The month of March pays special attention to the accomplishments and stories of womxn throughout historyâespecially those that have gone unaccounted for in mainstream curricula. While you can (and should) celebrate womxn all the time, Women's History Month (made extra special this year by the centennial of the 19th amendment) brings some extra-great opportunities to do so across genres, including the Womxn's March on Seattle, a stand-up show with Broad City's Ilana Glazer, and the annual Be Bold Seattle panel and celebration. For even more options, visit our complete Women's History Month calendar, including the sub-section for International Women's Day (Sat March 8), and check out local women-owned restaurants to try.
MARCH 3
READINGS & TALKSJoanne Bagshaw: How to Resist Sexism and Dismantle the Patriarchy
If you're exhausted from the daily burdens of misogyny and marginalization, go to this talk by psychology professor and sex therapist Bagshaw, whose new book The Feminist Handbook: Practical Tools to Resist Sexism and Dismantle the Patriarchy promises a range of strategies to resist the mental effects of sexism and racism. Plus, she'll offer ways to "create lasting change through activism and community." For a sample of what to expect, look up her blog The Third Wave for Psychology Today.
Town Hall (First Hill)
Sierra Crane Murdoch: Yellow Bird
Sierra Crane Murdoch's work of literary journalism chronicles the true story of a woman's murder on an Indian reservation and the Arikara woman who became obsessed with solving it. Join the author for a reading and conversation with Seattle writer Brooke Jarvis.
Elliott Bay Book Company (Capitol Hill)
MARCH 5
COMMUNITYBe Bold Seattle International Women's Day
The World Economic Forumâs 2017 Global Gender Report estimated the date for full gender equality throughout the world as 217 years in the future. At this celebration of International Womenâs Day, speakers will hold forth on how to speed up the processes of gender justice and parity. This year, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau and Filipina American poet Louie Tan Vital are among the special guests, as well as Marilyn Jean Smith and Lore Ameloot (Abused Deaf Womenâs Advocacy Services) Nikki Gane (Dignity for Divas), Scilla Andreen (IndieFlix), Chantel Jackson (CJs Phillys), and Poppy MacDonald (USAFacts).
Benaroya Hall (Downtown)
MARCH 5-JUNE 28
VISUAL ARTGeorgia O'Keeffe: Abstract Variations
The museum celebrates the acquisition of O'Keeffe's Music, Pink and Blue, No. 1, which it calls "the first complete expression of her personal brand of modernism," with an exhibition that also features loaned paintings, drawings, and Alfred Stieglitz's photographs of the artist.
Seattle Art Museum (Downtown)
MARCH 7
MUSICQueens of Noise Punk Festival
Alice Bag is a significant name in punk rock; she was the lead singer and cofounder of first-wave punk band the Bags, which came out of LA in the 1970s and was fronted by two women in a scene that was heavily male-dominated. Sheâs also a significant feminist icon whoâs been a strident voice against injustice. In addition to being an educator, author (she has two books, Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage: A Chicana Punk Story and Pipe Bomb for the Soul), and activist, sheâs still churning out music speaking to current issues (see last yearâs âNo Gifts for Nazisâ). She is appropriately headlining the Queens of Noise âfemale, femme, nonbinaryâ punk festival, which will also feature sets by nine other punk-minded lady-repped Washington-area bands spread over two stages: Itchy Kitty, Klondike Kate, Madame Damnable, Nox Novacula, Having Issues, Post Rapture Party, the Heels, Mallory, and Matriarch. Proceeds benefit Peoria Home, which provides sanctuary and support for survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution. LEILANI POLK
Highline (Capitol Hill)
MARCH 7-8
MUSICShall Not Be Denied
In this statement of solidarity with women's activism, the music of American women past and present will be performed by choral group Seattle Pro Musica to mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the of 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote. The program will include pieces by composers Caroline Shaw, Reena Esmail, Rosephayne Powell, Meredith Monk, and more.
