I woke up on Friday morning more invigorated and excited than I thought possible, considering I was waking up from a Tia Tequila-esque sleeping arrangement (push two double beds together and see how many people you can fit into a hotel room!), unshowered and still sore from driving seven hours across the Midwest, from Minneapolis to Chicago. And what was the cause of my joy, you may ask? The kick-off for the International Femme Conference! As one of the roomies and I walked downstairs to pick up our registration packets and search out liquid happiness (i.e. coffee), I found myself immersed in a sea of fabulousness - friendly smiles, shy and boisterous greetings, people with whom I felt instantly connected. Every time we would walk by someone wearing the conference lanyard I would turn to my friend with a "YAY!" It is a powerful thing, to be in a space with a large group of people who share some aspect of your identity; to have amazing, powerful presenters and keynote speakers articulate the unifying forces of femme and femininity; to be challenged to better ourselves, and our community, which reaches far beyond our social circles, queer spaces and fellow conference attendees.

Over the next few days I'll be putting up posts, recalling the immensely powerful and life-changing keynote addresses by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha , Dorothy Allison , Julia Serano and Veronica Combs, AKA Vixen Noir , some of the incredibly informative workshops (The Trouble with Femme History, Femmeizm Manifesto, Femme Community Organizing, among others), and the subversively sexy performances that occurred on Friday and Saturday night.

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