Sarah Jenny » ITP

Thesis Presentation

Sarah Jenny — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:31:16 +0000

The presentation for my thesis is available by clicking here.

You can download and read my thesis paper in PDF here.
Video of the presentation below.

Sex Worker Made Media – Collective Storytelling

Sarah Jenny — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 22:34:42 +0000

Here is the presentation I will be giving next week on the history (and importance!) of sex worker made media as a way to provide context for the sex worker zine project, which will be my final project.

Sex Worker Zine Project – Call for Submissions

Sarah Jenny — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:43:14 +0000

The Sex Worker Zine Project seeks to create a zine showcasing the diversity of sex workers’ experiences of all genders, sexualities, ages, abilities, nationalities, immigration statuses, races, and ethnic backgrounds. International submissions encouraged! This yet to be titled zine will be printed in full cover and will be available for sale with profits supporting the work of SWOP-NYC. All accepted contributors will receive a free copy of the completed zine. This zine is intended to be informal, informational, and accessible.

How to Contribute

Are you a current or former sex worker or someone who has experienced trading sex for money, food, housing, drugs, hormones, and/or other survival needs? We want to hear from you! Please submit your work on a sheet of paper 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ (ex. half a sheet of letter size paper) with quarter inch margins, full color (or black and white, high contract) page to our zine project. Please do not fold the paper if possible. Include on a separate page (either attached with a paper clip or leave unattached) your name (does not need to be your legal name), age, email address and/or phone number, and a mailing address should you wish to receive a copy if your page is makes it in the final project. Please state how, if at all, you wish to be credited for your work. (ex. Sparkley Stacey, John Doe, Anonymous in India, etc.) Be creative! Use pens, markers, collage, glitter, what ever way you wish to express yourself! You can use text or images alone or together. You can submit up to five pages but we will probably only be able to print one page per person. Your original materials will not be returned to you.

Your submission must be postmarked by May 1, 2011.

Can allies contribute?

We will consider submissions by allies! If you are an ally, friend, family member, child, parent, or partner of a sex worker, your story and advice is also valuable! Please consider submitting a page to the zine and please note if you are an ally with your submission.

Submissions by E-Mail

You can submit your piece by email if you are able (for example, created in PhotoShop or if it is scanned) at 300dpi resolution. Please email to: sarahjenny(at)gmail(dot)com.

Submissions by Mail

Mail your submission to:

Sarah Jenny
721 Broadway
4th Floor, ITP
New York, NY 10003 USA

Contribute In Person!

We will be providing supplies to make your own contribution at the International Day for Sex Workers’ Rights Potluck on Tuesday, March 1st in New York City. More information coming soon!

Prompts & Ideas for Submissions

Your techniques for self-care, ex. bubble bath, cooking a good meal, playing with your dog, etc.
Techniques for harm reduction, ex. getting tested regularly, tips for screening clients, strategies for staying safe, etc.
How To Be An Ally To Sex Workers
Tips for Partners of Sex Workers – how to be supportive, how to decide whether or not to come out to a partner, etc.
Illustrate your favorite work outfit
Illustrate your favorite outfit in general!
What does a bad day at work feel like? How do you cope? What would you like to see change?
Illustrate and write about what sex work is like in your city, region, or country.
Illustrate and write about what you imagine ideal working conditions to be like — ex. decriminalization, health care, etc.
Tell us about your sex worker community!
Parenting and sex work
How to create cross-movement solidarity within social justice movements
A list of your favorite support resources, books, magazines, and organizations
Anything else you wish to add!

Collective Storytelling Assignment

Sarah Jenny — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:54:49 +0000

What makes you feel powerful or empowered? Then take fifteen minutes to make something either on a computer or by hand (and scan it) — visual or writing or both.

Kat

Jenna

Najva

Notes from brainstorming session at C.H.A.T.

