From the Barbie parties she threw as a child (Ken was never invited) to the biannual women’s weekend on the Russian River, Carmen McKay is a long-time event producer. She and her partner Annie Albright own the event production company She She, which focuses on lesbians over 35.

McKay started the Women’s Weekend at Russian River nearly 30 years ago. It had attracted 6,000 women biannually to small, scenic community of Guerneville. Eventually, she turned the festival over to the community and it petered out.

This September, McKay breathes new life into Women’s Weekend, September 12-14. When McKay does something, she does it big. In 1987, at the age of 25, McKay was the co-organizer of the Gay and Lesbian March on Washington, which attracted over 750,000 people.

She also tours with her one-woman show “Elvis’ Secret Dyke Daughter.”

McKay shared her wit and delightful personality in an interview with Lesbian.com.

Please tell us about the forest fire that started your Women’s Weekend 2.0 Festival. When would you say your passion for producing events began?

When I was about 7, I used to hang blankets on the clothes line in our backyard to use as stage curtains and put my little brother in a dress (as my main attraction), get my girlfriends to rehearse a Supreme’s song and dance, then put on a big show for the neighborhood parents. So, I’ve always had an Andy Rooney-Judy Garland, “let’s put on a show” kinda thing going on.

It’s a funny story, back in 1986, I was setting up for a women’s festival in Yosemite and there was a huge forest fire surrounding our camp, 150 workers were trapped. I happen to have a Wonder Woman outfit with me (I never leave home without it) and a motorcycle, so, when the fire blew off the road and we had one chance to escape I led the women out on my motorcycle and took everyone to a resort in Guerneville, California — four hours away — and diverted the festival goers to Guerneville and had the festival there. It all took off from there.


I read that the festival was founded by you, Beth Jackson and Eric Pariser. You turned the festival over to the community in the 90s, what made you take it over again?

I’ve watched it over the years and was concerned when it eventually devolved into a smaller, less impactful event. It’s like watching your child go downhill or something. The timing was great as the previous local organizer was burned out and was not going to continue after last May. I really have a powerful, personal vision about bringing the festival back to it’s original glory. I don’t get those kinds of visions very often, but when I do, there’s no escaping them. I’m really driven by the possibility of recreating something that makes a difference for women.

What changes should the crowd expect to see this year?

OMG, what can they expect NOT to see? We are pulling out all the stops! We are reinventing it with a huge, professional marketing machine, headliner entertainment like Beverly McClellan of NBC’s “The Voice,” Suzanne Westenhoefer and Julie Goldman of Bravo and Logo TV, and Lorie Moore from Fox TV’s “The X-Factor.”

We are also bringing in popular local bands like Azucar Con Ache and The Average Dyke Band, and also flying in very popular jazz and blues bands from Southern California like The Steph Johnson Band and Tori Roze and the Hot Mess.

We are getting the word out through our promotional partners, such as Betty’s List, The Bay Times, Epochalips and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (which will receive 10 percent of our profits). Plus we have some of the Bay Area’s favorite DJs like DJ Rockaway of the Bay Area Play Dances.

There are so many fun activities, like our “Largest Single Lesbian Mixer in the World,” the crafts fair, flash mob dance, color drop, golf tournament and wine tasting. The theme of our festival is, wait for it, “Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” This is to inspire women to have permission to connect a little more, to swing out of their cliques and meet new people. We will be giving prizes from the stage all weekend for best stories about giving or receiving an act of kindness, etc.

From what I’ve read about this event, seems like it is catered to Baby Boomer lesbians, what is in it for the younger crowd?

We are targeting all women over 21. Women in their 20s and early 30s naturally gravitate to outings and events. They are all about partying and dancing and connecting and celebrating. Women over 35 have different values, generally. Women in their 40s, 50s and 60s want to celebrate and connect, but partying? Not so much. Given that nearly half of the population are Baby Boomers, it is a market that is not being directly served at many women’s events. Our diverse music and comedy and crafts fair will appeal to everyone during the day and the evening events are specifically geared for both age groups. From 7-10pm, we will offer music that appeals to the over 35 crowd, some old school, salsa, top 40 pop. From 10pm to 2am, we will offer hip hop, techno, house, etc. There is something for everyone.

Can single women over 40 expect to find their true love at this event?

