Category: Events

ASWM-sponsored events: conferences and symposia and online events such as film series and scholar salons

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Green Goddess Conference Follow-up

The 2010 Green Goddess Conference has come and gone (alas) but it has left us with wonderful memories and connections.

More than 80 of us met in the mountains of Pennsylvania for three very busy, very productive days.  The program was packed full, including both academic presentations and experiential workshops.  The conference was a great success,  according to our measures—the “hive” was full of energy and ideas, many new friendships and collaborations took place, and we enjoyed diverse and stimulating presentations and performances.  Furthermore, all of the organizers are still good friends (not always a given in event planning)!

Your president/web reporter will offer follow up articles and pictures of the event soon.  At present I am re-learning to sit still with a cat on my lap and to listen to the violets bloom.

Watch this site for conference reports and announcements of upcoming events.  We are already planning for regional symposia in 2011 (WI and PA) and a conference in Chicago in 2012!

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2010 Kore Award for Best Dissertation

Dawn Work-MaKinne receives first Kore Award

The first Kore Award for Best Dissertation in Goddess Studies was presented  April 24, 2010, at ASWM’s  Green Goddess Conference.  The award went to Dawn E. Work-MaKinne, Ph.D., a graduate of Union Institute & University.  Her dissertation, Deity in Sisterhood: The Collective Sacred Female in Germanic Europe, was commended for its “skilled integration of important German language material critical to studies of mythology.”

Dr. Work-MaKinne received her Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2010, with a Concentration in Arts and Sciences and a specialization in Women’s Studies in Religion. Continue reading “2010 Kore Award for Best Dissertation”

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Report on 2009 Symposium–by Storyteller Nancy Vedder-Shults

Nancy Vedder-Shults takes notes at the ASWM Symposium

I want to thank the newly-formed ASWM (Association for the Study of Women and Mythology) for the wonderful conference they put on last Thursday.

When I walked into the space, I knew I was in the right place, because of the beautiful goddess banners made by Lydia Ruyle that hung around the room.  It felt like a homecoming!  They included Tara, Isis, and Mnemosyne, the Mother of the Muses who as Lydia says “is RE-membering Herstory.”

And when we took our first break, we left the space through a fabric Sheila-na-gig made by Lee Melchior and Susan Swope, that they had hung in the doorway after we arrived.  How wonderful to be birthed and rebirthed through this “vulva” again and again throughout the day!!

About the 2009 Symposium itself:  It was fantastic!  Sid Reger was the M.C., and she started out by introducing Barbara Marx Hubbard’s term “vocational arousal” for passionate work, which was demonstrated by presenters throughout  the day.  Every one of them was enthusiastic about what she shared.   Continue reading “Report on 2009 Symposium–by Storyteller Nancy Vedder-Shults”

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“New” Goddess Figure Puts in Appearance at Symposium

When ASWM members met in Madison, WI, on the morning of May 14, we could feel  excitement buzzing in the room even before the presentations started.  Several women had just heard about the discovery of a Paleolithic goddess figure in Germany, and they were sharing her image on their phones and computers!

The Paleolithic Hohle Fels Figure

The story and image of the Hohle Fels figure hit the media just as we were meeting.  Carbon dating suggests that this ivory goddess was made at least 35,000 years ago, making her one of the oldest sculpted representations of the human figure.

Among sensationalized and sexist accounts in the media, here is one well-written article from the Science Daily web site:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514084126.htm

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2009 Symposium Sets the Hive Humming

Report by Sid Reger, ASWM President

With the theme “Self and Goddess: Personal, Political, Spiritual,” ASWM’s second annual Symposium gathered more than 50 women from the Midwest, both coasts, and Canada.  It was an exciting day of presentations and networking among women working to develop arts and scholarship concerning mythic women and goddesses.

Our keynote speaker was Egyptologist Normandi Ellis, author of Dreams of Isis, Feasts of Light, and other works that examine the significance of ancient goddess mythology to contemporary seekers.

To see a complete report of presentations, with photos of the event, check out the blog post by storyteller/songwriter Nancy Vedder-Shults.

As the informal “MC” for the day, I had the privilege of watching and listening to a wide variety of presenters, and of watching as connections were made that would outlast the day.

We met under Lydia Ruyle’s beautiful Goddess Banners

Thanks are due to all presenters and board members.  I especially want to acknowledge the staff of the Goodman Atwood Community Center for all of their help—it’s a beautiful facility.  And my heartfelt thanks to the women who helped with logistics, registration, and technical assistance:  Nan Brooks, Daña Alder, Lia Treffman, and Sara Blackthorne.