Trinity Lutheran Church (Lynnwood); Seattle First Baptist Church (Capitol Hill)
MARCH 8
FILMStage Russia HD: Anna Karenina Women's Day Encore
Alina Chevik directs this Moscow Operetta production of Anna Karenina that communicates the classic story of hopeless love and societal constraint through music, dance, and spectacular production design. It's shown here shown onscreen as an encore for International Women's Day.
Northwest Film Forum (Capitol Hill)
Drink Like a Girl! Celebrate International Womenâs Day 2020
Whiskey enthusiast Julia Ritz Toffoli and her friends were weary of hearing men exclaim, "Whoa, that's a strong drink for a little lady! Sure you can handle it?" every time they ordered their favorite liquor. So they founded Women Who Whiskey, an "experimental whiskey club for women." At this Seattle Cocktail Week event hosted by the society's Seattle chapter in honor of International Women's Day, Wanderback Whiskey Co. co-owner Sasha Muir will lead a whiskey tasting of limited-edition American single-malt whiskeys and give a presentation on the "American single-malt revolution" and her company's process. Tickets include a cocktail, snacks, and a whiskey tasting flight.
Palace Kitchen (Capitol Hill)
Womxn's March on Seattle 2020: The Next Revolutionaries
Since the roads were icy on the anniversary of Trump's inauguration, the organizers of the Womxn's March postponed the landmark Trump-era resistance event to fatefully align with International Women's Day. And even though Senators have voted to acquit Donald Trump on both articles of impeachment, the rights and safety of womxn, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and anyone else who is not a wealthy white man are still at risk. For the fourth year in a row, join a procession from the Beacon Hill Playfield to City Hall Park. Concurrently, in Dr. Jose Rizal Park, South Asian- and Asian Pacific Islander-focused anti-violence organization API-Chaya will lead an additional march and rally advocating for working womxn and immigrant communities.
Beacon Hill Playground
MARCH 11
Drunk Herstory
Women working in the craft beer industry will down many pints from their respective breweries and regale the audience with tipsy tales of historical heroines. Proceeds from beer sales will benefit Planned Parenthood (past events have raised as much as $10,000).
Brouwer's Cafe (Fremont)
MARCH 14
READINGS & TALKSBattle for the Ballot: Women and the Vote
Hark back to the women's suffrage movementâwhich jump-started the 19th amendment but whose white majority largely excluded women of colorâwith a Living Voices performance.Â
Museum of History & Industry (South Lake Union)
Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak), on tour in support of the paperback edition of her bestselling memoir, Shout, will be joined in conversation by local YA author Joy McCullough.Â
Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park)
THROUGH MARCH 15
PERFORMANCEFemmes of STEM: A Burlesque Benefit for Seattle 500 Women Scientists
Science is sexy, and here to prove it is the Femmes of STEM troupe, a gaggle of burlesque dancers who are also professional scientists.Â
Rendezvous (Belltown)
MARCH 17
READINGS & TALKSRebecca Solnit: Recollections of My Nonexistence
Six years after Rebecca Solnit added a few new words to the lexicon of sexist experience in her smash hit essay collection Men Explain Things to Me, the longtime writer and activist is out with a new memoir about her formative years in San Francisco. In Recollections of My Nonexistence, Solnit gives the Beats the drubbing she felt she couldn't give them back in the day, tells the stories of the people and places that inspired her writings, and compares the violence women faced then to violence they still face today. Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein will interview Solnit onstage, so I've got my fingers crossed for insider's take on the overlap between the Riot grrrl scenes and the SF literary activists scenes in the 1990s. Regardless, this is a grand council of living feminist legends that must not be missed, especially when there's so much that continues to trouble the realm. RICH SMITH
Temple De Hirsch Sinai (Capitol Hill)
MARCH 18
COMMUNITYOxfam America Presents: Gender Justice = Justice for All
On the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Oxfam America Action Fund will lead a conversation on womenâs leadership and active citizenship, plus performances from youth storytellers.Â
Town Hall (First Hill)
History Café: Women in Washington Wine
What has long been considered a male-dominated industry is finally becoming more diverse, but women winemakers still face challenges. Join Kay Simon, founder of Yakima Valley's Chinook Wines (and one of the first female winemakers in Washington State) for a talk on her experiences in the business.Â
Museum of History & Industry (South Lake Union)
Mikaela Kiner: Female Firebrands
In this "solutions-oriented guide" from Mikaela Kiner, 13 professional women across industries and backgrounds share their experiences with sexual harassment, unfair pay, and otherwise inequitable treatment in the workplace. Join the author for a reading and discussion.
