From the fundamental rights proclaimed in the American and French declarations of independence to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Hannah Arendt’s furious critiques, the definition of what it means to be human has been hotly debated. But the history of human rights—and their abuses—is also a richly illustrated one. Following this picture trail, Human Rights In Camera takes an innovative approach by examining the visual images that have accompanied human rights struggles and the passionate responses people have had to them.

Sharon Sliwinski considers a series of historical events, including the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and the Holocaust, to illustrate that universal human rights have come to be imagined through aesthetic experience. The circulation of images of distant events, she argues, forms a virtual community between spectators and generates a sense of shared humanity. Joining a growing body of scholarship about the cultural forces at work in the construction of human rights, Human Rights In Camera is a novel take on this potent political ideal.

When: Tuesday, November 22nd., 2011
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

When Vancouver-based artist Tania receives a letter suggesting that her biological father may not be the man she has always known as such, her world turns upside down. As she struggles to understand the implications of this news and delves into her family’s complex past, Tania discovers the ultimate retribution that her life represents.
Narrated by Tania’s mother, Sol, and her grandmother, Soledad, Retribution spans over seventy years in the life of the Martinez family, from their daily existence before the 1973 military coup to the horror that ensued; their flight to Canada as political refugees, and back to Chile again as Sol joins the underground resistance movement to the dictatorship and looks for the remains of her disappeared husband.
Uplifting, forceful and unflinching, Retribution evocatively charts a family’s journey of struggle and survival from one home to the next as it pays tribute to the fortitude of mother-daughter-granddaughter relationships, and celebrates the triumph of beauty and dignity over darkness and horror.

When: Thursday, November 10th., 2011
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

“I have known two kinds of pain. The first, a stabbing between my legs, the second, reliving it to tell my story.” —Soraya Miré

Having experienced firsthand the horror of female genital mutilation (FGM), Soraya Miré reveals the personal violation and immense challenges she overcame. This book is at once an intimate revelation, a testament to the empowerment of women, and an indictment of the violent global oppression of women and girls. This forthright narrative recounts what it means to grow up female in a traditional Somali family, where girls’ and women’s basic human rights are violated on a daily basis. Forced into an arranged marriage to an abusive older cousin, Miré was also witness to the instability of Somalia’s political landscape—her father was a general in the military dictatorship of Siad Barre. In her journey to recover from the violence done to her, Miré realizes FGM is the ultimate child abuse, a ritual of mutilation handed down from mother to daughter and protected by the word “culture.” Despite the violations she endured, her words resonate with hope, humanity, and dignity. Her life story is truly one of inspiration and redemption.

Date: Tuesday, November 8th., 2011
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

The 12th annual aluCine Latin Film + Media Arts Festival is pleased to invite everyone to our 2011 Catalogue and Website Launch event at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore.

When: Wednesday, November 2nd., 2011
Time: 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
FREE EVENT | OPEN TO EVERYONE

A full schedule of the festival’s programs will be available on hand in our new catalogue and on our website at http://www.alucinefestival.com/

Drop in, say hi, see old friends and meet new ones, and have a few drinks. Join us as we get ready for another great festival beginning on November 15th!

Insomniac Press is proud to be the home of some wonderful lesbian books and on October 23rd from 4.30 to 6 we hope you’ll join us for a reading and signing by two of our authors. Karen X. Tulchinsky will read from her work, including her first novel, Love Ruins Everything, reissued this month by Insomniac, and Liz Bugg, author of the Calli Barnow mystery, Red Rover, will give a sneak preview of her new book, Oranges and Lemons, to be published in Spring 2012.Nomi Rabinovitch’s femme girlfriend leaves her for a man, Nomi seeks solace in watching schmaltzy videos at a friend’s place, working her shift as a bartender at a neighborhood pub in San Francisco, and trying to talk her way out of wearing a dress at her mother’s second wedding. But going to Mom’s marriage in Toronto is just the ticket for this Canadian expatriate. Back home, Nomi runs into former crush Julie and sparks ensue. Then Nomi learns that her cousin Henry has been beaten up. It’s not just a horrific case of fag bashing, but a specific hit to keep Henry from breaking a news story about the origins of HIV. Love Ruins Everything, Tulchinsky’s first novel, shifts seamlessly from comic romance to political thriller and remains a page-turner throughout.

Date: Sunday, October 23rd., 2011
Time: 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.