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A Mumsnet thread about a book about a Mumsnet thread “Under the Duvet of Darkness” written by the women of Mumsnet THREAD 2

988 replies

Boiledbeetle · 29/05/2023 23:25

Thread 1:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4776556-a-mumsnet-thread-about-a-book-about-a-mumsnet-thread-under-the-duvet-of-darkness-written-by-the-women-of-mumsnet?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

You do not need to have read thread 1 – this is not that sort of thread.

But to recap… Over Christmas and New Year after the passing of the GRR (Scotland) Bill a thread was started with a poem about Nicola Sturgeon. Eventually on that thread (and a couple of other threads) over 80 poems were written.

“Under the Duvet of Darkness: Poems written by angry women for angry women because WOMEN WON’T WHEESHT” was published as a paperback on 31st March 2023.

Available on Amazon only: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C129WKDD

In a rather bizarre turn of events at one point it reached No 2 in poetry best sellers and No 5 in Feminist Criticism best sellers. No one will be surprised to discover that a book that is in the main about people, especially men, claiming to be something they are not was kept off the No1 spot in poetry best sellers by a crime novel, identifying as poetry, written by a man ;-)

E-BOOK:

Some people wanted an e-book rather than a paperback, but for that we needed someone who could actually make an e-book and some extra poems.

FairyKindleMother came to the rescue with regards the e-book and posters wrote enough poems that we could add 20 more poems into the e-book.

I pressed publish on the e-book a few hours ago. It can take usually up to 3 days to appear and populate all the info etc on the various sites, and there is always the chance they knock it back for some reason. But I've done all I can do at this point. We just have to wait and see who spots it on sale first! It will appear on the Amazon link above hopefully soon, (or I'll get an email asking me to change something).

MONEY FROM SALES OF ALL FORMATS:

In honour of Magdalen Berns, who co-founded the Scottish campaign group For Women Scotland, 100% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to For Women Scotland.

“It’s not hate to defend your rights, and it’s not hate to speak the truth.”
Magdalen Berns (1983 – 2019)

As I started work on the e-book posters continued to write poems. So we had a choice: leave them there, languishing on the thread, unloved, forgotten, never to have their words uttered again OR we could just do volume 2.

Posters voted for Volume 2 but we still need more poems!

And that’s the gist of thread 1.

A Mumsnet thread about a book about a Mumsnet thread “Under the Duvet of Darkness” written by the women of Mumsnet THREAD 2
A Mumsnet thread about a book about a Mumsnet thread “Under the Duvet of Darkness” written by the women of Mumsnet THREAD 2
A Mumsnet thread about a book about a Mumsnet thread “Under the Duvet of Darkness” written by the women of Mumsnet THREAD 2
A Mumsnet thread about a book about a Mumsnet thread “Under the Duvet of Darkness” written by the women of Mumsnet THREAD 2
A Mumsnet thread about a book about a Mumsnet thread “Under the Duvet of Darkness” written by the women of Mumsnet THREAD 2
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190
IcakethereforeIam · 12/09/2023 13:27

I googled 'gender critical quote' and got a bunch of Kathleen Stock from Goodreads. I think they're probably what readers of her books highlight. Some of them are long but have good snippets in them. Hope the link works

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/gender-critical

Obviously, I don't know if you need to get permission from author and/or publisher to use excerpts.

Gender Critical Quotes (10 quotes)

10 quotes have been tagged as gender-critical: Charlotte Perkins Gilman: ‘Maleness means war.’, Charlotte Perkins Gilman: ‘The adjectives and derivatives...

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/gender-critical

Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 12/09/2023 11:49

so, I'm having a brief break from the poems and starting on the wordy bits. Assistance, of any kind would be gratefully accepted. (And if no one responds I may fall into a deep sulk and your book will never get published. Not that I'm trying to emotionally blackmail any of you or anything.)

I'll even ease you in with a nice easy one

as with the first one I want a couple of Magdalen Berns quotes.
last time had : “It’s not hate to defend your rights,and it’s not hate to speak the truth.” and “I’d rather be rude than a fucking liar.” Suggestions of some of her wonderful pronouncements welcome (note: the lesbians don't have a penis line is used in one of the poems)* *

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Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 07/09/2023 22:12

CervixSampler · 07/09/2023 22:09

BonfireLady that's very emotional and speaks volumes of your pain 

Boiledbeetle how did you go about getting the book published?

