“Words of Choice DVD” Launch in NYC, Oct. 19, Puts Abortion, Women’s Rights in Forefront

The DVD version of “Words of Choice,” released in time for the primary campaign season, will be launched at a Screening and Reception on October 19, 2007 at 7 pm at The Helen Mills Theater, 139 W. 26th Street in Manhattan. The DVD tells stories of women’s lives and puts the struggle for reproductive justice in the forefront at a critical time.

Joining in a post-screening discussion will be Emily Lyons, the Alabama nurse who was bombed at the clinic where she worked, and Angela Bonavoglia, author of “The Choices We Made,” a book of interviews with celebrities and others about their abortion decisions. Cindy Cooper, creator of Words of Choice, will moderate.

The “Words of Choice DVD” is an adaptation of a widely-seen stage performance that has toured to approximately 50 cities and 20 states. The stories in it -- humorous, poignant and serious -- are compiled from a dozen writers and cover hot-button topics ranging from abortion to emergency contraception, the Religious Right and stem-cell research. In one selection, a pregnant teen tries to remember the phone number of a one-night stand; in another, a man talks about his feelings after his daughter is raped.

The DVD “transforms embattled discussions about choice into honest, heartbreaking and witty insights on real women and their lives,” said Barbara Becker, founder of Equal Shot, a New York communications firm for social justice issues. “It leaves you with renewed hope and passion,” she said.

The 2008 political campaigns, already in gear, will have an exceptional impact on women’s futures. The next president, members of Congress, governors and state legislators will be charged with a multitude of decisions that will affect access to reproductive health care and the right to privacy.

The “Words of Choice DVD” is especially useful for college, activist, and community groups, said Cooper. “These stories help people connect real-life experiences to issues in the news. The DVD opens new conversations about the importance of reproductive freedom in this country.”

Produced by Linda (Sam) Haskins of Take Ten Productions in Kansas, the DVD includes photography by Dorothy Fadiman, Bettye Lane and Lisa Link, interviews with activists, and a Discussion Guide. Featured actors are Thomasina Clarke, Kimberly Mason and Jacqueline Masei; writers include Kathy Najimy, Kathleen Tolan, Michael David Quinn, Sherica White, Emile Townes, Judith Arcana, “The Onion,” and Alix Olson, as well as Bonavoglia and Lyons. The DVD is istributed by the National Film Network.

Tickets to the “Words of Choice DVD” Launch are available at www.brownpapertickets.com. Prices are by voluntary donation of $10/$25/$50.

Words of Choice is also planning “An Evening of New Works by Words of Choice” on October 28 at 7 pm and a Creativity Workshop on October 28 at 2 pm. See the website for details.

For more information: www.wordsofchoice.org.

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C. Cooper

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