Elliott Bay Book Company (Capitol Hill)Â
MARCH 20
COMEDYSeventy-Nine Cents: An All-Womxn Comedy Show
Stéphanie Nam and fellow womxn comedians promise to lift your patriarchy-weighted spirits with comedy.
Rendezvous (Belltown)
Pussy Riot
Russian feminist punk collective Pussy Riot, who have also dabbled in psych-rock musicals, will showcase their performance-art-meets-politics-meets-pop-and-punk-music talent at this event.
Neumos (Capitol Hill)
MARCH 21
COMMUNITYEdits for Women: Wiki-thoning the Suffrage Centennial
Like all marginalized groups, women's history has been misrepresented and, in many cases, altogether erased from mainstream historical resources. This Women's History Month tradition invites you to help set things straight by editing everyone's favorite online fact-finder: Wikipedia. First-hand reference materials will be on hand, as well as seasoned "Wikipedians." Tickets include museum and snack access.
Washington State History Museum (Tacoma)
Washington's Undiscovered Feminists
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of women securing the right to vote in this country, arts writer Mayumi Tsutakawa chronicles the lives and accomplishments of five local geniuses you may not have heard much about in school. You'll learn of Imogen Cunningham, a chemist and acclaimed photographer who took pics of movie stars without makeup before it was cool; Ruby Bishop, a jazz legend who toured with Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, and ended up tickling the ivories at Vito's well into her 90s; Chinese American artist Priscilla Chong Jue, who ran local shops specializing in textiles; journalist and socialist Seattle School Board member Anna Louise Strong, who led hiking parties to Rainer's summit in her spare time; and the great Native American linguist Vi Hilbert, who was literally named a Living Treasure in 1989 in part for preserving one of the primary Coast Salish languages. RICH SMITH
Cascadia Art Museum (Edmonds)
MARCH 22
MUSICJazz Shout
Join Seattle Women in Jazz as they present their third annual Jazz Shout!, an evening dedicated to years of protest music and performance art by and for women, with a fully multi-disciplinary program in honor of Women's History Month, and proceeds from the door tickets going to benefit Seattle Women in Jazz, a program sponsored by Shunpike. Enjoy performances by vocalists Delilah Beaucoup, Ashanti Proctor, Wanda Gardner-Cockerham, and many more.
Jet City Improv (University District)
MARCH 23
READINGS & TALKSBernardine Evaristo: Girl Woman Other
Twelve people, mostly Black women aged 19 to 93, pursue their happiness in Britain in this Man Booker Prize-winning novel by the author of The Emperor's Babe. Hear the author read.
