OK, ladies, it’s that time of year again – to begin thinking about vaginas! That’s right… VaginaFest 2005 planning is in full swing, and it’s time to get involved. Before putting together this column, I had a quick chat with V-Fest organizer Emily Foster, who filled me in on all the details…

VaginaFest 2005 will take place on Sunday, March 6, from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m., in its usual spot on North Park Way, in front of Bienestar. This year’s theme is “Panocha Power”, which roughly translates into “Cunt Power”, and reflects the playful, open vibe of this year’s festival.

“There’s a bunch of new volunteers bringing a lot more of a sex-positive atmosphere to the event this year,” explained Foster. “And there are going to be some great new discussion groups. For example, one is going to be a forum for women to talk about their experiences with healthcare, while there is an audience of medical professionals from the community listening and learning.”

VaginaFest, now in its fourth year, is San Diego’s only annual women’s health fair, geared specifically to meet the needs of lesbian, bisexual, trans and questioning women. The goal of the event is to demystify women’s bodies, and make healthcare more accessible to queer women and their allies. Planned yearly by local activist group V.A.G.I.N.A. (Vibrant Activist Grrls Invoking National Attention), the event includes workshops on women’s issues, vagina-friendly vendors, live music, guest speakers and more. Everything at VaginaFest is free to the public, and this year the planners would especially like to stress that all are welcome.

“We expect it to be a friendly, uplifting, inspiring day,” Foster said. She has already recruited a few local community activists to write and perform their own vagina monologues.

If you’re interested in getting involved in the VaginaFest planning process, it’s definitely not too late! Planning meetings take place every Monday night at 7:00 p.m. at David’s Coffeehouse, and are open to all. Organizations and vendors interested in tabling at the event are encouraged to contact V.A.G.I.N.A. to reserve a spot. Working on V-Fest is a lot of fun, and one of the best ways to meet our community’s savviest women, so get involved today!

Swing by 6 Degrees on Friday, Jan. 28, to catch a live performance from Jennifer Corday on the patio at 8:00 p.m. Corday has played at numerous Pride festivals, so here’s your chance to see her in a small, intimate setting. 6 Degrees provides an extended happy hour on Fridays, with drink specials running until 9:00 p.m., so what are you waiting for? Support your local lesbian bar!

And don’t forget, 6 Degrees is also the spot for open mic, every Monday, when Laura Jane and Laurie host Underground. Come equipped with your best poem, song or story and hit the stage!

I recently received word that Saturday, Jan. 22, is the VIP Party at The Flame’s women’s club, Candy. This means, all who attend will receive a VIP card, which entitles you to free cover at Candy and front-of-the-line privileges for six months! Mark your calendar now.

Bourbon Street still heats up on Friday nights for Ladies’ Happy Hour, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., with local songstress Ashley Matte performing at 7:00 p.m. Ashley entered and won her first musical contest at age 14. First prize was a year’s supply of Jimmy Dean Sausage! Pretty lucky, huh?

If you’re looking to flex your feminist muscle, meet a group of pro-choice citizens on Jan. 22 in support of the 1969 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade on the corner of University and Washington avenues in Hillcrest from 3:15 to 4:00 p.m. Signs will be provided, but you are more than welcome to bring your own!

If you’re interested in doing something locally to help the recent tsunami victims, join me in putting together a San Diego music benefit at The Casbah. I’ve been working with a team of people, planning a great show for Sunday, Feb. 27. We’re still seeking out bands, businesses and volunteers who wish to participate. All proceeds will go to help children affected by the tsunami, via UNICEF. If you’re interested in planning, playing, publicizing or just partying, send an email to queerabby@hotmail.com.

Support San Diego’s newest queer and feminist reading series and open mic, T.M.I. (“Too Much Information”) featuring Marriage, Kara Lynch and Stephen Remington on Friday, Jan. 21, at 7:30 p.m., hosted by Anna Joy Springer and Jenny Donovan at the Voltaire Street Space in Ocean Beach. T.M.I. is a word-performance show for homos, transfolk, hags, feminists, fairies, femme-ists, S.C.U.M. Manifesto Fan Club members, lesbos, queerpunx, womanists, polyamorites, tough old broads, baby butches, lesbian schoolteachers, second-wavers, anarchist cheerleaders, bisexual plushies, bois, feminist straight guys (who know how to take up very little psychic space and don’t think their ponytail will save them), old-fashioned diesel dykes and their friends who like to perform word-based work and watch writers and performers groove live on stage. T.M.I. is not your average spoken-word show.

If you’re a web-savvy dyke and haven’t checked out MySpace online yet, you may as well be living in the Dark Age! MySpace has tons of great groups for women; you can find riot grrls, DIY craft dykes, local musicians and more. Plus, there are a few groups created by/for San Diego and SoCal lesbians and bisexuals. Set up a profile today and start networking! Visit this column online at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link. It’s free and fun.

One artist you’ll find on MySpace is Pride ’04 performer Lauren DeRose who has a lot of great gigs coming up. DeRose will be playing Hillcrest Mardi Gras on Fat Tuesday (Feb. 8) as well as taking part in San Diego’s very own storytellers series, Acoustic Alliance, at Brick by Brick on Feb. 15 at 7:00 p.m. The Acoustic Alliance show will feature a variety of local singer-songwriters sharing the stories behind their music and collaborating together.

The San Diego Women’s Chorus is honored to present “Women Rising: Our Legacy through Story and Song”, with special guest artists the Black Storytellers of San Diego, on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 2:00 p.m. at The Center. The performance is a celebration of both Black History and Women’s History months, and will feature pieces that entertain and commemorate significant events in women’s histories, including the labor, suffrage and civil rights movements. General admission tickets are $15 each or two for $25. Student/senior/military tickets are $10 each, and children 12 and under are admitted for free. Tickets are available at the Obelisk Bookstore, ART TIX booth, through chorus members and at the door.

The Women’s Resource Center at The Center hosts Media Schmedia!, a women’s discussion group. Whether you could pass as a professional correspondent or are simply trying to keep up with current events, discuss, vent and plot with a group of intelligent women willing to ask questions, on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 7:00 p.m. The group meets in Room 2 at The Center.

Make sure to send all local women’s events to me at queerabby@hotmail.com. I won’t bite. I swear.

See you next month!