Well, there will certainly be opportunities to meet quality, single women in their age group. We are bringing in lesbian dating and relationship experts from around the nation. Friday night, there will be a single’s mixer with Dr. Frankie Bashan of “The Little Black Book.” Saturday night, we have a single’s mixer with Mary Gorham Malia of “The Gay Girl Dating Coach.” We also have something special for couples on Friday night with the ladies from “Conscious Girlfriend.”

What drives you and motivates you to do the things you do for the lesbian community?

I dunno. It’s not exactly a choice. It kind of choose me. It’s what I have a passion for, and there’s nothing better than following your passion, right? It seems like things turn out for me when I am doing something that is authentic. This is authenticity on steroids for me. I guess producing lesbian events is my catnip. Plus, I am on a mission about fun. No one has enough fun, you never hear anyone say, “Oh, I need less fun in my life.” For many years, I had a management consulting business called “Serious Fun,” where I brought fun to corporate America, not an easy thing to do. I consider myself to be a “Funsultant.” I love creating events where people have the kind of fun they used to have when they were, like, 13. And it’s not about getting super drunk and passing out in your car. That’s not really fun.

What goes into planning where the event will take place?

All the events that we do for women are always done in a beautiful environment. With such busy lives, most of us don’t get enough time to hang out in nature, and you forget just how much being outdoors can de-stress and rejuvenate you. So, we looked at a lot of places on the Russian River and fell in love with the Monte Rio Amphitheater. It’s a gorgeous meadow surrounded by Redwoods and is backed up to a creek. And, it has a built-in stage! Really, it’s the perfect setting for the new Women’s Weekend 2.0 to be reborn.

Our evening dances are at the River Theater in Guerneville simply because it is the largest indoor venue in the area. We needed a venue that could hold hundreds of women throughout the night. Also, it has a knockout sound system and high-end laser light system that was purchased from the George Lucas Ranch Studio.

Give us a synopsis of day 1 and day 2 of the event. What will go on during the day and what will take place at night?

It will look like this:
Friday Night from 7pm to 2am, everyone will be at our private club (River Theater) for the awesome random dance party (for random acts of kindness). Women love to dance together. It’s not often women get to be in a private club with hundreds of other lesbians, pure lesbian protoplasm wall to wall.

On Saturday, there’s a golf tournament in the morning for those women that love to hit little balls with a big stick (I’m not a golfer). From 11am to noon, we have the largest single lesbian mixer in the world, where single women each have a piece of a sculpture that they will build together outdoors. Then the music and comedy happens outdoors from noon until 5:30pm or so.

Saturday night from 7pm to 1am is our senseless (for senseless acts of beauty) dance party at our private club with DJ Rockaway. Lorie Moore of the “X-Factor” will be debuting her new hip hop album, “Hot Diggity,” live at 10pm.

Sunday from 11am to 4pm is our good enough for jazz day at our outdoor amphitheater, wrapping up with comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer. We planned the day to start a little earlier and end a little earlier, so women will have time to drive home if they have to work on Monday. For local women, there will be a Lisa Sanders concert at the Main St. Station Restaurant in Guerneville, following the festival.

What do you have in store for lesbians after this event?

Our company, She She, which my partner Annie Albright and I own, produces events for women all year. We have a dance nightclub monthly in Los Angeles and San Diego. We do several annual retreats for women, also. We will be producing Women’s Weekend 2.0 again on the Russian River, May 15-18, 2015.

Where do you see this event 10 years from now?

That’s a wonderful question. The interesting thing about an event like this is when it is done well and is successful, it can really becomes a reflection of the best of lesbian culture.

It will depend on how women want it to develop. The foundation of the festival is that it provides a place for women to truly connect while having laugh-out-loud-pee-your-pants kind of fun, then it will continue to grow and develop from that premise.

As a producer, you have to constantly listen and watch for what women want, even when they may not know what that is, then you provide it. There is something so profoundly beautiful about group consciousness, when it is given an environment to grow beyond individual egos, some groovy things can happen. I can tell you that for May 2015, we will be bringing in even more art and culture to the event with a film festival and a theater production from the Los Angeles Women’s Theater Project.

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

The post She She revives Russian River Women’s Week first appeared on Lesbian.com.

In Lynne Fernie and Aerlyn Weissman’s award-winning documentary “Forbidden Love: The unashamed stories of lesbian lives,” 10 enthralling women give you an intimate look into their lives in a time when laws did not support them and women who loved women were considered sick and perverse.

