Ladyfest hits Edinburgh

Web Address:
http://www.ladyfestedinburgh.co.uk/

Programme of events:
Sunday 4th May

PM Tea

Saturday 3rd May, 1 pm - 4 pm
Out of The Blue Cafe, Dalmeny Street , Edinburgh

Tickets £5 in advance from Out of the Blue 0131 555 7101

PM Tea was born out of the imagination of Robyn Hambrook and Feet Theatre. The concept puts a contemporary, feminist face on the idea of the 1950’s domestic goddess, and adds more than an eggcup of humour to the traditional ‘performance’ of high tea. Musical entertainment and tea dancing will sandwich a discussion hosted by Edinburgh Feminist Network on our changing views of feminism with references to our history through storytelling and future activism. To aid discussion we will be curating a photographic exhibition on the day with collected photographs of participants mothers, grandmothers, daughters etc.

Sunday 4th May

Ladyfest Edinburgh Launch Gig

The Ark, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh 0131 556 7597

Time: 8 pm - 1 am
Cost: £4

Sellotape, Blud Slugs, Jake Cogan plus DJ Sanradio

Live performances from Sellotape, Edinburgh‘s answer to X-Ray Spec, with support from Blud Slugs and Scottish bluegrass singer Jake Cogan. Live performance from Yasmin Bushby and The PM Tea trio. DJing will be Sandradio, who runs Glasgow's only strictly ladies only night “Bang!bang!” playing a wonderfully eclectic mix of music.

Saturday 4th may - Saturday 31st May.

Womens Earth Art Space

Pencuik

Cost: Free

Women need space in our modern world to take time to connect with the earth and each other in a setting that draws on our ancient instincts connecting through basic activities of fire building, walking, and slow cooking/eating. Our group works with women from all walks of life and aims to create a space for true liberation http://www.zerotolerance.org.uk/contacts/contacts.phpof ideas away from modern society. This project is ongoing through-out the month. See the ladyfest website for regular updates.

Monday 5th May

Birthing Workshop

Birth Resource Centre, St Peter's Place, Edinburgh 0131 229 3667

time 2.30-4pm

Cost: donation
Interactive session ideally with women either pregnant or planning a baby to try and explore some of the common misconceptions about pregnancy and childbirth.

Tuesday 6th May

The Pigment Freedom Workshop

North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Pennywell Court, Edinburgh 0131 315 2151

3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

freehttp://www.zerotolerance.org.uk/contacts/contacts.php

Freestyle workshop for under 12s. Feel inspired by music and get creative with guidance from Portugese artist Sarah Anahory

Wednesday 7th May

Wicked Wenches

The Stand Comedy Club, York Place, Edinburgh 0131 558 7272

7pm

Cost: £6
When did you last see an all-female bill at a comedy club? Exactly. Women have been getting laughs since the days of music hall, but somehow they're still seen as a "novelty" act. With WICKED WENCHES we at The Stand bring together the pick of new and established XX chromosome comedians for an evening that's fun, frenetic and female. Laugh along with resident compare Susan Calman, resident grouch A.L.Kennedy and headliners and newcomers from around the UK. Expect the unexpected, expect the expected , expect a great night out - and remember, it's women-only on stage, everyone is welcome to watch.

Thurs 8th May

The Pigment Freedom Workshop

North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Pennywell Court Edinburgh 0131 315 2151

3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Cost: Free

Freestyle workshop aimed at children with learning difficulties. Feel inspired by music and get creative with guidance from Portugese artist Sarah Anahory.

Friday 9th May

Miss The Occupier / Vendors/ The Kara Sea

Henry's Cellar Bar, Morrison Street, Edinburgh

7pm - 10pm

Cost: £4

A host of Glaswegian delights with post-punk heroes Miss The Occupier, Vendors' rocking girl harmonies and the swirling, sensitive electro of singer-songwriter The Kara Sea.

Friday 9th May

Clarelyn

The Forest Cafe, Briso Place, Edinburgh 0131 220 4538

7pm

Cost: Free

Finger style guitar with Clarelyn

Saturday 10th May

Introduction to compassionate communication Workshop

Venue TBC

1.30-4.30pm

Suggested donations £5-£10

Learn ways to stay connected even in pressured situations, offering compassion and empathy to yourself and others.