Amazon self publishing. The wonders of modern technology. The e-book nearly scuppered me as i tried to do that first!!!!! gave up on that and published the book and then @FairyKindleMother came to the rescue! and did the e-book fur volume 1. She's FAB!! She's doing the e-book for volume 2 as well! I love her soooooooo much!

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CervixSampler · 07/09/2023 22:09

BonfireLady that's very emotional and speaks volumes of your pain 

Boiledbeetle how did you go about getting the book published?

BonfireLady · 07/09/2023 22:07

💪💪💪💪💪

Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 07/09/2023 21:58

You've just got to keep pushing through the insanity @BonfireLady

These poems are definitely the book version of let women speak I feel!

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BonfireLady · 07/09/2023 21:49

Thank you 🙏 Me too but I'm aware it's a marathon and not a sprint. Being on MN has been a huge help in both informing myself (such a knowledgeable bunch of posters) and hearing from others who are going through similar things.

Sounds like everything is going well with pulling it all together. I remember seeing the first thread but was still emerging from my lurking and didn't really understand what was going on! It's such a great thing that you're doing - to Let Women Speak through the medium of the spoken word - and so lovely to be a part of it now. Thank you xx

Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 07/09/2023 21:33

@CervixSampler I shall wait with baited breath for your completed homework

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Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 07/09/2023 21:32

@BonfireLady Thank you 💐 it can't have been an easy one to write. I hope she comes out the other end soon x

@Piccalillipromises did Billy Goats Bluff, it's great isn't it! (Which has also just proved to me my current chapter headings, whilst needing some tweaking actually work as I was able to go straight to it! Yay!!!!)

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BonfireLady · 07/09/2023 21:14

What amazing poems! Too many to choose from but Billy the dog/cat/goat/girl is a standout 👏

Here's my entry @Boiledbeetle

You told me you were trans

You told me you were trans,
I said, that's OK.
What's the big deal?
It's just like being gay.

You told me you need blockers,
My gut said, just wait.
There's something deeper here;
The script then starts to play.

You're not sure you're a girl,
Your body needs to change.
You're young but you're sure,
And it's not like being gay.

I listen and I learn,
I'm lost for what to say.
We find our path together, but
The world pulls us both one way.

The wrench you feel is real,
The boards you tread bring pain.
The more I learn, the more
I find a twisted modern game.

You're broken and you're hurting,
There's so much more in play.
The answer calls, with kindness
An answer to your pain.

I won't hold you back, but
I won't let you be swayed
By the wave of love which pulls you in,
That's more than just a craze.

It's compelling and it's trying,
To get you in its gaze.
To tell you that the answer is
To trans the pain away

We work through this together,
But I can never say
What I feel is right. If I push too hard
I'll push you far away

Your path through life is yours alone,
But I'm here all the way
To help you find your own true self
It's more than just a game

You told me you were trans,
But now you feel a change.
You don't know, what comes next
Have you found the strength to wait?

CervixSampler · 07/09/2023 20:44

I have one brewing about Alice Cooper and his no nonsense take on gender woo. I Jane the day off tomorrow, well 5 hours of free time, so I might put it together then over a cup of tea and a Tunnocks. Alice Cooper's Poison was the song of ds's dad and me back in the day (1990) and I've always loved Alice.

Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 07/09/2023 20:04

But whilst volume two is created buy volume one (again - go on you know you want to)

Available on Amazon only: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C129WKDD?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

A Mumsnet thread about a book about a Mumsnet thread “Under the Duvet of Darkness” written by the women of Mumsnet THREAD 2
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Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 07/09/2023 19:59

murky buckets! Cervix.

I have finally gone through all the poems once! (there is a LOT of poems - many more than last time. many many more!)

Im going to celebrate with a cup of tea and Tunnocks!

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CervixSampler · 07/09/2023 19:39

There you go @Boiledbeetle. Iron Maiden singing the song I've nodded to. Not their best but still. I have the 7" limited edition picture disc 😁

Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 06/09/2023 11:24

Lalgarh · 05/09/2023 21:27

Graun journalist frets about rad fem Mumsnet enclave

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/04/mumsnet-motherhood-men-stories-abusers

And that's just based on the relationship board, she'd have had a complete melt down if she'd ventured over to this board!

