National Performers/Authors
Women’s History comes alive with the help of talented performers or authors. Costumed performers portray both famous and infamous women from our history with relish and panache while authors and presenters bring the unbridled enthusiasm that comes from years of research and writing about a specific woman or women’s history topic.
To find performers/authors available within a specific state, use the pull-down list provided below:
STEVE ADAMS
Suffrage Balladeer
Email: stephenjadams@sjadams.net
Phone: 617-721-8563
Website: www.sjadams.net
Description: Steve Adams performs a program of original ballads he authored to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage. The 45-minute program includes 8 songs and engaging narrative that provides the historical context for the events and individuals celebrated in the songs. Covering key moments and individuals in the 72-year struggle for the 19th Amendment, the program presents Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass and others as they fight for women’s right to vote.
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JENNY ALDRICH
2019 Chippawa, Sarasota, FL 34234
Phone: 941-735-1260
Email: costars@comcast.net
Website: www.JennyAldrich.com
Performance Description: Celebrating women, art and life, these programs use the magic of theatre to bring these artists to your audience. Often in their own words, they describe the people and events that shaped their lives and works. http://jennyaldrichpresents.com/
A Visit with Mary Cassatt. Ms Cassatt, known for her frankness and wit, describes her struggle to become an artist and her life in France during the birth of Impressionism. She was the only American artist to exhibit with the French Impressionists, who considered her an equal. She shares her joy at being a young artist in 19th century Europe and her stormy relationship with Edgar Degas.
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Georgia O’Keeffe: A Dramatic Portrait. Miss O’Keeffe conducts a tour of her world through her sensational flowers, abstracts and cityscapes to the vastness and beauty of the American West. Joyful, irreverent and courageous, she discusses her career, her breakdown, her critics, her “photographic portrait’ by Alfred Stieglitz and their extraordinary relationship.
Lilla Cabot Perry: Impressions of Monet & The American Impressionists Mrs. Perry was a prominent Boston artist, a “Boston Brahmin” and a published poet. She spent nine summers in Giverny with Claude Monet who encouraged her to paint en plein air. She shares stories about Monet, Sargent, Theodore Robinson, John Breck and Giverny, the “cradle of American Impressionism.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh: An Extraordinary Life. Anne was the author of thirteen books, an aviation pioneer and a feminist. She shares her joy of flying and the numbing tragedy of her son’s kidnapping, illuminating the life that gave her the wisdom to write Gift From the Sea, which, over fifty-five years later, is still widely acclaimed. The program is set in 1975, at a celebration of the 20th anniversary edition of Gift From the Sea with Anne as the featured speaker.
Lillian Hellman: Memories & Moments. Hellman was a brilliant, passionate, provocative woman and an internationally acclaimed author who wrote Broadway plays and best-selling books. Rude, independent and eloquent, she was renowned as a political activist, a wit and extraordinary hostess and a fabulous storyteller. In an illustrious career spanning five decades she won a permanent place in American Letters.
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“Here’s to the Women” is now available as a video production!
LINDA ALLEN
4915 Samish Way, Unit 122, Bellingham, WA 98229
Phone: 360-920-7533
Email: linda@lindasongs.com
Website: www.lindasongs.com/Suffrage , http://www.lindasongs.com/trailer
Performance Description: The silencing of women’s experience and the empowering of women’s voices as they struggled for the vote will be showcased in this one-hour presentation featuring songs, images, stories and readings. We meet Helga Estby who walked across America in 1896, Suffragists Alice Paul, Carrie Chapman Catt, Ida B. Wells, Inez Milholland, “Rosie, the Riveter”, and many more known and unknown women. Linda offers a window into these ordinary and extraordinary lives. Dr. Linda Allen is a songwriter, performer and educator. She has worked with numerous organizations to promote women’s history including the Washington Centennial Commission, the Washington Women’s Heritage Project, the Women’s History Consortium and Humanities Washington, and has presented her program over 40 times.
Click here to learn more and to experience Audio
Visit Linda’s web site for both traditional and contemporary songs about Suffrage.
Here’s to the Women! Commemorating Women’s Journey to Justice
Original and collected songs that celebrate women’s history with a special emphasis on the battle for the vote. Meet Native weavers, quilters, suffragists, labor leaders, domestic workers, and Rosie, the Riveters. Available as download or hard copy.
Failure is Impossible: Traditional Songs of the Suffragists
Eight traditional songs recorded by Linda and her daughter, Kristin Allen-Zito, for the documentary “Courage in Corsets”.
COMMENTS:
“Linda Allen breathes life into the 19th Amendment story through song and story that is totally charming as well as instructive. Goose bumps and joy were the response of the day”. — Muffy Francke, Co-Chair, The 19th Amendment Centennial Committee of the Renaissance Society
“A vibrant voice in this important struggle”
--Robert P.J. Cooney, Jr. author of Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement and Remembering Inez: The Last Campaign of Inez Milholland, Suffrage Martyr.
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CARRIE SUE AYVAR
1829 NE 179 St., N. Miami Beach, FL 33162
Phone: 305-945-4804 Email: csayvar@gmail.com
Website: www.carriesueayvar.com
Performance Description: Everyone’s heard of Miami Beach! See it through the eyes of Rose Weiss: Mother of Miami Beach, who transformed it, with persistence and a smile, from a sparsely populated sandbar (where Jews like her could only live in the southernmost tip) into the world famous multicultural metropolis it is today. Or you can meet trailblazing Doc Anner: Petticoat Doctor of the Everglades, 2nd female doctor in Florida. Artist, physician, pharmacist, wife, mother (and even veterinarian when called upon) she braved alligators, rattlesnakes, violent outlaws and chauvinism to help and heal her patients. Q&A sessions follow with storyteller, performance artist and Chautauqua Scholar Carrie Sue Ayvar.
