Lesbian Herstory Archives AudioVisual Collections

A Woman's Place - Kate Millett Speaks About Sita

Item

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Title

A Woman's Place - Kate Millett Speaks About Sita

Subject

Lesbian radio
Marriage
Lesbian autobiographies
Intolerance towards LGBTQ+ people

Description

(Side A) Viv Sutherland welcomes listeners to The Velvet Sledgehammer and announces that the show's program will include "Hot Flashes," women's news from "Majority Report"; a story on "A Woman's Place" produced by Irene Yarrow; and an interview of author Kate Millett about her book Sita (1976) conducted by Judy Pasternak and Viv Sutherland.

The first segment is "Hot Flashes," a women's news report announced by Nancy Borman. Topics covered include: an "anti-wedding" event sponsored by Majority Report to discuss the sexist details of marriage contracts, Valerie Solanas reprinting Scum Manifesto after the original publisher went out of business and the copyright reverted to her, New York's announcement of plans for a large-scale Women's Rights rally, events for Lesbian Pride Week, and a bill to legalize abortion in Italy.

Irene Yarrow then introduces a tape about "A Woman's Place," a feminist collective in upstate New York that has existed for three years but is now in danger of closing due to lack of support. Irene recorded this tape at "A Woman's Place" and features women's songs, poetry and feelings about what the retreat has meant to them. The recording begins at 19:25 and continues onto side B. Irene announces that women interested in learning about "A Woman's Place" or contributing to save it can contact her. She attributes the music in the recording to Ruth Pelham, and the poetry to Erica Silver.

Kate Millet guest stars in the last segment, discussing her new autobiographical novel, Sita, with Judy Pasternak and Viv Sutherland. Kate describes the plot of Sita as "the plotline of the woman destroyed." She rebuffs "malicious" reviews that called her work either "icky" and "pukey" or "pornographic" for being queer. She considers these reviews to be motivated by bigotry. Kate recounts that a major motivation in writing Sita was to describe the loss of a lover, which she felt does not exist in any other book. She says she wanted to "write a very musical and very romantic book in praise of love: in praise, even, of its melancholy and possible futility." Kate also discusses hoping for "company" in writing "these kinds of books," but that she is alone in having to "take abuse" for them. With Judy Pasternak and Viv Sutherland, Kate Millett reflects on activism and efforts to dismantle the patriarchy. The interview closes with discussion of Kate's visual art.

Publisher

WBAI radio

Rights

See the LHA Copyright Statement

Type

Audio Recording; Radio talk shows

Rights Holder

Pacifica Radio Archives

Date Broadcast

1977-06-19

Series Title

The Velvet Sledgehammer

Interviewee

Kate Millett

Interviewer

Judy Pasternak
Viv Sutherland

Physical Format

Audio cassette

Digital Location

https://avplayer.lib.berkeley.edu/Pacifica/991035417829706532

Duration

1:30:47

Citation

“A Woman's Place - Kate Millett Speaks About Sita,” Lesbian Herstory Archives AudioVisual Collections, accessed December 23, 2024, http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/items/show/1385.