HerStory June 2022: Roxane Gay

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Roxane Gay is a self-proclaimed Bad Feminist. She’s a writer, a teacher, a publisher, a mentor, and a podcaster (among other things), focusing on women and women’s experiences in the world. Her works often delve into trauma and its effects on those women. She’s written non-fiction essays, memoirs, short fiction, novels, and graphic novels, as well as opinion pieces and articles for many publications. She is, in a word, busy.

One of the unifying themes in Gay’s work is the understanding and acceptance that we as humans are flawed; in fact, it’s the thesis of her most well-known work, Bad Feminist. She jokes that she’s a Bad Feminist, because her approach to and experience of feminism is human, and therefore, imperfect. She enjoys songs that contain misogynistic lyrics, she loves the color pink, she wants someone else to handle the yard work. The essays in the book range from musings on friendship, to in-depth book critiques, to reflecting on her long-standing love of the Sweet Valley High books, to hard-hitting essays on rape culture and the harm perpetrated by the patriarchy. 

Gay writes a great deal about trauma; her memoir Hunger speaks to her complicated relationship to her body and to the way her response to trauma resulted in the body she inhabits today. She speaks to collective trauma (and now much of her short-form writing has to do with collective trauma of living through this pandemic, and responses to attacks on our civil rights and right to choice). 

Mentoring is a big part of Gay’s life-philosophy. Her Emerging Writers program has morphed into a new writing fellowship, named after her late brother, focusing on writers who have not had luck in traditional publishing, with special consideration given to writers from underrepresented backgrounds. She lives the adage, “a rising tide will lift all boats”.

Our Bad Feminist colorway incorporates all of the seeming disparate parts of what makes Roxane Gay whole: a hearty dollup of her actual favorite color, pink, mixed with the color she often told folks was her favorite, the more serious black. The result is as complicated and lovely as our June author.

Books by Roxane Gay:

  • Hunger
  • Bad Feminist
  • Ayiti
  • Black Panther: World of Wakanda
  • An Untamed State
  • Difficult Women

Want more like this? Here are some other authors we suggest you read/listen to:

  • Rebecca Solnit
  • Mikki Kendall
  • Ashley Ford
  • Cheryl Strayed
  • Tressie McMillan Cottom
  • Jesmyn Ward

National Parks 2022: Effigy Mounds National Monument

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It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have almost exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Featured parks will fall under one of 4 categories:

  • National History – Eastern USA
  • National History – Western USA
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-2022/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

And, to play our new-to-2022 Vacay Bingo game, head in to your participating LYS and grab a gameboard or download it here: https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

Where is it located?

In Harper’s Ferry, Iowa, which is in northeastern Iowa.

Whose land does it reside upon?

The mounds were made by the Effigy Moundbuilders in the Woodland period. 

There are 20 Indigneous tribes that call the monument and it’s surrounding areas either their current or their ancestral home. These tribes are: 

  • Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska
  • Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
  • Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians
  • Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin
  • Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
  • Upper Sioux Indian Community of Minnesota
  • Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community In the State of Minnesota
  • Lower Sioux Indian Community of Minnesota
  • Prairie island Indian Community In the State of Minnesota
  • Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa
  • Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
  • Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma
  • Crow Creek Sioux of South Dakota
  • Omaha Tribe of Nebraska
  • Santee Sioux Nation
  • Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
  • Yankton Sioux of South Dakota
  • Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate
  • Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe
  • Ponca Tribe of Nebraska

When was it established?

October 25, 1949

About this park:

Effigy Mounds National Monument preserves more than 200 prehistoric mounds built by pre-ColumbianMound Builder cultures, mostly in the first millennium AD, during the later part of the Woodland period of pre-Columbian North America. Numerous effigy mounds are shaped like animals, including bears and birds.

Colorway Inspiration:

The photo on this page was the inspiration for our colorway; we just loved the contrast of the deep dark tree trunks and the vibrant bright grass on the mounds: https://www.nps.gov/efmo/learn/historyculture/effigy-moundbuilders.htm

For more information:

National Parks 2022: Grand Portage National Monument

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It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have almost exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Featured parks will fall under one of 4 categories:

  • National History – Eastern USA
  • National History – Western USA
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-2022/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

And, to play our new-to-2022 Vacay Bingo game, head in to your participating LYS and grab a gameboard or download it here: https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

Where is it located?

