Feminist Wikiturgy

A tumblr to accompany a UCaucus presentation at the 2013 LMDA Vancouver conference by Jules Odendahl-James.

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Where Wikipedia writing falls in the value chain of academic scholarship in the digital age is a hotly contested topic. Its value as a venue for public dramaturgy is less debatable. Such was my pitch to fellow dramaturgs Catherine María Rodríguez (Center Stage and the Dramaturgy Open Office Hours Project) and Russell M. Dembin (UT Austin). Working together, we soon realized that the best way we might harness Wikipedia’s power to reinforce and extend other digital interventions was with a conscious eye towards the feminist notion of intersectionality—that is, working across many communities of difference at the same time. To that end, we are using this post to rally dramaturgically inclined theatre artists to join us for an all-day Wikiturgy Edit-a-Thon on Tuesday, February 17, 2015. Some of you might recognize this date as the one-year anniversary of #TheSummit which catalyzed a particular strain of feminist activism; however, we consider this Edit-a-Thon an opportunity to expand the table of contents of this public encyclopedia to include the myriad under-/unsung theatre artists whose bodies of work contribute to the diverse landscape of theatre. Instead of our crafting a list, which invariably will leave off names that others feel should be included, an Edit-a-Thon empowers anyone to jump in as an editor. It allows all of us to fulfill a New Year’s resolution to make greater strides towards diversity and parity in American Theatre in 2015. It is one way to support an artist whose work you know, admire, and feel should have a more publicly visible space online.

Public Dramaturgy, Wikipedia, and Combatting “Columbusing” | HowlRound

So this project has now kicked into another gear, with a larger edit-a-thon scheduled, with the collaboration of many collaborators, for February 17.

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Fold, a news platform being developed by MIT Media Lab’s Alexis Hope and Kevin Hu, has been designed to provide context at its very core. Whereas most news sites (including Fast Company) use links to provide background on who is doing what where and why, Fold is a news site that incorporates background information directly into the articles, including definitions, maps, and other assets.

MIT Rethinks How You Consume News | Co.Design | business design If you click on the link and watch the video demo of FOLD, notice that in its example it pulls "definition" material from ... Wikipedia. As these new apps build from open source information, it's even more critical that open source materials have vested scholarly writers contributing knowledge and prose.

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THE lisT comprises the 46 most recommended plays according to me. In order to be eligible, a play must be 1) by an author who identifies as trans or trans-ally* 2) expansive and original, not reducing trans IDs to tropes, tokens, fetishes, or exposition for cisgender people 3) plays I want to see and 4) among the most excellent seen or read by me OR by theater professionals whose opinions I respect. There are some lisT’ed plays that I have not seen or read, but I believe the playwrights to be worthy of the lisT either through direct communication or recommendations by my colleagues**. Plays by trans-IDed playwrights do not need to include trans characters to be lisT’ed. *For a trans-ally to make the lisT, she or he MUST have worked dramaturgically in some way with trans people during the process of writing the play, which must include at least one trans character. The trans-allies on the list worked with focus groups, hired trans dramaturgs, or simply asked trans people for critical responses between drafts of the plays, and thoughtfully considered the community’s feedback. **I am on the list myself because I made the list, and I believe the plays I write represent the criteria I consider lisT-worthy. As Jill Dolan asked in response to The Kilroys, “what list isn’t partial”? The Kilroys believe THE LIST will be an important resource for theater leaders in season planning, bringing American theater one step closer to knocking that 80% down to at least a more equivalent size. I hope The Killjoys lisT also helps move us closer to gender-inclusivity with a primary aim of visiblizing non-cisnormative genders in the playwriting community. To clarify, trans people who do not ID as genderqueer are not necessarily gender conforming. Trans queer and genderqueer do not hold the same meaning, although they can certainly cross over, as do many other identifiers. Where The Kilroys focus on women; the focus of this lisT is on people who publicly identify as trans and allies. Of course, I hope transwomen made it to The Kilroys, but even if they did, they have a place here as well. The Killjoys lisT also includes plays with intersex characters. I recognize that intersex and trans are two separate things that sometimes intersect and sometimes don’t, but I also recognize that there has not been a category for intersex inclusion yet. The Kilroys state that they want to encourage people to turn any feelings of exclusion from their List into action, get together with our own people, and choose our own action that will add to the conversation. The conversation among my people, to quote Joy Meads of The Kilroys, “has been stuck in this loop of ‘oh, the plays aren’t there,’ which they are.” And echoing Annah Feinberg also of The Kilroys, “yes, they’re right here.”

the killjoys - Joshua Bastian Cole

I guess Joshua might not know about the more widely inclusive list “We Exist!” Female and Trans Playwright Roll Call” started by Elaine Romero and sustained by Christine Evans and Rachel Jendrzejewski.

