International Women’s Day: Interviews
Conversations with artists, musicians, winemakers, educators, community organizers, chefs, writers and more
We must celebrate women every day, not only with a hashtag on International Women’s Day. Part of honoring women is also raising awareness about and taking action against inequality, and always engaging in intersectional feminism that includes all women everywhere—no matter their race, ethnicity, age, ability, sexuality, appearance, income, occupation or education. With that in mind, we encourage readers to consider donating to local mutual aid initiatives, as well as women-centered organizations like International Domestic Workers Federation, Black Girls Code, KWO, Empower Foundation, GAATW and others. And in addition, below, we share some of our favorite interviews conducted since last 8 March with creative, clever and charismatic women.
Dannielle Bowman: Photographer + Educator
Dannielle Bowman: 2020 Aperture Portfolio Prize Winner displays Dannielle Bowman‘s glorious series What Had Happened, photographs that explore a vast historical event with intimate, private scenes—a balancing act that’s achieved through delicate use of shadow, light, texture and tenderness. Essentially an exploration of home, What Had Happened draws inspiration from the Great Migration and began as Bowman’s desire to capture elements of her own history. At first making these black and white images at her family members’ homes in LA, she has since broadened her scope; tracing Black American histories by photographing other homes across the country, and even digging through her own archives—discovering that her desire to document these stories existed long before she embarked on the photo series… Read more.
Róisín Murphy: Recording Artist
Cult favorite Róisín Murphy has been entrenched in dance music for 20 years, but avoids labels like “disco queen,” “electro-pop icon” and even “singer-songwriter.” The Irish artist is indeed all of the above, but those categories are also too simple. Known for conceptual looks, off-kilter shows and an almost performance art approach to pop, she has been known to call herself a “conceptor.” No matter where (whether that’s in a recording studio in Sheffield, on stage in Moscow or at home in London), Murphy seems to have a compulsion to create—something she credits to her Irish heritage and her time spent in some of the UK’s most musical cities, during their most pivotal eras… Read more.
Yoko Kubrick: Sculptor
Yoko Kubrick retells extravagant stories from myths and lore without relying on realism. Her abstract marble sculptures impress and nearly intimidate. They’re otherworldly in a way that leaves viewers wondering just how they were made. Though based in San Francisco, Kubrick has worked in Tuscany since she became enamored with the town Pietrasanta, known for being the source of much of Michelangelo’s marble… Read more.
Shelby Hartman: Co-Founder of Psychedelics-Focused DoubleBlind Magazine
Fittingly, the decision to start a magazine centered on psychedelics came to Shelby Hartman as she was meditating. “It just felt very definitive. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, should I do this?’ It just felt like the thing to do,” she tells us about the realization, which occurred at her New Orleans apartment. A seasoned journalist within the cannabis and psychedelics realms, Hartman called her former Columbia Journalism School classmate, colleague and friend, Madison Margolin. “I literally just got up off my meditation pillow and was like, ‘Hey, do you want to do this thing?'” Margolin immediately agreed. DoubleBlind was born… Read more.
Naj Austin: Ethel’s Club Founder
Naj Austin founded Ethel’s Club, a social and wellness club for Black individuals and people of color exclusively, in Brooklyn in November 2019 after an exhaustive search for a Black mental health professional for her own therapy sessions. She was inspired to build a gathering place to collaborate, mingle, and tackle issues beyond the professional sphere… Read more.
Maggie Harrison: Winemaker
Surprise and delight defines the Antica Terra tasting experience. Based in Dundee, Oregon, the winery’s offerings include annual Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vintages. Owner and winemaker Maggie Harrison—also the head of the masterful California Syrah label, Lillian—taps into the intrinsic, aesthetic merit of the Willamette Valley as a whole. But as much as each wine is a study of the exquisite land and luscious grapes, it’s also about the dialogue drawn from decisions in the winemaking process. Harrison’s process is unlike any other and anyone who gets their hands on a bottle understands what this means… Read more.
