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 WOMEN'S SPIRITUALITY
Contemporary Feminist Approaches to Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Goddess Worship
by Johanna H. Stuckey
978-1-926708-01-0 / October 2009 / $24.95
Women’s Spirituality: Contemporary Feminist Approaches to Judaism, Christianity,
Islam and Goddess Worship comes directly out of women’s grassroots efforts to
understand and transform their spiritual traditions. It is a comprehensive
account of the discussions, arguments, perspectives and approaches of
contemporary women in Canada toward spirituality and the monotheistic
religions. The author presents a concise history of each religion, discusses
normative practices and focuses on the roles, rituals and rights of
contemporary women as they accommodate to and deal with their respective
religions. Women’s Spirituality deals with women’s encounters with spirituality
within the framework of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and outside of this
framework within the new religions of contemporary Goddess worship.
Women’s spirituality flourishes in all traditions, however male-dominated they
may be. Somehow, women find, or make, space in which they can express their
deepest spiritual feelings and thoughts. The aims of this book are to acquaint
readers briefly with the range of expressions of women’s spirituality; to give
an accessible report on feminist theology, the theology that takes into account
women’s experiences; and, in particular, to examine how feminist theologians
treat the central issues in three old traditions and one new one.
An updated, and revised edition of Stuckey’s successful 1998 book, Feminist
Spirituality: An Introduction to Feminist Theology in Judaism, Christianity,
Islam and Feminist Goddess Worship, this book will be useful to anyone
unfamiliar with the work of feminists within any or all of the three
monotheistic traditions that have been so crucial to shaping western attitudes
to and treatment of women. The book an introduction to one of the
fastest-growing new forms of women’s spirituality in the West: Feminist Goddess
Worship.
Naomi Goldenberg, author of Changing of the Gods: Feminism and the End of
Traditional Religions, said of the 1998 edition: “Here is a clear,
comprehensive account of the theological discussions and arguments that are
challenging male deities and clergy throughout the globe. Anyone interested in
the future of religion in the next millenium should read [this book] ...in order
to understand how feminists are both transofrming the world’s great religions
and creating new religions forms that dignify, honour, and celebrate women.”
Johanna H. Stuckey is the author of numerous learned articles, papers, book
reviews, and a textbook on feminist spirituality. Her courses have been popular
with students of all ages, and she has appeared often on television and radio.
Johanna lives in Toronto and is currently working on another book tentatively
entitled, Goddesses and Dying Gods in the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean. She is
a regular contributor to the feminist spirituality magazine, Matrifocus.
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Butterfly Tears
stories by Zoe S. Roy
Isbn no. 978-0-9782233-7-3 /July 2009 / $22.95
Butterfly Tears is a collection of seventeen pieces of short fiction that depict the experiences of Chinese immigrant women facing the challenges of life in a new country. The stories are set in different parts of China, Canada, and to a lesser extent in the United States and examine Chinese women's cross-cultural experiences in North America as well as women's issues and political discrimination in China. The stories, or parts of stories, set in China give the reader interesting glimpses into events such as the cultural revolution and Mao's death.The immigrant experience, the predominant theme, encompasses a number of aspects ranging from issues such as language and food to education. Feminism and changing male/female relationships form another important theme that also runs through many of the stories.
Born in China, Zoë S. Roy was an eyewitness to the red terror under Mao's regime. Her short fiction has appeared in Canadian
Stories and Thought Magazine. She holds an M.Ed. in Adult Education and an M.A. in Atlantic Canada Studies from the University of New Brunswick and Saint Mary's University. She currently lives in Toronto where she works as an adult educator. Butterfly
Tears is her first published book.
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 THE HUNGRY MIRROR
a novel by Lisa De Nikolits
978-1-926708-00-3 / September 2009 / $22.95
An engaging novel about body image, eating disorders, diet myths and the big fat
fabrications and lies that the media forces us to swallow. A compelling,
entertaining story infused with fascinating little-known facts about ancient
goddesses, curious New Age remedies, the foibles of modern-day celebrities and
the truth about retouched images in the world of fashion magazines, from which
so much self-body-hatred comes. A story of compassionate vulnerability and
determined empowerment.
