Women's History Authors and Presenters
National Authors and Presenters
National Authors & Presenters are available to travel across the country. These performers are willing and able to travel to your state to be a part of your program (as negotiated).
Achamma Chandersekaran
8412 Tysons Trace Court, Vienna, VA 22182
Website: www.achammachander.com
Email: achandersekaran@hotmail.com
Description: A literacy level of 92 percent may sound unbelievable anywhere, but in the southwestern coastal state of Kerala, India, where Malayalam is the language, it is a fact. That level of literacy engenders a culture that bequeaths a rich literary tradition worthy of translation. “Daughters of Kerala” is a collection of short stories by award winning Malayalam authors translated into English. The original stories, written over a period of seventy years, depict the lives of women there-- women who are poor, rich, educated, not so educated, married, divorced and unmarried. Everyone who reads the book will identify with one story or other. The Dean of International Studies at Santa Monica College expressed that point saying: “We read to transport ourselves to another place, yet come to find ourselves in these stories.” The stories have an additional appeal—most of them face up to social issues that remain relevant even today.
In her presentation on “Daughters of Kerala” Achamma Chandersekaran explains Kerala’s unique culture and customs as they relate to the stories in the book in an interesting and insightful fashion. She has toured the United States, Canada and India speaking about “Daughters of Kerala.” At the last NWSA conference in California she spoke about the Unique Dimension Provided by “Daughters of Kerala” in Developing Women’s Studies as a Transnational Project. Please visit www.amazon.com and www.achammachander.com for more information and reviews.
Availability: National
Penny Colman
138 Knickerbocker Rd.
Englewood NJ, 07631
Phone: 201-568-6052
Website: www.pennycolman.com
Email:pennycolman@gmail.com
Description: Celebrating Women! A dynamic, multimedia PowerPoint presentation of photographs enlivened by award-winning author Penny Colman’s narration and commentary. For fifteen years, Colman has traveled throughout America to parks, cemeteries, historic sites, city streets, buildings, nature preserves, gardens, etc. to locate and photograph monuments, markers, and memorials to historic women. Now, she has compiled her extraordinary collection of photographs into an entertaining, informative, and inspiring presentation that can be adapted to suit different venues. Colman is the author of many biographies and social histories including Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front In World War II and Adventurous Women: Eight True Stories about Women Who Made a Difference.
Availability: National
Robert P. J. Cooney, Jr
P.O. Box 8403
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
Phone: (831) 423-8436
Fax: (831) 423-3083
Email: RobertCooney@ebold.com
Website: www.AmericanGraphicPress.com
Description: Robert P. J. Cooney, Jr. has studied the historic drive to win the vote by American women for over 15 years. After attending the University of Santa Clara in California, he joined the staff of the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence in Palo Alto where he designed and co-edited “The Power of the People: Active Nonviolence in the United States” (Peace Press: 1977). This illustrated history traced nonviolent tactics and philosophy throughout U.S. history from William Penn to Martin Luther King, Jr., and awakened an interest in the woman suffrage movement. Moving to Pt. Reyes Station in 1977, he opened Robert Cooney Graphic Design and subsequently created hundreds of books, publications, and special projects for commercial and non-profit clients. In 1993 he started the Woman Suffrage Media Project to coordinate and further efforts to popularize this little known part of American history. He also began research for a photographic history of the suffrage movement, and over the following years visited or corresponded with major libraries and historical societies across the country. Recipient of a research grant from The Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard, he served as a researcher and consultant for several suffrage related books, publications, and films including the PBS documentary, “One Women, One Vote.” After over a decade of work, he completed the lavishly illustrated, 500 page history, “Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement,” full of facts and images documenting women’s early political achievements. The book received glowing reviews and was recommended as an essential resource for the nation’s public and school libraries. He has spoken at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Constitution Center, and the Library of Congress, emphasizing in particular the successful grassroots political campaigns suffragists waged between 1910 and 1920. Mr. Cooney received the “Write Women Back Into History” Award in 2005 from the National Women’s History Project in recognition of his work uncovering this empowering chapter in American history. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, he lives with his wife in Santa Cruz, California and is available to speak in California and nationally about this important part of American history.
Availability: National
Lisa Frederiksen-Bohannon
849 Middle Ave
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Phone: 650-345-8222
Website: http://www.lfbohannon.com
Email: lfredbohan@aol.com
Description: Lisa Frederiksen-Bohannon has published several books and articles for teens and parents, drawing on her longtime interests in politics and history. Her presentation which she tailors for audiences of any age is:
The 155+ Year Campaign for Women's Rights: Are We There, Yet?
Who would have guessed that the struggle to secure a woman's basic civil rights -- equal pay for equal work, access to an equal education, legal protection from sexual harassment and domestic violence, the right to practice birth control, the right to sit on a jury or before a jury of her peers, the right to work during and after pregnancy, the opportunity and right to play competitive sports and the right to own one's own property or secure one's own credit without a mail co-signer -- "officially" began in 1848? Or that the legislation to mandate these rights took until the last one-third of the 20th century? Or that legislative and societal efforts to erode some of those basic rights are underway, today? And, what is the impact of that erosion -- not only on women, but on men, daughters, sons and the American family?
Lisa Frederiksen Bohannon takes attendees of her program through the highlights of this campaign using a dynamic powerpoint presentation and readings from three of her biographies, Women's Rights and Nothing Less: the Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Failure is Impossible, the Story of Susan B. Anthony and Women's Work, the Story of Betty Friedan. As a woman who "came of age" during the legislative period of the 155+ year campaign for women's rights and a parent to six teens now facing their own futures, Frederiksen Bohannon brings a unique perspective to the program's concluding discussion, "Are we there, yet?
For more information visit www.lfbohannon
Availability: National
Tret Fure
PO Box 8024
Madison, WI 53708
Website: www.tretfure.com
Email: tret@tretfure.com
Description: Tret has been a part of the world of women's music and folk music for 35 years. Not only has she pursued a music career with the utmost integrity, she has also pioneered the world of women in music production and engineering. In the 70s, she was one of the first women recording engineers in Los Angeles, where she worked for 12 years as a studio engineer. She also has produced countless records including her own as well as June Millington, Cris Williamson and the well-loved "Meg & Cris at Carnegie Hall" She continues to tour and produce, bringing her music and her talent to the world through personal and political songs, storytelling and musical sound expression. She produces women artists in Madison, WI through her production company, Tomboy girl Productions, and runs a retail business in Madison, Tomboy girl , named after her popular song of the same name. She is also Vice President of the North American Traveling Musician's Union, Local 1000, working hard to encourage all musicians to take care of their future as well as their present.
Judy Gail Krasnow
100 Armory Court #107
Jackson, Michigan 49202
Phone: 517-795-2112; Cell: 305-336-1403
Website: www.judygailkrasnow.com
Website: www.storyteller.net/tellers/jgail
Email: judygailstories@cs.com
Description: Judy Gail Krasnow is the author of "Rudolph, Frosty, and Captain Kangaroo," a memoir about her father, Hecky Krasnow who produced classics like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," recorded by celebrities including Gene Autry, Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Shore, and Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo). McCarthyism, the Civil Rights Movement, the advent of television and rock 'n' roll and its effects upon entertainment for youth are all part of this book. Ken Emerson writes in the Wall Street Journal, "In her fond and frequently fascinating memoir, Mr. Krasnow's daughter, Judith Gail Krasnow, chronicles the creation … of holiday novelty songs. Although few such novelties endure … Mr. Krasnow's productions reappear year after year. … Many of Ms. Krasnow's childhood memories -- the mingled scents of cowhide and cologne in Gene Autry's dressing room, her first encounter with racially segregated toilets in that cradle of U.S. history, Williamsburg, Va., the thuggish disruption of a Paul Robeson concert in Peekskill, N.Y. -- ring vividly true." Judy Gail Krasnow is a Chautauqua Scholar and performance artist as well as an author. She brings legendary women to life through historic portrayals, storytelling, song, and keynotes. Historical portrayals include Rachel Carson, author of "Silent Spring," saloon-smashing Temperance activist, Carry Nation, and Mary Barr Munroe, founder of Everglades National Park. "Women in Labor", captures the courage of heroines such as Mother Jones, Clara Lemlich, and Dolores Huerta. "Women of Valor" presents Herstory from pioneers to astronauts. "Tales of Adventure and Accomplishment" takes journeys with adventurers like Congo explorer Mary Henrietta Kingsley. Programs, speeches, and book talks are for all ages and adapted accordingly from young audiences to seniors.
Molly Murphy MacGregor
3440 Airway Drive, Suite F
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Phone: (707) 636-2888
Fax: (707) 636-2909
Website: www.nwhp.org
Email: ednasmolly@aol.com
Description: Believing that knowing the importance of women’s historic achievements creates a larger, more expansive vision of what is possible, MacGregor in 1980 co-founded the National Women’s History Project (NWHP), which spearheaded the movement for what has become National Women’s History Month. MacGregor has served as the Executive Director of the NWHP for the past 25 years. During that time, she has worked with leaders of national women’s organizations to encourage them to celebrate their own organizations’ history as well as to build coalitions to develop programs and events that celebrate the vast array of women’s historic achievements. She has worked with school districts throughout the country to train teachers in ways to integrate a multicultural women’s history perspective into the school curriculum. She is a recognized expert in the field of women’s history and has keynoted hundreds of women’s history events and conferences.
Availability: National
Artist, Soraida Martinez
Studio: 220 South Berlin Road, Lindenwold, NJ 08021
Mailing: PO Box 32, Gibbsboro, NJ 08026
Phone: 856-346-3131
Website: www.soraida.com
Email: ArtSoraida@aol.com
Description: Performance Description: Soraida Martinez is a nationally recognized artist/writer/social advocate who since 1992 has been promoting peace and tolerance through her Verdadism paintings with written social commentaries. Some of the themes that the artist addresses in her presentation are racism, sexism, stereotyping, ethnocentrism, feminism, personal relationships, healthcare and current social issues that affect 21st century America society. The purpose of Soraida’s Verdadism Exhibition is to promote humanity through art and words that foster open-mindedness and acceptance of the differences in all human beings. The artist has appeared at major universities, corporations and institutions (e.g., Columbia University, Trinity College, Towson University, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Department of Veterans Affairs, New Jersey Department of Community Development, Vanguard Group) throughout the northeast, but is available nationwide. She is also the author of a book on the art of Verdadism and she has been recognized by educational and governmental organizations for her socially conscious art and social statements. This presentation is appropriate for college level students and adults.
Availability: New Jersey
Sylvia Mendoza
776 Corinia Court
Encinitas, CA 92024
760-942-8058
Website: www.sylvia-mendoza.com
Email: sylvia23@adelphia.net, Smendoza7@aol.com
Description: Journalist Sylvia Mendoza is an award-winning freelance writer and author who has written feature stories and profiles for the San Diego Union-Tribune and other publications for more than 20 years. Sylvia appeared on C-Span's Book TV in 2004 as she talked about her latest release, The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas of Passion, Strength and Success.
Holly Near
PO Box 236, Ukiah, CA 95482
Phone: (Booking Agent Tam Martin) 503-281-3874
Website: www.beachfrontbookings.com
Email: TamMartin@beachfrontbookings.com
Description: Using concert, keynote, and song/talk formats, Holly Near presents story-telling, song and critical thinking to bring attention to contemporary feminism and activism. Her work is a quintessential example of a period in our history that needs to be told. Her story gives context and life to the social change movements of the 1970's and 80's including the anti-war movement, the women's movement, the women's cultural movement, the gay rights movement, the environmental movement, and the global peace movement. Near's work in these movements is a primary example of how Women Change America and telling her story is teaching women's history. She demystifies activism and invites a new generation into the power path of social change.
Availability: National and International
Zoe Ann Nicholson
3419 Via Lido, Suite 614
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Website: www.onlinewithzoe.typepad.com
Email: Zoe@onlinewithzoe.com
Description: Activist, author and speaker, Zoe Nicholson presents her story about the 1982 fast for the Equal Rights Amendment. Leading you through living history with slides and actual documents she shares her intimate diary about joining with 6 women to live on water only for 37 days in Springfield, Illinois. Historical and inspiring, she speaks from the heart with intimacy and humor. This session should particularly benefit those who are interested in civil disobedience, political action, living history and equality.
Imagine being able to hear directly from Alice Paul or Lucy Burns. Zoe Nicholson brings history to life, refuses to give up and continues to inspire. This is a rare opportunity to actually meet and talk with a woman who made history, who was present when the ERA failed and continues to carry the torch for EQUITY. Her entire life is identified in the work for gender equity.
You will hear the politics, the frustration, the dedication and, most importantly, her indomitable spirit. It is impossible to leave untouched. This is not a Hollywood story, as is Iron Jawed Angels. This is not a story pieced together by letters and interviews. This is direct access to a woman who was there and has made the brave decision to not give up, not give in. Her story is documented, inspired and timeless; women must achieve equality under the law in the US and the world.
Availability: National
Ruth E. Rosen
Berkeley, CA
Email: rerosen@ucdavis.edu
Description: Ruth Rosen is a pioneering historian of gender and society and an award-winning journalist. She is Professor Emerita of History at the University of California at Davis, where she taught American history, women's history, history and public policy, and immigration studies for over two decades. The recipient of the University of California Distinguished Teaching Award and many national fellowships, including two from the Rockefeller Foundation, she has lectured all over the world and was a visiting professor at the European Peace University in Austria and Ireland and at the U.C. Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. She is the editor of the The Maimie Papers, a New York Times Notable Book in l978; and the author of The Lost Sisterhood: Prostitution in America 1982; and The World Split Open: How The Modern Women s Movement Changed America 2001, a Book of the Month and Quality Paperback Selection; Los Angeles Times Best Books published in 2000; Finalist for Non-Fiction Award for Bay Area Reviewers Association. As a journalist, she wrote hundreds of op-ed columns for the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers between1991-2000 and contributed many essays to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Dissent, the Women s Review of Books and the Los Angeles Times Book Review. In 2000, she joined the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board and wrote both editorials and twice-a-week columns on the op-ed page. For her distinguished journalism, she received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the East Bay Press Club, the National Association for the Mentally Ill, the California Public Health Association, the National Federation of Women Legislators, and the Hearst Corporation. Her editorials and columns focused on a broad range of subjects, including foreign policy, homelessness; the politics of health care, space-based weapons and the missile defense system; the politics of parole and prisons, reproductive rights, and environmental health. Until she left in 2004, she wrote extensively on the Bush administration s politicization of science, its violations of civil rights and liberties through the PATRIOT ACT, constraints on FOIA, and the Presidential Records Act, and the deceptions that led to the war in Iraq. She is now a senior fellow writing and speaking about how we would change, reframe and rethink domestic and global public policy if women really mattered. Accustomed to writing and speaking to the general public, she has appeared on NewsHour, NBC News, Fox News and hundreds of NPR and commercial radio programs.
Availability: National
Ellen Emory Snortland
2450 N. Lake Ave. #112, Altadena, CA 91001
Phone: 626-798-8421
Email: Ellensnortland@mac.com
Website: www.snortland.com
Website: www.beautybitesbeast.org
Website: www.fiftyfifty.us
Ellen Snortland is a Ms. Magazine contributor, weekly columnist for the Pasadena Weekly, co-chair of FiftyFifty Leadership and author of "Beauty Bites Beast." She is listed in Barbara Love’s encyclopedia “Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975.” Her presentations are lively, provocative and funny. Dateline NBC featured "Beauty Bites Beast" and was picked up by MSNBC as one of the most repeated segments to date. Her documentary based on "Beauty Bites Beast" is a journey of transformation for women who work in a Mexican factory through physical and verbal empowerment. As a college lecturer, Ms. Snortland always packed her classes because of her humor and accessible grasp of complex gender issues. A non-practicing lawyer, Ms. Snortland is a great speaker for law schools, women's studies classes and for students ranging from middle school through university graduate programs. She’s also been a popular speaker for service organizations like Rotary, Soroptomists and Zonta. She was an NGO delegate to the UN 4th World conference on women. She's also a playwright and performs her own one woman show, "Now That She's Gone." And remember, "With a name like Snortland, she'd better be good!"
Availability: National and International
Barbara Joan Zeitz
Chicago, IL
Email: bjzeitz@comcast.net
Website: www.genderperspectives.com
Phone: 630.802.9723
Performance Description: Barbara Zeitz is a women’s historian/gender equity analyst with a M.A. in women’s studies/law. A former Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholar Speaker, Zeitz presents women’s history programs at colleges, universities, libraries, businesses, women’s orgs. etc. Her online monthly column CountHerHistory is in its fifth year at www.aauw-il.org/information. In 2007, she produced a booklet to celebrate the first annual Jane Addams Day in Illinois. It honors Addams, the women of Hull House, and their social reforms of the Industrial Era which govern still today. An anthology of CountHerHistory columns is planned for publication. Through the lens of gender, Zeitz revives the rich and buried treasures of women’s history via six individual power point programs designed to enlighten, inspire, and empower.
- Lost in Translation unveils gender-biased rhetoric in biblical literature and gender-neutral rhetoric in the gnostic gospels, as it respects all religious beliefs.
- Susan B. & Harry Burn dissects a scrupulous survey of sex and suffrage, noting women’s right to vote was denied, not won.
- Civil Rights Women acknowledges women’s grassroots activism pre-1960’s that paved the way for lunch counters, busses, blacks, whites, Brown v Board of Ed, and men leading newly organized activism.
- Gender in the Court scrolls down a litany of how law and gender have long intertwined in disparity in America, from 1662 Virginia and early U.S. Supreme Court decisions to Lilly Ledbetter, 2008.
- A Hull of a House of Women and Peace details women-initiated social reforms of the early 1900’s that govern today as OSHA, Social Security, FDA, etc., and celebrates America’s first female Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Jane Addams.
- International Women’s Day stratifies an introspective timeline of global events from the mid-1800’s that led to its establishment and annual celebration because nowhere in the world, now as ever, can women claim to have all the same rights and opportunities as men. Nowhere!
Availability: National
Program Planning Suggestions
We suggest that you talk with the performers you contact about the following subjects prior to contracting for their program:
- Performance requirements: stage, sound and lighting needs; children/no children; alcohol-free refreshment stand?
- Publicity requirements: information and photo available?
- Fees: single performance; block booking (multiple performances, same or consecutive days); travel/per diem?
- Personal requirements: housing; ground transportation?
- Program content: if your audience would be sensitive about specific topics, ask direct questions about program content.
- Is there performance related educational material available for you to reprint?
NWHP publishes these listings from information provided by the performers and is not responsible in any way for the performers, a performer's negotiations with clients, or the performances.
Inquire about how to get listed with the NWHP at nwhp@aol.com
National Women's History Project
3440 Airway Drive, Suite F
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Phone: (707) 636-2888
Fax: (707) 636-2909
Listings expires on the year anniversary of the listing.
NWHP publishes these listings from information provided by the presenters and is not responsible in any way for the presentations.