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Adoption Film Festival in Pittsburgh This Weekend

Adoption, in General, Blogs, Movies 1 Response »

Sep 132011

I thought I should let you all know about the Adoption Film Festival happening at the University of Pittsburgh this weekend. I received an email from Laura reminding me about it which jogged the memory that Kate was also attending.

I’ll share the list of movies and “respondents” on panel. Please note the 3:00 one.

Adoption on Film: Families Lost and Found
September 16 -17, 2011 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
University of Pittsburgh

Friday, September 16 7:30 pm
Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy (Stephanie Wang-Breal, 2010)

Director Stephanie Wang-Breal will present and discuss.

Saturday, September 17 1:00 pm
Adopted: For the Life of Me (Jean Strauss, 2010)
Respondent: Amanda Woolston, founder of AdopteeRights PA

3:00 pm
To Each His Own (Mitchell Leisen, 1946)
Respondents: Kate Livingston, Ph. D. candidate in Women’s Studies, OSU,
and Molly Brown, Lecturer in Film Studies, Pitt

7:30 pm
Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh, 1996)
Respondents: Alison Patterson, Visiting Lecturer, Film Studies, Pitt
Marianne Novy, Professor, English, Pitt

Presented by Pittsburgh Consortium for Adoption Studies, University of
Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences Department of English, Film
Studies Program, Women’s Studies Program, Three Rivers Families with
Children from China

For more information contact mnovy@pitt.edu or alp30@pitt.edu

I really wish I was going, not because I think sitting and watching adoption movies for 24 hours would do my psyche good. But just because I think it would be fun to see Kate up front and make faces at her. Especially since I can’t attend the Ohio Birthparent Group this month which happens to be the very next day. I can’t attend OBG because my husband works his 24 hour shift on Sunday and BigBrother has a soccer game. That simply doesn’t work. Such is life. Sometimes I can make a choice to go and sometimes I have to make the choice to stay home.

Anyway, I can’t go to the Film Festival because I’ll be presenting at PodCamp with BurghBaby. We’ll be presenting Blogging 201: Keeping Your Blog Going. I could be all self-snarky and say something like, “One way to keep your blog going is to do something that will give your life-long grief and loss. Then you’ll never run out of things to say!” In fact, I might say something of that nature, but not quite in the same way.

If you’re attending the Film Festival, please blog about it so I can feel like I was there. If you’re attending PodCamp (it’s free!), attend our session. Or go to the Film Festival. Either way, enjoy Pittsburgh this weekend. I will be!

Grumpy on Saturday Night

Adoption, in General, BlogHer, Blogs Comments Off

Aug 102008

I’m feeling kind of grumpy right now. There’s hate floating around the blogosphere again and, once again, I’m feeling affected. It’s not just me. It’s everyone as of late.

ThanksgivingMom was accused of not being real. Now, to be fair, as I commented on her post, anyone who chooses a level of anonymity on the web gets accused of it once or twice. Even those of use who have used real names, real locations and shared phone numbers have been called into question once or twice. This, of course, falls back on those who have chosen to create fake indentities in the past. It serves no good. None. It ends up hurting those of us who are real. It’s just a bad, bad idea.

A post on BlogHer is talking about some blog-type drama of which I am not familiar. I don’t know the back story and I don’t really need to know the back story. All I know is that, in the process, my feelings got hurt. Because this blog is not actively accepting comments right now, I’m not “participating in the community” and therefore shouldn’t be calling myself a part of any kind of blogging community.

That’s easy to say if your whoe family and way of life hasn’t been attacked. Needlessly. Without provocation.

I know my specific case wasn’t mentioned or attacked. But it’s hard. I made this choice to continue on my healing journey. And, you know what? I am continuing forward right now. And it feels good. My good days are starting to out number the bad once again and I’m starting to keep my head above water on a regular basis.

And so, you can heckle me for “not participating.” But when I do “participate,” I’m heckled not just for my opinions, which would be fine, but for the way that I live my life. Until this world becomes more accepting of birth mothers and especially those who are in relationships with their children either via reunion or open adoption AND those who are pushing for reform, well, I’m going to continue to pick and choose what is and is not allowed in a space that I pay for. It’s really that simple.