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(via Famous People Painting with Wiki Links | Historical Figures With Image Map - ClipTank.com) So, perhaps for the (tentative for now) planned October 13 Edit-A-Thon for Women Playwrights/Dramatists & theater artists of color, perhaps we need to cobble together a portrait like this from various sources that link to the new/revised entries?

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Help museums everywhere by linking up data. Technologists make wonderful use of the data in Wikipedia to create links to other museums and data sources. This site is an example -- it began with a spreadsheet of data about museums, then expanded to include Wikipedia data. More data helps museums do their jobs better. Adding Your Article After you sign up for a Wikipedia account, here's a couple things to expect for writing an article about your museum. This is all based on my experience writing my own first article in Wikipedia about the Arlington Historical Museum. Getting Ready Wikipedia's Your First Article guide is pretty helpful, especially for getting to know the rules of the road for putting in a good quality (and accepted) article. The notability requirement is important, but more on that below. Also, for the purposes of linking and connecting, it helps a lot to look at the Museum Infobox Template and use it in your page. You can fill in as much or as little as you want. Just putting in the name and a website (if one exists) is super helpful for the linkiness that makes data interesting! A little research time to establish notability will be helpful. Look up external sources that refer to or describe the museum. In my first article, I was delighted to discover that the local county government had issued a resolution acknowledging the Arlington Historical Museum. That makes sense as a great source, since, after all, this is the sort of thing that museums should easily be recognized for. Local newspapers, too, should have citable articles. If you cannot find sources to establish Wikipedia notability for your museum's or historical society's work, they're doing it wrong.

Add Your Museum to Wikipedia · US Museums

If Museums can have pages, women playwrights should too!

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Never more happy than to have made the playwright (whose entry I've been editing for a while) now happy about finding herself on Wikipedia. The work continues and this is a great spur forward for greater visibility of women playwrights!

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Registering a username is optional, but encouraged. You do not need to give your name or any personal details to register.

Everyone can contribute to Wikipedia, regardless of whether they choose to register. However, there are several benefits to registering a username, including:

The ability to create new articles.

Having an account gives you many extra features, including more editing options and user preferences. One handy feature is the watchlist, which makes it easier for you to track changes to pages you are interested in. Another is the ability to move or rename a page. (Do not move pages simply through copying and pasting as the edit history is not preserved that way. Instead, ask at the Village pump for a registered user's help.)

An unregistered user is identified by his or her computer's IP address, which is used as their public identifier when making contributions (and signing comments on talk pages). Your computer's IP address can often be used to find information about you, so registering increases your privacy by making your IP address non-visible to other editors. Also, because IP addresses often change, unregistered users sometimes find it more difficult to gain respect and recognition from other editors through building a good track record. It can also be more difficult to carry on conversations with such non-registered users since they lack a unique talk page. For these reasons, many Wikipedians consider registering to indicate a greater willingness by you to stand behind your edits, and your comments on discussion pages. This means your contributions to articles and discussion pages will generally be given more weight.

Some pages, such as this page, require users to be autoconfirmed before they may be edited. This ability is automatically given to registered users who have been on Wikipedia for at least four days and have made ten edits, but is not given to unregistered users, regardless of the number of edits made.

Only registered users are allowed to become administrators (also known as sysops).

If you register, do not forget your password or your user name. If you are prone to forgetting these, make sure you enter your email address as part of signing up, so you can have a new password sent to you if you forget your current one.

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The step-by-step process.

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Fills a gap; search for existing or related articles on the topic first.

Has a great title so it can be linked to and found easily and follows existing naming conventions.

Starts with a clear description of the subject; the lead introduces and explains the subject and its significance clearly and accurately, without going into excessive detail.