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (Central District)
MARCH 24
READINGS & TALKSKatie Roiphe: The Power Notebooks
Love her or (perhaps more likely) hate her, Katie Roiphe has been a daring, unique, and critical voice for decades. Sheâs argued against victimhood feminism, claiming that women actually do have agency and control over their actions, and was famously accused of planning to out the creator of the #ShittyMediaMen list. This won her few fans on the left, but Roiphe, undaunted, continues to speak her mind, whether itâs good or bad for her own reputation. If itâs ballsy, unapologetic women you like, Katie Roiphe is it. KATIE HERZOG
Town Hall (First Hill)
MARCH 25
FILMA Woman's Work: The NFL's Cheerleader Problem
This documentary from Vancouver BC-born director Yu Gu must not be missed. Here we have capitalism in its essence, which is the exploitation of those who are perceived as powerless by the owners of capital. If you have a little power, capitalism will have to reward you. If you do not, it will tear you to pieces. In A Womanâs Work: The NFLâs Cheerleader Problem, the powerless parties are cheerleaders for the NFL. They are in the middle of a billion-dollar industry but are paid less than peanuts. What we learn in this doc is that the wages of mascots and concession workers are often higher than cheerleaders. This is not to say that mascots or concession workers should be paid less, but that, holy shit, what are cheerleaders being paid? A contract examined in the documentary gives us some idea: $12,050! And the cheerleaders only get paid once a year! Capitalism! Damn! CHARLES MUDEDE
Northwest Film Forum (Capitol Hill)
MARCH 26
COMEDYIlana Glazer: Horny 4 Tha Polls
Intensely loved for her role as the feisty libertine feminist in the Comedy Central sitcom Broad City, which had a critically acclaimed five-year run, Ilana Glazer also slings jokes on stages. Her special The Planet Is Burning wasnât a dour diatribe about climate change; rather, she used the current environmental crisis as a prism through which to crack wise about various subjects, including menâs razors versus womenâs razors. The new Horny 4 Tha Polls tour promises to examine the political shitshow currently plaguing Americaâand perhaps offer some clever ideas on how to improve the situation. Glazer plans to stay an extra day in every city on this tour in order to throw a âvoter empowerment dance partyâ (Wed March 25 at Barboza) via her political organization Generator Collective, with local politicians involved. DAVE SEGAL
Paramount Theatre (Downtown)
Celebrate Women! with The Red Rose Combo
Celebrate Women's History Month with the Red Rose Combo as they present a tribute to women composers and lyricists from the past 100 years, including Dorothy Fields, Ann Ronell, Maria Grever, Joni Mitchell, Marian McPartland, Peggy Lee, Dolly Parton, Siedah Garrett, Carol King, Abbey Lincoln, and many more.
The Royal Room (Columbia City)
MARCH 28
COMMUNITYThe Pink Party
Join Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii for a night celebrating reproductive freedom. Civil rights activist and #MeToo pioneer Tarana Burke will be the special guest speaker.Â
The Royal Room (Columbia City)
MARCH 29
READINGS & TALKSClaudia Castro Luna, Corinne Chin, Erika Schultz: 'Killing MarĂas' and Women of Ciudad JuĂĄrez
Rich Smith has written of the WA State Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna's epic poetry collection, which addresses the murders of women in Juarez named MarĂa: "Luna's lyrics champion feminine strength, challenge masculine violence, and offer some succor in a rough desert." This year, Castro Luna will read from the book, and Seattle Times journalists Corinne Chin and Erika Schulz will discuss their work reporting on violence against women at the US-Mexico border.
MARCH 30
Surreal Storytelling with Strange Women
Kate Berwanger hosts this cozy reading series dedicated to women poets and prose writers. Bring cash to buy zines and other goods directly from the readers.
Belltown Yacht Club
ONGOING
VISUAL ARTUnsettling Femininity: Selections from the Frye Art Museum Collection
The show is curated from the Frye permanent collection, bringing together mostly German and Austrian late-19th- and early-20th-century paintings of women. The pieces are curated with the intention of interrogating the act of looking at these portrayals of women and how it plays into ideas surrounding power, gender, sex, morality, and purity in contemporary Western culture. While some of the included pieces seem like obvious selections for this showâsuch as the rather iconic snake-wrapped woman in Franz von Stuck's Die SĂŒnde (The Sin)âthere are still others whose lesson is more subtly drawn out, such as Gabriel von Max's Seifenblasen (Soap Bubbles), categorized under "artifice" in the back gallery of the exhibition. The painting depicts a woman gazing into a mirror, while Cupid is perched on a wall in the background. He is blowing bubbles and making direct eye contact with the viewer. In placing the bubble between the woman and the mirror, Max is forcing the viewer to think about her perceived vanity, as Cupid's presence suggests longing for love. JASMYNE KEIMIG
Frye Art Museum (First Hill)
