational interview about writing at Writer's Roundabout, and don't miss your chance to win a copy of Book By Book!

Tuesday May 11, 2010
Read her essay on How One Book Has Affected My Life at Write for a Reader.

Wednesday May 12, 2010 / Thursday May 13, 2010
Visit Helping Moms Connect for a book review and Hudson's thoughts on How Talking About Books Can Help You Connect with Your Daughters.

Friday May 14, 2010
Check out a review of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs and your last chance to win a copy at Words by Webb.

Yes Means Yes a Publishers Weekly Best of 2009 Pick

Yes Means Yes, a Publishers Weekly pick for Best Books of 2009, was well received for its radical perspective and revolutionary aim to educate and alter the ways women and men perceive sex, rape, and each other. Now, "Toward a Performance Model of Sex," a Yes Means Yes essay written by Thomas MacAulay, is selected to appear in a new collection edited by our very own Dirty Girls author, Rachel Kramer Bussel. Her new anthology Best Sex Writing 2010, out now from Cleis Press, includes MacAulay's essay which emphasizes the notion of sex as an act of performance and collaboration, rather than an exchange of commodity and entitlement. For more information or to learn more about upcoming book events, visit the Best Sex Writing 2010 blog.

The Future of Feminist Publishing panel that wasn't

I flew to Denver this weekend to attend AWP. I was supposed to be sitting on a panel called The Future of Feminism, which Amy Scholder at The Feminist Press had organized quite some time ago.

We got the very last time slot of the conference: 4.30 on Saturday afternoon. I was prepared for a not-so-good turnout, but I’ve been to enough conferences to know that sometimes the biggest impact is made on the smallest groups.

When I showed up to my panel, this was the sign I saw on the door.



At first I thought the conference had canceled the panel on our behalf, and I couldn’t understand why. As it turned out, Amy had a family emergency and was unable to attend, and the remaining panelists decided to cancel the panel because there were so few of us. Needless to say, I was as disappointed as many of the women who were hoping to attend.

One group of students from Western Washington University turned to me, and recognizing my name on my badge, asked if I would do a talk without my panel. I wish I had said yes. One of them said, “We thought it was so cool that this was going to be our last panel of the day. We were going to go out with a bang!”

Later that evening, at a meet up hosted by SheWrites, Lucy Bledsoe, a beloved Seal author who has a new novel out, asked me what happened. It was kind of ironic, she said. What does that say about the future of feminist publishing? And I had been thinking the same thing as I sulked back to my hotel room.

And because I wish I’d had the wherewithal to tear down that sign and just do a talk about feminist publishing, or about women and publishing at the bare minimum, I’ve composed a few thoughts that I might have highlighted had the panel happened:

1. We still have a presence.
The fact that presses like Seal and The Feminist Press, as well as Aunt Lute and Cleis and Belladonna and Firebrand, and many others (please comment and list yourselves!) are still out there publishing with a feminist mission is extraordinary. I meet with women all the time who think that feminism died with the second wave. They are thrilled to know that the younger generation is carrying forth messages about women’s equality, and that we don’t just sit idly by and think that all of the disparities have ceased to exist. There’s room for new feminist voices, and there’s a thriving online community of bloggers and activists (too abundant to list here) who are doing amazing work in the name of feminism. And lots of them are getting published.

2. There’s more than one kind of feminism.
Seal is increasingly publishing “mainstream” feminism, for which we’ve been criticized by some and commended by others. Whatever your feelings are about mainstream feminist writers, the good news is this: they reach a wider audience. We’re expected to bring in books that can sell---that’s the nature of the book business, even though lots of books don’t. So for us to be able to say that we have feminist books that sell well is, to me, a huge win. Notably is Jessica Valenti’s Full Frontal Feminism, but there are many others. Some Seal books are overtly feminist in scope, while others simply have a feminist or pro-woman sensibility to them. That is critical to who we are, and it won’t change for as long as Seal continues to be around. I would have loved to hear what some of my fellow editors have to say about mainstream feminism and/or popular or celebrity feminism. And I want to note, in the interest of talking about a mainstream book that Seal has coming up in 2011, that we are publishing our first ever male authors*, Michael Kimmel and Michael Kaufman, who are writing a mainstream book that tackles feminism for men---and it’s actually targeted toward men (and not only their girlfriends, sisters, wives, and moms).
*It’s important to qualify here that Seal has published men in our anthologies, and we have two memoirs by trans men.