Is understandable; it is clearly expressed for both experts and non-experts in appropriate detail, and thoroughly explores and explains the subject.

Is nearly self-contained; it includes essential information and terminology, and is comprehensible by itself, without requiring significant reading of other articles.

Branches out; it contains wikilinks and sources to other articles and external information that add meaning to the subject.

And branches in; editors have found and edited other significant wiki pages which make mention of the topic and link them to the article.

Acknowledges and explores all aspects of the subject; i.e., it covers every encyclopedic angle of the subject.

Is completely neutral and unbiased; it has a neutral point of view, presenting competing views on controversies logically and fairly, and pointing out all sides without favoring particular viewpoints. The most factual and accepted views are emphasized, and minority views are given a lower priority; sufficient information and references are provided so that readers can learn more about particular views.

Is of an appropriate length; it is long enough to provide sufficient information, depth, and analysis on its subject, without including unnecessary detail or information that would be more suitable in "sub-articles", related articles, or Wikimedia sister projects.

Reflects expert knowledge; it is grounded in fact and on sound scholarly and logical principles.

Is precise and explicit; it is free of vague generalities and half-truths that may arise from an imperfect grasp of the subject.

Is well-documented; all facts and opinions are cited from reputable sources, preferably sources that are accessible and up-to-date.

Involves original writing but not original research; a Wikipedia article generally is the written work of its users; it will not violate another's copyright or plagiarize another's work, but its summary of information must still be completely reliably sourced; in addition, all quotes are marked with quotation marks and cited.

Is clear; it is written to avoid ambiguity and misunderstanding, using logical structure, and plain, clear prose; it is free of redundant language.

Is engaging; the language is descriptive and has an interesting, encyclopedic tone.

Follows standard writing conventions of modern language, including correct grammar, consistent verb tense, punctuation and spelling.

Includes informative, relevant images—including maps, portraits, artwork, and photographs—that add to a reader's interest or understanding of the text, but not so many as to detract from it. Each image should have an explanatory caption and ALT text.

Is categorized for better searching and easier grouping.

Has interlanguage links if possible.

May not be attainable. Editing may bring an article closer to perfection, but ultimately, perfection means different things to different editors. For more information, see our editing policy.

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The lead section(also known as thelead,introductionorintro) of a Wikipedia article is thesectionbefore thetable of contentsand the firstheading. The lead serves as an introduction to the article and a summary of its most important aspects.

The lead should be able to stand alone as a concise overview. It should define the topic, establish context, explain why the topic is notable, and summarize the most important points—including any prominent controversies.[1]The notability of the article's subject is usually established in the first few sentences. The emphasis given to material in the lead should roughly reflect its importance to the topic, according to reliable, published sources. Apart from trivial basic facts, significant information should not appear in the lead if it is not covered in the remainder of the article.

The lead is the first part of the article most people read, and many only read the lead. Consideration should be given to creating interest in reading more of the article, but the lead should not "tease" the reader by hinting at content that follows. Instead, the lead should be written in a clear, accessible style with aneutral point of view; it should ideally contain no more than four paragraphs and be carefully sourced as appropriate.

Further down on this page there are suggestions for word choice and sentence structure.

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Things to keep in mind for Saturday's Edit-A-Thon

A good article is—

Well-written:

the prose is clear and concise, it respects copyright laws, and the spelling and grammar are correct; and

it complies with the manual of style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation.[2]

Verifiable with no original research:[3]

it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline;[4]

it provides in-line citations from reliable sources for direct quotations, statistics, published opinion, counter-intuitive or controversial statements that are challenged or likely to be challenged, and contentious material relating to living persons—science-based articles should follow thescientific citation guidelines;[5] and

it contains no original research.

Broad in its coverage:

it addresses the main aspects of the topic;[6] and

it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style).

Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without bias, giving due weight to each.

Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute.[7]

Illustrated, if possible, by images:[8] images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid fair use rationales are provided for non-free content; and images are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions.[9]

"Good" articles on theater/drama according to Wikipedia:

Sonia, Vanya, Masha & Spike by Christopher Durang.

Songwriter for vaudeville, Dave Stamper

Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar.