The women in this riveting film recall beatings, run-ins with the law, life in the closet and more.

These brave women hold nothing back while telling their stories of gender roles, public displays of affection and raw emotions between women during an era when in America, everyone and everything but the white male was wrong. You fear for them as they revisit coming out, finding a sense of normalcy or even remaining in the closet.

The film also features excerpts from an interview with author Ann Bannon (author of “Beebo Brinker” and “Odd Girl Out”).

Although released in the United States in 1993, the film remains relevant, serving as a sort of collective autobiography for lesbians. Some accounts included in the film are over 50 years old, but I’m sure lesbians in 2014 can relate to the cat calls, the homophobia and the comments from family members who urge lesbians to find a man.

The documentary could do without the side-fiction story. Detracting from the authenticity of the actual events being told by these women, the film nearly loses you in the end.

This GLAAD and Genie award recipient gives you a front row seat to prejudices, strength, courage and ignorance. No matter gay, straight, black or white, all humans want to be just that, human.

“Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives” is not a lesbian story after all, it is a human one.

“Forbidden Love” is available on-demand at Lesbian.com.

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

The post ‘Forbidden Love’ shares vital stories of lesbian lives first appeared on Lesbian.com.

It’s a sunny Friday afternoon, July 25, in Hollywood, California. I am as nervous as can be. I arrive at the station hours before I have the honor of hosting the CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Lorri Jean. I have only dreamed of this moment for the last two years. I run up and down, in and out, peeking to see if she has arrived.

I finally settle in the booth and relax, only to be called to the front desk a few minutes later to meet the CEO of the largest LGBT center in the country. She greets me with a pleasant and genuine smile. She is dressed in a casual, black linen suit. She has a firm hand shake. We take a picture that we would later have to take again and head up stairs to the studio.

The modern day civil rights leader calmly waits as I prepare for one of my most anticipated shows to date. I feel as if I am fumbling around and apologize, only for the doctor of philosophy to tell me that she has complete faith in me.

We begin the show and per my request, this supportive and gentle spirit greets my listeners with her famous “Hello Riders!” We have a big laugh, as she gives the listening audience the greeting this year’s AIDS/LifeCycle participants were privileged to hear each night when she graced us to report the daily news on the ride. I explore the goings-on of the center and listen intensely while she gives facts and figures. This wonder woman knows exactly what she is talking about. I listen to her explain the fight to end an ugly stigma and the fight for equality. I immediately realize why the center has been so successful under her leadership. She thanks this year’s participants, riders and roadies alike.

Lorri Jean isn’t your typical CEO. She doesn’t strike me as arrogant, money hungry or power-driven, instead I see a compassionate, loving mentor.

We wrap up quickly, as her assistant said she didn’t have much time. Surprisingly she offers to stay around a little longer. I graciously thank her and we head outside to take our own much more successful “selfie” that you see here. This is her suggestion, by the way. This lady is so cool.

After interviewing Lorri Jean, I continue to be inspired to do more in the community and to fight alongside this ever-present pillar to end the AIDS pandemic. I could talk to her for hours about what she does and how she does it, but unfortunately, my show is only 30 minutes long.

As always, I was not completely satisfied with my work, but the CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center was happy when she arrived and happy when we said our goodbyes. That is what matters. She may be small in stature, but her spirit soars. That is why I believe the center will continue to thrive with Lorri Jean at the helm.

For more information about the Los Angeles LGBT Center, visit their web site. To join us on the ride, visit our team page.

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

The post Lorri Jean, a champion for change first appeared on Lesbian.com.

I was 37, maybe 36, not sure, and I sat down to watch a movie on Netflix. The movie seemed like it was telling my life story at the time. I was the host of an online radio show, so I looked into the star of the movie, mentioned it to the followers on my Facebook page and I was just coming down from the high of a very successful interview with another actress and my followers told me to get this lady for my next interview.

I researched this actress, got in touch with her and I finally talked her into coming on my show, but she convinced me to save my life. You’re probably thinking, what? Well, let me explain. She and a few others convinced me to take on the challenge of riding my bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles with a bunch of other crazy, beautiful, awesome people and if you know the state, you know that is a very long ride, almost the length of the state (545 miles).

