Photo courtesy of Anna Nepomuceno; photo by Rheality Photography: http://www.rhealityphoto.net
In a little over a week, I’ll be moderating the panel “Making Space” at Jet City Comic Show, and I’m super excited! Here’s the bio for one of our panelists, Anna Nepomuceno:
“Anna Nepomuceno (@anepintacoma on Instagram) is a political activist by day and a plus sized cosplayer by night. A mother of 3 and an enthusiast of all things geeky, Anna is on a mission to encourage all girls and women of every size, shape, age, ability to embrace their inner hero. Anna is the co-creator of Body Positive Cosplay PNW, a small Facebook group that supports and encourages all body types to cosplay their favorite characters.”
Join Anna, Alease Frieson, Stephanie Anne Johnson, Naarah McDonald, and me on Saturday, October 26, at 11 a.m. For tickets, click here.
Impea¢h Trump. Stencil, sharpies, poster board. Make this! Suzanne Skaar
Im”peach”es. Cardstock. Make this! Suzanne Skaar
The news is infuriating, heartbreaking, disgusting.
Watching what’s happening on a domestic and global scale with Trump in office is too much to bear.
Today, in more than 60 cities across the country, activists are holding Impeach Trump rallies. As host for Tacoma’s downtown rally (in front of Union Station, noon – 2 p.m.), I’ve been contacted by an activist who has stated they are driving 4 hours EACH WAY just to join our rally. That’s how much this means to them. We can no longer allow Trump to get away with criminal activities. Our elected officials MUST hold him and his cronies accountable.
Find your rally today. If your city doesn’t have one, make signs and get out on the streets! Make your own rally! Exercise your First Amendment rights before they’re taken away.
This weekend I traveled to Portland to participate in a monthly panel discussion, Drunken Discourse. I was invited by the host, Kyle Curtis, who read some of my work and gave me the opportunity to present my newest research project entitled: “Controlling the Narrative: Gatekeepers, Secret Societies, and Good Ol’ Boys Networks.” My best friend since high school accompanied me on the train ride down, and one of my first and favorite friends, my cousin, met us at the venue just as the event was starting.
I was able to take a brief break and join them at their table in between participating in the on-stage “get to know your panelists” conversation and actually giving my presentation. This is how the off-stage conversation started:
Cousin: Is she drunk yet?
Me: No.
Friend: No.
Cousin: Should we fix this?
Me: No.
Friend: Yes.
As I stated in my presentation, I have done editing and design work for a Tacoma based Drunk History presentation in the past (uncredited) – obviously this is the type of work I didn’t do while inebriated or in public.
Leading up to the event, I announced on several occasions that I was bringing my friend as my designated drinker.
I was honestly not going to have even one drink.
I failed in this endeavor.
I reportedly still rocked my presentation — even with not getting the clicker thingy, aka “slide navigator,” to work initially, and then later accidentally killing the entire slide show. Thank goodness for producers like Megan Taylor of Manic Esoteric Productions for straightening that out without me having to interrupt my presentation to ask. Those present had the great fortune to listen to Juan Coronell’s, Narendran Muralidharan’s, and Bill Hernandez’s talks ranging from sweet (“Embrace Change”) to hysterical. Narendran’s “Conservative Immigrant” had us dying; his timing was dead on.
Saturday night (and Sunday morning) did reconfirm the following for me: there are consequences to giving into peer pressure. Something about trying to be a responsible adult, the chronic sleep deprivation that accompanies parenthood (I had two hours of sleep Friday night), and missing a gallbladder has weakened my tolerance for vodka. But this weekend also reminded me of the power of hanging out with strong, intelligent, positive, and supportive women. I am extremely lucky in this regard.
I am looking to publish the longer written version as soon as possible, and I can also be available to repeat this presentation sober (the audience doesn’t have to be). Feel free to contact me at nominestudios@gmail.com.
Cheers!
Suzanne
Edited February 2020: The producers regretfully informed me that a lot of footage from the Fall was damaged and unrecoverable. Unfortunately, this did not just impact footage of my presentation. My liver declined the invitation to do this particular Portland event again, but I am still more than happy to present this topic at other forums.
I don’t know how permanent this is or if I will have to fight this fight again, but as of this morning, this:
changed to this:
Thank you to those who took the time to write on my behalf. I’m not sure whether the link was taken down by Facebook or the Knights of the Pythias. If it was the latter, it’s sad that the individual was so bent on retaliation against a woman he dated that he’d rather erase any trace of her contributions from a nonprofit organization than credit her and get permission to use photos before posting.
I am still waiting for the KOP leadership to get back to me with an apology for making a volunteer jump through so many hoops for her own intellectual property, and to confirm what steps will be done to protect others should they be sexually harassed. It’s 2019: historical societies shouldn’t still be treating women like it’s the Dark Ages.
I stopped volunteering with two non-profits this year due to the bad behavior of men that was recognized and pointed out by others, but not appropriately addressed.
With one, I was able to wipe my hands and go. I had dedicated two years to the organization and had already trained others in media matters along the way. I’ll find out in December if the Chair actually figured out how to remove my credit card information from the website provider. (Joy.)
The other is still actively using my intellectual property without proper attribution and permission. I brought this up again about two weeks ago to a few members of the organization, one of whom said they would try to help me. Ironically, their efforts were thwarted by Santa.
Literally.
The Tacoma Knights of the Pythians’ Santa Claus/ Social Media Coordinator. Fun fact: he is also a substitute teacher for my daughter’s school district. Photo by Suzanne Skaar, December 2018. All rights reserved.
To keep a long story short, here is a copy of the letter I sent to the Tacoma Knights of the Pythians’ Chancellor after I found out my request for assistance was blocked:
August 30, 2019
To the Leadership of the Knights of the Pythias Commencement Lodge #7:
On December 15, 2018, I helped create signs and took photos of the Pythian Sisters’ Children’s Holiday Party. I had borrowed [redacted]’s camera with the verbal assurance that I could get the files from him after the party.
Without permission or credit, [redacted] posted my photos on the Knights of the Pythians Temple’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pg/TacomaPythians/photos/?tab=album&album_id=948089761981410&ref=page_internal). While the women who put together this event were not credited (despite my request), he made sure to add the following line to the album description: “The lodge got a visit from Santa thanks to the Sisters’ annual holiday party. Gosh, that dude is awesome.” For those unaware, Mr. [redacted] was the one wearing the Santa suit.
He asked me in writing via Facebook Messenger on December 18, 2018, if I wanted credit for my photos, to which I responded that I did. He had already posted them on December 17, 2018. As of August 29, 2019, there is no photo credit, and despite asking other Knights and the Chair of the Pythian Sisters [redacted] to fix this on my behalf, he is refusing to correct this. Even more insulting is that the photos shared included my child. As both the photographer (intellectual property holder) and the mother of a minor in the pictures, it is well within my rights to expect that photos be shared within the context I allow. I had encouraged that the photos be shared in the secret Knights of the Pythias group so that the other parents could have pictures of their children. I did not give permission for my photos to be shared on the Knights Facebook page without attribution.
As a non-profit, the Knights of the Pythias Lodge is liable under Intellectual Property laws. Per the Washington State Nonprofit Institute: “Intellectual property law grants the creator of intellectual property exclusive rights for exploiting and benefiting from their creation” (https://www.wanonprofitinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/LGL-Kit-Intellectual-Property.pdf). As such, my original request that I be able to retrieve the photos from his camera should have been honored. As far as the Temple is concerned, my work should not have been used for the majority of a year by the organization without attribution.
I am asking that the Knights of the Pythias correct this oversight and for a public apology for the misuse of my property and of Temple resources. In addition, I am asking that the organization review appropriate consequences for sexual harassment (retaliation).
I am willing to meet with the leadership of the Tacoma Temple and, if necessary, the Grand Lodge to discuss this matter further.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Skaar
This is literally the dumbest argument to be had ever. With a “secret society.” With Santa no less. There were witnesses (members of the organization and visitors) that I took these photos. He has recognized in writing that he is aware that I might want credit for my work. And yet, here we are.
