By – Jackie Lo

Representation is as we all know is so important. And ME being a musician that is also a woman I have always looked for the other women in music to help navigate me. Whether it be female composers when I was studying classical music, women in rock bands when I discovered guitars and writing rock records, to all my fellow female radio DJs out there showcasing other peoples music. For you it could be looking for the other queer person in the room, or a person from the same country or hometown as you, seeing someone that shares a skin tone with you, or just has that certain quirkiness that just “YOU” …whoever you are. Even just finding myself standing next to other women at shows in male dominated rooms creates a connection that knows no bounds.
So, when I heard about this book, “This Woman’s Work: Essays On Music”, named after a Kate Bush song, and found it consisted of women writing about the female musicians that mean the most to them, I was sold! (It also didn’t hurt that it was edited by Kim Gordon, who I already felt connected to) She, and writer Sinead Gleeson both share their stories in this book.

“This Woman’s Work” consists of 16 contributors from all walks of life including Anne Enright, Fatima Bhutto, Jenn Pelly, Rachel Kushner, Juliana Huxtable, Leslie Jamison, Liz Pelly, Maggie Nelson, Margo Jefferson, Megan Jasper, Ottessa Moshfegh, Simone White, Yiyun Li, and Zakia Sewell.
One minute you’re reading about running into your idol Laurie Anderson in NYC and not being able to make words, or finding recordings of your mother’s singing voice before her illness, and realize your music teacher was one of the only beautiful memories from your childhood.
One of my favorite chapters was from novelist Leslie Jamison titled “Double-Digit Jukebox: An Essay in Eight Mixes” where she takes you through important moments through the mixtapes that were the soundtracks of her life.
Kim Gordon interviews Yoshimi P-We, Japanese musician, and fellow bandmate (Free Kitten) that she had always wanted to know more about.
In another chapter, Simone White will teach you about “What Is Going On in Rap Music, the Music Called ‘Trap’ and ‘Drill’?”
You’ll find out about the origin of Sub Pop Records from Megan Jasper and her journey from humble beginnings to label CEO. I was even able to study the Moog and the writings of Wendy Carlos as she yearned for her lost homeland, and live through dictatorships.

Ultimately I loved that each chapter is a different writer,on a different journey, and that it took me all over the world to see the musical connections through so many eyes.  It’s very nice to be part of a sisterhood that even the women I look up to look up to other women.