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ANNETTE BALDWIN
Phone: 630-279-0856
E-Mail: amb@staginghistory.com
Website: www.staginghistory.com
Persistent Women on the Road: Historian, actor, lecturer Annette Baldwin has traveled the Chicago area and the U.S. presenting historical portrayals, lectures and Readers Theater in nineteen states: to public libraries, historical societies & museums, community & professional organizations, colleges & universities, corporate & government offices, State Humanities Chautauquas, as well as at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.
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Jane Addams, humanitarian and founder of Chicago’s social settlement Hull House, was a persistent advocate for social justice and workers rights during the first great wave of immigration. Her daring ideas and leadership for international peace earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.
Susan B. Anthony, the forthright, passionate and unstoppable woman suffrage leader, was persistent in pressing the case for a woman suffrage amendment in the U.S. Constitution and equal pay for working women.
Coco Chanel, the 20th century’s most influential fashion designer and business tycoon, pulled out all the stops on style and age with her fashion theories and innovations, persistently demanding that women reject fashion fads and be comfortable in their clothes and in their own style.
Louise Nevelson, sculpture’s Queen Bee, persistently pushed at the boundaries of art until at the age of 68 she received respect & recognition for her innovative environmental art, and at 85 received the National Medal of Arts from President Ronald Reagan.
Elizabeth Van Lew, whose persistent loyalty to the United States and antipathy for slavery, in spite of her Southern birth and residency, led her to become the Civil War’s most effective espionage agent, all for which she paid the price of life-long ridicule and segregation from neighbors and former friends.
Dorothy Thompson, mid-20th-century journalist and oracle, whose persistent, nonconforming views presaged today’s social and political conditions, was named by Time magazine in 1939, along with Eleanor Roosevelt, as the “most “influential” woman “in the United States.”
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KATHIE BARNES, Actor
Lloyd J. Schwartz, Playwright/Director
Email: mwalkerindependence@gmail.com
Website: http://independencedrmarywalker.com/
Performance Description: Women’s history solo play about Dr. Mary Walker – Civil War Surgeon. This theatre piece brings to the forefront the dramatic and intense life of Doctor Mary Walker, the only woman to have been awarded our country’s highest honor, The Congressional Medal of Honor.
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Truly a heroine who needs to be known – audiences are captivated and surprised by her story, rooting for her as her story of persistence unfolds. Not intimidated by any man, even President Lincoln! Being denied enlistment as a surgeon because of her gender did not stop her.
Born into a family of abolitionist, Dr. Walker’s parents believed strongly in equal rights and equal education for all humans. Their family farm was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
“Our Education Committee is very happy to have been able to present INDEPENDENCE. Following the play, we held a reception for the actress who made herself available to chat with our residents, which was appreciated by all!” Fran, Kendal on Hudson
“…The play allowed students to see just how hard women in the past worked to change those gender expectations. There is a lot of history packed into that short play!” Dr. Eliza McFeely
“Students were mesmerized by performer Kathie Barnes. This was the first time, for most students and adults in the audience that they had ever heard of Dr. Walker whose feistiness, tireless energy and sheer will to keep moving ahead and not accept defeat was very well portrayed through script and actor.
Students had a chance to ask questions, and did they ever!” Vivian, LFNY
Visit website to watch the trailer and read more testimonials.
Workshop with students or groups available
Q&A with actress (and playwright if available)
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REV. MICHAEL BARNETT, M. Div., M. Ed.
September-May: P.O. Box 281, Lederach, PA 19450
Phone: 215-256-8481
June-August: P.O. Box 22395, Santa Fe, NM 87502
Phone: 505-988-5364 Email: mbarnett@tradenet.net
Blog: www.margaretfuller.wordpress.com
Website: www.naturallifestyle.net/profiles/Blue-Turtle-Intuitive-Counseling-1101
Performance Description: Michael Barnett presents the extraordinary life of women’s rights activist Margaret Fuller for your events. Considered the most brilliant woman in 1840s America, Margaret created “Conversations for Women” in Boston and was hired as the first woman critic for Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune. Her book, “Woman in the Nineteenth Century,” was the first American feminist tract which inspired the 1848 Women’s Rights Convention.
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His studies included the Sacred Feminine, the creative and spiritual gifts of Hildegard von Bingen and the goddess Asherah as the consort of God. Michael achieved his Master of Education, Secondary History Certification, at Gwynedd Mercy University while teaching religious studies. His History Seminar paper, “Margaret Fuller Shapes the Consciousness of America through the New York Tribune,” is in the libraries of the New York and Massachusetts Historical Societies.
During Margaret Fuller’s 2010 Bicentennial, Michael spoke at First Parish of Concord, the Summer Conversational Series, Concord School of Philosophy, at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, and at the UU History Conference in Waltham, MA. Currently, he is representing Margaret Fuller for the New York Cultural Heritage Tourism Network as New York State prepares for the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote 2017. His program there is “Margaret Fuller in New York: Planting the Seeds for Equality and the Sacred Marriage.” Michael adds, “I am available to travel to you. My honorarium is $350.00. I seek accommodations through your group and also help with travel expenses as needed . I am available for in-depth workshops on Margaret Fuller including her intuitive and creative gifts and the sacred marriage she struggled to live.”