So, I began training, which was excruciating. I saw this woman on training rides, she would even help me out on a ride or two. She inspired me in spin classes and not by doing much, just simply leading by example. I would eventually remember things like the way she said she ate, and more so, what she didn’t eat, when I realized I couldn’t keep up on training rides. I would hold on to something she said once about yoga when I needed to stretch more and like I said, she never barked at you or told you what to do, not even a suggestion, I just watched the woman who would become our AIDS/LifeCycle Team Goodisness captain, actress, badass and philanthropist Traci Dinwiddie and grabbed whatever I thought I needed to survive.

What I ended up grabbing was the deletion of meat from my diet, as it was weighing me down, mostly getting rid of sweets, bread and French fries, which I love. All of these things were gone, even before our departure to the Bay.

Everything went wrong before I headed to San Francisco to start the ride. My car completely broke down, I was laid off, one thing after another, after another, but I had to make this trip. I said I was going to do it and I never break my word, but it seemed to be more than that this time. It was like some entity was pushing me all the way and would not let up

Once in the Bay, I slowly realized what I had gotten myself into. All of a sudden I knew that I would not return to Los Angeles the same person I was when I left a few days before.

During training I had been the slowest person on every ride and people said the momentum will carry you your first day and you’ll be fine and so on and so on and of course, I did not believe them. We rode 83 miles the first day of the ride, which I finished every mile. I didn’t get off my bike to walk any of the mileage that day and that surprised me because there were some awful hills, even on the first day, but I peddled and peddled to the end and I swear if I could I would give you blow by blow, every day and every step of the journey, I would, but in the interest of time, let’s cut to the chase.

I have never felt so loved by so many people. I have never felt so in unison with so many beautiful people in my life. I was raised in the church and I have never seen so much love and genuine concern for one another. I rode every day, I didn’t finish each day, however I completed more days than not, but what’s important is that I not only learned about HIV/AIDS, but because of all of those wonderful people and all of my Team Goodisness sisters, I learned about me, my strength, myself and my life has changed because of this ride.

What I picked up didn’t wear off when I returned. I have made a radical change since returning to my hometown. I took a look at myself and realized I had been on autopilot my whole adult life and decided I didn’t want to live like that anymore.

I have since gotten on the path to make a career change, my diet and exercise have remained the same and I stopped consuming alcohol as well and the only thing I can credit is God, for weaving everything that led up to AIDS/LifeCycle 2014.

This ride has changed me from the “quote spewing, pick your spirits up and ignore mine girl” to the newly, “wanting to learn more, lover of you and I, authentic woman.”

This ride was what I needed to do, this was ride was my destiny and it smacked me in the face with love for others and myself. There was no way this train was leaving without me and I am poised to do it all over again next year.

I have 78 new sisters and one brother and they span over 14 countries and God knows how many states and I believe the bulk of us will remain friends for the rest of our lives. Join us: A group of sisters, with the exception of our one brother, from all over the globe and it is truly a family affair. When they tell you that you will never be the same, they are right. This experience will definitely change your life if you allow it. See you on the road.

Learn more about Team Goodiness or contribute to Dana’s ride.

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

The post AIDS LifeCycle: The ride that saved my life first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Ready to go! (Photo courtesy Dana Brenklin)

BY DANA BRENKLIN
Lesbian.com

As I begin this story, let me tell you, I am not a cyclist. I know no more about a bicycle than peddling, stopping and starting.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me begin. I host a lesbian-centric online radio show and after two successful interviews with two awesome women and supporters of the show requesting her, I thought I’d try soliciting actress Traci Dinwiddie. Well, once we began corresponding she invited me to ride with a team (T-Bugs) of people for AIDS/LifeCycle 2014, called Team Goodisness.

I’ve always wanted to be sort of a fitness guru or maybe just get in great physical shape but that wasn’t in the cards for me as a child or even as an adult up until now. I was something of a sickly child and adult, among other things, however, I am not anymore. So, I researched this ride and saw how passionate Traci was about what she was doing and after much thought and anticipation, I said yes.

For years I’ve said that I was going to be in the best shape of my life by the time I reached the age of 40. I claimed it, just as I claimed the year 2013 to be my year, just as I’ve claimed everything in my life, as I walk by faith, not by sight. With that claiming, I don’t believe it is in anyway a coincidence that I am involved with this year’s ride. Upon deciding to participate, I have had to change my diet and habits, just as I had intended before this journey dropped into my lap. I realize that this is no joke. I am not in the best shape. My diet has had to change, my exercising has increased, my coffee intake is less and my water intake is much greater.

