The Young Feminists' Network Newsletter- Issue II 2025

Author

Everystory Sri Lanka
March 12, 2025

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The Young Feminist Network was established in July 2020 by Everystory Sri Lanka to bring together people interested in learning more about feminism, particularly from a Sri Lankan and South Asian perspective. This month, our newsletter is curated on the theme of Feminist Meaning-making.

LETTER FROM
THE EDITOR

Dear Reader,

On International Women's Day and throughout the month of March, we often find occasions to review the overall 'landscape' of women's rights globally and at national level and to scan the 'horizon' for what lies ahead. At Everystory, we see potential for this to also be a time when we look within and at our more immediate surroundings to examine how we create meaning in our personal lives.

The media we feature this month speak both to the state of the global feminist movement and the feminist implications of everyday choices we make. These choices are diverse and feature several stages of the life-course: from the schoolgirl finding her convictions in Girls will be Girls to the octogenarian taking back control of her life in Tomb of Sand. As always, we aim to foreground voices from South Asia, the Global South, and the less-ubiquitous parts of our community.

Many of these stories are deeply personal, but they all evoke empathy. And what is feminism if it isn't an exercise in cultivating empathy and respect? We hope these readings, podcasts and movie recommendations give you pause and perspective. I wish you happy reading and look forward to your thoughts and feedback at [email protected]!

In solidarity,
Chathuni Uduwela
Guest Editor - 2025 Issue II

INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S
DAY 2025

Last Year we celebrated women’s day with music, dancing and hoppers in a safe space women could let they’re hair down and have a good time. This year, we thought why not continue it. So in collaboration with WSN and Delete Nothing we had our women’s day hopper party.

On being a ‘feminist human’ in an anti-rights era

In an era of accelerating anti-rights movements, our feminist liberation depends not on narrowing the gates of belonging, but on dismantling the very logic of exclusion that has been weaponized against all women.

https://republic.com.ng/february-march-2025/feminist-human-anti-rights-era/

Beijing+30 & CSW: Feminist meaning-making at a time of polycrisis | AWID

Many of the activists who were present in Beijing in 1995 continue to engage with the CSW, and are peppered across government, academic, multilateral and civil society spaces. Retrospectives about the conference speak of the solidarity, connection and sense of hope.

www.awid.org/news-and-analysis/beijing30-csw-feminist-meaning-making-time-polycrisis

Art+Feminism 2025: What Would a Truly Feminist Internet Look Like?

The internet shapes our histories, our access to knowledge, and our connections to one another. Yet, it continues to amplify the same inequities we fight against offline. Art+Feminism’s 2025 campai…

diff.wikimedia.org/2025/02/24/artfeminism-2025-what-would-a-truly-feminist-internet-look-like

Am I Disabled Enough?

One of the near-universal experiences disabled people share is wondering if we’re disabled enough. Usually, we’re questioning whether we can call ourselves disabled, but it filters into every adjacent stratum. Am I disabled enough to request accommodations at work? Am I disabled enough to claim state benefits? Am I disabled enough to join a support group? It’s incessant. Even after we come to terms with our impairments, we’re still dogged by self-doubt.

https://www.autostraddle.com/am-i-disabled-enough/

What Is 'White Wellness' and How Is It Harming Us More Than Helping Us Heal?

"White Wellness" refers to the prevalent white-centric consumerism in the global wellness industry. It is about extraction, exclusion, and erasure.

feminisminindia.com/2025/02/28/what-is-white-wellness-and-how-is-it-harming-us-more-than-helping-us-heal

SAVINDRI PERERA
IN CONVERSATION WITH WIDYA KUMARASINGHE

Keep your 11th of April evening free because we’re doing something exciting with Sav Perera!

Sav Perera is a private chef, caterer and food content creator passionate about the power of storytelling through food. A MasterChef Australia 2024 finalist, she brings Sri Lankan cuisine to the forefront, blending bold flavours with contemporary techniques & honouring her heritage.

