VODKA O’CLOCK 1805:

F.O.R.G.E. CREATORS NATALI & JENN

AMBER LOVE 01-JUNE-2018 My work is supported by the generous backers at Patreon.com/amberunmasked who appreciate my reviews and my stories; and they also get first access to what’s happening with my books and podcast. Also, I’m an Amazon Influencer so you can shop through my personal recommendations and buy my books with these handy links below:

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I will put a trigger/content warning up front here regarding the conversation that begins around the 52-minute mark where Natali shared multiple stories about what her kids in middle school are going through regarding dick pics, self-harm/cutting, and suicide attempts. Throughout the show, we also talked about racism, rape culture, and misogyny in geekdom.

Download this episode of Vodka O’Clock on Google Play, iTunes, Stitcher, or listen here. Older shows have been archived and are available only on AmberUnmasked.com.

Safe Space Online:

Natali (Uber Dork Girlie) and Jenn (The Ruthless Geek) talked about feminism and their new project F.O.R.G.E. which stands for Feminist Organization for Rebel Geek Empowerment. Things are just getting off the ground. The goal is for everyone to geek how they want, be supported, and feel safe and welcomed. They are planning events in the local Milwaukee community. Some events will be recorded and then posted online. There’s a possibility of live streams in the future.

The WeAreFORGE.org site has a bulletin board system and people are encouraged to sign up and create profiles. Both creators are well aware of the safety concerns for marginalized people online. It’s not exclusively for women/women-identifying people. It’s for all feminist geeks. Jenn emphasized that people who normally may not be heard (literally or metaphorically) should have a space where they can have a voice.

Books/Comics:

Even when known feminists like Margaret Atwood say something unacceptable, they should be told so (albeit respectfully). “Feminism has to be inclusive,” is the message from FORGE. Parents, please let your boys read books with protagonists not like them!

I asked our librarian soulmate, Josh Neff for his recommendations:

• Labyrinth Lost, a YA urban fantasy by Zoraida Córdova about Latinx teen brujas.
• Catherynne Valente’s Fairyland series
• Binti series by Nnedi Okorafor

Other books discussed:

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood has been on Amazon’s top seller list for 36 weeks.

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Non-fiction:

Malala Yousafzai memoir
Natali recommends any books on the Riot Grrrl movement

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Comics:

Ms. Marvel
Raven the Pirate Princess and Princeless series
Lumberjanes
Archie Comics

Non-Fiction Comics:

The March series about Sen. Lewis and the civil rights movement

Oh Joy, Sex Toy – mature sex education comics

TV/Movies:

Speechless
Brooklyn 99
Superstore
Solo
Black Panther
Wonder Woman
Marvel Runaways
Riverdale

“We geek how we want.”

** TRIGGER WARNING ** At 52:30 mark

Self-Care, Self-Harm, Self-Love:

Natali has been dealing with a lot this year regarding her kids’ friends trusting her to be the “safe adult” whom they can run to if they feel like they are in crisis. The school is well aware of all these situations from dick pics to self-harm to unsafe living situations and the school did nothing. After multiple instances, Natali demanded that the school do something about it. They ended up having an assembly with a mental health professional.

“The principal already runs from me.” Natali

When one of the young girls was contemplating suicide and texting Natali’s daughter, action was quickly taken. Natali did everything to try and find the parents’ contact information while the girl was being treated; she was hitting dead ends and have to leave a comment on the father’s YouTube channel. Eventually the police were also consulted. There was another wall then. The officer easily found the contact information, but they were in a different county.

Finding Comfort:

For Natali, she and her girls turn to comfort behavior in order to get through times like these when their friends are in crisis. They eat ice cream, have slumber parties, play, and as Natali said, “just be kids.”

Amber’s long list of ideas for comfort: yoga (new YT channel), aromatherapy, reading, watching the same silly shows over and over, spending time with Gus outside on adventures, and meds (I have no problem tweeting when I’m fed up and taking a sedative), looking at cute pictures on Instagram and Pinterest.

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Links:

weareforge.org
https://twitter.com/FemRebelGeeks
https://www.facebook.com/FeministRebelGeeks/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/UberDorkDesigns
Natali is for hire to design your logo and website.

From the #gloamingpictures creator on Twitter @CrowGirl42, you can sign up for the newsletter of that collection of gorgeous pictures with relaxation visuals. https://tinyletter.com/CrowGirl

For the Chaotic Pride Pins that were mentioned on this episode, follow the creator on Twitter @ThisIsHannako.

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.