The Vagina Museum, England

Vagina Museum Team; Ashley Wells, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly

Summer's almost over, but we have plenty of things happening to thrill and excite you. Here's a peek at our September events, along with a few things that might be interesting to you... In-person events   Self Care and Sisterhood Workshop with Skaped Monday 5th September, 6PM Throughout our days we’re busy with hustling and bustling, so we wanted to slow things down and reflect and thank ourselves for all the work we do as individuals, and as a collective. Self care and sisterhood workshop is a way in which we will unpack the mountains of labor we perform, and simply devote time just for ourselves. We want to recognize all the love that we hold, and in turn, give ourselves some of that love too! In order to do so, we’ll create a supportive space for us to chat and embroider. This workshop from Skaped is open to anyone who relates to the label 'woman', be they non-binary, cis, trans or genderfluid. As such, inclusion in this event is based on self definition - there will be no gatekeeping. Fighting the Sex Misinformation Crisis with Sophia Smith Galer Thursday 15th September, 7.30PM Sophia Smith Galer, multi-award-winning reporter and author of Losing It, exposes a worldwide sex misinformation crisis where a vacuum of sex education allows myths about our relationships and our bodies are allowed to proliferate. She explores how everyone from your partner to your plastic surgeon may proliferate inaccuracies about sex, and what we can do to counter mis and disinformation - as well as the obstacles standing in our way preventing us from doing so. Femigami Workshop Saturday 17th September, 7.30PM Femigami specializes in hosting playful and thought-provoking workshops using the art of origami to create unconventional paper creations (including vaginas and penises), whilst facilitating conversations around body image, feminism and wellbeing. These unique workshops aim to breakdown stigma and normalize our bodies so that we can feel more comfortable and confident in our everyday lives. Femigami workshops aim to be inclusive and welcoming to all genders. Workshop attendees have ranged from 10 to 80 years old (no one is too young or old to enjoy making Femigami!). In this particular workshop, we'll be celebrating Sexual Health Week and we will be joined by an RSE teacher to get an insight into the sex and relationship education young people receive today, how it's changed and invite you to think about how it might look in the future. Pub(e) Quiz Tuesday 20th September, 7.30PM For the first time since 2020, we're bringing back the quiz-sterics live and in person at the Vagina Museum! Flex your trivia muscles and win prizes in this vagina-themed quiz night that will test your knowledge of the notorious V.A.G. Trust me, the prizes will be like nothing you'd get in any other pub quiz. Free resources for young people The UK's leading gynecological cancer prevention charity, The Eve Appeal, have launched their ambitious new gynae health schools' education program called Know Your Body. Know Your Body is a set of inclusive, interactive, age-appropriate and evidence-based lesson plans on anatomy, menstrual health, HPV and cancer and FGM (developed in collaboration with the National FGM Centre). The resources were made for 5–13-year old's and are available for teachers, parents, youth workers and young people to download for free: knowyourbodylessons.org Virtual events Period Drama! Saturday 24th September, 7PM Join us for a very special online event, getting up close and personal with Georgian women and people with vulvas: what they wore, how they washed themselves and their clothes, and how they coped with menstruation, menopause and disease. This event is a collaboration between the Vagina Museum and Jane Austen’s House, tying into their respective exhibitions: Periods: A Brief History and Jane Austen Undressed. We’ll be joined by dress historian and Regency dress expert Hilary Davidson for a deep dive into Georgian undergarments – from bare bottoms to heaving bosoms – and by the Vagina Museum staff for a physical examination of how we coped with our bodies in the Georgian era. We’ll finish with a pop quiz and there will be plenty of time to ask questions, chat, fun (and a little Jane Austen!) along the way. Cliterature: This Is Pleasure Wednesday 28th September, 7PM Cliterature, the Vagina Museum's book club, offers you a generous and satisfying fingering through the feminist pages. We’ll include a mixture of fiction, non-fiction, essays and poetry. Everyone is welcome and we’re open to book club suggestions. Our book club is led by trustee Niharika Jain. Our September read is This is Pleasure by Mary Gaitskill. A provocative, nuanced novella about power, consent and friendship - and a masterful fictional contribution to the #MeToo debate. This is Pleasure is an extraordinary work by one of the world's finest writers, and achieves more in 15,000 words than most full-length novels. Following the unravelling of the life of a male publisher undone by allegations of sexual impropriety and harassment, and the female friend who tries to understand, and explain, his actions, it looks unflinchingly at our present moment and rejects moral certainties to show us that there are many sides to every story. Vagina Museum events Abortion Rights Activist Bootcamp Want to be a pro-choice activist but don’t know where to get started?  Abortion Rights UK wants YOU to join their first ever Activist Bootcamp training program! Get tailored training and support from some of the most experienced abortion rights experts in the UK, design and lead your own grassroots activism project and gain experience in campaigning. People aged over 18 of all genders and backgrounds are welcome to apply. Find out more. Stay tuned, as we'll be announcing more of our charity pop-ups very soon! If you're in the area this Bank Holiday weekend, join us for a pop-up from International Association for Premenstrual Disorders on Sunday, or the Lady Garden Foundation on Monday. Warmest, deepest, wettest wishes, The Vagina Museum Team X