Sunday 11th May

I make milk - what’s your superpower?

1.30 pm - 3.30 pm

Free

A workshop on issues surrounding breastfeeding. The afternoon will include a discussion on "How to fight the baby milk formula companies", an analysis of why breastfeeding doesn’t make a profit for the system and some practical tips and ideas. Followed by some guerrilla stickering!

Sunday 11th May

Poetry afternoon

Christchurch, Morningside Road, Edinburgh 0131 229 0090

Time TBC

Free

Sunday 11th May

Sacred Songs with Clarelyn

Seton Collegiate, Seton Sand,

3:15 pm - 4:30 pm

Free

Baroque Lute and Voice. Join Clarelyn in singing sacred songs in Latin, French and more. Bring your own seating for this informal event.

Monday 12th May

A Dialogue on the Sex Industry

The Forest Cafe (upstairs), 3 Bristo Place, Edinburgh 0131 220 4538

7pm

Free

Are those working in the sex industry exercising a right to work and to choose their job? Are they victims of violence, coercion or exploitation? Are they sex-workers or prostituted individuals? What do they have to say about it? Is work in the sex industry different to other work? What is so special about sex? What role does criminalisation play? Who gets to decide what's best for those working in the sex industry? Why do so many different feminists have so many different things to say? Is there common ground? The aim of this event is to create a safe space for discussion on this divisive issue and to grapple with some of the underlying questions and themes that frame it. All people, perspectives, uncertainties and contributions welcome.

Monday 12th May

Lady Eve Balfour Talk

venue tbc

8pm

Free

Margaret Raven discusses the life of the Organic farming pioneer and first president of the Soil Association.

Tuesday 13th May

Ladyfest Bookclub Discussion.

The Waverly Pub, St Mary's Street, Edinburgh 0131 466 2009

8pm

Free

The focus of this group will be the novel “The heart is a Lonely Hunter” by Carson McCullers plus a discussion entitled ‘How do you treat your books?’

Wednesday 14th May

Faith in Feminism Workshop

Harlequin Cafe, 30 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh 0131 466 2009

7pm

Women of different faiths come together to reflect on how their religion and feminism influence one another. Hosted by the Edinburgh Feminist Network

Thursday 15th May & Friday 16th May
Hoose and Hame
Edinburgh, Media Education Studios, 183 Dalry Road, Edinburgh 07812 716 714
7.30pm (45 mins)
£6 or £4 concession, available on 07812 716 714 or through hcuinn@hotmail.com
When is a home not a house?
In a society which is pricing people off the property ladder and most people have a little piece of Sweden in some corner of their property; have we become lost in our quest for a home of our own?
I've moved house twelve times in seven years. If you ask me where I'm from I'll tell you a story. If I'm tired, I might say 'Here'.
This witty, absurd and occasionally poignant solo goes beyond Helen Cuinn’s own exploration of Scottish identity and the search for belonging, sweeping her audience along with questions of parentage, borders and where one buys one’s furniture. Designed to get your toes tapping, your hackles rising and your internal compass spinning, no matter where you’re from.
Cuinn is an emerging performer and writer. Hoose and Hame was originally shown at Tramway as part of Into the New festival for the RSAMD and is currently touring venues across the Central Belt.

Friday 16th May

Ray Rumours / Lyndsey Cockwell / + Guest

The Forest Cafe (upstairs), Bristo Place, Edinburgh 0131 220 4538

8pm - 11pm
All ages welcome!

free/byob

Multi instrumental and incredibly sincere lo-fi bedroom pop by Ray Rumours with support from loop sampling singer-songwriter Lyndsey Cockwell and guest.

Saturday 17th May

Poetry and literature

Elvis Shakespeare Bookstore, Leith Walk, Edinburgh 0131 561 1363

2pm - 5pm

Free

An afternoon of readings drawing links between women writers of the past and present.

Sunday 18th May
Emily Scott / Blue Flint plus guests
Elvis Shakespear Bookshop, Leith Walk, Edinburgh 0131 561 1363
1.00 pm - 5:00 pm
Free
An afternoon of acoustic folk music from Edinburgh’s finest in the intimate settings of Leith’s favourite record store.

