About us > Past productions > 2011/12 > Emotional Creature
resource list
Glenn Close, who’s a frequent performer of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues, has said, “You don’t just hook up with Eve, you become part of her crusade.” If you’d like to join the crusade to end violence against women and girls—or if you’d just like to learn more—check out these resources compiled by our literary department.
Eve Ensler: the Woman, the Writer and the Activist
eve ensler: the woman, the writer and the activist
- The official website of the playwright and activist includes a biography of the writer, news about upcoming projects and information about her plays, books and films.
- Inspired by Ensler’s play The Vagina Monologues, V-Day is a grassroots movement to end violence against women and girls. V-Day events occur across the world every Valentine’s Day; visit V-Day’s official webpage to find out how to get involved in your community.
- A social network for young women to blog, share pictures and mobilize around activism events, V-Girls empowers its members to “change the world, one girl at a time.” Inspired by Ensler’s book I Am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World, V-Girls is closely linked to its sister organization, V-Day.
- In 2007, Ensler took a life-changing trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. After witnessing firsthand the devastating femicide ravaging the country, Ensler’s V-Day and UNICEF joined together to form the City of Joy, a housing community in the DRC for abuse survivors. The center opened its doors in early 2011 and graduated its first class of 42 women in June of that year.
What I Want My Words to Do to You (DVD)
- An entry in PBS’ popular P.O.V. series, this documentary follows Ensler as she conducts a writing workshop with female prisoners at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. The film contains readings of the inmates’ work performed by Glenn Close, Mary Alice, Hazelle Goodman, Rosie Perez and Marisa Tomei.
I Am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Lives of Girls Around the World by Eve Ensler
- Read the book that inspired the play. I Am an Emotional Creature offers a series of fictional monologues from girls around the world as they tackle the pains, joys and triumphs of growing up female.
The Vagina Monologues: The V-Day Edition and
The Vagina Monologues (DVD)
- The text version of Ensler’s play was reissued in 2000 with a new forward by Gloria Steinem and testimonials from several activists who have performed The Vagina Monologues for V-Day. There’s also a DVD of the performance available for those who wish to experience the live version of Ensler’s show.
- Watch Ensler’s inspiring and informative talks on topics ranging from body image to menopause.
online
Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women
- The local chapter of California’s Commission on the Status of Women, a nonpartisan state agency that campaigns for gender equality through legislation and public-education programs, holds monthly meetings in Oakland. To find out how to get involved or to learn more about local services for women (such as health-care providers, antidomestic-violence organizations and women-centered business groups), visit the chapter’s website.
- With an advisory board that includes Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda and Eve Ensler, Feminist.com is a thriving online hub for news, original articles and exclusive interviews about all things relating to gender equality, activism and empowerment. Feminist.com is closely partnered with V-Day and features an extensive guide to antiviolence resources.
- Since its founding in 1864, this nonprofit has put together programs around the country that “equip girls to achieve academically; lead healthy and physically active lives; manage money; navigate media messages; and discover an interest in science, technology, engineering and math.”
Center for Young Women’s Health
- Sponsored by Children’s Hospital Boston, the Center provides health information for young women who want to take an active role in their own health care. The site features comprehensive guides to subjects like fitness, nutrition, gynecology, birth control and mental health.
National Eating Disorders Association
- The NEDA, the largest eating-disorder prevention and advocacy organization in the world, has a number of resources for girls and women seeking information about eating disorders. For immediate help, the NEDA hotline can be reached at 1-800-931-2237.
- An offshoot of Advocates For Youth, an organization that provides sexual-health resources for people between the ages of 14–25, YouthResource provides health information exclusively for and written by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people.
- In the developing world, two-thirds of uneducated children are girls and two-thirds of illiterate adults are women. For prospective donors who want to help end this global disparity, the Educating Girls Matters website is a great resource; the portal contains a detailed list of the dozens of girl-focused education groups across the globe and offers advice on how to get involved.
Human Rights Watch: Women’s Rights
- The Human Rights Watch has a special page on its website exclusively devoted to women’s-rights violations. The site hosts breaking news stories and eye-opening reports on topics relating to sexual violence, education and discrimination.
Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery by Siddharth Kara
- Emotional Creature shines a light on one of the greatest human atrocities of our times: sex trafficking. Kara’s unflinching account of trafficking in Europe, Asia and the U.S. analyzes both the economic and social consequences of this devastating underground industry.
A Thousand Sisters: My Journey Into the Worst Place on Earth to Be a Woman by Lisa Shannon
- Like Ensler, Lisa Shannon was deeply touched and troubled when she learned about the violent conditions facing Congolese women. This book recounts the author’s visits to the DRC, the victims of rape and abuse that she met there and the genesis of her charity Run For Congo Women, a 30-mile fundraising marathon held through the United States and the United Kingdom.
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang
- Former Wall Street Journal correspondent Leslie Chang spent three years documenting the lives of teenage girls working in the industrial city of Dongguan, China. Her portraits leap off the page in vivid, vivacious detail and offer a microcosmic look at the culture of 130 million migrant workers living in China today.
film
A Girl’s Life (DVD)
- Rachel Simmons, researcher, educator and New York Times bestselling author of Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls, interviews four young women about their struggles with bullying, body image and violence in this powerful PBS program.
5 Girls (DVD)
- Documentary filmmaker Maria Finitzo follows five teenage girls aged 13 to 17 as they navigate the challenges of 21st-century adolescence.
Miss Representation (DVD)
- Writer/director Jennifer Sibel Newsom examines the prevailing media bias against women and the dearth of female representation in politics. Features interviews with Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow and Gloria Steinem.
Thin (DVD)
- This searing documentary from 2006 offers an intimate and unflinching look at life at the Renfrew Center, a residential treatment facility for women with eating disorders.
Pariah (DVD)
- This critically acclaimed release from 2011 tells the story of a Brooklyn teen’s gradual acceptance of her lesbian identity. Star Aderpero Oduye won raves for her quiet but powerful lead performance.
