Cambodian Grrrl and Garment Work at the MCA

[anne!]

Friends Near and Far,

Summer is drawing to a close, which I hate, and with it will come the end of my Museum of Contemporary Art—Chicago 12 x 12 exhibition Garment Work. Holding this piece as performance project there has been a truly amazing experience. If you haven't had the chance to come out and talk about the international garment trade with me, there's still time: This afternoon from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 11 to 12:30 and 1:30 to 3 p.m. will be my final performance times. Or you can see a few images from the show at Democracy Guest List; read reviews at Miss A: Charity Meets Style, Chicago Critical, and Frau Fiber's amazing blog Sewing Rebellion; catch mention of the show in the August issue of Marie Claire; or read this really great interview with me by Amy Cavanaugh at CBS2: Chicago.

But the excitement never ends: September 3 sees the official release of my newest book Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh. Actually available now from Cantankerous Titles, the book's already gotten some effusive and charming reviews (as well as scores of emails, each of which has made me cry). Here are the highlights:

"The best travel book I've read all year... A story about how young Cambodian women began to make and distribute zines.  I found this part equally absorbing, and moving–the essential aspect of communication (and communication freed from commerce, imagine!)  a freedom of expression that is still so rarely used in these United States, even though we seem to communicate an awful lot about things that don’t matter that much. It struck me that even as a person who has been involved in commercial publishing for her entire adult life, I’d never heard the sentence that Moore tells her students: “if you want to, you can start to change what people know."—USA Today

"Moore comes up against some tough questions, and the responses, in a blend of memoir and investigative reporting, will be illuminating and intensely personal in a way that is uniquely hers."—The Indypendent

"Somehow Anne is able to discuss issues of democracy, freedom of speech, the global garment market, slave labor, rape, mass murder and a litany of other tough subjects and leave me smiling. That left me with hope that all we really do need is love. And a sharpie." —Viva La Feminista

The City of Chicago is hosting a release party with the Cambodian Association of Illinois September 13, and I'll be doing a reading tour around the country starting September 4—dates in New York City, Providence, Seattle, Portland, Olympia, and Columbus are already confirmed and available on my spiffed-up website. More exciting announcements coming soon—I'll send you all the official invitation to the city release party once it's ready to go out!

Finally, you won't want to miss this great Bad at Sports interview with Sara Drake, the artist selected for my Arts Network Asia initiative, IYDCPC—rather, you won't want to miss the opportunity to fund her cool Khmer women-only comics project. She's only $1691 short of her $5000 goal. She's got 21 days to get there, sure—but she can't do it without your help.

That's all for now, but I hope to see you at the MCA this week or out on the road with Cambodian Grrrl really soon!