Eden Built By Eves

The Culture of Women's Music Festivals

Plot

Readers take an exhilarating insider's journey through women's music festivals in the lesbian subculture complete with candid backstage interviews and photographs.

Women's music festivals have played an integral part in the formation of lesbian culture, the shaping of millions of women's lives, and the emergence of women as a musical force to be reckoned with. Now Dr. Bonnie J. Morris takes readers on a journey through 25 years of this cultural phenomenon. From Michigan to Mississippi, Eden Built by Eves is a full archive of festival herstory: conflicts, scandals, new music, rain, sun, work, family, joy. What does festival culture mean to the audiences, artists, and activists who loyally return each year? A tribute to the work of thousands of women, this volume brims with candid backstage interviews with festival performers and producers, moving testimony, and often hilarious anecdotes from "festiegoers," A plethora of photographs, articles, comic strips, illustrations, and excerpts from festival literature provide a thorough explanation of the music, relationships, and issues that have shaped an entire generation of lesbian memories in America.

Contents:
An introduction to the festival topic --
The early years: herstory and production stories --
The Eden built by Eves: matriarchal structure --
In their own voices: interviews with festival performers --
Life stages: ceremonies and passages on the land --
The politics of discomfort: controversies and compromise --
There is a sense of humor here: trends in comedy and self-parody --
Festivals on the front lines: from sisterfire to camp sister spirit --
There's a nursing baby in the mosh pit: generational shift and change --
How I spent my summer vacation.