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Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 06/09/2023 11:22

😘@CervixSampler although as I wouldn't know an Iron Maiden song if i fell over it you may have to give me more of a clue!

This book is going to be huge!! A much thicker tome than the last slim volume! (unless I reduce the font size to 6!)

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CervixSampler · 06/09/2023 10:39

Little nod to Iron Maiden, one of my favourite bands.

CervixSampler · 06/09/2023 10:07

I see you angry little man
Calling us names with reckless abandon
While your handmaidens cheer from the sidelines
Urging you to hate on and on
Your Twitter is full of hate and spite
But you underestimate how much we will fight
Courage calls to courage
And our grandmother's daughters
Are proud to fight our slaughter
To fight for our daughters, our mothers, our nieces and granddaughters, our friends, our neighbours and even the women we don't like
Because they are women, female to the core
Whereas your core is rotten and a bore
You can only dream of being like us
While you try to throw us under the bus
But you will never have what it takes
You will only ever be an inferior fake.

Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 06/09/2023 08:15

GingerbreadCookieDough:😍

At this rate you'll have your own chapter!

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GingerbreadCookieDough · 06/09/2023 08:09

What to wear? What to wear?
What about this skirt? No. Too short. I’ll draw the wrong kind of attention.
Skinny jeans? No. They say I’m too fat for these.
How about this dress? No. It’s too revealing. They’ll call me a slut.
T-shirt? No. They’ll tell me to “try harder”.
This tops cute. No. They’ll tell me I don’t have the body for it.

I now sit in a mountain of clothes on my floor crying. I’ll just stay at home. In my comfortable pyjamas and blanket. Where I’m safe from the judgement.

GingerbreadCookieDough · 06/09/2023 08:07

“Don’t cry like a girl”
“Girls like pink”
“That’s for boys”
“No you can’t have that”
“Girls are weak”
“You can’t beat me, you’re a girl”
“Boys will be boys”
“Blue is for boys”
“Girls can’t play football”
“Boys are better”

10 things I guarantee every girl will hear in her childhood.

CervixSampler · 05/09/2023 18:23

My Dd has a couple more to offer:

“Don’t cry like a girl”
“Girls like pink”
“That’s for boys”
“No you can’t have that”
“Girls are weak”
“You can’t beat me, you’re a girl”
“Boys will be boys”
“Blue is for boys”
“Girls can’t play football”
“Boys are better”

10 things I guarantee every girl will hear in her childhood.

And:

What to wear? What to wear?

What about this skirt? No. Too short. I’ll draw the wrong kind of attention.

Skinny jeans? No. They say I’m too fat for these.

How about this dress? No. It’s too revealing. They’ll call me a slut.

T-shirt? No. They’ll tell me to “try harder”.

This tops cute. No. They’ll tell me I don’t have the body for it.

I now sit in a mountain of clothes on my floor crying. I’ll just stay at home. In my comfortable pyjamas and blanket. Where I’m safe from the judgement.

I've not checked for any typos and age was typing on the train so there might be some. Ds had a few suggestions for her first one. He's 8 and is obviously paying attention. Good lad 🥰

GingerbreadCookieDough · 04/09/2023 21:51

“Roll your skirt down”

Why do you care?
Why does the length of my skirt bother you?
Can you tell me why?

No you can’t. Because if you did, it would prove you’re all just sick paedos who sexualise CHILDREN.

The question is, where do you draw the line? A literal line. The answer is simple. If it’s so short it shows your arse then fair enough, roll it down. But otherwise, what’s the issue? There’s nothing sexual about my legs.
So fuck off :)

Original poster
Boiledbeetle · 04/09/2023 20:32

Chester Chronicle is a local weekly newspaper distributed in Chester, Cheshire and North Wales. The first edition was published by founder John Poole on 2 May 1775. Editions are published every Thursday. In 2018, it had a circulation of 7,023.[2] In June 2019, its owners Reach plc closed the paper's Chester offices ending a 244-year association with the city, the decision was "to reduce costs and save jobs".[3] The newspaper editorial is now produced remotely and from newsdesks in Liverpool and Manchester.

Seems it fell on hard times!

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