Monday, April 4, 2016: Illuminating Identity--Author Michelle Cruz Gonzales

Universalists like to say art transcends identity, but today’s guests insist it illuminates it.

Order Michelle's book from PM press

Robynn Takayama speaks with Chicana punk rocker Michelle Cruz Gonzales about her new memoir, The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band.  Raised in the small town of Tuolumne, by her single mom, she gravitated to the in-your-face aesthetics of hard core punk. She played drums for the ground-breaking, all-female band, Spitboy, from 1990 to 1995.  She talks with Robynn about confronting hecklers at their live shows, how her Chicana heritage could be lost to a punk name, and the Bay Area punk scene in the mid-90s.

Listen now or Get MP3. 22:06 min

When PM Press said, yes, they would like to publish my book, the first thing that I thought was, now I just have to not die before it comes out. Writers are always writing against the clock, but now I only need to hang in here for about a week because there’s  word that the books have shipped from the printers. I have written two memoirs, and this is the first one to be published, and the whole process, getting this book published, has been really fun and collaborative. I was assigned an editor, then a cover designer, a copy editor, and an events planner. Everyone at PM Press has been super cool to work with, and they see me, the individual, and that is, wow, really nice.

Michelle will be reading at the following dates:
Sunday, April 17, 2016 10 - 6 PM
Gilman Zine Fest
924 Gilman, Berkeley CA

Wednesday, April 27th, 2016 - 7:30pm
Pegasus Books Downtown
2349 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94604



Plus a little poetry in honor of National Poetry Month.


Click here to listen to entire show. 59:50 min

Also on today's show:
Sarah Schulman

Eclectic events for the Bay Area feminist
April 6, 3:10 Pm
Japanese Film from 1948: A Hen in the Wind
UC Berkeley Art Focus
2155 Center St
Berkeley, CA
BAMPFA.org or 510-642-0808

April 7, 6-9 PM
BAR Besties
Oasis
398 11th St
SF, CA
EBAR.com/besties2016

April 7, 7 PM
Shobha Rao discusses her new book, An Unrestored Woman
Revolution Books
2444 Durant
Berkeley, CA
510-848-1196

Poet Nancy Morejon will be performing at the following events:
Friday, April 8, 7 PM, Reception at Pinata Art Gallery, 4268 Mission, SF
Saturday, April 9, 3 PM, Poetry and Jazz Extravaganza, St John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, 1661 15th St, SF
Sunday, April 10, 3 PM, Richmond Public Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA