In today’s episodes of The Tragedy Academy, Jay welcomes Karen Laven. Karen is the author of The Other 23 Days: Scores of Alternative Uses for Feminine Hygiene Products. Karen walks us through her first menstrual experience and explains just how much she hated it. But, through this, she able to find the humor in feminine hygiene products, which then sparked the beginning of her 14-year long passion project.
Key Points:
• Book introduction
• Coming up with the idea
• Family support since day one
• The controversy the book carried
• Alternative uses for feminine hygiene products
• People with weird energy
Episode Highlights:
[01:15] Jay introduces Karen’s new book The Other 23 Days: Scores of Alternative Uses for Feminine Hygiene Products . Over 14 years and constant pushback from almost every avenue, Karen could finally complete her passion project, knowing that something in her never allowed her to give up or let go.
[02:16] Coming up with the idea was something out of the left field. Karen shares an anecdote of being approached by a guy who had started a publishing company in Minnesota. He asked her to write a book of great ideas for 1st birthday parties. Naturally, Karen presented him with a book about alternative uses for hygiene products.
[06:14] Karen tells us about the endless support she has received from her family, from the simplest tasks of her husband driving her around to book signings to then taking photos and helping with interviews.
[7:07] Jay and Karen both agree on the concept of importance; if you put a high level of importance on something, it makes it so much harder to obtain.
[08:31] During her time in Minnesota, Karen unveils to us how she got a stewardess role in one of the many movies being shot there at the time, just by simply writing a poem and sending it to the casting director.
[10:12] Karen shares with us the experience of getting her first menstrual cycle. She explains how she felt like a girl trapped in a woman’s body, comparing it to torture, and reveals how the side effects were so harmful she could not leave the house for days!
[13:13] Karen describes to us the hoops she had to jump through to get people to sell her book. People often labeled it too controversial, where even feminist bookstores were reluctant to house her book.
[18:11] Karen shares something she discovered while researching for the book – the first tampon was bamboo dipped in grease and lint wrapped around it. Ouch!
[19:23] Jay lists a massive amount of alternative uses for pads right from the book. A few being; deodorant pads for farts, duster, visor, moving sliders, even using panty liners to hold nails in place. The list goes on!
[25:00] Erick shares two notable books he had in his home growing up, including different types of farts. Further confirming that if there’s room in the world for fart books, then there’s room in the world of different pads and tampons usage.
[28:00] Karen shares with us how her kids are just now starting to think she’s funny and cool, at least just a little bit.
[30:52] Jay and Erick discover that they worked for a company Karen did the commercial for a company that Jay describes as “sales Nazi boot camp.”
[34:50] Jay, Karen, and Erick agree that some people suck. Erick shares a strange encounter she had with a woman he was interviewing for a job.
[38:46] watching people that I know doing in interviewing for a job
[40:56] Karen gives us a rundown between a Brenda and a Karen
[42:17] Outro
Karen Laven Bio:
About me… Me… ME! I am a former newspaper reporter and author of multiple books of fiction and nonfiction, including, Cincinnati Ghosts, Dayton Ghosts, Quit Bugging Me, and, The SurrogateWhoCleaned Up.
I am a public speaker as well and have given presentations at the Victory of Light convention and numerous libraries, schools, and facilities. In addition, I am a humorist and actress because I’m nuts. Before riding the stairlift in Med Mart’s commercial (it was exhausting), I appeared in the trailer of the movie, SugarandSpice, and was a featured extra on set for Drop DeadGorgeous, Joe Somebody, and many indie films. My favorite role to date is playing the mother of a killer in the TruTV show, PsychicDetectives(with ad-libbed lines!).
I also wrote and performed a piece for True Theatre at The Know Theatre in Cincinnati. I live in the Cincinnati Tri-State area with some other people who don’t appreciate me, Me, and ME nearly as much as they should, Should, SHOULD, and an ancient, cantankerous and beloved toy poodle. I am currently writing and compiling true stories for my upcoming book revolving around Ohio paranormal stuff including Crypto stories this time. Fun!
Sources Mentioned:
The Other 23 Days: Scores of Alternative Uses for Feminine Hygiene Products
Instagram | @karenlavenauthor
Tiktok | @theother23daysbook