Sunday 18th May

An Evening about women in Afghanistan

The Forest Cafe, Bristo Place, Edinburgh 0131 220 4538

7pm

Free

A Film, Talk and Afghan Schools trust information stall, Afghanistan crafts and free Green Tea! We’ll be showing a film about Malalai Joya, one of the most popular Members of Parliament in Afghanistan who often takes a stand against the warlords who feature strongly in the country’s new assembly. This will be followed by a discussion.

Sunday 18th May

Film Night, Thelma and Louise

The Brass Monkey, Drummond St

6pm

Free

A screening of the classic film about strong women sticking together in the face of adversity, hosted by Edinburgh Feminist Network

Tuesday 20th may
DIY Stories
The Waverly Pub, St Mary's Street, Edinburgh 0131 466 2009

8pm

Free

Ladyfest Edinburgh is all about telling stories. Everyone’s welcome to this informal storytelling group, being your own tales, the theme is “In The Laty Year”. As part of the session we’ll be making a pamphlet.

Wednesday 21th may
Anti porn seminar
Scottish Womens aid training room, 132 Rose Street, Edinburgh 0131 226 6606

12 pm – 2 pm
Free (ltd numbers tickets in adv from Zero Tolerance 0131 624 8955)
Zero Tolerance and Scottish Womens Aid jointly host a seminar in which they will present a feminist analysis of pornography and of the increasingly "pornified" culture in which we live. Through a presentation and discussion they will provide a critical analysis of the sexist and racist images that are so harmful to children, women, and men.

Wednesday 21st May
Katie Stewart, Emily Scott plus guests
Southern Bar, South Clerk St, Edinburgh 0131 667 2288
8pm-11pm
Free
A night of sublime acoustic solos with dreamy Katie Stewart and country tinged folk of Emily Scott.

Friday 23rd May

Kate Goes / Come On Gang / Saint Judes Infirmary (Acoustic set)

Henry's Cellar Bar, Morrison St, Edinburgh

7pm

£4

Indiepop comes to Ladyfest through the always intriguing and exciting Brummie group KateGoes, backed up by Edinburgh's new poppy post-punk starlets Come On Gang. Saint Jude's Infirmary play an acoustic set of songs of sad eyed remorse sung by throats cried hoarse.

Saturday 24th May

Human Trafficking Workshop

Friends Meeting House, Victoria Terrance, Edinburgh 0131 225 4825

12pm-2pm

Donation

The workshop looks at the issue of people trafficking - a modern day trade in human beings that is growing in Scotland and around the world - and aims to leave the audience more informed about trafficking while allowing them to discuss the complex issues surrounding it. Hosted by Amnesty International

Saturday 24th May
More T Vicar
Drill Hall, Out of the Blue, Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh 0131 555 7101
2pm-6pm
A queer drag tea dance with ballroom dancing. we'll initiate you in the steps. cake and punch. the perfect warm up for Eurovision 2008!

Saturday 24th May
Queer Mutiny
The Forest Cafe (upstairs), Bristo Place, Edinburgh 0131 220 4538
9pm-2pm
Free
Queer Mutiny is a DIY collective dedicated to creating an alternative to Edinburgh's commercial gay scene. This month Queer Mutiny meets Ladyfest and brings you an evening of local female musicians, along with the usual free food, chaos and DJs.

Sunday 25th May

Get Racy!!

Pavilion Café, The Meadow, Edinburgh

5pm to 9 pm

£3/£5 (includes curry)

Come and join our hot n' spicy evening, with sizzling discussions on race, culture and sub- cultures. Includes dramatisation, poetry and delicious home made curry, music and dance from around the world!

Sunday 25th May

Film Double Bill “An Angel At My Table” & “The Day I Became a Woman”

The Cameo Cinema, Home Street

12 noon

Cost £5

Screen Banditas present a double bill featuring “An Angel At My Table”, Jane Campion’s biography of Janet Frame, the New Zealand poet and author. A quiet, repressed child Frame spent eight years in a mental institution after wrongly being diagnosed as a schizophrenic, and Iranian film “The Day I Became a Woman” A mini trilogy depicting the lives of three women living in Kish Island, Iran.

Monday 26th May

Hockyfrilla / Kirsten Norrie / Mills & Boon / SmackMusic7

Henrys Cellar Bar, Morrison St, Edinburgh

7pm

Cost £4

Pushing the boundaries of music this night will bring together some of Edinburgh's finest noise merchants and performers. Hockyfrilla (Rhian/ckdh, long time Giant Tanker in the 'burgh & spaz noise with the boyz Dora Doll, long term founder member of noise gurus Decaer Pinga) are joined by performance artist and singer Kirsten Norrie, Karen Constance/Smack Music 7 (churning out glamtronics, heavy tape manipulations and loop hell) and Mills and Boon (Noise and mayhem: the sound of purgatory?). Not a night for the faint hearted.

Tuesday 27th May

Ladyfest Shorts

Cameo Cinema, Home Street

Screen Banditas present an evening an evening of short films by emerging female directors including Oscar winning director Andrea Arnold.

Wednesday 28th May

Reflections on Ladyfest

Harlequin Cafe, 30 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh 0131 466 2009

7pm

Free

Edinburgh Feminist Network are hosting an open meeting for all women interested in building on the energy and community generated by Ladyfest Edinburgh. The sky is the limit!

Thursday 29th May

Langholm Folk / Jake Cogan / The Beggar Girls / Viara Ivanova and Rodrigo Garcia Bermejo

Bannermans, The Cowgate, Edinburgh 0131 556 3254

9pm

£4

The Beggar Girls

are a 4 piece all female band from the wild borders. They play French, English, East European and original songs and tunes, incorporating four part harmonies with beautiful sometimes haunting melodies. They are: sassy Sarah Martin on fiddle and voice, marvellous Mandy Gaze on viola and voice, joyous Jo Powell on accordion and voice and beguiling Bernadette Gee on percussion and whistle/voice.

Jake Cogan

Raw and powerful at others times witty and humorous. She is quietly becoming one of Folk Music’s most exciting new voices. A servant of the traditions she keeps alive, she belongs to a rare breed of selfless performer-those who live to let tradition breath through them.

Langholm Folk

Homely Folk music from the homely members of popular local group “Langholm Folk”...... they’ve been on the go for a while but they’re none the worse for that!! They sing honestly and wholeheartedly. Traditional folk singers that make your heart smile.

Viara Ivanova and Rodrigo Garcia Bermejo performing groovy covers and original. From Soul, Jazz, Bluegrass to Folk. Strong and deep vocals, these two passionate performers keep you wanting more. Amazing.

Friday 30th May

Ladyfest at the Reid

The Reid Hall, Bristo Square, Edinburgh 0131 650 2427

Installation at 7 p.m.
Concert 8-9 p.m.

Free
A prestigious event exploring the relationship between music and dance. Includes the top b-girls ('breakdancers') in the U.K., electroacoustic composition, contemporary classical music, and dance, 'wii' technology, Flamenco dancing and more. Arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Saturday 31st May

Arts & Creativity Workshop

Penicuilk Arts Centre, Penicuik

1 pm - 5pm

Suggested donations £10 - £25

Learn to connect with your creative self with compassion, clarifying and expressing what's important to you. Bring photos musical instruments or just yourself. Limited to 14 places

Saturday 31st May

Ladyfest Edinburgh Closing Party

The Duloks / The Fnords / Futuristic Retro Champions / Fool For A Pretty Face / Dolly Mixture dj set

Henry's Cellar Bar, Morrison St, Edinburgh

8pm - 3am

Cost £4

A hell of a party to close the month of May 2008 that was Ladyfest Edinburgh. Featuring a range of music, from the scuzzy girl/boy trade off rock of Fool For A Pretty Face to the uber fun indiepop of Futuristic Retro Champions, the riot grrl channelling post punk of The Fnords and The Duloks infectious and often hilarious brand of new wave indie. All this will be held together by a super awesome dj set by Glasgow's Dolly Mixture.

Sunday 1st June

Avant garde film night

Leith Co-Operative ACE Cinema, 17 West Montgomery Place, Edinburgh 0131 557 6242

12 noon

Cost: Free

Screen Banditas present an evening of film & music. Featuring works by American director Maya Deren and Scottish filmmaker and poet Margaret Tait.