The event comes on the heels of Eve’s recent announcement of the ONE BILLION WOMEN initiative, a yearlong action that will culminate on February 14, 2013, the fifteenth anniversary of the first V-Day. The goal is to have one billion women and men “dancing, striking, rising” across borders to demand to end global violence against women.

With a vision this grand and passion so high you can’t miss out on seeing these two inspirational women explore a subject so pressing and important. Right here, right now, basic women’s rights are balanced above an abyss of politics and religion that threaten to set women back forty years.

What will Isabel and Eve talk about? You can bet it will bring you to your feet and you will leave feeling empowered and strong.

Join Isabel and Eve at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif., this Friday, February 24, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person and include a copy of Eve’s I Am an Emotional Creature, which offers fictional monologues and stories inspired by girls around the globe—a call to action for girls everywhere to become the women they’re meant to be.

Click here for more information.

Isabel in Washington D.C.

A few weeks ago Isabel mentioned she needed a specific sort of person to interview for the book she is currently writing. It just so happens that the person she was seeking needed to be involved in a specific branch of our nation’s military. It also just so happens that my brother-in-law is exactly the person she was looking for. He fits the description of protagonist of Isabel’s next book almost perfectly.

Without giving anything away, I will tell you that it was with some excitement that Isabel immediately felt the need to travel to Washington, D.C.—our nation’s great capital—to meet this young man in person. Of course she needed also an assistant to travel with her, and of course I volunteered!  Ordinarily Lori or Juliette would fill this need in her life, and I must admit that I hate—HATE—to fly! I am very happy to stay home and hear about these sorts of adventures from afar. This time however I was so excited to travel with her and, well, basically hold the tape recorder, that I packed my bags and sat on her stoop until she relented and agreed to take me along for the ride.

I have never been to Washington, D.C., and I was so happy to finally see it. It is a beautiful city, full of the most stunning buildings. Every possible regulatory committee, federal building and department is there, all within a twenty-block radius. We stayed—wait for it—ACROSS THE STREET from the White House! The White House! Take a look at this photo I snapped from Isabel’s suite. We even saw the presidential motorcade leave the White House, which was pretty exciting!

White House viewed from Isabel's Suite!

Isabel working in her suite

On the whole, it was an interesting trip—a whirlwind of fancy digs, fine wine and stories of war and battles taking place across oceans, deserts and mountaintops, stories that we here will never fully understand. Unless directly affected, it is hard to comprehend all that has been lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of the stories we heard were heartbreaking and frustrating—full of loss and sadness.

Isabel and her protagonist at the coffee shop

Isabel, of course, will be able to sum everything up and tell the story that needs to be told. The research for the latest novel continues, and I am excited and proud to be a small part of it!

Me at the Lincoln Monument

Eve and Isabel in conversation, for one evening only! If you live even remotely near the Bay Area, it is well worth coming to hear these two inspiring women talk about activism, women and girls, and the power of stories. Eve is the Tony Award-winning author of The Vagina Monologues and founder of V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls.

Eve will blow you away and Isabel will get you through it. Together they will fill you with hope.

You’ll also get a sneak peek at Eve’s latest theatrical work, the stage adaptation of Emotional Creature, which will premiere at Berkeley Rep this June.

When: Friday, February 24, 2012, 7 p.m.

Where: Angelico Hall, Dominican University, San Rafael, CA. Click here for a map.

Cost: $35; includes a copy of Eve’s new book, I Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Lives of Girls Around the World. Click here for tickets, or call (415) 927-0960, ext. 1 to reserve. All tickets benefit V-Day. Learn more here.

While everybody else was yelling in front of the TV, she was in the kitchen preparing chicken curry, rice in coconut milk and a vegetarian stew that, in my opinion, looked suspiciously similar to her famous Chilean charquicán (recipe on it’s way to this blog soon, with video!), only without meat.  She added turmeric to this batch to give it an Indian touch, but that’s cheating, isn’t it?  I didn’t have the heart to tell her that Americans order pizza and drink beer when watching football. Her cuisine would not be duly appreciated (though in the end it enjoyed greater success than the 49ers did). I brought a tray of pigs in a blanket because you have to have something like that at a football game.

Here’s the recipe for Isabel’s improvised curry.  It serves a regiment and the rest can be frozen for an emergency, like the next big storm.

Isabel’s Yellow Curry Chicken

• A lot of chicken (let’s say 8 pounds) cut in pieces approximately 1×1 (no measuring tape needed)
• 4 big carrots chopped (not too small)
• 2 yellow onions, chopped of course
• 1 red pepper, also chopped
• butter and olive oil
• 2 pints yogurt (Greek is good!)
• 2 cups chicken bouillon
• 2 spoonfuls curry powder (yellow)
• 2 spoonfuls crushed garlic
• 2 spoonfuls cinnamon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon clove powder
• 2 tablespoons cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder (or seeds, crushed)
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, some kids don’t like hot food)
• 2 cans tomato paste (6 ounces)
• salt to taste and a little (say 2 tablespoons) vinegar; apple cider is good since it adds acidity and brightens the flavors

Sauté the onions, carrots, red pepper and spices in olive oil and some butter in a big iron pot for three minutes. Add the chicken and sauté until brown. Add the bouillon and let it boil 5 minutes at medium temperature. Add yogurt and tomato paste, stir and cook 15-20 minutes until the chicken is tender. If you want a thicker sauce, add 1 heaping spoonful of cornstarch diluted in a little cold water and stir.

Enjoy…and then ask everybody to pitch in on cleaning the mess in the kitchen. The neighbors may complain about the smell. Ignore or invite them for a taste.

Note: When Isabel says spoonfuls, she means to taste; exact measurements are not necessary and it is more about what you personally like—big garlicky flavors or lots of curry? Up to you!

Here is a picture of Isabel this past weekend using her new steam mop that I insisted she buy for the “Green Cleaning at Isabel and Willie’s House” campaign I am currently touting. I am switching all the cleaning products in her house to environmentally friendly/nontoxic products. (Recipes below.) OK, so I get it, when you go out—maybe you do a book signing, you eat at a restaurant, perhaps you are on a date with your excessively cute husband, Willie—you wear ridiculously high-heeled shoes that greatly increase your risk of falling to an untimely death…You don’t wear the shoes when you are partaking in a green-cleaning tutorial. Am I crazy?

Ahh, she is so frustrating!

Here is a simple recipe for a soft scrub cleaner that will replace toxic alternatives.

Creamy Soft Scrub:

• 1 cup baking soda
• Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap

Pour baking soda into a bowl and add enough Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge and wash the surface. This is the perfect solution for cleaning the bathtub, shower, kitchen sink, etc. It rinses easily and doesn’t leave a gritty residue.

Note: I mix as I go, using the corner of the sink or shower stall. To sanitize, take 1/2 lemon and squeeze juice into the mixture. The mixture will foam (just like scrubbing bubbles!) and it makes stainless steel shine like a mirror. An alternative to lemon is vinegar, which kills bacteria. It makes the mixture foam and bubble too.

Window Cleaner:

• 1 tsp. Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• Spray bottle

Combine all ingredients into the spray bottle, shake a bit and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important, as it helps cut greasy residue. This window cleaner REALLY works and leaves a streak-free shine.

Willie was at the office today and his new book, The King of the Bottom, is coming out very soon, so that is pretty exciting.

Here is my next big challenge: I am determined to intervene in Isabel’s footwear choices. See what I mean? This has to stop. She is injuring herself and I am worried about her. Surely there is an option for this woman? Sensible shoes are clearly not in her vocabulary or her closet but I have to do something. She will say I am a Berkeley-dwelling, bad-shoe-wearing hippie, but I can take it. I have been called far worse. Any shoe suggestions are welcome, especially from short, South American friends who are also crazy about their shoes. Surely someone else has had to go sensible? There must be a fashionable way to go about these things….