Sarah Jenny — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:59:53 +0000

Additional Functionality: Sex Trivia
Change “Advice” to “Ask a Peer Educator”
Add graphics and photos ex. photos of different types of condoms for the condoms page and anatomy diagrams

Thesis Production Calendar, March 20 – May 9

Sarah Jenny — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:40:10 +0000

March 20-March 26: built out from comps

March 27 – March 30: Populate Content.

March 29: present to youth, feedback on features, branding (tentative)

March 31 – April 3: Sex Tech Conference in San Francisco

April 4: Commit to branding

April 5 – 9: Figure out GPS functionality for “Resources”

April 11: Thesis Book Due

April 10 – 15: Populate GPS content

April 16 & 17: Take off for work.

April 18 – April 23: Populate GPS content and make website to accompany app.

April 19: Present to youth (tentative)

April 24 – April 30 – Thesis Paper, app edits

May 1 – May 8: Final adjustments to entire project

May 3: Thesis Paper Due

May 9: Present Thesis

Response to Jonathan Harris’ TED Talk

Sarah Jenny — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:45:36 +0000

In Jonathan Harris’ collects stories TED talk was interesting in that I liked the many ways he was able to share an immense number of stories in a visually interesting way. The piece about Bhutan struck a chord with me, however I tend to find it tricky when a person with white skin privilege from the global North (“first world”) travels to an “exotic” locale to tell the stories of folks who do not share his privilege. This is obviously something that I think about to some extent frequently, as someone with a certain amount of privilege as well. That said, while it is wonderful to learn about the desires of and dreams of folks around the world, I wonder what the Bhutanese people depicted in his project got out of it. According to some brief research I did following the viewing, the average daily income for a person living in Bhutan is $3.60 US. I don’t know much about the politics of Bhutan but have to question the rhetoric of Gross National Happiness and how that is or is not related to GDP. In a highly capitalist society such as the United States, $3.60 a day would be considered deeply impoverished. (Though keep in mind we pay prison workers far less!) I’d be interested in a less superficial presentation of the Bhutanese. What does this $3.60 afford them? Clearly we saw folks with tenuous or transient housing experiences depicted. Wishes are one thing, but what about needs? Some poignant perspectives came out of the project such as a desire for independent for women and housing security. The bit about documenting hands seemed superficial to me. The hands of laborers around the work are marred by calluses, scars, dirt, and sweat. This is the workers’ universal experience. I wanted more from Harris, but maybe what I was really after was Harris putting the cameras in the hands of the people and giving them space to tell their own stories. Addendum: Someone contacted me today to share her work with a participatory photo project where South African migrant sex workers documented themselves and their lives. You can see the project here.

Thesis Mockups, Round 3

Sarah Jenny — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:42:03 +0000

Thesis Revision v2

Sarah Jenny — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:25:20 +0000

HIV/AIDS & Social Media News Roundup

Sarah Jenny — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:13:43 +0000

HIV/AIDS News

Personalized Text Messages Could Boost HIV Medication Adherence – “A personalized text messaging reminder service significantly boosted antiretroviral (ARV) adherence over a six-week period compared with a standard beeper reminder system, according to a study published in the March issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs.”
Adults With HIV at Increased Risk of Bone Fractures, Study Finds
Maine AIDS Alliance Closing its Doors – “Maine’s only statewide HIV/AIDS advocacy group is closing in June after more than two decades of lobbying for patients in Augusta and organizing Maine AIDS Walks and World AIDS Day events. The Maine AIDS Alliance expects to lose state funding starting next year. Rather than try to stay open, the group says it will find a new organization to take on its advocacy duties.”
Indonesia: Closing brothels ‘won’t stop HIV’ - YOGYAKARTA: The National AIDS Commission (KPA) says that shuttering sites of prostitution will not stop the spread of HIV, but will instead make it more difficult to control the virus’ spread.

Social Media

Measuring Social Media: Who Has Access to the Firehose?