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DR. BARBARA BERNSTEIN
Bowie, Maryland
Website: http://www.danceintime.com
Email: Barb@DanceinTime.com
Phone: 443-773-2623
Performance Description: Women Take The Lead! This fun, lively, and inspiring dance presentation is based on the principle of women’s capability and innate equality. The show is constructed around an all-women dance team (from DanceInTime.com) which presents Latin dances with women playing both the leaders’ and the followers’ role. In some cases, the ladies even switch roles so that someone who starts out leading ends up following and vice versa. Traditionally in partnership dancing, men lead the dance, deciding what moves to lead, how to initiate and style, them, etc. Women simply acquiesce and follow whatever is led. In professional level dancing, the steps that leaders do can be quite complex and require a lot of practice and memory. But all those challenges belong only to the leaders.
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- Performance by two dancers
- Performance by a dance team (Can include having the audience guess which dancer is leading/which is following)
- Instruction for anyone in the audience who might like to try some moves
- Brief talk about the history of women’s roles from antiquity to the present and how they have changed. Talk can include discussion of how dance roles reflect societal norms, and the tradition-breaking work done by this dance group.
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“TEA FOR THREE” is now available as a video production!
ELAINE BROMKA
Phone: 973-509-9665
Email: elainebromka@gmail.com
Website: www.teaforthree.com
Performance Description: “TEA FOR THREE: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty” – Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford. The Off-Broadway solo hit starring Emmy Award-winning Elaine Bromka offers an unforgettably vivid behind-the-scenes look at three former First Ladies. Critically acclaimed for its blend of wit, intimacy, and passion, the show reveals three women who suddenly found themselves celebrities — in what Pat Nixon called “the hardest unpaid job in the world!”
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TEA FOR THREE
Full bio and prime time video clips: www.elainebromka.com
Watch a video clip of the show: www.teaforthree.com
TEA FOR THREE PLAYED OFF-BROADWAY MAY – JUNE, 2013
A TV (Girls, Law & Order, Sex & the City, E.R., Sopranos and more), Broadway, Off-Broadway and film (the Uncle Buck mom) veteran, Bromka starred as eight of the First Ladies in The Presidents for PBS. Acting and writing workshops, including “Acting on Camera” and “Making Your Monologue Hot!”, taught at over 100 colleges and high schools, are also available as part of a residency. Extensive references, interviews, and residency information on website. Theaters, performing art centers, colleges, museums, clubs, fund raisers. Over 300 venues include the Smithsonian, the Cerritos Arts Center, the Long Arts Center, the Straz, and theaters and colleges nationwide.
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PAULA F. CASEY
Memphis, TN 38103-5005
Phone: 901-525-7510
Email: pfcasey@bellsouth.net
Websites:
http://www.paulacasey.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-casey-736110b
http://memphissuffragemonument.com
https://www.facebook.com/TN-Woman-Heritage-Suffrage-Trail-337086010106147/
Paula F. Casey is a dynamic speaker on voting rights, particularly the 72-year struggle for women to be included in the U.S. Constitution. She has published a book, The Perfect 36: Tennessee Delivers Woman Suffrage, that’s also available as an e-book and audiobook. She produced a 12:40 DVD on woman suffrage that covers the 72-year struggle for American women to win the right to vote. The suffragists were the original persisters!
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Videos are on her website – www.paulacasey.com – and on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP3NoP1YjkuK9_aHhTUrAYA
She is also the co-founder of the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Heritage Trail – http://tnwomansuffrageheritagetrail.com. In her presentations, she highlights the dearth of statuary honoring women.
She served as president of Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument, Inc., and was the primary fund-raiser for the monument that was unveiled on Aug. 26, 2016, in Nashville’s Centennial Park. She served as fiscal agent for Jackson’s statue of Sue Shelton White, the only Tennessee woman jailed fighting for suffrage, which was unveiled on May 25, 2017, in front of Jackson’s City Hall.
She chairs the Memphis Suffrage Monument committee which will unveil the “Equality Trailblazers” public art on the Mississippi river side of the University of Memphis law school on March 27, 2020.
Her book, The Perfect 36: Tennessee Delivers Woman Suffrage, and DVD, “Generations: American Women Win the Vote,” are available in the NWHP online store.
Educator, Actress & Author
Home City: Philadelphia
Web Site: www.daisycentury.com
Email: drcentury@aol.com
Phone: 267.977.8335
Performances in Person and Virtual
Program Description: All my performances are approximately 50 minutes to one hour and twenty minutes. I dress like the women and weave their life story from birth to the end of their life. I bring history alive!!! The audience will be right there when history unfolds right in front of their eyes. My performances are educational, inspiring, empowering, transforming and entertaining at the same time. It is a must-see program. It is not your average program. One of the audience members once said that “I did not perform Sojourner Truth tonight I became her.” There is always a question-and-answer period at the end of each performance. I also travel with historic memorabilia.
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Harriet Tubman: Civil War, Slavery, Underground Railroad, Abolition
Sojourner Truth: Civil War, Women Suffrage, Abolition, Slavery, Itinerant Preacher
Bessie Coleman: World War 1, Aviation, Jim Crow, Roaring Twenties
Madam C.J. Walker: Entrepreneur (Hair, skin & nail products), Civil Rights, Harlem Renaissance
Mary Fields: Wild West, Mail Carrier
Phillis Wheatley: Revolutionary War, (General George Washington, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere), Revolutionary Poet, Literary Genius
Hatshepsut: Egyptian Pharaoh
Cathy Williams-female Buffalo Soldier: Civil War, Wild West, Buffalo Soldier
******All of the above women may be seen and read about on my web site.
Audience Range: Grades three to adults Geographic Range: Anywhere in the USA and Abroad—Whomever calls I will come.
Books Written:
Belle: A beautiful woman inherits her father's farm and inherits all that goes into running a successful farm; love, romance, marriage, tragedy.
Ms. Emmaline's Little Book of Wit & Wisdom: It is a list of phrases parents used on the farm of a little girl growing up in South Carolina. It is the African Proverbs meeting Roots.
Zach and his Lucky Zebra Socks: A little five-year-old walking to the beat of his own drum; in dressing himself; he is extremely lucky whenever he wears his zebra socks.
Deedle, Deedle Your House is on Fire! The best summer adventures since Huckleberry Finn.
**I am available for your next Book Club Meeting or Book Signing. Books may be ordered from Amazon or Author house.
I am available for your next: Banquet, luncheon, meeting, conference, convention, community day, family reunion, youth summit, summer camp, church program, school program, college seminar, women conference/forum, documentary, feature film, radio talk show, TV talk show, and birthday parties.
I also present a very special KWANZAA presentation –everyone gets involved --making gifts, dancing and singing.
**** For the sixth year I will present The Harriet Tubman summer camp and the Bessie Coleman summer camp. A unique camp fusing history and science-STEM.
NEW! NEW!! NEW!! NEW!!
QUILT STORIES---QUILTS MY MOTHER MADE ON DISPLAY, STORIES ABOUT THE QUILTING BEES, AND HOW TO MAKE A QUILT.
MOTHER EARTH—CHARACTER FOR NATURE FESTS, GARDENING CLUBS, REFUGE CENTERS, SCHOOLS, EARTH DAY, ETC.
Please share this information with others and I do hope our path cross soon, thank you.
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KATHRYN CHESLEY
Address: 37 Sunset Drive, Apt. 71, Sarasota, Florida 34236
Phone: 716-903-8848
E-mail: lifetimeportrayals@gmail.com
Website: kathrynchesley.wixsite.com/website
Performance Description:Meet some fabulous ladies and hear about their life and the times in which they lived. As an actress, writer and historian, I tell the stories of historic and influential women who are brought to life. Each woman brings a 60 minute power point of photographs and all portrayals are done in full-authentic era costumes.
Let me introduce you to the ladies I currently portray:
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MABLE RINGLING: This is a 'farm to table" story. Mable grew up on an Ohio farm and ended up at the most beautiful table in Sarasota. Hear her story unfold as she tells of her life and times when she was the woman behind the man who ran "the greatest show on earth."
BERTHA HONORE PALMER: Bertha's life took her from the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, to Washington D.C., to a castle in England and then to the state of Florida to become a rancher and developer. She has a tale to tell about her exploits and her challenges as she becomes one of the most influential women of her life and times.
MARTHA (MARTY) HARTMAN: Martha is best known for founding The Petticoat Painters in 1953, which is the oldest continuously exhibiting women's art group in the United States. In her Life and Times, she tells the story of the development of all of the arts in Sarasota County, Florida with references to the men and women who helped to create the cultural coast of Florida.
ELIZABETH VAN LEW: As a Northern sympathizer in the Confederate capital of Richmond, VA, Elizsabeth became Ulysses S/ Grant's primary spy during the Civil War. Her work helped to turn the victory to the North. She also recounts the aftermath of the Civil War and how the failure of Reconstruction affects us today.
CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT: Hear the story of the fight for women’s rights as told by one of the leaders of the movement. As the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it was Carrie's work which got the last state to vote to pass the amendment. Hear her story of her life and times before and after women had the right to vote.
MINA MILLER EDISON: The daughter of an inventor and the wife of an inventor, Mina tells the story of her life and times during the development of the Chautauqua movement and her life and times as the wife of Thomas Alva Edison.
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PENNY COLMAN
138 Knickerbocker Rd. Englewood NJ, 07631
Phone: 201-568-6052
Email: pennycolman@gmail.com
Website: www.pennycolman.com
Program Description: Celebrating Women! A dynamic slide show of photographs enlivened by award-winning author Penny Colman’s narration and commentary. For twenty-five 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. The author of many award-winning books, Penny has been honored by the New Jersey State Legislature for her books and public appearances that have “contributed to the advancement of women.”
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Adventurous Women: Eight True Stories about Women Who Made a Difference A fascinating slide show and Penny Colman’s stories about eight amazing women from an Arctic explorer to a plant hunter who lived passionate, productive and adventurous lives.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship That Changed the World A thought-provoking slide show and Penny Colman’s insights into the legendary friendship between Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and their historic 51-year-long fight for women’s rights, despite fierce opposition, daunting conditions, and betrayal by friends and allies.
Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front In World War II An inspiring slide show with archival film footage and Penny Colman’s commentary about the heroic women who kept the home front running and created the “miracle of production” that ensured the Allies success in World War II.
Book Club Conversations: Lively, interactive conversations with Penny Colman about any of her books via Skype or Facetime, or in person if possible. For information galore about Penny’s books please go to
ROBERT P. J. COONEY JR.
P.O. Box 362 Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Phone: 650-712-4400
Email: agp@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.
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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 Half Moon Bay, California and is available to speak in California and nationally about this important part of American history.
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VALERIE DILORENZO
Ladies of Liberty - Celebrating Suffrage and the History of Women’s Rights in America
Mailing Address: 10 Crescent St., Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Phone: 212 433 2579 / 914 325 2642
Email: contactvalerie@me.com
Website: http://www.valeriedilorenzo.com
Performance Description: Ladies of Liberty, the acclaimed musical revue—imagined, created, and performed by NYC award-winning cabaret artist and actress, Valerie diLorenzo—celebrates the Suffrage Centennial as it relates the history of women’s rights in America. The beginnings of the Suffragette journey and its connections with early Civil Rights movements are included, and the show brings us up to modern day and the feminist legacy of the #MeToo movement and female empowerment—all through exuberant, lively, sometimes humorous, and often touching, songs.
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This LIVE performance (with piano accompanist) is both entertaining and engagingly educational.
♪ Includes both Vintage and Contemporary Songs:♪ Audience Participation♪ Appropriate for ages 12+
Testimonials:
"LADIES OF LIBERTY, was one of the most remarkable events – of any kind – that I have ever attended. This brilliant one-woman performance traced the roots of suffrage from its roots all the way to 21st century feminism. Her genius was to illustrate the struggles and triumphs using songs, stories, and readings that were sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, and always deeply affecting. The audience literally went wild."Penny Wright, Director of Programming, Rogers Memorial Library
"From beginning to end “Ladies of Liberty“ is a fantastic show for people of all ages. I thought I knew a lot about women’s rights but seeing the fight put to music with original songs from the period was eye-opening. And it brings you right up to today’s woman so it is a real joy to see and hear."Judi, League of Women Voters
"Ladies of Liberty is an awe-inspiring, outstanding performance of songs, script and screen images, created as part of the Hamptons League of Women Voters Centennial celebration of women winning the vote in NYS. It exceeded everyone’s expectations and received rave reviews."Arlene, League of Women Voters
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SHERYL FAYE
Sheryl Faye Presents Historical Women Amesbury MA
Website: http://www.sherylfayepresents.com
Email: info@sherylfaye.com
Phone: 866-936-6551
Performance Description: Since 2003, Sheryl Faye has masterfully brought to life important historical women to both children and adults across the U.S. In her one-woman shows, she immerses the audience in a multimedia learning experience that captivates viewers and sparks their interest to explore more. Choose from Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Sally Ride, Anne Frank, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abigail Adams and coming January 2020, Susan B Anthony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Women’s right to vote!
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“We gathered together again for our first meeting, luncheon, and program on September 10,2018. We truly appreciate the performance by Sheryl Faye. Thank you Sheryl for the entertaining and enlightening re-enactment of Abigail Adams. She is designated as the “First Second Lady and Second First Lady of the United States.” Her life has been the most documented of our First Ladies. We can get an accurate glimpse of history by the letters she wrote. The costumes and historical information were very thorough”. ~Women’s Club of Woodbury CT
“Ms Faye captivated the entire audience, including the youngsters. She made us laugh and she definitely brought tears to our eyes when Helen’s teacher finally broke through to the deaf and blind girl with her sign for “water”. Ms Faye captured the moment of Helen Keller’s awakening vividly and realistically. We look forward to having Sheryl Faye return to Lancaster with more performances about historical women in the future. A true professional, Sheryl was easy to work with from beginning to end. We cannot recommend her highly enough as an artist and performer.” ~ Karen Silverthorn, Assistant Director, Thayer Memorial Library, Lancaster.
SONIA PRESSMAN FUENTES
4633 Longwater Chase Sarasota, FL 34235-7124
Phone: 941-379-6215
Email: spfuentes@comcast.net
Website: www.erraticimpact.com/fuentes
Program Description: Sonia Pressman Fuentes is an engaging speaker, known for her sense of humor, even when discussing serious subjects like “The Women’s Rights Movement, Its Past, Present, and the Problems That Remain–Both in the U.S. and Worldwide.” Sonia occupies a unique position among feminists: She was a co-founder of NOW and is one of a handful of NOW founders alive and actively involved in women’s rights to this day. She was also the first woman attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and drafted some of the EEOC’s landmark decisions and guidelines.
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LEIGH HALLINGBY
140 West End Avenue, Apt. 5B, New York, NY 10023
Phone 551-404-7514
Email: lhallingby@gmail.com
Website: HarlemWalks.com
Facebook: @HarlemWalksNYC
Instagram: #HarlemWalksNYC
Program Description: A FEMINIST WALK THRU HARLEM: CELEBRATING REMARKABLE WOMEN. Leigh will take us on a virtual walk through both Central Harlem and Spanish Harlem, stopping at places where accomplished women, some famous and some not, are honored. A huge advantage of doing this walk as a virtual tour is that we can visit both of these iconic and very different neighborhoods within Harlem. Stops include murals and mosaics, statues, plaques on the sidewalk, named buildings, and commemorative street corners. And the women whose stories we hear range from A’Lelia Walker to Nicholasa Mohr to Zora Neale Hurston. This 60-minute slide presentation with live commentary will be followed by time for Q&A.
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Leigh is a licensed NYC tour guide. She is passionate about exploring all five NYC boroughs and beyond on foot, mostly through organized walking tours. Leigh is retired from a 36-year career as a non-profit librarian. She loves doing research about the neighborhoods where she gives tours and sharing the information about them with attendees. Leigh is a feminist, collector, genealogist, and lover of arts, culture, and travel. After residing in the suburbs of NYC for many years, she now loves living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Leigh has presented the virtual Feminist Walk through Harlem many times. The presentation is always well received by audiences. And it elicits many questions and comments during the Q&A afterwards. Attendees have access to a list of all the stops, as well as a reading/watching list related to the virtual tour.
