Student publication holds readings.

"Agent provocateur," Edinboro University's annual women's studies program magazine, staged readings from its sophomore edition on March 26 in the Pogue Student Center in the Frank Zahorchak Seminar Room. The event was put together by the publication's editor, senior Stephanie Becker.

The event drew attention to the works of students Laura Jackson, Jessica Semler, Kimberly Totleben and Marta Chodkiewicz.

Jackson, a graphics major, presented her two submissions. They were both post cards, one entitled "The Phoenix Also Rises," which played off the work of 20th century artist Roy Lichenstein.

Jessica Semler read her paper, "Body Image and Advertising," which focused on the harmful impacts advertisements can have on women, such as lowering self-esteem and body image, causing women to see themselves in "parts not as a whole."

Totleben's article was "Disney Princesses, The Not So Hidden Sexism." In it Totleben described the popular children's movies one by one and the "blatant and/or subliminal"?messages they send to young girls.

Chodkiewicz's writing was presented by Becker, her paper "A Review of Sandra Lee Bartley's Foucault Feminity and the Modernization of Patriarchal Power."

That presentation concentrated on the formation of women and their behaviors as dictated by a primarily patriarchal society.

Becker, in the fall of 2007, founded "agent provocateur" with the help of sociology professor Rhonda Matthews.

"The women's studies major program is relatively new to Edinboro and we thought a journal would be a great way to help the program grow. Our aim continues to be to provide students with a forum for their feminist nonfiction writing and artwork, and to inspire discussion on campus of issues of gender, race, class, orientation and so on, and their intersections," Becker explained in an e-mail.

The publication "seeks to examine the intersections of gender, ethnicity, orientation, class, nation, disability, and other important group memberships via thoughtful social critique. Through feminist/womanist-themed submissions, it will seek to educate, empower, and inspire positive social change via accessible written scholarship and artwork," as the mission goes.

"Agent provocateur" is both an outlet for nonfiction writing as well as art, and both were centerpiece at Wednesday's event.

Getting "agent provocateur" together required an immense amount of work.

"There are 14 contributors, a student staff of 11 (including editors, graphic designers, and publicity and planning), a faculty advisor and a faculty panel of six," said Becker.

The magazine will be made available in print come April.

On April 23 at 8:30 p.m., there will be a release event coinciding with the publication in the student seminar room of the Pogue Student Center.

For more information on the magazine and to download last year's issue, visit their Web site www.agentprovocateurmagazine.

com.

Kimberly Totleben also contributed to this story.

MARCH 30, 2009

NEVER FORGET KIM!