The physicality of this undertaking is overwhelming, but I am on my way and nothing is going to stop me. I have never been able to take on a feat such as this in my life and I am nothing but grateful for the opportunity to give my heart, mind and body to such a cause. I am certain I will be forever changed when we sail through to the finish line and I know I will be helping my brothers and sisters suffering from HIV/AIDS live more abundant and healthy lives because of the money being raised.

So far, I have been on one training ride (28 miles) that I thought was going to kill me, but I am still here and more motivated than ever. Come along and take this daunting and exciting journey with me. I am truly inspired and I think you will be too.

Team Goodisness has a collective $300,000 goal to reach to help support people living with HIV/AIDS.

Each team member sets a goal for donations, which you can help them reach. Thanks for your generous support of Dana’s participation! To learn more about Team Goodisness, which includes Traci Dinwiddie, Cathy DeBuono, our own Shannon Wentworth, Nicole Conn and others, visit ToFightHIV.org.

The post Riding to end HIV/AIDS: Joining Team Goodisness and AIDS/LifeCycle 2014 first appeared on Lesbian.com.

“She Walks in Beauty” is lesbian filmmaker Nicole Conn‘s latest venture. Along with singer/songwriter Jen Foster, who contributed to the soundtrack and to “Elena Undone,” Conn recently caught up with radio personality Dana Brenklin to discuss the project and the process.

Conn describes her latest labor of love as “epic.” “She Walks in Beauty” has been in the making for two decades. Set to be released in early 2014, the script was written right after Conn’s first movie “Claire of The Moon” but with little funding available at the time, she went on to write the novel.

The process she says, is really her greatest driving force and she strives to make quality and wonderful stories for the lesbian community.

A bit unlike when Conn first started writing the script, this time around she’s had a lot of help, from branding, to casting, to assistance from the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. Casting abroad will start in January of 2014, but don’t worry, fan: she will be casting in Los Angeles and New York as well.

When asked about raising children and balancing life, the mother, writer and living legend said she doesn’t always feel like she is doing it well, especially when her daughter says “no more work mommy!” Conn’s film “Little Man” touches on her family life and her very special little boy who was born prematurely. An inspiring film, it will certainly pull your heart strings.

“Love is a very universal message,” says musician Foster, and “She Walks in Beauty” will undoubtedly be a great love story. Conn doesn’t just write for lesbians or the gay community. She tells human stories, acting as a voice for all who listen, all who appreciate their story being told.

“She Walks in Beauty,” Conn’s sixth endeavor, will show no signs of her slowing down. See you at the Oscars.

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

The post Nicole Conn walks in beauty first appeared on Lesbian.com.

INTERVIEW BY DANA BRENKLIN

Hannah Thomas, the queer, rockin’ country singer-songwriter is on the rise. Having shared the stage with stars like Amy Ray and Jen Foster, Hannah’s energetic presence and bluesy songwriting has her new EP, “Goodbye on Wasted Time,” getting rave reviews. She caught up with Lesbian.com’s Dana Brenklin to talk about her new tunes, a big tour and coming out in the country music scene.

Your new EP “Goodbye on Wasted Time” is great. How would you say it differs from your previous work?

It comes from a more honest place. When I stopped worrying about how to market the music, and started making music that I would like to listen to myself everything changed. Writing without a filter gave me a much broader canvas that allowed me to really open up as a songwriter. I feel like I found my voice.

You’ve got quite a few tour dates lined up. Is there any show you’re particularly excited about?

I am excited about all the shows, but September has some really great things happening for me. I will be opening a couple of shows for the , Girls in the Midwest, as well as playing at Sweet’s Playa Del Carmen resort (which will be my first international show)!

In January of this year you came out in an interview with the GA Voice. Has your audience changed in the way they receive you since then?

I think people can tell when you’re not being with honest with them, Since I came out I feel like my audience has embraced me more and is more loyal than ever.

Was your coming out a spur of the moment thing or was it something you planned?

My songs were already headed in a direction where I think people had an idea, but it was still very difficult to make the decision. I thought about it for a long time, but when the CD was about to be released, I figured it was time. It was one of the more freeing moments of my life.

In your opinion, what are some of the pros & cons to coming out in this business, particularly as someone whose music falls under the broad “country” umbrella?