TRACY CHAMBERLAIN HIGGINBOTHAM
Phone: 315-708-4288
Email: womenties33@gmail.com
Websites: www.womenties.com and www.womensathleticnetwork.com
Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham never knew growing up with a mother and aunt as entrepreneurs in the late 1960’s or as a daughter of two Physical Education teachers and coaches that she would grow up to be an advocate, supporter and promoter of women entrepreneurs and female athletes, but that’s who she became the past 30 years. Labeled a “feminist” by women who do business with her, Tracy has embraced the title and created numerous presentations that speak to her passion in sharing her economic message of women putting their money in the hands, bank accounts or pocketbooks of other women first and foremost to help create a stronger buying circle for women today and eradicate pay inequality.
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Tracy has been a pioneer in woman entrepreneurship in Central New York since 1995 as women business ownership was becoming a good career option. She has promoted, advocated, written and advised thousands of women with her knowledge in order to help them become more successful. She is willing to share her knowledge with your organization too.
To see an example of one of Tracy’s recent speeches, visit https://vimeo.com/186109168.
To learn more about her, visit her personal website at www.tracyhigginbotham.com or her company websites at www.womenties.com or www.womensathleticnetwork.com.
Tracy has an active business blog with her written work that have become speeches at www.womenties.wordpress.com. She is happy to tailor make a speech perfect for your event or audience.
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PAT JORDAN
Phone: 610-688-5842
Email: patjrdn@gmail.com
Website: www.heritagetheatreguild.com or www.famousamericanwomen.net
Program Descriptions: It’s my great joy to bring Famous American Women to your library, school or organization. Every one of these ladies changed the world for the better but it wasn’t easy. Meet them! Choose a 45-minute presentation, Q&A, Speech, Meet & Greet, Workshop or Special Program
~ Healers & Heroes ~
Clara Barton: Civil War Nurse & Founder of the American Red Cross Clara Barton was an 1821 Christmas baby. After careers as a teacher and a clerk, she headed for the front lines in the Civil War, taking supplies to wounded soldier and earning the title “Angel of the Battlefield.” Later, she established the American Red Cross, bringing disaster relief to countless thousands. Clara’s indomitable determination and boundless good will are a model for all Americans.
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Dorothea Dix: Advocate for the Mentally Ill & Head of Civil War Nurses Dorothea Dix was born into a respected New England family, but her early life was a hard one. As a girl, she was called upon to take care of her sickly mother and two small brothers in the Maine wilderness. With her grandmother’s help, Dorothea went to school in Boston and opened a successful school for the poor, became the Civil War’s Head of Nurses, and later returned to her life’s work, profoundly affecting the destinies of mentally ill people throughout the country. She was determined to make a difference, and with the help of family and friends, Dorothea made her dreams come true.
Carrie Chapman Catt: Suffragist, Founder of the League of Women Voters and National Women’s Hall of Fame Honoree Born in 1859, Carrie Chapman Catt became a popular school superintendent, charismatic lecturer, astute organizer and two-time president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She was Susan B. Anthony’s hand-picked successor and a major force in the 19th Amendment becoming a reality in 1920. Carrie was featured on the cover of Time Magazine, worked for world peace and children’s rights, and received the Chi Omega Award at the White House. This show is getting Rave Reviews! Watch Carrie’s Trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ehKy6B9GVMQ
Louisa May Alcott: Reformer & Author of “Little Women” Nineteenth Century writer Louisa May Alcott grew up in a time of radical social change. After a childhood spent in ‘genteel poverty’, she struggled to establish a writing career, later becoming a Civil War nurse. Louisa never married and continued to write and work tirelessly for reform as she single-handedly supported her family. It’s an extraordinary story!
More: Amelia Earhart, Betsy Ross, Martha Washington, Mary Todd Lincoln, Indentured Servant Bridgid O’Murphy, Pennsylvanian Anna Morris Holstein
Client & Audience Reactions
“She talks the talk and walks the walk [in] a convincing first-person voice to share the compelling and decades-long story of the fight for women’s right to vote.” League of Women Voters of Radnor
“Thank you for…a great performance. We hope to have you here again.” NASA-Langley
“We have 28 participants enrolled in your Elder Week lecture and are very excited!” Delaware Co. Elder Week
“Carrie… got rave reviews!” Shannondell Community Interest Group
“Betsy Ross was perfect!” PA Sleep Study Conference
“Pat tells a dynamic and memorable story in a short amount of time, and students from all locations and backgrounds have reacted very well to her.” Dir. of Campus Life, Delaware County Community College
“You had the audience mesmerized. BRAVO!” NJ-AARP Chapter
“Thank you, thank you! …Amelia came to life for [my daughters] and me.” College Park Airport Museum
“…A wonderful portrayal…so quiet, you could hear a pin drop! That’s a first for our group.” Jacksonville Community Center
“Everyone loved you…You take such a personal interest, we can tell you love it too. Also, here’s a copy of the article/interview by the local paper–you were front page!” Montville Historical Society
Award-Winning Shows: U.S. Coast Guard Museum Captain’s Coin; Public Scholar for NJ Council for the Humanities; BellAtlantic Video Awards contest; Women for Greater Philadelphia; NAVSUP Commander’s Coin – US Navy; Federal Women’s Program Appreciation Award
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MICHÈLE LaRUE – Tales Well Told
281 Lincoln Ave.,
Secaucus, NJ 07094 (I also reside part-time in the Chicago.)
