HAPPY PUB DAY TO MY BOOK!
The Guerrilla Feminist is officially out! Here is a LONG playlist to go with it!
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A book is a birth.
Today, March 28th, is my book’s birthday! The Guerrilla Feminist: A Search for Belonging Online & Offline from Iskra Books is officially out in the world. I’ve worked on this book for ten years. I couldn’t be more excited, happy, nervous, and relieved. Truly, all the feels!
I know of a few people who have made “book playlists” to show the music that informed their book writing process and/or music that shows up in the book. Recently, I read Jamie Hood’s essay about the music in her latest book, Trauma Plot: A Life (side note: I preordered this, just received it, and can’t wait to read it!), and I thought, fuck, I need to do this. Thanks for inspo, Jamie!
The GF Book Playlist is meant to be played in order as it starts with music from my earliest memories to current. The first song is “Smooth Operator” by Sade. My mom listened to a lot of Sade, which was excellent for me. Then we have some OG pop girlies: Mariah Carey, Paula Abdul, Madonna, and Janet Jackson. I used to dance around in my bedroom to these songs at my mom’s house.
As a pre-teen and teen, I started listening to “dude rock,” thanks to my older brother’s influence. So, you’ll see some NIN, Smashing Pumpkins, and Weezer on this list. I remember thinking one day, “God, I fucking hate my life. I hate this school, but at least the new NIN cd comes out today.” There is a meme that goes: “girls who listened to ‘Closer’ as kids are into bdsm now,” and yes, true. I was also obsessed with Billy Corgan (perhaps this is why I have a special love for bald men?) I wrote Weezer fanfic with my friends as we were a bunch of horny 14-year-olds with no sexual outlet. When I would read on Weezer message boards how “gross” and possessive the lyrics to “No One Else” were (“I want a girl who will laugh for no one else”), I questioned why I loved it so much (hi, subspace). My friends and I also tried to match the harmonies of That Dog in their song, “Punk Rock Girl.”
Eventually, I met a girl in high school who introduced me to Bikini Kill. Ahhh Bikini Kill. Ahhh Kathleen Hanna. It felt like I finally found what I had been searching for. I pretended I was KH and lip-synced to “Sugar” and “Double Dare Ya” in my bedroom. This was the time I got into more Riot Grrrl bands, too, like: Heavens to Betsy, Sleater-Kinney, Hole, and Bratmobile. Hole’s “Doll Parts” was the first song I learned to play on guitar—thanks to the help of my brother. After being introduced to Bikini Kill, I followed anything Kathleen Hanna did. I got super into Julie Ruin (her initial solo band), and then Le Tigre. From there, I found Gossip and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. There are a lot of songs on this playlist with screaming women because I love women screaming. I left the dude bands behind for the most part.
At the end of high school, I got really into solo women musicians, like PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple, Liz Phair, and Tori Amos. As a high school senior, I had a very emo moment smoking clove cigarettes in my car while it was raining listening to “Hardly Wait” by PJ Harvey. I wanted to be these women. I wanted to be a rockstar. I also wanted to fuck one.
During this time, I also listened to rap—often in the car with friends. Missy Elliot was our favorite and we knew all the words to “What’s Your Fantasy” by Ludacris. “Booty Wurk” by T-Pain was an obvious ass-shaker. I also got into classics like Nina Simone, Betty Davis, and Eartha Kitt. When I heard “My Discarded Men” for the first time it gave me back some autonomy when I had been the one feeling discarded by the men I dated.
Sufjan Stevens, Rasputina, The Blow, and CocoRosie were all on heavy rotation while living in Chicago. The chorus of “Werewolf” got me through some hard times: “I'm a shake you off though/Get up on that horse and/Ride into the sunset/Look back with no remorse.”
After I had moved back to Madison and suffered a tremendously heart-wrenching breakup, I channeled my inner goth girl and found Chelsea Wolfe. Specifically, I kept replaying the song, “The Waves Have Come.” I also found Banks, whose album, “Goddess,” largely got me through that breakup. Bjork’s album, “Vulnicura” also helped.
I wrote my book while rotating between two albums: “Centrifics” by Marina Allen and “Alligator Bites Never Heal” by Doechii. Both have very different vibes. Both made my writing process more manageable, and dare I even say, fun.
Music has always been important to me. “Important” doesn’t really suffice. It’s much more than that. It has been life-saving, life-giving, life-altering. The music I mention and don’t mention in this book is its own character; she is the supporting actress to my life.
If you’ve read this far, thank you! I hope you’ll celebrate my book pub day with me by posting your copy (if you have one) or by asking your local library or feminist bookstore to carry it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Why Testimonial and Confessional Writing Remains Necessary in the Post-#MeToo Era - Jamie Hood
Another way out: Fascism, empire, and a global crisis for whiteness - William C. Anderson
Israel Kills Journalist Hossam Shabat, Known for His Reports From North Gaza - Sharon Zhang
The 2025 Trans Rights Readathon - Danika Ellis
DNA of 15 Million People for Sale in 23andMe Bankruptcy - Jason Koebler
The Dark, McCarthyist History of Deporting Activists - Michelle Chen
The War on Women Is a Fascist Trademark - Julie DiCaro
‘Radical Software’ Rewrites Women’s Role in Digital Art - Kathrin Heinrich
a classic: