Two Old Bitches: Stories from Women who Reimagine, Reinvent and Rebel

Jaune Evans was originally ordained as a priest in the White Plum Lineage by Bernie Glassman and Taizan Maezumi Roshi in 1983 at the Zen Community of New York. She is now a priest and senior teacher in the Bay Area Everyday Zen lineage of Zoketsu Norman Fischer, and leads the Heart of Compassion Zen Sangha in Point Reyes, California. She is reading from a guided meditation by the Buddhist teacher and author, Stephen Levine who was devoted to being with people who were ill, the dying and bereaved. We hope you will draw solace and some peace from it as we have, and thank Jaune for allowing us to share it with you.

Listen to Jaune's full dharma talk at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1731807/8391704-hoc-april-23-2021-this-healing-time-by-jaune-evans

Surprise! Despite being at higher risk, older folks have weathered this past year in better spirits than younger people, according to recent studies. Well, maybe it's not such a big surprise given our breadth of experience and, uh-hum, wisdom. For Two Old Bitches, it's certainly been a crucial topic of conversation since the first lockdowns in March 2020. We've also explored how COVID affected what we eat (sourdough bread has been an essential for these Two Old Bitches!), streaming preferences, newfound hobbies, relationships and our notions of the future. We've gathered gems and inspiration from these conversations with wise older women. In this episode you'll meet: Karin Kawamoto – a technology user experience designer -- who we connected with after reading about her in a Washington Post article on how a friend sent her weekly postcards over the many months when she could not leave her apartment; Maria Elena del Valle – our long-time friend and an extraordinary coach, trainer and performer – whose beauty salon in Queens, New York turned into a hub of information and solace for women in her community; and zen priest and teacher Jaune Evans, another long-time friend and former TOB guest, who offered reflections and comfort in dharma talks with the Heart of Compassion sangha that she took online early in the pandemic and that Idelisse joined. In addition to excerpts from one of Jaune's recent talks in this episode, we're also sharing a bonus episode of Jaune leading a guided meditation that invites calm presence in these still uncertain days. Listeners, we send you our best wishes for your health, your families and your communities.

At 69, Srilatha Batliwala is a feminist grandmother to her four grandchildren and also sees "grandmothering" as a metaphor for how she operates in the world of feminist and social justice movements. Building on decades of activism and prolific writing as a feminist scholar – from her work with tens of thousands of women in village and slum communities in India to holding prestigious positions and fellowships at foundations, universities and transnational women's rights organizations – Sri is dedicated to mentoring younger feminists and movement builders. Her brilliance at weaving complex strands of thought together into her seminal writing on power, movements, patriarchy and leadership continue to shape feminist perspectives, politics and practice in India and across the world. We are so excited about her recent work on feminist mentoring and the feminist parables she is writing to share and honor the wisdom she gathered from countless women's village collectives (and, as a bonus to TOB listeners, we will be posting Sri reading one of the parables with this episode). Sri advises and consults with CREA (Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action), an international organization working at the intersection of gender, sexuality and human rights, and Gender at Work, a global network of gender experts supporting organizations to build cultures of equality and inclusion. She also recently became an Honorary Professor of Practice at SOAS, University of London. Welcome to the world of Granny Sri (her Instagram handle) who reminds us that her joy of being "a feminist mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, wife" and her pride at having raised a feminist son (and daughter) are amongst her most formidable achievements.

"What have you been watching?" "See anything good lately?" are questions many of us routinely ask each other, especially during the pandemic. A trusted recommendation for a movie and, for some of us even better, a series with many seasons is cause to celebrate. How often, though, do you hear of a good movie or series about, for, or by older women? Not often. So when we heard about the film "Let Them All Talk" at the end of 2020, we asked book agent Malaga Baldi, Debbie Zimmerman who heads Women Make Movies and Emmy-nominated former TV producer and wellness and lifestyle coach Renata Joy to join us for a conversation about it and other films and series featuring older women. Two Old Bitches, Joanne and Idelisse, call them geriatric rom-coms. You know the ones we mean. "Something's Gotta Give,"(Diane Keaton), "It's Complicated" (Meryl Streep), "Book Club" (Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candace Bergen, Mary Steenburgen), "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (Judy Dench and Maggie Smith) and a number of others sprinkled over the past two decades. Too many of them are not very good. "Why is that?" the five of us wondered. We have some answers and laughs we'd like to share with you, as well as a list of films and series we recommend. And, we enjoyed doing this so much that we plan to do it again.

Exploring the idea of creating an intentional living community for creatives, and the Hudson Valley, led us (Idelisse and Joanne) to the small town of Catskill, NY where we were enchanted to find an "ArTchaeological Museum" in the window of the Open Studio on Main Street. Its owner Dina Bursztyn, 72, is a visual artist and writer. We were transfixed by her gallery filled with whimsical found art assemblages, sculptures, ceramics, art books, drawings and paintings. Dina's work was described in a New York Times review as "original work that defies reigning art world fashions." Born in Argentina, Dina, a would-be writer, came to New York after college and was surprised to discover that she was a ceramicist who excavated strange creatures at the bottom of the mugs she was crafting. It was just the beginning of her inventive art practice. Listen to our conversation with her, and the beginning story of why these Two Old Bitches are delving into the possibilities of co-housing and intentional communities. To be continued.... Check out Dina's art books, sculptures, ceramics and exhibitions at https://www.dinabursztyn.com/bio-and-contact.html Her drawings and books make delightful presents!!

How do we respond to this political moment? Pessimism is tempting and optimism may feel foolhardy, yet a sense of possibility fueled by hope makes enduring sense to us. After the Biden/Harris victory, we turned to long-time activists, Lecia Brooks and Lisa Veneklasen to tap into their wisdom and clear-eyed assessment of what we're facing and what's possible in the struggle for overdue and drastically needed social and political change. For the past 16 years, Lecia has worked at the well-known Southern Poverty Law Center, a regional and national catalyst for racial justice, most recently as Chief of Staff. She plays a key role in their work to expose and dismantle white supremacy and nationalism. Almost 20 years ago, Lisa founded Just Associates (JASS) and recently stepped down from her role as Executive Director. JASS is a transnational feminist movement building organization that strengthens the voice, visibility and collective power of women to transform the world. Lisa and Lecia's analysis and insights about these times -- including the power of older women to make change happen -- galvanize and provoke us to think differently about this political moment. See www.splcenter.org for more information about the Center and Lecia. Meet Lisa at http://www.twohundredwomen.com/lisaveneklasen and check out JASS at www.justassociates.org/en/ And be sure to stay tuned to the end of the episode where Renata Joy (www.purejoywellness.com) shares her dream about how women's leadership will be central to the change we need.

With "thousands of grandmothers' voices and stories" in her head, Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, a Canadian labor and human rights lawyer and passionate women's rights advocate, started the "Grandmothers on the Move" podcast over two years ago. Fifty-three engaging episodes later, she's already succeeded in her goal to "kick old stereotypes to the curb" through conversations with astonishing older women. Ilana worked at the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) for many years before joining with her father in 2003 to co-found the groundbreaking Stephen Lewis Foundation to partner directly with community-based groups confronting the HIV-AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa. She is an ardent mother who sees motherhood as "an emotional reality and a political identity." (Yes!) And at 55, Ilana is "happily getting older." Don't you want to know why?

Check out Ilana's Grandmothers On The Move podcast at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grandmothers-on-the-move/id1356003135

"When I'm wearing matte, it's like 'I dare you to come closer!"

So warns feminist activist Houry Geudelekian in this episode on the joys, power and history of lipstick...at any age. Join us to hear Houry, feminist economist Radhika Balakrishnan and writer Sandra García Betancourt talk about their and our own checkered histories wearing lipstick --or not. People have colored their lips for at least 5,000 years. It began as an emblem of aristocratic status for women and men equally. Over time it became the province of sex workers and then marching suffragists as an act of defiance and solidarity. And today? Our guests make the connections between feminism and lipstick, suggest the best shades as we age, and share many other musings and magic about painted lips. And we finish with some wisdom from the inimitable AOC about how "beauty is an inside job."