Born into a Sri Lankan household where food was central to all aspects, Sav learned techniques from the matriarchs in her family, shaping her deep respect & love for Sri Lankan cuisine. Though she originally pursued neuroscience and psychology, her love for food led her to a career dedicated to sharing the diversity of Sri Lankan fare — she considers sharing knowledge about Sri Lankan food as her life’s work. 

She curates immersive dining experiences that celebrate culture, memory, and connection, using food as a way to bring people together and honour the stories behind each dish.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS AND REGISTRATION!

THIS MONTH
WE’RE READING

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree
(translated by Daisy Rockwell)

A woman of eighty, ‘so small she could slip through anywhere’, decides to revisit her past and reclaim her identity. In leaving her son’s home in north India and returning to her childhood and youth in Pakistan, ‘Ma’ forges a closer relationship with her daughter, defies her son who insists on safeguarding her at all times, and becomes ‘Anwar-Chanda’ once more. The novel, originally written in Hindi, vividly illustrates the rich inner lives of women and the many ways in which they are rendered invisible.

Tomb of Sand was awarded the International Booker Prize in 2022.

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree

The Story of an Hour, a short story by Kate Chopin (1894)

‘Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death.’

So begins a captivating short story in which a young woman finds herself widowed and explores what this news means for her. Her mind races far and wide before being rudely interrupted by another surprise. This short story is intriguing for its exploration of how women cede and reclaim autonomy within their marriages, even while conforming the strictures and expectations of society.

https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/

THIS MONTH
WE’RE WATCHING

Girls Will Be Girls

Girls Will Be Girls (2024)

Girls will be girls is a coming of age story with a difference. It follows both Mira, an 18-year old girl discovering desire and sexuality, and her mother Anila, a woman yearning for attention and deeply nostalgic about her own youth. When Mira’s boyfriend Sri enters their lives, both mother and daughter seek his company and attention - to different ends.

Mira, her mother, and even Mira’s teacher Mrs Bansal are all searching for ways to understand and navigate the systems and strictures within which they live. But perhaps the one person who understands and manipulates these best is Mira’s street-smart and intuitive boyfriend, Srinivas.

Animate Her Series by Irushi Tennekoon

The Animate Her Series features the animated interviews of seven inspiring women working in the diverse fields of the arts, sciences and technology in Sri Lanka. The series is directed by Irushi Tennekoon and funded by a grant from the British Council's Creating Heroines programme.

irusdedoodles.com/animate-her-series

Love, Dad (2021) by Diana Cam Van Nguyen

A short film about ties and gaps between a child and a parent.

www.lovedad.film/symposis

Podcast recommendation: Ethical Storytelling is Reproductive Justice

Simran Singh Jain of the F*ck Marry Kill podcast is joined by one of her idols, Sarah Marshall. Sarah is the host of You're Wrong About, a podcast where they debunk commonly held beliefs around historical moments and individuals and focus on re-telling the stories in a way that actually centers the truth, especially about the women in these stories.

creators.spotify.com/pod/show/simran998/episodes/Justice-for-the-Girlies--Ethical-Storytelling-is-Reproductive-Justice-with-Sarah-Marshall-e2vfomi/a-abq9aea

OPPORTUNITIES

Call for Entries: The International Audio Drama Competition 2026

The International Audio Drama Competition 2026

Writers from around the world are invited to submit their scripts for the 29th International Audio Drama Competition hosted by BBC World Service and the British Council. To submit your entry, click here or visit the Competition website.

Deadline: 4 June 2025

Now hiring: MAP Academy (full-time, remote positions)

The MAP Academy hiring for the following full-time, remote positions:

  • Senior Editor

  • Research Editor (Architecture – Encyclopedia of Art)

  • Research Editor (Encyclopedia of Art)

  • Research Editor (Courses)

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