I am very thankful for those that paved the way like kd lang and Cheley Wright, and even though I think there is still a stigma, especially within the country world, the world is changing every day. While I have to consider the business side of things, I try to never let it limit who I am as artist.

Often, public figures/celebrities who come out say they were told it was a “bad idea” to come out. What would you say to that attitude?

All the success in the world doesn’t matter if you are happy.

And what would you say to an artist struggling with whether to come out or not?

You know when it is the right time to come out. You should never let anyone pressure you to stay in the closet or come out. It’s completely your decision.

Has allowing your audience to know the real you changed your life or career, so far?

I have a more loyal following with my core group of supporters. I think they would come see me every night if I played the same place! I could have never imagined how great it has been and I am thankful everyday for that.

What would you call the biggest moment of your career so far?

When I think I have reached my biggest moment it just keeps getting better. In the past couple of years I have played in front of large audiences, had Amy Ray come sing on my CD, she then asked me to come sing on her solo CD and in September I will be opening for Indigo Girls (who have been some of the biggest influences on my career), I hope if you ask me again in six months I can add more to the list, but I have to say I am pretty happy about all of it.

Thanks for your time, Hannah. So tell us, what do we have to look forward to from you? What’s next?

WI am working on a video soon and have enough songs for a new CD, which I can hopefully get out sometime next year. And hopefully I will keep adding new places to the tour schedule!

Watch Hannah perform “Church on Sunday” live at the Red Clay Theater:

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

The post Hannah Thomas is coming out country first appeared on Lesbian.com.

“My Best Day” filmmaker Erin Greenwell (Photo: Janis Vogel)

INTERVIEW BY DANA BRENKLIN
Lesbian.com

Erin Greenwell is the filmmaker behind the hilarious “My Best Day,” a small-town All-American lesbian comedy. She caught up with Lesbian.com’s Dana Brenklin to discuss the film, her inspirations and big plans for the future.

Would you please give the readers a brief summary of your latest film “My Best Day” in your own words?

“My Best Day” takes place on the 4th of July in a small town. Karen investigates a phone call from a man she thinks may be the father she never met (she works at a repair shop and a client calls with his name). She drags along a friend, Meagan, to pose as a mechanic to answer the call. When they get to the trailer park, her father isn’t home but everyone else is — a half-brother who is tormented by grade school bullies, a half-sister addicted to gambling and her father’s live-in closeted lover. Karen has until the end of the day to get to the truth and Meagan has to decide whether she is going to choose her stable but “boring” girlfriend or a new fling.

How old were you when you knew that film was something you wanted to get into and what triggered it?

I was a very shy kid in grammar school and we had to give a presentation on a historical figure for class one day. The night before I watched “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” with my father and…flash forward to the next day wherein I swaggered out from behind a cubicle wearing a cowboy vest and fake moustache and announced “Howdy! I’m Butch Cassidy! I’m from the Hole in the Wall Gang!” I remember everyone looking up completely surprised. As I kept my presentation going, a part of me floated out of my body and was thinking “I can’t believe this is working!” After that, I became the class mimic. Anything artistic became my way to communicate and be brave. Then when I saw “Some Like It Hot” I was blown away. I could see all the different components to the movie and wanted to be a person that could put that together. It seemed like one big magic trick mixed with storytelling.

How far in the future do you see the realization of your ultimate goal of creating a business/arts school for women?

Now that I teach at universities and colleges I realize how many administrative things need to be in place to put it all in motion. It’s still something that has been on my mind since I started teaching 15 years ago. I still think it’s important but I’m definitely thinking in decades not years. That said, stranger things have been known to happen more quickly.

What do we need to do to create an avenue for more lesbian and/or LGBTQ movies to be made and seen?

I think it starts with LGBTQ filmmakers being encouraged by mentors to follow their voices and not be afraid to fail big while they learn how to make movies. Being able to show your work to audience members is critical as well as being able to collaborate with other filmmakers. I’m old school and hope the tradition of going out to a movie, even if it’s in a parking lot or a on a rooftop, continues because an audience doesn’t lie. The best way to learn film, aside from simply doing it, is sitting with an audience and screening. You can feel it in the air while watching with an audience.

Of course, supporting LGBTQ distribution companies and press is important because it fuels the exposure they have always fought to bring to us. Although I love the romance of showing in a theater, it has been equally exciting to experience someone from my hometown downloading and watching my movie seconds after posting about it.

