Contents
BIRTH OF A

CONFERENCE

July 18 - 20, 1997
Chicago, Illinois, USA

BIRTH OF A BASTARD NATION
Conference

Education, Fun, Empowerment!

Howard Johnsons O'Hare International
Registration &
Hotel reservation info.
We are pleased to announce as our Keynote speaker, veteran activist Randy Shaw, author of The Activist's Handbook and Supervising Attorney of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic in San Francisco. He will give the Keynote on Friday morning and will be available to sign books and discuss grassroots activism at the conference.

*APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES OF TACTICAL ACTIVISM:
Fostering the growth and political clout of Bastard Nation
Activist/Attorney/Author Randy Shaw

Conference schedule:

FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1997:

9:30-10:30am: Welcome, Intros, Announcements

10:30-Noon General Session

*APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES OF TACTICAL ACTIVISM:
Fostering the growth and political clout of Bastard Nation
-- Activist/Attorney/Author Randy Shaw

12-3:00 p.m.

SEALED RECORDS PROTEST!!!
Bring 10 copies of your amended birth certificate!
Bring your adoption and search stories.
Pizza will be delivered to the site.
Place to be revealed at the conference.

3-3:30 pm:

* BOOK/MERCHANDISE TABLES
Authors Mary Martin Mason, Randy Shaw, Mirah Ribin and others will be on hand with copies of their books for sale. Purchase BN tshirts, pins, bumper stickers and peruse the raffle items that will be distributed on Sunday.

3.30-5:00 p.m. 1st Session:

* HUMOR AND ADOPTION:
Slide show, comedy and interactive parody poetry writing workshop
-- Adoptee/Cartoonist Charles Filius and Adoptee Damsel Plum

*ART FOR ADOPTEES:
A hands-on workshop in artistic expression for adoptees.
-- Adoptee/Art Therapist Helen Hill

5:00 - 6.30 p.m. 2nd Session

* ARE YOU ADOPTED? ARE YOU SURE?:
Discovering as an adult that you are adopted.
-- Adoptee Ron Morgan

6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Dinner On Your Own

8:30-10:00pm Friday Night at the Movies

* UNLOCKING THE HEART OF ADOPTION:
An original documentary on adoption and the open records movement by Birthmother-Filmmaker Sheila Ganz

SATURDAY, JULY 19, 1997:

9:30-10:30am: 4th Session:

* BRINGING BIRTHFATHERS OUT OF THE SHADOWS:
Mystery man, sperm fathers, roving inseminators-- birthfathers are stigmatized by many names.
--- Adoptive mother/adoptee and author of Out of the Shadows : Birthfathers' Stories, Mary Martin Mason

* KNOW THINE ENEMY:
An examination of the political and ideological forces behind the anti-adoptee movement.
-- Adoptees/Activists Marley Greiner and Carolyn Evaine Shaw

10:30-11:00am:

* BOOK/MERCHANDISE TABLES Authors Mary Martin Mason, Randy Shaw, Mirah Ribin and others will be on hand with copies of their books for sale. Purchase BN tshirts, pins, bumper stickers and peruse the raffle items that will be distributed on Sunday.

11-12:30 6th session:

* COPS ARE OUR FRIENDS!:
Training for confrontations with the men and women in blue
-- Adoptee/Activist Ian K. Hagemann

* 12 STEPS TO BASTARDY:
Stages of development from "Do-bee" to Proud Bastard Activist -- Adoptee/Activist Denise Castellucci

12:30-2:00 p.m. - Lunch On Your Own

2-3:30 p.m. - 7th session

* ACTIVISM IS FUN!:
A hands-on humor-filled workshop on adoptee empowerment and real-time outreach. Includes Internet and offline activism.
-- Adoptee-activist Damsel Plum

* THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY AND OPEN RECORDS:
An exploration of the legal concept of the right to privacy in light of the TN pro-open records opinion
--Adoptee-Activist Shea Grimm
3:30-4:00pm:

* BOOK /MERCHANDISE TABLES
* SNACKS

4:00-5:30 p.m. - 8th Session:

* SEARCH & REUNION'S PLACE IN THE OPEN RECORDS MOVEMENT:
What is their role and to what extent are they relevant to the issue of adoptee civil rights? The T.I.E.S. Program (Terminal Illness Emergency Search)
-- Adoptee/Activists Denise Castellucci and Deb Schwarz

* THE MYTHS OF BASTARDY:
An examination of the myths of bastardy as reflected in myth and literature.
--- Bastard-scholar Dr. Carolyn Kraus

6.30 - ? - NIGHT ON THE TOWN WITH B.N.
Join the Bastards at Medieval Times in Schaumberg for dinner, jousting and a jolly good time. $39.00 includes dinner, show, tip and 2 soft drinks.. Email us to reserve a space or let us know at the conference if you plan to attend.

* SECRETS AND LIES * : A video of this award-winning film on search and reunion in an open-records nation will be available for private viewing in the Bastard Nation room each evening of the conference. Directed by Mike Leigh. The BN Sealed Records = Secrets & Lies Campaign.

SUNDAY, JULY 20th, 1997

10.00 - 12.00 p.m. -

BASTARD NATION AWARDS BREAKFAST
Recognizing those who have contributed above and beyond the call of duty to Bastard Nation in the past year. Also:

BASTARD BOUTIQUE RAFFLE!
Legitimate Goods at Illegitimate Prices!
Items donated so far include: 1 year American Adoption Congress membership, HTML and web design books, BN buttons and T-shirts, autographed copies of "The Activist's Handbook" and "Out of the Shadows : Birthfathers' Stories", an hour-long phone consultation on any adoption-related issue with Dr. Joyce MaGuire Pavao, and MORE...
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