Phone: 201-863-6436
Email: ruedelarue@aol.com
Website: http://www.michelelarue.com Facebook, Linked In
Performance Description: I’ve been “celebrating women who tell our stories” for 25 years—presenting vibrant tales from women writers of America’s Gilded Age and Progressive Era.
Their stories were written to be performed, as family entertainment. How sad they’ve been lost, because they move us still: a century later we recognize their heroines’ dilemmas and insights, passions and humor, as our own.
Click here to learn more
From coast to coast, in my unique style I’ve portrayed every character in 30 different stories, live, for 450 sponsors—including colleges and universities, woman’s clubs, libraries, historical societies, senior communities, and international conferences.
FROM MY AUDIENCES:
- “What you have to offer in ‘Gettysburg: One Woman's War’ is priceless.” / “Luminous!” “Revelatory!”
- “BRAVO for ‘Roman Fever’! Thank you for the elegance and intelligence you bring!” [pictured]
- “ Enchanting!” / “ ‘The Bedquilt’ was extraordinary! You opened so many doors for me!”
- “ ‘The Apple Tree’ was perfect. You simply ‘became.’ ”
- “You totally transported me back to the turn of the last century.” / “What a gift to us was Every One His Own Way: The Chicago Stories of Edith Wyatt.’ ”
- “ ‘Representing T. A. Buck’ was perfection. You evoked the period and the characters effortlessly. I could smell his cigar.”
- “You bring such a vulnerability and radiance to your reading: lovely ‘Christmas Stocking’!” / “I felt you were talking just to me.”“I'm not feeling real comfortable around my shadows at the moment. Glad I had the lights on during ‘Halloween Hauntings.’ “ [virtual]
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PHOTO INFORMATION:
Edna Ferber's Representing T. A. Buck; CREDIT Wm. Grau
Elsie Singmaster's Gettysburg: One Woman's War; CREDIT Kathryn Durr, Gettysburg College
Edith Wharton's Roman Fever; CREDIT Michael Goodwin
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Living Voices
Hear My Voice
600 North 36th Street, Suite 221
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone: 800-331-5716
Email: livingvoices@livingvoices.org
Website: http://www.livingvoices.org
Performance Description: How long was the fight for women’s suffrage? Join the 72 year battle that won half of America’s citizens the right to vote. Living Voices combines dynamic solo performances with archival film and sound, turning history into a moving and personal journey. Using historical viewpoints based on real people and events, the Living Voices dynamic technique combines archival film footage and photographs, blended with audio and presented in synchronization with a solo actor, giving the audience a chance to experience how the world looked, sounded and felt during the suffrage movement.
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Winner of the 2017 Governor’s Arts & Heritage Award for Education
Here is a link to our preview video: https://vimeo.com/291746980
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SORAIDA MARTINEZ
Studio: 220 South Berlin Road, Lindenwold, NJ 08021
Mailing: P.O. Box 32, Gibbsboro, NJ 08026
Phone: 856-346-3131
Website: www.soraida.com
Email: Verdadism@aol.com
Performance Description: Soraida Martinez is a nationally recognized artist and social justice advocate who since 1992 has been promoting peace and tolerance through her Verdadism paintings with written social commentaries. The themes of Martinez’s exhibition and art talk address racism, sexism, stereotyping, ethnocentrism, feminism, personal relationships, healthcare and many of the social issues relevant to 21st century American society. Martinez’s presentation promotes a deeper understanding of the human soul through art with social commentaries. The artist’s goal is to foster open-mindedness and the acceptance of everyone’s diverse humanity.
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LINDA MCKINNEY Actress, Writer, Story Teller
Address: 5 Stark Trail, Gansevoort, NY 12831
Phone: 518-229-5695
Email: mckenney_linda@yahoo.com
Website: www.susanbanthony.live
Performance Description: I introduce Susan B. Anthony, in story form, to middle and high school students and adult audiences. My representation of her is a clear message of equality of rights and opportunity for all. Susan Brownell Anthony was a pioneer leader for women’s suffrage. In my historical re-enactment, I take my audience on Susan’s journey from childhood to her death. Providing snippets of her life and roles in Temperance, Abolition and The Women’s Suffrage Movement. My representation of Susan B Anthony includes interaction with the audience. I open the floor for questions and do not deter from character while answering. This is a one-woman show of historical significance.
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SYLVIA MENDOZA
The Latina Influence in American Society
Based in: San Diego, CA
Email: smendoza7@aol.com
Website: www.sylvia-mendoza.com
Performance Description: The Latina Influence in American Society. Compiling and writing The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas of Passion, Strength and Success was a life-changing experience for award-winning journalist Sylvia Mendoza. Writing hundreds of profiles and feature stories covering human interest, diversity, literacy, women’s empowerment, education and social justice was always her passion—but the book brought her passion full circle. It became the project of her heart. And writing it changed her life. The women Sylvia researched for The Book of Latina Women had courage that strengthened her, vision that inspired her, and passion that engulfed her.
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- A Woman’s Power to Effect Change—Locally, Nationally, Globally
- Every Woman has a Story to Tell
- Writing to Change the World (One Journalist’s Point of View)
The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas of Passion, Strength & Success was selected for the 2007 California Collection for High Schools by the California Readers’ Association. Sylvia has presented at C-Span Book TV, The L.A. Times Festival of Books, Book Expo America, Southern California Writers’ Conference and Latino Book & Family Festival. Sylvia earned her M.A. in Digital Journalism from National University, her B.A. in Print Journalism from the University of Southern California, and certification in Women’s Studies from San Diego State University. A journalist, author, teacher, and editor, Sylvia continues to adamantly believe in the power of the written word, that every person has a story to tell—and that these stories need to be shared.
