The Lady Garden

The Lady Garden is Emma, Tallulah, Deborah , Coley and some frequent guest posters. There’s all kinds of things for us to talk about here, from abortion to sexual politics, to politics, the media and violence. And gardening and shoes.

We have diverse opinions, and we don’t always agree. It’d be boring if we did, quite frankly.

You’re welcome to come hang out in our garden. It’s nice here. There’s tea and scones and pretty flowers and laughter and argument. Just please have a read of the FAQ and Comments Policy first. And keep away from the pond.

Emma: Those of you who’ve read my columns at Up Front will have some idea of what to expect from me: discussions on sex, sexuality, pornography and general geekery, liberally sprinkled with cussing and classy, classy innuendo. But also, I’ll be playing with some pretty serious ideas here about some pretty frivolous subjects. I love my real-life garden, so we may even see posts on me tidying my frontage. Email Emma

Coley: My the socialist feminist discourse brings all the neighboring cats to my yard. My school report cards always said “chatterbox”, “talks back” and “does not always take direction”. Seeing as I’m not that many years out from receiving them, I still feel they sum me up pretty nicely. I’d like to frame them and hang them somewhere. I’ve been blogging over at ColeyTangerina for a few years now, and I enjoy a mix of humour, rage and inspiration. I also started a Lady Mafia, otherwise known as the Wellington Young Feminists’ Collective. I don’t take kindly to trolls, my sarcastic voice is the same as my regular voice (which is fucking confusing on the internet), and I really love cats. In other parts of my life I am involved with a sexual violence prevention organisation and I’m also a pseudonymous sex columnist. Which I’d like you to say ten times quickly while drunk. I look forward to getting to know those of you with a genuine desire to learn and constructively be involved with feminism and the lovely space we’ve set up here. I’m quite nice if you’re not a dickhead.

Deborah: I’m a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a sister-in-law, a niece, an aunty, a friend. Relationships and loyalties matter a great deal to me. I’ve called myself a feminist for about thirty years now (yes, I know that’s longer than many of you have been alive, but there it is). I’m also an academic, in an entirely unrelated field, and a gardener of sorts. Tallulah has been known to describe me as a lady, but I think she’s exaggerating. I’ve been blogging at my own place – currently called A Bee of a Certain Age – for nearly four years, and I’ve been part of the team at The Hand Mirror (waves to everyone at THM). But now I’m here! I’ll probably contribute thinky pieces, and garden pieces, and occasional servings of cakes and quirkiness, but I won’t swear all that much. Because I don’t on-line, ‘though I do in real life. I don’t really understand why I roll that way. I just do. FTR, the opinions I express here are entirely my own, and have nothing whatsoever to do with my employment. Email Deborah

Tallulah: Hello Darlings. I am your resident “outrageous, outspoken and uninhibited” pseudonymous blogger. I also smoke and drink far too much, and have a penchant for taking my clothes off, though rarely in public. You can find me over here on occasion, but I will mostly be hanging out in The Garden, typing angrily, and elegantly handling a cigarette holder. I’ll be talking about the media, sex, violence, and swearing a lot. And shoes. And, if I have taken my medication, kittens. I have a short temper, but promise not to yell too loudly, if you do too. To steal another quote from the website above: “Of course, one friend noted that Tallulah never kept her mouth shut, so she was bound to say something witty occasionally”. Email Tallulah