Arlo Parks: Singer-Songwriter, Musician + Poet
Arlo Park’s gossamer, emotional “Black Dog” is led by delicate guitar, chiming keys and the London-based singer/songwriter’s stirring vocals. The tune (whose title is also a metaphor for depression) tells a first-person account of witnessing a loved one struggling, and attempting to care for them through it all. Outlining seemingly small accomplishments, painful observations and hypothetical remedies, the song is a tender tale of empathy that begins viscerally: “I’d lick the grief right off your lips.” We spoke with the talented 19-year-old poet, singer and songwriter about making “Black Dog” (from the upcoming Eugene) and what has been fueling her creativity while in isolation… Read more.
Linda Sivrican: Capsule Parfumerie Founder + Perfumer
Since launching Capsule Parfumerie in 2012, Linda Sivrican has created eight fragrance brands and opened her own perfume shop. From her inaugural natural Fiele Fragrances to her Litoralle Aromatica collection, each bottle tells a sensory story. Her namesake Capsule series pays homage to LA neighborhoods and features “Troupe” (for the night owls of North Hollywood, with notes of neroli and tequila blanco) and “Squad” (a tribute to Koreatown with citrus-infused soju and pink peppercorns). She won the 2020 Art and Olfaction Awards, Artisan Category for NIMBIS from her future-forward and unconventional Parallax collection. That conceptual scent contains notes of blue iris, vibrating violin strings and violet ozone rays, and aims to capture the scent of falling meteors… Read more.
Beverly Fishman: Artist
One glance at the sculptural work of artist Beverly Fishman will allow you to identify her mesmerizing creations forever. Several distinct signifiers plant the seed of her style. First, her high-gloss geometric forms tantalize. Each marries impactful, unexpected color and many often seem to glow—and even emote. Whether hung on a wall or rising from the floor, Fishman’s expressive pieces pull viewers forward for a closer look and a deeper think. On the surface, of course, these sleek urethane-paint-on-wood works are aesthetically pleasing, yet one cannot help but ponder the author’s other intention… Read more.
Ana Maria Romero: Maestra Tequilera
Helmed by Ana Maria Romero, Mijenta—a new, small-batch tequila—delivers a perfectly balanced sipping experience: clean and fresh, with a peppery finish and velvety mouthfeel. For tequila enthusiasts, experts and rookies, there’s a uniqueness and vibrancy that comes with this spirit that extends beyond the liquid itself. The name Mijenta comes from “mi gente” meaning “my people,” and it’s a sentiment that permeates the brand’s ethos. Beyond working to preserve, protect and promote ancestral tradition within their processes, the brand also reinvests profits within the local community through their The Mijenta Community Foundation. Community and place are intrinsically linked, and Mijenta aims to respect the land upon which they work… Read more.
Shannon Martinez: Chef + Author
For over 20 years, Shannon Martinez has been cooking professionally, but it was a moment of good will—stepping into the kitchen of Melbourne pub the East Brunswick Club to make vegan food after the chef “went to the bank and never came back”—that started her on the path to becoming Australia’s plant-based poster girl. The owner and head chef of beloved restaurant Smith & Daughters (housed in a historic Fitzroy bluestone, with its trademark upside down “EAT VEGAN” neon cross) and to-go outpost Smith & Deli, Martinez just finished her third cookbook, Vegan With Bite, and was starting on her fourth when she was diagnosed with a rare type of breast cancer. She paused the development of that book’s recipes—but nothing else. Instead she took on more: working on a “cooking for chemo” book and a cartoon (with her friend and artist Tamara Scoulidis) called The Adventures of Chuck, which will see all proceeds donated to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation—specifically to underfunded research programs. We spoke with Martinez about making vegan food accessible and her compulsion to create, even in the darkest moments… Read more.
Artist Austra: Art-Pop Recording
Expressive, experimental and energized by the impressively elastic vocals of Austra (aka Katie Austra Stelmanis), the album HiRUDiN released to the world, 1 May 2020. Theatrical in nature—sometimes operatic, soaring on Stelamanis’ mighty voice; other times collaborative, drawing additional meaning from the dialogue between sound collisions—it’s the fourth LP in the catalog from the singer-songwriter and recording engineer… Read more.
Hero image of Yoko Kubrick by Diego Mayon