On the north shore of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota.

Whose land does it reside upon?

Grand Portage National Monument is within the homeland of the Grand Portage Anishinaabe. Approximately half of the land for the national monument was donated by the Grand Portage Band. This community is the homeplace and center of tribal government for the Grand Portage Band (the Band) of Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe). Their intimate knowledge of and connection to the land, water, plants, and wildlife of the area allowed them to endure in the sometimes harsh environment before and after European exploration and nation-building. As other cultures explored this area, the tools and technologies of the Ojibwe were adapted by newcomers to exploit the natural resources as global commodities. The Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) have persevered here for centuries, through the European incursion into this continent and division into two countries, the United States and (then British) Canada.

When was it established?

January 27, 1960

About this park:

Gichi Onigaming is the Ojibwe term for the “Great Carrying Place,” which is what these Indigenous peoples called present-day Grand Portage. It’s an 8.5-mile portage trail that allowed travelers to bypass high falls, cascades, and gorges, and has been a critical transportation route for thousands of years. Because of the area’s geology, topography, natural resources, and strategic location, the trail was part of an ancient transcontinental trade route connecting the Great Lakes to the interior of the continent.

Colorway Inspiration:

We used this photo of the historic depot overlooking Lake Superior as our inspiration photo: https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery-item.htm?pg=3098183&id=9224B04F-1DD8-B71B-0B6D9AC425D7B332&gid=8D27CD46-1DD8-B71B-0BC9536189E2A809

For more information:

National Parks 2022: Dinosaur National Monument

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It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have almost exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Featured parks will fall under one of 4 categories:

  • National History – Eastern USA
  • National History – Western USA
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-2022/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

And, to play our new-to-2022 Vacay Bingo game, head in to your participating LYS and grab a gameboard or download it here: https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

Where is it located?

The southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the confluence of the Green and Yampa rivers.

Whose land does it reside upon?

The Fremont people lived and roamed through this land starting about a thousand years ago, and left both petroglyphs and pictographic evidence. Their descendants live in this area today. They moved through the area, following flora and fauna through the seasons. 

When was it established?

October 4, 1915

About this park:

Dinosaurs once roamed here. Their fantastic remains are still visibly embedded in the rocks. Today, the mountains, desert, and untamed rivers flowing in deep canyons support an array of life. Petroglyphs hint at earlier cultures.

Fremont designs include both petroglyphs (patterns chipped or carved into the rock) and pictographs (patterns painted on the rock). Pictographs are relatively rare here, perhaps because they are more easily weathered. Some petroglyphs show traces of pigment, possibly indicating that many designs originally included both carved and painted areas. Many sandstone cliffs darkened with desert varnish, a naturally formed stain of iron and manganese oxides, provided an ideal canvas for carving petroglyphs.

Colorway Inspiration:

For our inspiration, we used this image of the pictographs found in the Deluge Shelter: https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery-item.htm?pg=1826956&id=679244B3-155D-451F-67837C10D0EBA307&gid=678FAEE7-155D-451F-6709C8C58EBD1868

For more information:

National Parks 2022: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

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It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have almost exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Featured parks will fall under one of 4 categories:

  • National History – Eastern USA
  • National History – Western USA
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-2022/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

And, to play our new-to-2022 Vacay Bingo game, head in to your participating LYS and grab a gameboard or download it here: https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

Where is it located?

Little Rock, Arkanasas

Whose land does it reside upon?

The land Little Rock sits on is the ancestral home of the Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw peoples. The word “Arkansas” is derived from the name Algonkian-speaking Indians of the Ohio River Valley gave to the Native Americans who inhabited this area.

When was it established?

November 6, 1998

About this park:

“Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts.”

In 1957, Little Rock Central High School was the epicenter of confrontation and a catalyst for change as the fundamental test for the United States to enforce African American civil rights following Brown v. Board of Education. 

