What was second-wave feminism really like? Explore the era with feminist author Clara Bringham during her live talk on March 20

By Emily Laptad

The 1960s and 70s marked a significant era of progress for women in the United States. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was the first nationwide legislation for eliminating wage disparities based on sex. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Women’s Educational Equity Act of 1972 guaranteed equal access to education for women and girls. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion across the US in 1973. The Equal Opportunity Credit Act of 1974 enabled women to open bank accounts and apply for credit cards with their own names. And other court cases and legislation further expanded women’s rights to employment, education, financial independence, and reproductive health during this time too. 

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Good Grief

Good Grief

Mourning and moving on after cutting off an abusive parent.

By Ashley Carey
Art by Maddy Best

CW: Mention of domestic abuse by a parent and childhood trauma.

This is for every person whose parent(s) did not love them in a way a parent is supposed to. For those of you who had a “parent” who was a charming narcissist or abuser or just plain toxic, I see you. And you deserve a life filled only with the people who can appreciate all that you are.

It’s a deeply strange experience to grieve the living. Much like any other form of grief, it’s also quite lonely, though in a profoundly different way.

So much has been written and understood about grieving those we’ve loved and lost. It’s certainly not an easy thing to do, which is why I believe so many people avoid grieving once the funeral dies down (woof that pun was terrible. I’m kind of a walking dad joke despite not having a dad. SICK BURN, DAD).

Grieving someone who is alive is super weird, and mercifully is something many people don’t seem to understand.

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Things are getting hotter in Kansas City with VAMP KC

By Nicole Mitchell
Photos by Travis Young

Kansas City’s newest LGBTQIA+-owned burlesque group VAMP KC welcomes you to its all-inclusive classes and performances.

Penelope Mais Oui isn’t from Kansas City, but since moving here from Colorado Springs, she’s been creating noise in the burlesque and LGBTQIA+ scenes. Before moving to the city, Penelope produced a series of classic and classic-inspired burlesque shoes at a locally-owned Colorado Springs art theatre.

“I spent the pandemic not working on a stage,” Penelope says about moving to KC. “When I decided to dip my toes into the burlesque waters again…,” which was first as part of a local troupe, “I found there was a space, a desire, even a need in Kansas City for classic-style burlesque.” By using her previous experience, Penelope knew just what Kansas City was missing. “I already had a vision of what that could look like,” she says.

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Marcia Biederman’s Newest True Crime Book Shows Why Outlawing Abortion Doesn’t Work

By Sophia-Joelle McDowell
Art by Maddy Best

Former journalist Marcia Biederman, has a knack for finding stories that need to be told. As a former journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Daily News, Crain’s New York Business, and New York magazine, Biederman has three mystery novels under her belt and a story in the anthology Sisters in Crime 3

Marcia considers herself a reformed fiction writer, but in recentrecent years, she’s returned to her journalism roots and written four non-fiction, woman-centric books about people whose stories should be better known. Her new book The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill: Abortion, Death, and Concealment in Victorian New England is no exception.

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K.R. Quill’s New Solarpunk Action Book The Century Soldier is One You Won’t Want to Miss

By Sophia-Joelle McDowell
Art by Maddy Best

K.R. Quill (they/them) has been a writer for over a decade, but only recently started self-publishing their books. As a queer person with ADHD and autism, writing and advocacy work are two of their biggest passions, and they do everything they can to advocate for their queer and neurodivergent communities. 

Throughout their childhood a love for reading blossomed, one memorable read being The Tale of Despereaux which they received in second grade. While reading has always been a passion of theirs, they didn’t discover a desire to be a writer until around twelve years old. 

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