Do you enjoy teaching film or the doing the actual filmmaking more?

I need both to get better at the other and I love both equally but if I only did one I think I would burn out. Students remind me why filmmaking is exciting and making films helps me bring back new life experience to share. Both are housed under the same agenda for me: how can I get a bunch of talented people united to feel clever and happy and work independently towards something seemingly larger than themselves? In that process is already the success of collaboration.

Who are some filmmakers that have influenced you?

Too many and all the time, but Billy Wilder was the first director to really hook me as a kid. Out of respect for not leaving someone out accidentally, I’m going to stop at Billy Wilder.

Do you like being called a lesbian filmmaker or would you just prefer to be called a filmmaker?

I’m proud to be called both!

LGBTQ characters and storylines are still not always the most sought after in mainstream film. How does this impact your financing and what has been most successful for you?

Receiving financing for film is just tough in general, even if you are making a romantic-comedy-bank-robbery-heist with A-list stars. It’s just flat out hard and because distribution is changing so much and distribution dictates investment strategies, it’s even harder. What has been the most successful for me is getting obsessed with making a script, putting my blinders on and just doing it. Not a very practical business model, which has obviously given me angst and debt over the years, hence my desire to have a business/arts school for women. I would sit in on a class. But in all seriousness, it’s just competitive beyond belief, even if you are a “sell out.” The best advice I would give is to love what you are competing for.

What was your greatest moment at the Sundance Film Festival?

Going to the queer filmmaker’s brunch was powerful because while we were introducing our movies, I looked out and saw programmers from Outfest, Frameline and Newfest that have supported my work since I graduated as an undergrad from college. It made me realize how important mentorship is for LGBTQ filmmakers because if I didn’t have the chance to screen my work, I would never get exposure to better work from more experienced queer filmmakers, meet other filmmakers, and be supported by programmers who were slowly watching me grow over years and years. And again, filmmaking is hard for everyone but all of us there were in the same boat of being proud to be still standing. Most of us started with scrappy self-produced shorts and recognized each other from those festivals over the years.

How do you come up with some of the characters you have created? Are any of them based on real life experiences?

It’s always a mishmash of what happened, what I wished happened or what I could never imagine happening to me but would be interesting. Sometimes it will start with a line of dialogue, or a single scene or even an ending or a beginning. If the image or dialogue or character won’t go away, I slowly start looping scenarios in towards a larger structure.

What is next for you?

I am currently developing a script I will direct called “Somewhere Along the Way.” It’s a classic love triangle between two butches and one femme set against the lesbian bar scene in the 1950s. I recently work shopped it at Outfest’s Screenwriter’s Lab. I wrote the script in the 1990s actually and recently picked it back up. Again, I think in decades, not years, but stranger things have been known to happen quickly.

Check out Erin’s film “My Best Day” on demand.

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based musician, writer and radio personality. Her radio show, The Dana Brenklin Show, airs Thursdays at 9 AM PST on kclaFM.com

The post Lesbian film buffs, meet Erin Greenwell first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Clark and Niven

LESBIAN.COM STAFF

‘A Perfect Ending’ is director Nicole Conn’s steamy love story starring Barbara Niven and Jessica Clark. Niven plays Rebecca, the perfect wife in a wealthy family. But Rebecca has secrets that are unleashed through her encounters with a beautiful and talented escort, Paris (Clark). The film is artistically shot, raw, romantic and sometimes mysterious. Love and passion know no boundaries.

L.A. radio personality Dana Brenklin recently interviewed Nicole Conn and had this to say about the film:

The face behind the voice: Interviewer and reviewer Dana Brenklin

“A love story unlike any other love story! Never have I seen such a film, with such raw emotions, raw videography and so authentic in its performances. When you think about it, what other way can you tell a love story? Although it’s not your typical romance, it’s a love story all the same. Barbara Niven soars in ‘A Perfect Ending.’ Fans of hers, fans of love, fans of movies have been waiting for a movie with such genuine material, such natural acting and palpable performances ultimately given by leading ladies Barbara Niven and Jessica Clark. Nicole Conn has created a masterpiece with this movie and no two actresses could have played this part but the two who did.

“Nicole said she waited over 25 years to cast Barbara, and this was it: the part Barbara was born to play, and Jessica to play opposite. The perfect ending for two friends looking for an avenue to create together.”

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

The post Dana Brenklin reviews ‘A Perfect Ending’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.