In the fall of 1957, Little Rock became the symbol of state resistance to school desegregation. Arkansas Governor Orval E. Faubus directly questioned the sanctity of the federal court system and the authority of the United States Supreme Court’s desegregation ruling while nine African American high school students sought an education at the all-white Little Rock Central High School.

The controversy in Little Rock was the first fundamental test of the United States resolve to enforce African-American civil rights in the face of massive southern defiance during the period following the Brown v. Board of Education decisions. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower was compelled by white mob violence to use federal troops to ensure the rights of African American children to attend the previously all-white school, he became the first president since the post-Civil War Reconstruction period to use federal troops in support of African American civil rights.

Colorway Inspiration:

We used this photo of the town intersection for the inspiration: https://www.nps.gov/chsc/index.htm

For more information:

HerStory May 2022: Helen Hoang

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There’s a lot of derision in some circles for romance, and much of that is based on misogyny and the patriarchy, because most writers and readers of romance are women. But here’s the thing: romance, and particularly modern romance, is all about building the world the writer wants to inhabit. A world that is welcoming and accepting. A world in which consent rules and equity is the standard. A world in which differences in race, culture, neurodivergence, socio-economic background, and a host of other things are not insurmountable obstacles, but rather merely parts that make a person whole.

Helen Hoang‘s Kiss Quotient book trilogy exemplifies this world-building. She herself is a neurodivergent romance book lover, and when it came time to write her own books, she wrote what she knows in the most beautiful way possible. Instead of being a barrier to finding love, her main characters’ neurodivergence is simply a part of who they are, and each finds his or her perfect match through delightful writing and entertaining romps through romance tropes. Representation matters, and there are so few books in which autistic people are represented as main characters. That is one of the things that make Hoang’s books so compelling. Another thing? They are just plain sweet. And cute. And readable. The first two, especially, are a bit on the steamy side, but who doesn’t want a bit of steam with their love story?

We are not-so-patiently waiting for Helen Hoang to release more books; she’s only published this series so far. Her characters and writing are so fabulous, and the love stories make us smile.

One of our favorite past-times (other than reading or listening to romance, of course) is scrolling through different editions of the books we love, and as we were scrolling the book covers in this series, we stumbled upon the German editions. They are so dreamy and vintage’y , and we knew we needed to make our HerStory colorway inspired by them. That is how this month’s colorway, Kiss Quotient, was born. We hope you spend a bit of time reading or listening to this wonderful trilogy, making something beautiful, and thinking about how important representation is, and how very wonderful romance books can be. 

Books by Helen Hoang:

  • The Kiss Quotient
  • The Bride Test
  • The Heart Principle

Want more like this? Here are some other authors we suggest you read/listen to (and we have more romance authors coming up, so we haven’t included those authors in this list, even though they are some of our very faves):

  • Jasmine Guillory
  • Alyssa Cole
  • Talia Hibbert
  • Sara Desai
  • Alison Cochrun

We hope you enjoy this HerStory Book Club as much as we have enjoyed putting it together. We envision an open-ended Book Club, with folks reading or listening to whichever book they’d like from each author’s If you’d like a spoiler of all of the authors we’ll be showcasing this year, check out our website: https://knittedwit.com/herstory-2022-authors/

National Parks 2022: George Washington Carver National Monument

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It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have almost exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Featured parks will fall under one of 4 categories:

  • National History – Eastern USA
  • National History – Western USA
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-2022/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

And, to play our new-to-2022 Vacay Bingo game, head in to your participating LYS and grab a gameboard or download it here: https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

Where is it located?

Southwest Missouri, near Branson.

Whose land does it reside upon?

Prior to the Indian Removal Act of 1830, many Indigenous tribes resided in what is now Missouri, most especially the Osage, but also including the Chickasaw, Delaware, Illini, Kanza, Ioway, Otoe-Missouria, and Quapaw.

When was it established?

July 14, 1943

About this park:

George Washington Carver National Monument is the birthplace and childhood home of the famed scientist, educator, and humanitarian. Established in 1943, it was the first unit of the National Park Service dedicated to an African American. It also protects 140 acres of restored tallgrass prairie.

