International Women’s Day may be over, but Escents Bookcase (伊聖詩私房書櫃) is dedicating the rest of this month to a series of events highlighting women’s issues.
The series is being held in collaboration with V-Day Taipei, the local branch of the international activist group founded by playwright Eve Ensler. Over the past 13 years, V-Day has worked with artists and activists in 140 countries to create events that call attention to violence against women and promote women’s rights (the “V” in V-Day stands for victory, valentine and vagina).
A documentary about Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues will be shown at 7pm tonight and on March 23. On March 30, director Wang Shih-chun (王詩淳) and Chen I-Chun will give a talk about the play at 7pm. On March 31, experimental musician Wang Yu-jun (王榆鈞) will perform at 3pm.
Photo courtesy of Escents
The store will also host The Clothesline Project, which comprises T-shirts created by 14 artists. The project was started in Massachusetts in 1990 to spotlight the emotional effects of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as memorialize victims who died. Escents Bookstore will display the T-shirts alongside photographs from various productions of The Vagina Monologues. The garments will be sold next month to raise money for the Taipei Association for the Promotion of Women’s Rights (台北市女性權益促進協會).
Every Friday evening until the end of this month, the store will screen 2004’s Until the Violence Stops, a documentary produced by V-Day (call (02) 2362-1134 for times). Directed by Abby Epstein, the hour-long film examines efforts to stop violence against women in different communities around the world, including in the US, the Philippines and Kenya. The documentary includes appearances by Ensler Jane Fonda, Glenn Close, Isabella Rossellini, Mary Alice, Queen Latifah, Rosie Perez, LisaGay Hamilton, Salma Hayek, Rosario Dawson, Hazelle Goodman and Tantoo Cardinal.
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