On February 27, the BU Center for the Humanities (BUCH) hosted #UsToo: Feminist Artists Intersect with #MeToo, bringing together artists and academics to discuss the intersection of their work with the #MeToo movement. BU’s Associate Provost for Diversity & Inclusion and Professor of English Crystal Williams and Assistant Professor Sophie Seita were joined by British-based biographer Lyndall Gordon and musician, philosopher, and writer Patricia Herzog, along with moderator Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig of the BU School of Law, to discuss the current feminism movement and how their scholarly thought fits into it.
Intersectionality, the Harvey Weinstein case, and the concept of reclaiming and retelling narratives came up as the panel presented their work and the modern implications of it. Gordon discussed her book Outsiders: Five Women Writers Who Changed the World, which covers the work of Mary Shelley, Emily Brontë, George Eliot, Olive Schreiner, and Virginia Woolf, while Herzog spoke about the story of Lucretia and her opera The Resurrection of Lucretia, which reframes the tale, as part of her talk titled “Reclaiming the Canon for Women’s Voices.”
Seita’s work spans poetry, performance, multimedia art, and queer-feminist thought (among other disciplines), and she discussed some of her recent pieces, including Les Bijoux Indiscrets, or, Paper Tigers and Beethoven Was a Lesbian. Williams read two poems: Poem about My Rights by June Jordan and won’t you celebrate with me by Lucille Clifton. The panel honored the work of women throughout the humanities for centuries, giving a voice and a presence to those previously silenced.
You can learn about events like these at the BUCH website.