Photograph by Nancy MankinCourtesy of Anthony Hudson/Carla Rossi — Photograph by Nancy Mankin
Courtesy of Anthony Hudson/Carla Rossi

Interview with Portland's Carla Rossi — On Queer Horror & Empowered Women In Pop Culture

June 14, 2017

Obviously I was head over heels for THE VVITCH and the coven in that. MALEFICENT is another hero of mine and I still can't believe that Disney made her film anti-patriarchy rape survival story. I love Faye Dunaway in SUPERGIRL as the witch who lives in a funhouse. My very favorite kind of witches are the earthy Satanic dirt witches who live on the outskirts of society and exist solely to terrify and oppose men—women like Meg Foster in LORDS OF SALEM, the witch in the '80s classic SUPERSTITION (it's amazing, try to find it and watch it!), and Gaga in AMERICAN HORROR STORY. I personally identify as a Satanic feminist witch and these ladies give me life. But so do the Sanderson Sisters in HOCUS POCUS. From the witches of childhood stories to the witch heroes in the movies I love today, I can't get enough of powerful women existing in spite of society, being fabulous, and twisting mens' folly to their will. And, like I and three other drag queens endlessly argued over in our intro to THE CRAFT, I am indeed the Nancy.

Playing Dress Up: Fairy Tale Redux

April 6, 2017

As a tiny bruja is the late 80s, I was obsessed with gothic fairy-tale fantasy films. Here I am, in my magick thirties, still playing dress up…

What I Learned From Fiona Apple & Gwen Stefani

August 8, 2016

I was 15 when I first heard Fiona Apple’s Tidal and No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom. Side by side, the albums have little correlation. No Doubt’s 14-track ska/punk masterpiece is full of mostly upbeat anthems like “Spiderwebs,” “Excuse Me, Mister” and “Just a Girl.” Not long after No Doubt’s videos made it to MTV’s lineup, avid grrl fans were buying Dickies and “wife beaters” and incorporating too many sit-ups into their afternoons as a result of Gwen’s tomboy-meets-sexpot look.

American Longing Sagas: Lana Del Rey’s Atlantic City Show

July 13, 2016

LANA DEL REY is post-prison, LANA DEL REY is post-death signaling desire should equal euphoria even if created by extreme melancholy and desire should not be impounded by the confines of our world. Desire is an aggressor against age, weight, intact relationships, holding down employment, death, genetic attraction. Desire is a fantasy that is worth replacing life and must be attended to, through creating rituals to verify being within the bubble of desire is in fact living. Attending a Lana Del Rey concert is therefore the perfect pilgrimage for limerants needing outlets for their longing narratives and fans using Lana as a bridge to co-creating their sexual embodiment.

Editorial Integrity & xoJane's 'My Former Friend's Death Was A Blessing'

May 20, 2016

I work in digital media. I read and edit personal essays every single day. The pieces I publish tend to be vulnerable, insightful, and quite nuanced. I am proud of the voices I edit – and I'm proud of the role I play in that process. But let's be honest: I would be quite the liar if I said I wasn't well-versed in clickbait. For many publications – and I happen to edit for a dozen of them – clickbait is synonymous with paycheck. It's a sad state of affairs, but we must give the people what they want.

Witchy World Roundup: May 2016

May 12, 2016

These are interviews, articles, and pieces of literature that I've read in the past month.

The 20 Best TV Intros of All Time

March 22, 2016

Some TV shows have opening credits that really gear you up and make you excited for the next 20-45 minutes of pure splendor. You don’t skip these intros, you don’t walk out of the room; you watch them as if they’re part of the show. Here are our favorites at Luna Luna.

Bjork Songs For Konudagur, Iceland's National Woman's Day

February 22, 2016

For Konudagur, Iceland's National Woman's Day--we give you Bjork.

Witchy World Roundup: February 2016

February 5, 2016

BY JOANNA C. VALENTE

Edward Gorey made a Tarot deck and it's basically the best thing ever. I have it, so I can vouch. Here's a preview:

Kelly Davio has a piece up at Change Seven called "Kylie Jenner and Her Golden Wheels:"

"Yet we don’t have to buy it. Most considerate people recognize that popular culture has a body image problem, and that we do women and girls serious harm when we celebrate certain body shapes while devaluing others. Unfortunately, that realization has given us a new obsession: looking 'healthy' is our new substitute for looking thin. For those of us for whom looking well or able is just as unattainable as, say, heaving our way into a pair of size-zero jeans, that supposedly positive message isn’t positive at all."

Lady Gaga released a powerful music video about sexual assault:

After Texas cut Planned Parenthood funding, birth rates went up, according to Los Angeles Times:

"Though only 23 of the 254 counties in Texas had a Planned Parenthood clinic before 2013, they served 60% of the state’s low-income women of childbearing age, according to the study."

Beth Ditto on makeup and feminism at Vogue:

"… I discovered the Riot Grrrl movement, and that really changed everything for me. Girls were picking and choosing pieces of 'female' fashion and twisting them: lipstick and baby doll dresses paired with dirty Converse and a skateboard; a cute pageboy haircut and a child’s barrette with hairy armpits and a guitar. I stopped seeing makeup, shaved legs, and dresses as the enemy. They aren’t imperatives of being female; they’re part of a costume that people of any gender can choose to wear or not."

The CDC "recommended" that women of child-bearing age who are not on birth control SHOULD NOT drink, according to The Washington Post. Uhhh, OK. Policing women's bodies much?

Mukundo Angulo on how his imagination set him free at TEDxTeens. He was one of the six brothers in the documentary "The Wolfpack," which focused on Mukunda and his brothers being raised in a New York public housing apartment isolated from society by their paranoid, overbearing father.