I have been assured by others in the organization that this matter is being taken seriously but that it will take some time to resolve. Personally, it took me less than half an hour to create this post, so I’m not sure why it would take almost a year to either give credit for work as is the norm or remove work for which permission has been rescinded. Considering the social media coordinator worked in journalism for years, he is expected to have an above average knowledge of these issues. Maybe some guys just aren’t as tech savvy as they claim to be. If it’s ineptitude, then the organization should consider why they’re having troubles attracting and keeping volunteers with social media/ website knowledge and non-profit experience. If you would like to support me in this fight for rights to intellectual property (especially images of my minor child), please email a quick message to: chancellorcmdr@tacomapythians.org . A simple “I support Suzanne,” “respect intellectual property rights,” or something civil would be awesome.
Cheers, and thank you for your support. Feel free to share this.
An unusual opportunity has come across my plate. I have been invited to be a panelist for Portland’s Drunken Discourse regarding my essay on gatekeeping. I’m intrigued, albeit slightly concerned as I am no longer in my 20s and no longer under the impression that my liver is indestructible. I do have a volunteer designated drinker if worse comes to worst. But let’s face it: I never turn down an opportunity to make a PowerPoint presentation.
If you’re 21+ and down for some uncensored feminist analysis (and other topics to be announced shortly), mark your calendars for the evening of October 5, 2019. More details to come.
I had the pleasure of joining host Jamie Nixon and guest Linda Isenson on the latest episode of The Obsessive Progressive podcast to discuss the 2019 Democratic Debates. Lucky number 13! Check it out!
Hi all! We’re meeting at Fern Hill Library at 11:30 a.m. to discuss the Incubator project. We’ll be at Red Hot on 6th Ave (Tacoma) at 4 p.m. to discuss the upcoming film project. See you soon!
In response to support from others to this idea, I am initiating an incubator to provide the kind of institutional support that women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ independent researchers and artists currently lack in our community. Join me in getting this off the ground.
Background:
Writers, artists, researchers, and historians from underrepresented populations are losing out on opportunities in terms of access, money, and more. Much of this is due to not being welcomed and/ or feeling comfortable participating in the established institutions that officials first look to for experts. When individuals from underrepresented populations do show up, we find events led by white men, who primarily talk about other white men (dead or alive). When women are discussed, all too often we find it’s in the context of being wives of either the presenter or the subject, victims, or visual aids (women greeting returning soldiers on docks). Queer and people of color are often entirely erased from our city’s historical narratives. Women, queer, and non-white narratives are often presented as one-off or special events, and not interwoven into the larger historical context. Research has shown that in order to be considered for professional opportunities, women are often expected to have much higher levels of education than men for similar roles. Despite various agencies’ calls for equality in funding, we face sexual harassment, gender discrimination, ageism, and more before we can even get to the point to apply for funding. Without the support of established networks, we don’t have the same reach for resources that come with membership in these older institutions. When women are left with the added duty of childcare, we don’t have the resources to attend networking events, particularly those in the evening, which further separates us from those in decision making roles.
Goals:
In order to begin to address some of the long-standing problems, the incubator will be designed to:
Engage in thorough analyses of cultural activities and funding based on gender, race, and other factors.
Provide quarterly platforms for presentations of research and creative projects across a broad spectrum of fields, including but not limited to: social justice, environmental science, math and technology, art, film, media, history, and more.
Host working salons for those seeking feedback on works-in-progress with experts in the related fields.
Provide assistance in form of grant writing workshops, partnerships with city and other large organizations, and more.
Provide training to local institutions/ arts communities regarding removing barriers for women getting into the STEAM fields.
Help secure partnerships with larger institutions for incubator participants by speaking to quality of participants’ work.
Help secure childcare, transportation, equipment, and necessary membership/ association fees for participants who want to engage field research.
Provide professional workshops for women, transgender, and non-binary individuals at no-cost.
Encourage and provide the support necessary to mother researchers to stay engaged in work across a wide spectrum of fields.
Provide a printing press for anthologies and solo works by selected incubator participants.
Provide child friendly networking events so that parent researchers can engage with peers.
Engage in fundraising activities as necessary to secure the longevity of the organization.
(*The above list is a starting point and is open to revision.)
If you want to help with this project (volunteer, host organization, sponsor, etc.), please email suzanneskaar@gmail.com with the subject line “Incubator.”
Our initial meeting with be Saturday, June 22, at 11 a.m. Location to be determined based on number of attendees. A Facebook event will also be created for RSVP purposes.
No, Mine! Studios 