Colorway inspiration:

We used this photo of the one-mile trail as our colorway inspiration: https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery-item.htm?pg=3027126&id=2830DB5F-CAC8-A6AC-1650298D7E263D98&gid=68CCC0C4-155D-4519-3E09800B6C2D0B2F

For more information:

National Parks 2022: Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument

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It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have almost exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Featured parks will fall under one of 4 categories:

  • National History – Eastern USA
  • National History – Western USA
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-2022/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

And, to play our new-to-2022 Vacay Bingo game, head in to your participating LYS and grab a gameboard or download it here: https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

Where is it located?

In Northwestern Texas (the panhandle).

Whose land does it reside upon?

This was most recently the land of the Comanches, who ruled the plains from around 1700 through the late 1800s, when white colonizers pushed all indigenous peoples onto reservations. Prior to the Comanches, the Apache, the Antelope Creek Culture, and the early Woodland tribes made their home in what is now the Texas Panhandle.

When was it established?

August 21, 1965

About this park:

For thousands of years, people came to the red bluffs above the Canadian River for flint, vital to their existence. 13,000 years ago, this site was well-known by nomadic mammoth hunters, the Clovis people, as a source of flint for tools. Centuries passed, and nomadic hunters turned into more established communities, who formed quarries to dig up this valuable resource.

Colorway inspiration:

We used this photo of a polished piece of Alibates Flint as our colorway inspiration: https://www.nps.gov/alfl/learn/nature/geology.htm

For more information:

National Parks 2022: Appalachian National Scenic Trail

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It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have almost exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Featured parks will fall under one of 4 categories:

  • National History – Eastern USA
  • National History – Western USA
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-2022/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

And, to play our new-to-2022 Vacay Bingo game, head in to your participating LYS and grab a gameboard or download it here: https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

Where is it located?

The Appalachian Trail extends between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.

Whose land does it reside upon?

The Appalachian Trail travels through the traditional territories of 22 Native Nations, and there is so much Indigenous history through the many miles. Check out a map highlighting these Indigenous tribes here: https://appalachiantrail.org/official-blog/native-lands/

When was it established?

1925

About this park:

The Appalachian Trail is a 2,180+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers. It’s known as the “Footpath for the People.”

Colorway inspiration:

We used the top photo on the linked page for our colorway inspiration: https://www.nps.gov/appa/learn/photosmultimedia/photogallery.htm

For more information:

National Parks 2022: White Sands National Park

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It’s time for the annual National Parks Club/KAL!

Every month from May-August, we’ll be releasing 4 new parks colorways. We have almost exhausted all of the traditional US National Parks, so this year, we’ll be showcasing other National Parks areas, such as National Recreation Areas, Heritage sites, etc. Featured parks will fall under one of 4 categories:

  • National History – Eastern USA
  • National History – Western USA
  • Indigenous Culture
  • Human Rights Leaders/notable people

Check out our Socks and Hats on Vacay/Staycay summertime KAL with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-hats-on-vacay-2022/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

And, to play our new-to-2022 Vacay Bingo game, head in to your participating LYS and grab a gameboard or download it here: https://knittedwit.com/parks-2022/

Where is it located?

In South Central New Mexico, near Las Cruces.

Whose land does it reside upon?

Mescalero Apaches are the only Native Americans who occupy the Basin today, although many indigenous groups have occupied and traveled through the land for millenia. In fact, in 2021, footprints were discovered that have been dated to 23,000 years, upending a lot of what modern science has long believed about human habitation of what is now America. This article, written from an indigenous perspective, is very interesting, and shines light on how much of scientific discovery is colored by the perspectives, biases, and privileges of those making and writing about those discoveries: https://www.hcn.org/issues/53.11/indigenous-affairs-archaeology-the-white-sands-discovery-only-confirms-what-indigenous-people-have-said-all-along

When was it established?

December 20, 2019

About this park:

Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world’s great natural wonders – the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world’s largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dunefield, along with the plants and animals that live here.

Colorway inspiration:

For our colorway inspiration, we scrolled through the White Sands NP Instagram page, and let the many gorgeous photos inform our choice of colors: https://www.instagram.com/whitesandsnps/

For more information: