Eden Built by Eves: The Culture of Women's Music Festivals - Softcover

Morris, Bonnie J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555834779 ISBN 13: 9781555834777

Publisher: Alyson Pubns, 1999

Synopsis

Women's music festivals have played an integral part in the formation of lesbian culture, the shaping of millions of women's lives, and the emergence of women as a musical force to be reckoned with. Now Dr. Bonnie J. Morris takes readers on a journey through 25 years of this cultural phenomenon. From Michigan to Mississippi, Eden Built by Eves is a full archive of festival herstory: conflicts, scandals, new music, rain, sun, work, family, joy. What does festival culture mean to the audiences, artists, and activists who loyally return each year? A tribute to the work of thousands of women, this volume brims with candid backstage interviews with festival performers and producers, moving testimony, and often hilarious anecdotes from "festiegoers," A plethora of photographs, articles, comic strips, illustrations, and excerpts from festival literature provide a thorough explanation of the music, relationships, and issues that have shaped an entire generation of lesbian memories in America.

About this title

About the Author

Bonnie J. Morris has taught women's studies at Harvard University and George Washington University.

Reviews

Purported to be the first and only examination of women's music festivals, Morris's book attempts "to capture the images and voices" of women who "return over and over to the various festivals where an authentic lesbian culture is created." According to Morris, women's music festivals have been an integral part of lesbian culture for the last 25 years. Morris has been there from the beginning, chronicling the events in photographs, recordings, and interviews with performers and festival-goers. She shares her archives and experience from a historical viewpoint (she's a history professor) as well as a personal one (she's a lesbian). A history of the festival movement is included along with quotes from festival-goers and a "lexicon of festivalese." The book includes mainly self-portraits of the performers, who talk about their experiences as lesbians and musicians. It's something of a hodgepodge, but little has been written about this phenomenon, making the book a welcome additional to gay and lesbian collections in academic and larger public libraries.ARosellen Brewer, Monterey Bay Area Cooperative Lib. Sys., CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Alyson Pubns
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1555834779
• ISBN 13: 9781555834777
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 370