Interestingly, none of the entries for individual dramatists has reached the pinnacle of this "good" designation.

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A wiki-memorial for the too soon lost Adrianne Wadewitz who died unexpectedly yesterday. The edit-a-thon movement, particularly on behalf of women scholars, theorists and artists, would not exist without Adrianne's  efforts and imagination. I only knew her through her posts, her articles and very brief online exchanges in preparation for edit-a-thons in which I was participating and the upcoming one I will curate, but found her to be generous, funny, and committed to rigor in digital humanities without being rigid in her thinking. She will be sorely missed and may we all do hard and conscientious work following her examples in her honor. RIP.

[feministwikiturgy]

Increasing the number of women writers is the key to correcting bias and scarcity of information, especially on content related to women, says Andrew Lih, author of The Wikipedia Revolution. Lih, a veteran Wikipedian, teaches a class on Wikipedia at American University. His students visit a museum or cultural institution once a week and collaborate with curators and historians to improve articles. He points to experiences like that of Tufarolo, one of his students, as a big reason why more women don't edit. "Wikipedia is not only an unwelcoming place to female editors, it's unwelcoming to most people," Lih says. "It's an old-school online community... and it has a tradition of verbal fighting and verbal debate. In the best cases, that leads to things that inform and inspire. In the worst cases, they lead to people feeling intimidated and uncomfortable." Several groups have worked to cultivate a more congenial atmosphere. WikiWomen's Collaborative and the Teahouse, a virtual tavern on Wikipedia, are forums to help support novice Wikipedia editors. Snyder of the Smithsonian says Wikipedia's gender gap reflects disparities in the wider culture. "When you look around the world at large, you see in public forums that men's voices dominate the conversation," she says. "We do see women needing more encouragement and invitation to voice their knowledge and expertise than men do. Men feel more confident doing that without the extra encouragement." By the numbers 21,095,702 Registered accounts on Wikipedia 129,828 editors have contributed in the past 30 days 8.5% Average annual growth rate of women from 2009-2011 32 Average age of an editor 22% of women reported an unpleasant experience while editing Source: Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation 2011 report.

BBC News - How can Wikipedia woo women editors? The BBC weighs in on women & Wikipedia representation & writing.

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Yesterday, John Overholt, Houghton’s Curator of Early Modern Books & Manuscripts, posted a job listing. He’s hiring a Wikipedian in Residence—someone who can serve as a kind of liaison between Wikipedia and the academic, cultural, and intellectual institutions whose source material its entries rely on. In this case, Harvard. The Wikipedian in Residence will, according to the job announcement, help to “expand coverage on Wikipedia of topics relevant to Houghton collections.” He or she will add sources for existing Wikipedia pages and create new pages “on notable topics.” The person will also “provide appropriate formatting and metadata (and OCR cleanup in the case of texts) to upload public domain content to Wikimedia and Wikisource, and facilitate the use of such materials by other Wikipedia users.”

Harvard’s Looking for a ‘Wikipedian in Residence’ - Megan Garber - The Atlantic

On one hand I’m really jazzed about this posting’s willingness to invest in smart, informed entries for their collection by which everyone in the public sphere might benefit. On the other, it seems symbolic of another alt-ac job that will be filled by an utterly skilled PhD who is unable to secure a tenure-track teaching job.

[ladyplaywrights]

D’bi Young

List of Works:

   Selphine Loathing    yagayah: two.womben.black.griots    blood(claat): one oomaan story    androgyne    benu    word! sound! powah    she

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This is a terrific Tumblr which I think was begun in response to DC's The Summit gathering that exploded all kinds ways last week. Such a great resource for our eventual Edit-a-thon to get these folks pages on Wikipedia soon soon. More on that action soon!

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Another slideshare, this time about Postcolonial Digital Humanities by Adeline Koh and Roopika Risam. As we think about intervention into digital domains for the purpose of visibility and diversity, it's key to remember technology isn't a pathway to utopia. It's already embedded in and an expression of discourses of power and identity.

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#The Summit searches for women playwrights

#TheSummit places to look for women writers: Susan Smith Blackburn list; Women's Project; INTAR; Jane Chambers; Playwrights Center.

— Christine Evans (@Christineteagrl) February 18, 2014