3. Women are keeping publishing real.
When it comes to accolades and honors it unfortunately seems to be the case that men are still getting more attention in the publishing industry than women. But I see women pushing the envelope. Women are bringing things that matter to their writing. Women are keeping it real. Sure, not all women are feminists, or they are and they don’t know it. This very complex issue of women and their feminisms was tacked in the Seal book Girldrive, by Nona Willis Aronowitz and Emma Bee Bernstein. In my ideal world, every woman would call herself a feminist, but what I realize more and more is that all we really need to do is acknowledge that we care about the same things and that we are stronger than our differences. Feminism can be a torturously divided movement, and I hesitate to even call it that, though I’ll leave it for lack of a better word. If I were going to leave our would-have-been audience on one note, it would have to do with coming together. I don’t think the goal of feminism was ever for women to be more divided, but it can sometimes feel like that. At Seal, and I imagine this is true for my other feminist press colleagues as well, part of what we look for in our manuscripts is inclusiveness, a pro-woman sentiment, bridging the divides, educating our audience, and owning a uniquely female perspective on whatever the topic is---be it motherhood, social issues, organizing your life, or breaking out of your career rut.

So that's what happened. Because there are so many charged issues that come up around feminism, and because feminist publishing and feminist bookstores have been so obliterated over the past three decades, I thought Lucy's noting that it was indeed ironic that the panel was canceled couldn't have been more true. So I apologize to those of you who wanted to be there.

Thanks for reading.

Brooke

"Wilma Mankiller, former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, passes"

Wilma Mankiller passed away today and our thoughts and hearts are with her family. She was an incredible woman and we are thankful for all she did in life.

Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, said today: "We feel overwhelmed and lost when we realize she has left us but we should reflect on what legacy she leaves us. We are better people and a stronger tribal nation because her example of Cherokee leadership, statesmanship, humility, grace, determination and decisiveness. When we become disheartened, we will be inspired by remembering how Wilma proceeded undaunted through so many trials and tribulations. Years ago, she and her husband Charlie Soap showed the world what Cherokee people can do when given the chance, when they organized the self-help water line in the Bell community. She said Cherokees in that community learned that it was their choice, their lives, their community and their future. Her gift to us is the lesson that our lives and future are for us to decide. We can carry on that Cherokee legacy by teaching our children that lesson. Please keep Wilma’s family, especially her husband Charlie and her daughters, Gina and Felicia, in your prayers."

For the full news release, click here.

Check out these links for our Spring 2010 Titles:

Do you want your wedding to be just like you: unique, innovative, or even maybe a little offbeat? Look for advice and ideas in Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Innovative Brides, written by Ariel Meadow Stallings, and become a fan on Facebook.






What was your most influencial life moment? Lisa Shannon was inspired by an episode of Oprah that changed her life. Read about her experiences and efforts to raise funds and awareness for Congolese women in A Thousand Sisters; My Journey Of Hope Into The Worst Place On Earth To Be A Woman.






For a hilarious and candidly honest story about leaving the South for big dreams in the big city, check out Anna Mitchael and her memoir Just Don't Call Me Ma'am: How I Ditched The South, Forgot My Manners, And Managed To Survive My Twenties With (Most Of) My Dignity Still Intact.







Learn how to find your political voice in Amanda Marcotte's Get Opinionated:The Progressive's Guide to Finding Your Voice (and Taking a Little Action). Find Amanda at her blog for more information.







Just because you're over fifty, doesn't mean you're over sex. Check out Free Fall: A Late-In-Life Love Affair, by Rae Padilla Francoeur.







Do you remember the thrill of riding your first horse, or simply the dream of owning one? Why We Ride; Women Writers on the Horses in Their Lives, edited by Verna Dreisbach, offers a reflective view on the special bonds women share with their horses.








A hard-hitting confession of the journey to the bottom and back up, She Bets Her Life, by Mary Sojourner offers an honest story of gambling addiction and recovery to which women everywhere can relate.







Motherhood and Feminism, by Amber E. Kinser, examines the role of feminism within motherhood and offers insight into the core questions of motherhood: what it means to be a good mother, what role mothers play in the family and in society, and how motherhood has been redefined throughout time.








What was your "click" moment? Visit J. Courtney Sullivan and Courtney E. Martin, editors of Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists.









Still think you can't be a feminist and like porn too? Check out Good Porn: A Woman's Guide, by Erika Lust and learn about the educational and erotic value of porn for women.







Get some professional relationship advice with Sexual Intimacy for Women; A Guide for Same-Sex Couples. Glenda Corwin,PhD.,helps female couples examine the emotional, physical, and psychological aspects of same-sex partnerships.








Are you a twenty or thirty-something who loves choices, but hates having to choose? Take a look at The Choice Effect: Love and Commitment in an Age of Too Many Options, by Amalia McGibbon, Lara Vogel, and Claire Williams.

You can also become a fan on Facebook.







Gain insight into borderline personality disorder from a self-proclaimed "psycho-girlfriend" with Merri Lisa Johnson's Girl In Need Of A Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality.

New Video from Girldrive author Nona Willis Aronowitz!

Girldrive author Nona Willis Aronowitz was here in the Bay Area last week, and she (and a couple of us from here at Seal Press) spent an afternoon on Telegraph Avenue doing some free word association--with a feminist slant, of course--with a few of Berkeley's denizens. This video is the result . . . enjoy!

Celebrate International Women's Day

Today, March 8th 2010, women worldwide will unite to literally bridge the gap between their countries and demand the peace they deserve. In honor of International Women’s Day, author of A Thousand Sisters, Lisa Shannon, will be joining the women of Rwanda and Congo as they meet on a bridge between their two countries to call for an end to the war and to demonstrate that women can build bridges to peace and development.

In support of Women for Women International’s global campaign called, “Join me on the Bridge,” women and men of Seal Press, Avalon Travel, and Publishers Group West will be marching to the City of Berkeley’s Eastshore Pedestrian Bridge at 12:00 p.m. They will stand in unity with thousands of women worldwide honoring the resilience of millions of women around the world who are survivors of war.

Please join us in our support of all women as we demand peace in every nation. By joining this campaign you will be standing alongside women in the Congo, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Sudan, and Nigeria in saying no to war, and yes to peace and hope.

Learn more about Lisa Shannon and A Thousand Sisters here at: A Thousand Sisters

Gambling Addiction Resources and Answers from She Bets Her Life

Do you think you might have a gambling addiction…or do you fear that someone close to you might have one? Visit the new website for She Bets Her Life, Mary Sojourner’s hard-hitting confessional memoir about her journey to the bottom and back up again as a gambling addict. Once you’re on the site, check out the Q&A section, where Sojourner offers firsthand advice for people whose lives are being negatively affected by gambling. And, if you have questions of your own for her, you can email her at shebetsherlife@gmail.com; your (anonymous) question—and her answer—will appear on the site, not only providing you with the feedback you’re looking for, but also giving others in your situation the opportunity to benefit from the information.

In addition to the She Bets Her Life website, visit its page on Facebook for updates from Sojourner and the Seal Press team, as well as links to current articles and information relevant to gambling addiction.

Yes Means Yes listed on the 2010 Amelia Bloomer List!

We received some exciting news today! The members of the Amelia Bloomer Project are pleased to announce that Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power & A World Without Rape is a part of the 2010 Amelia Bloomer List. The members found this work to be an exemplary title.

Congratulations to Jaclyn Friedman, Jessica Valenti, and all the contributors!

For more information about the Amelia Bloomer Project, please visit their blog.

Laura S. Scott, author of Two is Enough, on Today show

Tomorrow morning Laura S. Scott, author of Two is Enough: A Couple's Guide to Living Childless by Choice, will be on the Today show discussing how, and why couples across the country are choosing not to have children. Thought-provoking and informative, Laura S. Scott tackles the ins and outs of the motivations and reasoning behind a couple's choice to have children in her book Two is Enough. Tune in to NBC to see her talking about this intriguing subject, and check out her blog at The Childless by Choice Project.

