Mark your calendars for Sat., June 9th from 1-2:30pm for a book signing event with Krista Suh and Aurora Lady (the artist behind the whimsical art for the book)! They’ll be signing books, doing an exercise to discover you’re the hero of your own story, and answering any questions you may have!
Get a free book plate, stickers, and buttons with purchase of the book. Light refreshments will be served. Young readers are welcome too! Books are available for Pre-Sale in store + online now.
{ photo by Rachael Lee Stroud }
Writer, feminist, and craftivist Krista Suh is the woman behind the pink pussy hats knit by women (and men) all around the world. Her new book, DIY Rules for a WTF World, is a feminist guidebook on using your creativity to change the world. We asked Krista about the Pussyhat Project, DIY Rules for a WTF World, and craftivism.
What was it like when you first saw all of the Pussyhats together at the 2017 Women’s March?
It was incredible to see all the Pussyhats come together for the 2017 Women’s March. It was almost the perfect movie structure, because leading up to the Big Day in DC (and all over the world) I would see people wearing them here and there on the street. I would get texts from friends all over the world who were spotting them at the airport, in line at the coffee shop, etc. But the effect of seeing them all together on January 21st was thrilling, there are no words that capture it. I think that’s why the pussyhat was so effective, that yes, technically you could describe it in words, but the emotions go so much deeper than that.
What is the most surprising reaction you’ve received from the Pussyhat Project?
My dad’s reaction was very surprising. He started off hating the project – he said it was a stupid idea and he feared it would get me in trouble. Fast forward to January 2017 and he knit me a pussyhat! He is so proud and he really gets it, why it is important. He is definitely a feminist, but I think like many Asian American parents he was afraid of disturbing the status quo.
{ photo by Rachael Lee Stroud }
When did you first get the idea to write DIY Rules for a WTF World?
I’ve been burning with these ideas that are in DIY Rules for quite a while and was originally going to do a youtube show involving these ideas the Fall of 2017 – I had cleared out that whole season JUST to shoot these videos! Which was so synchronicitous because ultimately with that time I cleared out, I instead poured it into the Pussyhat Project which then led me to share those ideas in the book DIY Rules! My friend Leila Howland is a YA author and she was the one who made a book seem possible. I’m a screenwriter but my first love is books and I have wanted to write a book before I turned 30. It’s so funny that Summer of 2016 I turned 29 and thought “welp, I guess that’s not happening.” Fast forward a year later it’s July 2017 and I’m turning in the complete draft of my book to my editor, days before my 30th birthday! I knew I wanted to write a book personally, eventually, but I felt I had to do it after the Pussyhat exploded because I wanted to further inspire women to take their own ideas seriously and value themselves – because to me that is how we will smash patriarchy. The pussyhat is only effective if it is inspiring women to go into their personal lives and value themselves enough to make the world a better place for themselves and all women. The personal is political and the book DIY Rules for a WTF World allows me to get into the nitty gritty of what that really means, in a fun way!
What do you hope people will accomplish after reading DIY Rules?
I hope people of all genders, ages, races read DIY Rules and feel pumped – about themselves and what they can do for the world. I want them to feel excited about their “Chick Lit Heroine” journey and understand they are the heroine or hero of their own stories, and what they do matters. I call DIY Rules “your bad-influence best friend” because she’s that person in your life who is obsessed with you and thinks you’re awesome and wants you to just stop pretending you’re floundering, wake up, and take over the world already! This book, this best friend, seduces you out of your comfort zone with naughty fun and lets you live your biggest most vibrant life.
{ art in the book created by Aurora Lady }
Do you have a favorite rule from your book? Or one that you think doesn’t get as much attention as it should?
My thoughts always turn to Chapter 5 – The Valid Stamp. We constantly give our power away (I’m guilty of this too!) by asking ourselves if we are doing it the “right” way, the “valid” way and in that moment, we forget that WE get to decide what is valid and what is not. Patriarchy to me is not about man vs women or even masculine vs feminine but the idea that there is one right way to do something, and if you’re not a part of the current ruling class – guess what! The way you’re doing it is wrong! I want to combat that, and if patriarchy is the idea that there is one right way to do something, then creativity and craftivism is the direct antidote to that! We are all creatives and when we tap into our creativity we realize that there are multiple ways to get something done, and whatever choice we make is valid. That’s why a woman’s right to choose goes so much deeper than reproductive rights, we get to choose fundamentally how we see the world, (and for so long we have been conditioned otherwise). We get to make that choice, and that is valid.
Why was it important to write DIY Rules for a WTF World at this moment, and how does the book deal with the current WTF political landscape?
The world can seem so messed up that it feels like what we do doesn’t matter and that apathy is how the enemy wins. DIY Rules combats that apathy by fervently reminding you that you are awesome and you matter, and what you do can make a difference. Don’t talk yourself out of your great idea before you’ve even started! Don’t be so hard on yourself if you fail – because if you never try again the other side i.e. patriarchy wins! The book alchemizes a WTF situation into a DIY opportunity.
Are there other crafters/activists/craftivists you admire?
I admire all the knitters, crocheters and sewers out there who heard about the pussyhat or the evil eye gloves from a friend or social media or the press and lit up and said, “I will make this, for the cause.”