Hannah Lee Jones has a poem over at Apogee:

"And so I was born not of my parents but a welter of syllables, none of which I remember at the Kung Fu demonstration where I spot the little brother of mine, the soup gone from his face, beaming in the crowd and who could no more be my brother than that black kid splitting a cinder block could be Chinese. Oh me, oh life, here’s to another year of pride in whatever you are under the scarlet lights of a holiday that is and isn’t yours, mouthing verses in a play where your teacher calls you by the name of your Filipino classmate, and you feel alike, and different, and lonely, and no longer lonely all at once."

Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015) & Marys of the Sea (forthcoming 2016, ELJ Publications). She received her MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the chief editor for Luna Luna Magazine.

Barbie Is Finally More Diverse And Realistic

January 28, 2016

Barbie is finally going to look more real, which I'm all about. Her unrealistic body type has often been a point of contention for many criticizers over the years. And really, who can blame them? Mattel just announced in TIME magazine that Barbie will now come in three new body shapes: "petite," "tall," and "curvy," which is great, but also problematic considering that's a gross oversimplification. She also has seven new skin tones, because you know, real people aren't all the same skin color.

Mattel, according to their website, wants to illustrate more feminist ideals:

"By introducing more variety into the line, Barbie is offering girls choices that are better reflective of the world they see today. The new 2016 Barbie Fashionistas collection includes 4 body types, 7 skin tones, 18 eye colors, 18 hairstyles, and countless on-trend fashions and accessories."

The new additions will be available for pre-order on Mattel's website. But it's still seen as a massive risk for the company (though, it's super sad we live in a world where being diverse is a risk), since young kids by age 6 are already conditioned to like a certain silhouette in their dolls, according to TIME. Evelyn Mazzocco, head of the Barbie brand, stated:

“I do all kinds of things for my kids that they don’t like or understand, from telling them to do their homework to eating their vegetables. This is very similar. It’s my responsibility to make sure that they have inclusivity in their lives even if it doesn’t register for them.”

Of course, the new curvy doll isn't necessarily that curvy--which some have already stated in the focus groups run by Mattel. One mom commented: “I wish that she were curvier." It's also important to note that while it's amazing Mattel is trying, women's bodies are shaped much differently than the ol'hourglass shape we idolize in the media. I don't have to tell you that women come in all shapes and sizes. Or don't all want to wear heels and miniskirts.

As a feminist who grew up playing with Barbie dolls, I'm all about changing the early ideas we plant into our children's minds (whether intentional or not), and educate our girls that bodies are beautiful no matter what shape or skin color they come in. But, I don't think offering three different body shapes is enough, either. Or seven skin colors. Is it really that hard for Barbie to sell customizable dolls? Or just have more options?

The Oscars Ought To Look In The Mirror

January 14, 2016

If the Oscars looked in the mirror--and the Oscars really, really need to--the Oscars would see white men. Haven't they learned anything from last year's diversity gap (and that's putting it nicely)?

This year, the committee pulled the same nonsense.

While the racial breakdowns are SCARY problematic, here's a tiny, tiny glimpse into just how bad it is: Creed (written AND directed by a black man) and Straight Outta Compton (starring black actors) were recognized. But it was the white men in the mix that were nominated. The white men.

This is not a test.

It's hard to understand the bias against people of color and women that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has--considering all of the amazing art being made--but one thing is certain: they're not too concerned with changing it.

In 2015, the Academy welcomed 322 new members to counter its diversity problem (overwhelmingly made up white males over the age of 50; in 2013, it was 93% male.)

Are these new members making a dent?

The problem is with all of Hollywood and all of America; it's sexist. When it comes to women, the numbers are awful: 22% of the Academy are made up of women--women who are underpaid and undervalued (props to J-Law for speaking up). The Academy is blind to the fact that people of color need to be represented more (watch this excellent Hollywood Reporter roundtable with Amy Schumer, Gina Roridguez, Tracee Ellis-Ross, and more) and too propped up by its own systemic privilege to make change. So when you're looking at what happens on the outside (like the Oscars whitewash) it's a good indicator that the problem is from the inside.

When are we going to stop letting people in positions of power make the wrong decisions? We've got another #OscarsSoWhite situation. Keep speaking up.

Memories Of Major Tom: Remembering David Bowie

January 12, 2016

I was fourteen and sheltered and different and stoned all the time. My parents had divorced a few years earlier and I lived on the edge of the naked cliff of Hippie Days and Punk Rock nights. I had a boombox. I took it with me when I went to hang with my friends at the Tomlinson Rec Center. Ziggy Stardust in spandex pants and blue eye shadow sang of Starmen and Moonchildren. I drank cans of Miller lights and smoked Marlboro 100’s with my eyes closed in bliss (also painted blue).

How David Bowie Took a Girl to Mars & Beyond

January 11, 2016

As a kid, I was always conscious of David Bowie. Just like you're conscious of Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Back to the Future, or the Mona Lisa. He was something that always existed. He was the world, the moon, the glittering stars, and even the black holes.

David Bowie: The Man Who Fell to Earth

January 11, 2016

David Bowie was born two days after me and thirty-nine years earlier.

When "The Next Day" was announced on David’s birthday back in 2013, I remember crying for an hour while listening to “Where Are We Now?” on loop, half under the covers in my bed in Brooklyn, memorizing the lyrics. I was in awe that he had returned to music, that he had kept it so secret.

I did the same when Blackstar was announced.

I’ve been waiting for the vinyl to arrive in the mail. It was supposed to arrive before the release date, before David Bowie’s 69th birthday. I was supposed to put it on the turntable and turn up the dial, lose myself in the joy of another unexpected album.