Our complicated relationships...with food

A few days ago, the New York Times published a piece called Narrowing an Eating Disorder, by author Abby Ellin, of Teenage Waistland: A Former Fat Kid Weighs In on Living Large, Losing Weight and How Parents Can (and Can’t) Help (PublicAffairs). The article sheds light on "the nation's most common eating disorder[:]" Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, which has become a type of catch all for eating disordered behavior that doesn't fit neatly into the diagnosis of anorexia or bulimia. Many with EDNOS, as it's known, appear to be a healthy weight, which can cause people/ doctors/ insurance companies to claim that they aren't sick enough for treatment or help. But sadly, "[a] study in the Oct. 15 issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry reported that the mortality rate associated with Ednos exceeded that for anorexia nervosa and bulimia."

Nicole Johns, author of Purge: Rehab Diaries, published last spring, is a young woman who braved telling her own story of being diagnosed with EDNOS and subsequently going into an in-patient treatment facility for help. Johns has received a tremendous amount of praise for her memoir and her book continues to do well, perhaps because so many people are able to identify with her story and the diagnosis, which is finally being realized, taken seriously, and discussed in public.

I wanted to bring both the NY Times article and Nicole's memoir to light today, because when checking out two popular MTV shows this past week, I watched two beautiful young women, Snooki on Jersey Shore, then Callie on the Real World DC, describe their struggles with unhealthy body image and their pasts which included and may still include unhealthy/ eating disordered behavior. It's the prevalence of it that is so shocking and the fact that their stories are sadly so similar to so many. Hopefully the dialogue continues.

For more information, resources, and support if you or someone you know may be suffering from an eating disorder, head to the National Eating Disorders Association.

Jessica Valenti, author of The Purity Myth, on The New Virginity on VH1

Tune into VH1 this Thursday, January 14th at 11pm to see Jessica Valenti, author of The Purity Myth, Full Frontal Feminism, He's a Stud, She's a Slut, founder and editor of Feministing.com, and all around fun fabulous feminist. Valenti will be one of the talking heads on The New Virginity, a show discussing pop culture's current obsession with chastity--from the purity rings of the Jonas Brothers to the chastity balls being held across the country. Jessica Valenti dissects this phenomenon in The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women, which is out now in paperback.

Valenti is also answering questions on Formspring,where anyone can send in a question for consideration. Here's your opportunity to ask Valenti the question you've had on the tip of your tongue since you read her first book, Full Frontal Feminism.

An Apology to a Congo Activist

Recently, Lisa Shannon, author of the upcoming book, A Thousand Sisters: My Journey Into the Worst Place on Earth to Be a Woman, wrote a very personal and moving letter on her blog to her friend "Kelly," who accompanied her on her first trip to the Congo. The letter was inspired by PS: What I Didn't Say, edited by Megan McMorris, which is a beautiful collection of unsent letters to female friends



In this letter, Shannon talks about how she wanted to keep the tension that arose between her and Kelly out of the memoir, but eventually realizes she has to be honest about her experiences. Now, Shannon regrets what she wrote in her upcoming memoir: A Thousand Sisters. Shannon says, "But I do want you to know this: whatever judgment or frustration I express in the book, absolutely none of it trumps my profound respect for the fact that you showed up for Congo."

Shannon captures the difficulties in writing a memoir. She is opening herself up to the world by writing about her experiences in the Congo, but at the same time, she wanted to keep certain things off limits and private and finds it impossible to do in the end. She has to be real, raw, and open about what she went through. What makes A Thousand Sisters so compelling, is that Shannon is willing to share her most difficult times, and the ways in which she felt torn about her experiences in the Congo, and how those experiences made her stronger.

You can read Shannon's letter here, and also take a moment to look at her other blog posts. Shannon also has a facebook fan page for A Thousand Sisters, which will keep you apprised of upcoming events and the current situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A Thousand Sisters is coming out in April 2010 and Shannon will be reading and attending events all over the country. We'll keep you posted!