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

[Boiledbeetle]

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.

Just to make this easier for FairyKindleMother to find all the poems

KISSES XX

I never asked to be like this, but I was born this way.
How I wished for something different, day after bloody day.
I wanted things I couldn’t have, but no matter how I wished,
still every day I’d wake up to find I’m still like this.
The dresses, and the dolls, I hated with a passion.
Dungarees, and wellie boots, were much much more my fashion.

As an adult I could choose how I wished to live my life,
so I made the right decision, I’d be no mother, nor a wife.
I’d live the life I wanted, and wear whatever I like.
I’d go into construction, and yes, get called a dyke.
In time I made my peace with the sex I had been born.
Thank God I’m not a child now, ’cos I would be so torn.

The teachers they would tell me I should have been a boy,
just because I hated skirts and played with the wrong toy.
They’d pass me onto therapists who’d affirm that I was right.
They’d tell me that my breasts could be bound all flat and tight.
The doctors would agree and then fill me full of pills,
persuaded that’s the right course by the Pharma corporate shills.

Then finally the surgeon, who’d sworn to do no harm.
I’d get my breasts removed; make a penis from my arm.
All to live the life I wanted, and to wear just what I like.
I would still have been a builder, and still got called a dyke.
You are what you are born as. There is no changing sex.
It’s as it always has been. Men are XY, and women XX.

Just found this thread on the last day of my holiday. Inspired me to try to crack one out (so to speak) after my tea. I’ve enjoyed it (the thread, and having a go) 😊
_
Inclusivity on Platform 13:_

He said he wouldn’t hurt me
And not to be afraid
And he’d come inside the Ladies
Because that’s how he was made.

He asked me for a tampon
And I quietly shook my head
He insisted he was bleeding
And for the first time (so he said).

His body blocked the doorway
And I saw him lick his lips
He said that they felt dry
And that he wished he had my hips.

He was built like a prop forward
And I stand at five foot three
He said to not look frightened
He only wanted to be me.

He felt a woman on the inside
And he wished to feel it more
And could he use my lipstick
And he’d tried Brick Red before.

I think my legs were shaking
When he said he liked my shoes
And could I let him have them
As we bonded in the loos.

He also liked my handbag
And my hair clip and my shirt
His eyes slipped to my cleavage
and he said my breasts were pert.

He liked the touch of silk
And ran his hand along my arm
My back was to the wall now
And he said he meant no harm.

His breath was John Smith’s bitter
His skin was lynx and sweat
He said I smelled of pansies
And asked me why my eyes were wet.

@Swashbuckled
😍😍
WOW!

Tis a thing of beauty!

@Swashbuckled And of course you will now have to go and buy the book with the original 80 poems that these threads are about, (and now will also have to buy the second volume to see your own poem in it)

You know you want to! (unless you already have of course!)

leaves link lying around for you to trip over.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C129WKDD

Yay and phew! Loved the video thing; reassure me lots 😊.

LOL and good selling! I’ve just bought the kindle version of Book 1. Will obvs buy the kindle AND paper book if my effort is in Book 2. Actually, I’ve just realised that lynx should be Lynx. Could that be changed?

@Swashbuckled I really do like it. I found myself feeling rather emotional by the end of it.

I've changed it to Lynx on my file. Good job you said, as I probably would have missed it.

For Women Scotland actually make more money from each e-book sale than they do from the paperback! so Yay!

And yes, it will be in volume 2 - the poem book format is much like the Let Women Speak format. You write it I'll put it in! Every woman's voice deserves to be read. But honestly if I'd had to limit them I'd have got rid of one of mine in order to put that in!

Great poem Swashbuckled!

Great poem.
Creepy and very well written.
Obviously also erotic to some 🤮

Thank you 😊

That was very nice to read 😊

Just found this thread on the last day of my holiday. Inspired me to try to crack one out (so to speak) after my tea. I’ve enjoyed it (the thread, and having a go)

Excellent

@BonfireLady

I know what you mean. When we drill down to what is driving this shit, in articulating the driving force, we arouse them. Because that’s what we’ve drilled down to (sorry, bit pissed….)

@Ereshkigalangcleg

😊

Bit pissed... Anger or vino pissed?

@Boiledbeetle

Gin pissed. Also anger pissed, but not as in American pissed. Rage pissed (off). Woman in 50s pissed (off). Really am
struggling to coordinate thoughts to keyboard, and my dog seemed to be listing when I took him for a wee just now.

This whole shit show is very rage inducing! I think for a lot of us writing the poems has helped dissipate the internal levels of about to explode, just a tiny bit!

If it's gin pissed I doubt it was the dog that was listing!😁🐩

Have you finished collecting yet Beetle or will you still have room for latecomers? I have been too bloody angry of late to put in any effort but vol I was soo good…

I reckon another week and then I'm going to have to draw a line. as I have to stop at some point.

It's going to be huge, I reckon we will be sat between 130-140 poems!!

There was 80 in the first one!

@Swashbuckled I fully support the needs for all variations of pissed on this subject 🍸🍷😡

Your poem is especially powerful because it claims back the hold that any aroused AGP feels they have over the women they disrespect in this way.
It really is a phenomenal piece of writing.

I'm wondering if I need to go on more holidays myself, and drink more gin, to help with articulating my own musings. In the interests of contributing to this important world debate, I'm willing to give this approach a go 🍸⛱️

*the need

Oooooooh! Exciting! I've just spotted the edit button on the 3 dots.
No more typo correction posts needed 👏👏👏 A moment of joy for me and my fat fingers to behold 👏👏👏

It's brilliant isn't it. I think it's time limited, you get a few minutes before your post 'sets' and you can't edit it anymore.

Good to know!

In a beautiful moment of Life Imitating Art (you really couldn't make this stuff up), look at the following exchange on Twitter, pretty much in parallel with this thread....

https://twitter.com/BonfireLady/status/1703729327437668574?t=nCLIiCniRZAMfL6sbfI-aQ&s=19

Despite the poster thinking he had somehow got the power, he really missed what he's actually done here. While he's busy cleaning himself up (🤮) the people reading the thread will be seeing the "poetry" in motion, just as @Swashbuckled describes (although not as eloquently, obviously).
Far from being intimidating, it's probably even opened the eyes of the TERF hater just a tiny little bit more...

And the most important thing is that online exchanges like this, getting exposure, slowly reduce the risk of it happening in real life as more and more people start to realise what's happening.

#OperationLetThemSpeak

Screenshots. Not sure if they are in the right order..

Not sure if I should have marked those as sensitive? Apologies if that's a fail on my part.