"If nobody menstruated, none of us would be here. 

It’s as simple and as complicated as that."

Hello! 

We are the Victorian Women's Trust, a Melbourne based feminist charity that advocates on issues relating to safety, economic security, and health. 

Over many years, we have been researching, analysing data and writing about menstrual health to break open the period taboo and provide a positive way forward for all. We are now ready to release our findings in a book called About Bloody Time: the menstrual revolution we have to have.

Menstruation and menopause is an intrinsic part of our health and well-being, however, the way periods are shrouded in secrecy and shame is anything but healthy. This has enormous implications for women and girls. If we want to see equality in our society, we must turn this around.

Written by forthright feminist Karen Pickering, and Australia's most renowned menstrual educator Jane Bennett, About Bloody Time is essential reading for anybody with a body. 

About Bloody Time is ready to be printed, bound and distributed widely.

But we need your help to make that happen.

Please pre-order your copy today.

Throughout About Bloody Time, Karen and Jane examine the menstrual taboo from all angles, supported by data and analysis, and thousands of people's real life experiences, weaving it all together to make a clear case for a menstrual revolution. About Bloody Time has been meticulously designed by Aimee Carruthers, with wonderful illustrations by Alice Lindstrom, Michelle Pereira, and Lucy Fahey, plus an foreword from feminist writer, Clementine Ford.

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"Periods have had some lousy press over the last few thousand years. They’ve apparently made us unclean, dumb, weak, bad, mad, dangerous or just plain difficult, and have been used as a reason to deny us education and political, economic and spiritual power. 

Even today, despite relatively good health education most women are still embarrassed about it and, unlike sex, it’s still not a topic for comfortable public discussion. For periods to have accrued so much negativity, one thing that you can be assured of is that something very interesting, even powerful, has to be going on."

Alexandra Pope & Jane Bennett
About Bloody Time: the menstrual revolution we have to have

 (Victorian Women's Trust, 2019) pg 18.

***

Why should the topic of periods and menopause be such a taboo? And what does the menstrual taboo mean for our health and wellbeing, and society at large? About Bloody Time seeks to answer these questions and more. 

Undertaken by harm prevention entity, the Dugdale Trust for Women & Girls (of which the Victorian Women's Trust is Trustee) About Bloody Time urges a drastic shift from shame to pride. 

About Bloody Time has been many years in the making. 
Here's a snapshot of the journey so far:

Research Phase: Oct 2013 - Sept 2015
To better understand the experience of menstruation and menopause, we collected data from over 3,500 women. About Bloody Time is an analysis of that data, featuring real people's voices and pathways for social change.

Writing & Analysis Phase: 2016-2018

After gathering research, we assembled an expert team to unpack the findings. Feminist organiser and writer Karen Pickering (pictured below left), worked in tandem with highly experienced menstrual educator, Jane Bennett (pictured below right). 

Together, Karen and Jane searched through the survey results for recurring themes and exciting new ways of looking at menstruation and menopause. The result of this deep investigative work is About Bloody Time.

Publishing Phase: 2019
This is a very exciting stage to be at! About Bloody Time has been beautifully written and painstakingly edited. We have been immensely fortunate to work with talented designer Aimee Carruthers, and artists Alice Lindstrom, Lucy Fahey and Michelle Pereira to bring this book to life. Now all we need to do is print it — and with your help we will do exactly that! 

Help publish About Bloody Time!
Make a pledge and pre-order your copy today.

Printing

For many years, we have worked with Anthony Pezzano, Director of the Print Department. We have a longstanding partnership with his printing business and thanks to his support—and yours via this pozible campaign—we will be able to print About Bloody Time at both a high standard and an affordable price. 

Distribution

We have strong connections with local bookstores and have long worked with Readings bookstore to promote feminist work. The team at Readings has already committed to stocking About Bloody Time throughout their stores. We also have the VWT team working hard on a distribution plan throughout Australia, which includes the creation of an e-book version of About Bloody Time.

We need to raise $15,000 by Wed 5 June so that About Bloody Time can be published. This sum covers artist's fees, book design and printing costs. 

Please make a Pozible pledge and pre-order 

your copy of About Bloody Time.

Over the course of this project, About Bloody Time has been supported by a variety of donors to whom we are very grateful:

Research Phase: Oct 2013 - Sept 2015

Supported by inaugural private donor, Bindy Gross.

Writing & Analysis Phase: 2016-2018

Supported by regular and occasional donors to the Dugdale Trust for Women & Girls.

Publishing Phase: 2019

Supported by regular and occasional donors to the Dugdale Trust for Women & Girls — and hopefully, you! 

We are at the very last stage of this project and 

we need your help to get it over the line. 

As a feminist charitable organisation, we strongly believe in paying people their work. If we do not reach our target, we will meet our obligations, no matter the burden. 

This is why we urgently need your support. 

Please — make a pozible pledge today.

Your pledge means About Bloody Time will be printed, 

made available in book stores and widely shared.

Thank you so much for your generous support.