The Hungry Mirror is the fictional tale of a young woman overwhelmed. Lured by
false promise and seeking fickle social acceptability, she starves herself and
fast becomes trapped when seeming-sanctuary proves a cage of addictions walled
by self-hatred and filled with doubt. Within the context of fashion magazines,
the young woman is both participant and observer in the perpetuation of the
myth of beauty; the retouched images, the impossible standards that ordinary
women are expected to follow and achieve. A firsthand account of the role of
the media in the war with body image, this is the story of everywoman and the
relentless ghosts that pursue her.
Increasingly ill,the young woman realizes the choice is hers; to live or die.
The work encompasses the complex friendships between women, the unspoken truths
about marriage and sexuality as well as various religious and spiritual
messages, ancient philosophies, fairytales and legends. In the end, the young
woman learns the true value of size zero is indeed nothing.
Born in South Africa, Lisa de Nikolits has a Bachelor of Arts in English
Literature and Philosophy. She has lived and worked all over the world, and has
art directed on magazines such as marie claire, Vogue, Vogue Living and
Cosmopolitan. Her fiction has been published in the anthologies Stories from
Our Black Book and Simply the Best. Her prize-winning poetry was published in
The Boy from New Brunswick. Her first novel, Single Girls Go Mad Sooner, was
published in 1995. She lives in Toronto.
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 LETTER OUT: LETTER IN
poems by Salimah Valiani
978-1-926708-01-0 / September 2009 / $18.95
Using post-Apartheid South Africa as a point from which to reflect on Canada and
beyond, Letter Out : Letter In is a poetry collection of social commentary,
political-economic analysis, and philosophical meditation. Historic and
persisting structures of racism, sexism and economic inequality are explored,
but also the nature of gender and ethnic divisions within and among oppressed
groups. Moving from critique, Letter Out : Letter In further proposes love as
an alternative to the binary of competition/solidarity so prevalent in Western
thought. The Sufi notion of love is defined and redefined at recurring moments
in the collection, making use of poetic subtlety to offer a new vision in a
fractured world.
Praise for Valiani’s first book, breathing for breadth: ...The poems in Salimah
Valiani’s first collection are mostly accessible, offering a mix of politics,
observations and styles. ...The book is rife with cultural insights without being
sanctimonious. ... There is a restlessness of spirit and mind in this book that
shines through without succumbing to the usual romantic clichés.
—Ottawa Express
Salimah Valiani is a poet, an activist and a researcher. She has lived and
worked on four continents, reflecting a history of migration in the recent and
far past of her Shia Muslim community. Valiani has published widely in a range
of milieux. Her analytical work in social and economic policy has appeared in
institutional publications of the various organizations with which she has
worked, particularly in Canada, India, and South Africa. Her poems have been
published in feminist publications, literary journals, and political magazines.
In 2005 her first collection of poetry, breathing for breadth, was published.
Her poetry has also appeared in Sarah Husain’s politically-timely anthology,
Voices of Resistance – Muslim Women Speak-out on War, Faith and Sexuality.
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 FIRST VOICES
An Aborginal Women's Reader
edited by Patricia A. Monture and Patricia D. Mcguire
978-0-9782233-9-2 / June 2009 / $39.95
Understanding the ways, experiences, and voices of Indigenous women requires the reader to start with the self. Who are you and where do you fit into an Indigenous world? In many Indigenous traditions, governance starts with the self. We then fit into clans, families, communities, and nations. Understanding yourself is always balanced by understanding your relationships. Primary among Indigenous relationships is our relation to the natural world. Territory is equally an important concept.
This women's studies reader is organized under the above themes. It is intended to assist readers in learning about the great diversity across Aboriginal nations in Canada, but also the diversity of women within those nations. The papers chosen represent many of the struggles that Aboriginal women have faced in Canada. These include struggles with the Canadian criminal justice system, with inclusion in self-government and constitutional reform, issues of membership in bands, and matrimonial real property. Many of the papers are framed around the quest for equality.
We have seen increasing interest in First Nations women's issues from scholars and others. There are few books on Aboriginal women in Canada; this book will provide a valuable addition to the literature. Essays are accessible and written in jargon-free language. Historical black and white photographs, as well as poetry by Aboriginal women will also be included. This books fills a critical gap in the fields of Native Studies, Cultural Studies, and Women's Studies.
Sections include: Profiles of Aboriginal Women; Identity; Territory; Activism; Confronting Colonialism; the Canadian Legal System; and Indigenous Knowledges.
Patricia A. Monture is a citizen of the Mohawk Nation, Grand River Territory (near Brantford, Ontario). She is mother, sister and auntie. Since 1994, she has been employed at the University of Saskatchewan. Patricia is presently a full professor in the Department of Sociology where she is also the academic director of the Aboriginal Justice and Criminology Program. Her research interests include crime, law and justice studies; the rights of Aboriginal peoples and a deep commitment to equality rights for women. She has published numerous papers and several books. In 2008, in acknowledgement of her commitment of women's activism in the university, she received the Sarah Shorten Award from the Canadian Association of University Teachers and an honourary doctorate of laws from Athabasca University. Her award-winning publications include Thunder in My Soul and Journeying Forward: Dreaming First Nations Independence.
Patricia D. McGuire, Kishebakabaykwe, is a citizen of Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek of the Lake Nipigon area in Ontario. She has been employed with Negahneewin College of Academic and Community Development located at Confederation College in Thunder Bay since 2000. She is a full professor. Previously Patricia worked with Anishinaabek communities developing post-secondary educational programs for about ten+ years. She teaches in the area of Aboriginal law, sociology and community development. Currently, Patricia is a Ph.D. student at the University of Saskatchewan. Her thesis work is on developing social theory and Indigenous knowledge from her home territory.
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 Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past Present and Future
edited by Heide Goettner-Abendroth
Isbn no. 978-0-9782233-5-9 / July 2008 / $39.95
Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past Present and Future, edited by Heide Goettner-Abendroth, celebrates women's largely ignored and/or invisible contribution to culture by exploring matriarchal societies that have existed in the past and that continue to exist today in certain parts of the world. Matriarchal societies, primarily shaped by women, have a non violent social order in which all living creatures are respected without the exploitation of humans, animals or nature. They are well-balanced and peaceful societies in which domination is unknown and all beings are treated equally. This book presents these largely misunderstood societies, both past and present, to the wider public, as alternative social and cultural models that promote trust, mutuality, and abundance for all.
Contrary to common belief, which misunderstands matriarchy as "women's rule," these societies are based on a tradition of gender equality, negotiate their political decisions through consensus, and have intelligent rules to ensure a peaceful life. At the beginning of this new millennium, there is a lively interest in what has become a new social science. Matriarchal studies make visible a form of society, which is peaceful and balanced both in regard to gender and with respect to the generations, and which demonstrates an ecologically appropriate way of dealing with all living beings. The example of matriarchal societies can inspire us to find better social and cultural models for the solution of many contemporary problems.
Heide Goettner-Abendroth has published various books on matriarchal society and culture and has become the founding mother of Modern Matriarchal Studies. In 1980 she was visiting professor at the University of Montreal (Canada) and, in 1992, at the University of Innsbruck (Austria). In 1986, she founded the International Academy hagia: Academy for Modern Matriarchal Studies and Matriarchal Spirituality in Germany. Recent publications include The Dancing Goddess: Principles of a Matriarchal Aesthetic (Beacon Press, 1991); The Goddess and Her Heros: Matriarchal Religion in Mythology, Fairy-Tales and Poetry (Anthony Publishing Company, 1995); Das Matriarchat (Matriarchal Societies) (three volumes 1988, 1991, 2000). She is one of the 1,000 "Peace Women" all over the world who have been nominated by the Swiss Peace Initiative.
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