Wenlido

Personal safety for

women by women
Wenlido is a program

developed to teach women

mental, verbal and physical

techniques of self-defence.

It can provide more options

in avoiding or escaping an

attack, and builds a feeling

of self-determination and

self-power for women

through awareness, assessment, avoidance,

assertiveness and action.

This free program will be offered at all three
Douglas College campuses this fall, although there
} will be only one workshop at the Thomas Haney
} Centre. Basic programs are 12—1S hours in
| length, spread over a six week period, or as a one
} or two day workshop. Wenlido is taught by
} WEST, an acronym for Women Educating in
I Self-defence Training—a not-for-profit group of
women who have been teaching in British
Columbia for 22 years.

College classes will be held at the following
} times:
© New Westminster campus; Thursdays, noon to

2 pm, Room 4243 starting September 24 and

running to October 29 .

* David Lam campus; Wednesdays, noon to 2 pm,
Room A1430 starting September 23 and run-
ning to October 28

* Thomas Haney; one workshop, 1-3 pm, Room
A2032 on Monday September 28.

All women interested in discovering their own
strengths and how to use them, should plan to
attend these lunchtime workshops. (Take your
lunch along!)

For further information on Wenlido, contact
WEST at 876-6390, or The Women’s Centre at
either David Lam, or New Westminster campuses,
527-5148, especially if the class times are unsuit-
able for you.

Womens

Centre

The Women’s Centre at Douglas College is
located in Room 4810 at the New Westminster
campus, and Room A1430 at David Lam. It
provides a safe and quiet environment for women
of all ages, and has an extensive library on
feminist issues.

The centre tries to assist women to achieve
their goals and college careers through personal
development. Support for women undergoing
personal problems ts also available, and the centre
provides information on:
¢ Education and career choices
* Community services and resources
¢ Support services
* Workshops ranging from Time Management to

Math Anxiety
* Ways of re-entering the education system
* Personal development
* Child care subsidy
* Research topics of special interest to women.

Appointments and information can be

obtained by phoning 527-5148.

Next week: Women and safety on campus.

 

 

 

  

JASON KURYLO

 

It's a good time to be a chick singer.

Lilith Fair made its final 1998 tour
stop in Vancouver August 31, ending a
grueling S7-date adventure. Onstage
and on display were some of the best
young female talents on the pop
charts, having a blast making music
they love. Fighting media cynics and
industry blowhards all the way, Lilith
(and tour founder Sarah McLachlan)
has garnered the elusive combination
not often found in our culture: quality
and popularity.

When yet another aging failed-
musician rock critic tried to shake yet
another misogynist paw during the
pre-show press conference, you could
tell the artists were tired of the sexist,
ignorant cynicism they've been exposed
to—usually such brash negativity is
reserved for'such novelty-acts as The
Spice Girls or Hanson. Lilith Fair has
never been about politics, or sexism, or
exclusionary tactics. It’s been about
good music, and the showcasing of
talent that’s been denied a forum for a
loooooooong time.

I have to admit a skepticism regard-
ing this year's tour, simply because of
the scope of the whole thing. I
thought the sponsors, such as coffee
giant Starbucks, would take something
from the earthy, anti-palooza feel of
the festival. I had visions of distracting
commercial banners on stages, of
shameless product plugs and corporate
marketing ploys. And sure, there was a
bright new yellow bug on display in
the ‘Village’—but Starbucks also gave
$50,000 to the YWCA from sales of
their exclusive Lilith Fair live disc.
How can you argue with that?

The main stage acts were pre-
dictable enough, for the most part.
The interesting bits: Diana Krall
brought her subtle jazz stylings and
percussionless trio front and centre,
but the intricacy and intimacy of her
show was hopelessly lost in the cav-
ernous sunsoaked Thunderbird
Stadium. A big cheer came up for her
now-signature ‘Peel Me A Grape, but
for the most part the hyper young
crowd yapped through her set.
Me’Shell N’Degecello was superb —
I'd like to say more, but her set was so
funky and tight I was quite frankly too
busy dancing to take notes. The show
was brought to a close with
McLachlan throwing in a magnificent-
ly unique midset version of O Canada
to punctuate her happy homecoming.
Some of the best moments of the day,
however, came on the smaller stages.

Dar Williams is a case in point. An
independent artist with a devoted,
almost cult following, Dar is a talent-
ed storyteller, both in and in-between
songs. “I was a Buddhist for two
whole semesters in college,’ said
Williams during an intro for the auto-
biographical “What Do You Hear In
These Sounds?’ “I thought, ‘I’ve got to
think the No Thought. I've got to

 

Diana Krall and a baby grand

think the No Thought. Damn! That's
a thought. I’m such a bad Buddhist.”

Williams continued, self-conscious-
ly tuning her guitar and obviously
excited to be a part of the festival: “I
happened upon it by accident one day.
There it was — nothing, the void, and
then there was the lotus, and the
words floating in the air: I have got to
see a therapist.”

Her lyrics are intelligent, real and
largely autobiographical, whether
ruminating on childhood in “The
Babysitter’s Here’ and “When I Was A
Boy’ or tackling wandering eye
boyfriends in ‘As Cool As I Am’: You
look out of the kitchen window and you shake
your head and say low, “If I could believe that
stuff, I'd say that woman has a halo,” And I
look out and say, “Yeah, she’s really blonde.”

Williams categorizes herself as a
folk singer, but her bouncy full-band
stage act has long since passed into
bona fide pop singer territory. An
addictive tunesmith, she’s largely
spurned by major radio due to volun-
tary indie status. Like Ani DiFranco &
Loreena McKennitt, Dar has only hard
work and word of mouth to thank for
her success.

Reggae

There are different schools of thought
on just what role Lilith Fair has played
in the current popular love affair with
female musicians. Is Lilith inspiration,
or a symptom? Both? Alanis and
Shania were juggurnauts before Lilith
happened, but who had heard of Paula
Cole? Lilith has helped to make Lisa
Loeb a household name, and
McLachlan’s sub-par Surfacing has sold
millions more than all her previous
(and better) records combined.

No matter the source, the public is

but women in rock still rolling

fest Kocks

File Photo

just eating up the XX chromosome
right now. If it weren't for that love
affair, we'd likely never have heard of
Emm Gryner. A young Toronto
songstress, Gryner brought an abbrevi-
ated set to life at the St. James
Community Centre last week. “This is
the first church-like structure we've
played on this tour,” said the 22-year-
old as she put down her guitar and sat
at the keyboard. “I think I like it.”

The venue proved an interesting
backdrop for Gryner, the high arched
ceilings lending sudden credibility to
her songs of loss and heartache. It’ll
be interesting to see Gryner grow up
in the industry, as she’s already got a
real knack for listenable pop tunes and
sweet radio-friendly production. Give
her a few years to let her lyrics catch
up to her musicianship, and she'll be a
force to be reckoned with.

Description? Gryner is in the same
category as Winnipeg piano prodigy
Chantal Krevaziuk, rather than a
hyped waif like Natalie Imbruglia.
Her melodies are accessible, and her
voice is strong without overpowering
the listener, Her multi-instrument
palette allows Gryner the luxury of
adopting a variety of different sounds
throughout her debut label effort,
Public.

It's a good record, especially for a
debut. With the way things are going,
don't be surprised if you're hearing
Gryner all over the radio by the time
the next Lilith Fair comes home.

September 9 1998 Page 7 .\
hd