Yelling "Vagina, vagina, vagina!" is a sure-fire way to get a crowd's attention.
And it was with just such an announcement that "Vaginas Speak," an open-mic forum at Espresso Royale Caffe, 527 E. Grand River Ave., began Sunday night. Women from campus and the surrounding community attended the event to kick off MSU's V-Week, taking turns sharing intimate stories, prose and poetry.
"We'll never get anywhere unless you take a chance and say things you'd normally never say," said Christina Lamson, a Lansing Community College student who read a few of her own poems at the event.
A group of about 25 people attended "Vaginas Speak," the first in a week-long series of programs and performances aimed at ending violence against women. The "V" in V-day stands for "Victory, Valentine and Vagina."
Culminating the week's activities will be performances of "The Vagina Monologues," an award-winning play based on hundreds of interviews with women on sensitive subjects such as rape or giving birth. The play will be performed by a cast of MSU students with all proceeds benefiting the Battered Women's Clemency Project in Ann Arbor.
"People don't talk about their vaginas," said Anne Bresler, organizer for MSU's V-Week. "Through the show and through V-Week, it opens up a dialogue about an issue that isn't talked about."
Bresler, an English and history senior, said V-Week organizers chose to start the week with an open mic because of the sensitive content and interview style of "The Vagina Monologues."
"We figured it was a good opportunity to give people the chance to talk about these kinds of things," she said.
Kelly Megel, an assistant director for V-Week activities, said she became involved with the program because she wanted to teach others about the issues that affect women.
"I felt like I needed to be a part of something that did more for women and empowered them," said the advertising and telecommunication, information studies and media senior. She said the events and performances help show both sides of women's issues by blending facts and statistics with personal stories and feelings.
Lamson said the events and performances can be very enlightening for all genders.
"There are so many women that don't know their own parts," she said. "You shouldn't even get past the age of 20 without knowing those parts or, if you're a guy, knowing what those parts do."
