Gloria...

(It's Thursday night's Swinging Door (honky tonk) show on KEXP. Johnny Cash is covering a song by Nick Cave (of whom IÂ’ve always been a huge fan). The song is called Mercy Seed and it's about being electrocuted - no sorry - executed. I can hear Nick in the lyrics and Johnny all over the song.)

Last night I went to hear Gloria Steinem speak at Town Hall. I managed to get some ticket about two weeks ago. I went on the first day they were available - free at the University of Washington Bookstore, during lunch. Sold out. Another woman was at the counter trying to find another bookstore with extras. We each managed to secure four before they sold out at the end of the day. (We were going to be a crowd of 8 but when no one else was able to get the tickets, we were a modest four. Me and Heidi, Karin and her friend.) It was chilly, wind whipping between the tall downtown Seattle buildings.

I've heard Gloria before. I had coffee with her at Europa, a small coffee shop in Mentor, Ohio when organizing for the last election (no really, we ended up have a very one-on-one conversation in a group of about 35 organizers). I've heard nationally known poets like Maya Angelou, and civil rights leaders like Julian Bond; I've heard feminists such a Gloria, presidents of countries like Nelson Mondela, and many others. Sometimes you don't want to go because you feel it will predictable. You aren't really sure you're interested in listening. You're wondering where are the leaders of your generation. You're wondering where the voice is in your movement. You think you know what they're going to say next. And most of the time, you're completely wrong.

I was wrong with Gloria. I was slightly disappointed that I was going to miss Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins at Neumo's that night. She's one of my new favorites. But I had these coveted tickets. It was International Women's Day (at least there's one day). So I went and I was surprised. I was surprise because at 70 she still looks fantastic; surprise because she's not bitter. Sure, she's disappointed in the way things are going. But she wasn't bitter. She had such sound advice and such encouragement. She reminded us that change takes a long time. She warned to to be weary of the media who is constantly pitting women against women. Now there's a war between stay-at-home and working women. Question this. They are always trying to control us. They're trying to control our ability to reproduce because we have such power, women. She told this funny story about Reese Witherspoon. They were sitting together at a fundraising function and Reese said Gloria "You're the reason I made Legally Blonde, both of them." Gloria was astonished. Really? "Yes. You said a woman should be able to dress how she wants and achieve anything." She reminded us to be gentle on younger girls today and look at the messages we send and the role models we provide. She didn't bash men, or Republicans. She told us to get organized. She encouraged us to be the change agent. It was wonderful and uplifting.

And it was a nice surprise.