So, Isabel met Max this weekend and I worry she might try to steal him from us…Take a look at this photo:

Olivia, Isabel, Max and Nora in Isabel’s room (photo by Lori Barra © 2012)

P.S. Isn’t it funny how my six year old is almost as big as Isabel? Also, next week I will have a few thoughts on the auspicious date of January 8th!

photo © Lori Barra 2012

Last week I wrote about the Homeless Prenatal Program. This week I want to tell you about The Center for Young Women’s Development, also located in San Francisco. The CYWD pretty much rocks!  Take a look at the organization’s mission statement: “Our mission is to empower and inspire young women who have been involved with the juvenile justice system and/or the underground street economy to create positive change in their lives and communities. Here is one of their guiding principals: We believe in the power of sisterhood. We believe in young women helping other young women. We believe every young woman has the capacity to become a leader.”

Check out their website for an overview of their work and below see a few of the photos that Lori took of the staff and some of the women in the program. As a present to the young women and the Center, Lori offered to take some photographs. What started out as a few snapshots soon turned into a full-blown photo shoot that went on for 12 hours straight. For all involved, however, it was worth every minute, and the photos are stunning. The portraits of the girls tell the stories of young mothers, daughters and sisters, and of their struggles to rise in the world. It was a privilege to assist in this day and to see such powerful women be their beautiful selves. Here are some pictures from the day:

More from CYWD’s site: “The Center for Young Women’s Development is one of the first non-profits in the United States run and led entirely by young women. From the beginning, we have organized young women who were the most marginalized in San Francisco—those in the street economies and the juvenile justice system—to design and deliver peer-to-peer education and support.”

If you’d like to help CYWD achieve its goal, click here for information on how to donate.

photo courtesy of Homeless Prenatal Program

Over the last few weeks I have tagged along with Lori Barra, the executive director of the Isabel Allende Foundation, on some pretty moving site visits. (A site visit is a little check-in with the organizations that the foundation funds.)

This week I want to tell you about the Homeless Prenatal Program, a family resource center in San Francisco dedicated to ending the cycle of childhood poverty. To see a video clip of our hero, Martha Ryan, the founder and executive director of HPP and our hostess during our visit, click here. Martha is inspiring and beautiful and made us want to rent a truck, fill it with house wares and rush off to furnish the homes of newly housed families who leave shelters with little more than the clothes on their backs. While we can’t do that just yet, we are busy plotting to make it happen soon. (A little shout-out to my pal Ana, who does exactly that with her fledgling organization, Humble Design, which is located in the Detroit area. Another inspiring woman, but I digress…) We left HPP full of hope, happy that there is good news in this world, happy that the foundation supports HPP and happy for what we have.

If you want to help out, click on this link, read a little and give a little. There is a wish list posted, too, in case you’d like to move along some of that stuff cluttering your closets or garage. HPP gladly accepts gently used strollers (are they ever gently used?) clothing, car seats, layette items, blankets, baby toiletries and much more. Given that every expectant mother who goes to HPP for help is given a baby shower and receives a diaper bag full of all the things babies require, the need is great.

Can’t afford to help? Guess what else is needed? Bags! Plastic and paper grocery bags! HPP distributes hundreds of bags of groceries every week and they need something to put it all in, so drop off a stash sometime. They will thank you, I promise.

I’ll end this week with a quotation from Jennifer, one of HPP’s success stories: “I want to be able to give my kids the life I never had as a child.”

An unexpected and welcome addition to the party this year was Pia, who is visiting from Chile and is one of Isabel’s oldest and dearest friends. I don’t think I have ever seen Isabel laugh so much or act so goofy as she does when she is with Pia. The day flew by, with Pia helping to bake and decorate almost every cookie. Even though there was a language barrier, she always seemed to know exactly how to help each and every one of us.

In the evening, when we were all sick of the “damn cookies” as Isabel calls them, and the smell of sugar was almost too much, Pia kept us rapt with stories of ghosts, love and the mysteries of life. She would speak, Isabel would translate, and then we would either laugh or cry—sometimes both at the same time.

It was a lovely day and the cookies were delicious. I can hardly wait till next year.

Isabel and Pia