JOHANNA NEUMAN
Suffrage Motivational Speaker
Phone: 301-204-2007
Email: johanna.neuman@me.com
Website: www.johannaneuman.com
Performance Description: Author Johanna Neuman inspires audiences with her tales of women’s suffrage history. In her new book, And Yet They Persisted: How American Women Won the Right to Vote, she tells the gripping story of female activism over two centuries and restores African American and other women of color to the narrative. An earlier book, Gilded Suffragists: The New York Socialites Who Fought for Women’s Right to Vote, explained the role of media celebrities – and male progressives – in normalizing the idea of women voting. Susan Carter, president of the National Woman’s Party, called her talks “riveting.”
Click here to learn more
Her speech topics include:
- The Grassroots: How Local Mobilizing Won the Vote
- The Role of African American Women in Winning the Vote
- Who Won Women’s Suffrage – Moderates or Militants?
- How A Few Brave Male Progressives Helped Women Win the Right to Vote
- Why It Took Two Centuries for American Women to Win the Vote
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ZOE NICHOLSON Writer & Performer of Tea with Alice and Me.
Email: zoe@missalicepaul.com
Website: http://missalicepaul.com
Represented by: Wild West Women, Inc.
Website: http://wildwestwomen.org
Contact: Martha Wheelock martha@wildwestwomen.org
Phone: (818) 970-0097
Performance Description: Zoe Nicholson is an engaging speaker and performer because she is engaged in social justice today, every day. Her life is teeming with rare, brave and impactful actions. Out of her fasting, heckling, marching, disrupting, and organizing; she has created books, lectures, formal talks and her one women show, Tea with Alice and Me, which is a salute to all 92 years of Miss Paul’s life, the story of Zoe’s life and both obsessed with Equality under the Law.
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Surprises along the way include Zoe appearing in two full length documentaries, Still Working 9 to 5 (2022) and March On (2014). Two shorts, An American Housewife and A Girl can Change the World. Featured in Ann Curry’s PBS series, We’ll Meet Again. Zoe’s 5 books and #6 is percolating.
Zoe is fundamentally a gifted storyteller who is lucky enough to have her own life to draw on. Her current programs are ERA the Big Picture (virtual or in-person) and Tea with Alice and Me (90 minute theatrical one women show).
“Now, at age 74, I have crushed my coal into a diamond, culled the best of my insights and refined my art. I specialize in audacity. I hear its contagious.” Zoe Nicholson
Tea with Alice and Me is a full-length one-woman stage performance that invites the audience to visit the many places and ways that women have gathered. From Parlors to Tearooms, from Bookstores to Marches ~ Seneca, Selfridges, The National Woman’s Party, Springfield to Washington DC. Of course, it is really about a cup of revolution served up in nonviolent direct action. From 1775 through today, Zoe takes you on her militant, revolutionary, feminist call to action. Supported with dozens of pictures, clippings and personal stories, you are transported to each time and place she describes. These two women have a lot to teach and inspire contemporary activists.
Program Description: ERA ~ This Big Picture (2022 – 2033) July 21, 1923 to yesterday; this is the full life of The Equal Rights Amendment. Beginning with Miss Paul’s epiphany in 1906, taking you through its Congressional, legal, political life and, finally, examining where it is today. The audience will leave with information, recommended actions, information and lots of inspiration. (available live or virtual)
VICTORIA NOE
4231 N. Springfield Ave., Chicago, IL 60618
Phone: 773-450-0391
Email: victoria@victorianoe.com
Website: www.victorianoe.com
Performance Description: “Hidden Figures for the AIDS Epidemic” is a unique, dynamic presentation about women who have been left out of the history books, documentaries and memoirs. Based on her acclaimed 2019 book Fag Hags, Divas and Moms: The Legacy of Straight Women in the AIDS Community, Victoria Noe shares the stories of women whose voices and contributions had never been honored.
Click here to learn more
Drawing on extensive interviews and archival research, Noe shares inspiring stories of courage and persistence: the Junior League, raising money and awareness since 1986; the talented artists who used literature, theatre, music, TV and film to educate the public about the facts surrounding this virus; the celebrities who risked their careers to raise millions of dollars in the early days of the epidemic; the mothers who fought bigoted politicians and stigma. While there are several famous women included, such as Elizabeth Taylor, most of the women profiled have changed the course of the epidemic without public recognition. Until now.
This presentation offers optional slides of archival photos and images, and is available as a virtual presentation.
Victoria Noe is an award-winning author, speaker and activist. In 2006, she promised a dying friend that she would write a book about people grieving their friends. That promise led to the Friend Grief series, six collections of stories from people whose lives changed after their friends died. Her latest book is Fag Hags, Divas and Moms: The Legacy of Straight Women in the AIDS Community (available in print, ebook and audio), the first book to honor the contributions of women in fighting the AIDS epidemic. An accomplished public speaker with a background in theater, she has presented to such groups as The Muse and the Marketplace, Open Hand San Francisco, Mt. Sinai Medical Center and BookExpo America, as well as public libraries, independent bookstores, and nonprofit organizations in the US and London. Noe is a member of Authors Guild, Alliance of Independent Authors, ACT UP/NY and the Chicago AIDS Garden steering committee.
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Rebecca Now – Performing as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and as part of a trio of monumental women of the 19th century women’s rights movement, joined by Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony.
Phone: 314-800-4050
Email: rebeccanow@sbcglobal.net
Web: www.voicesofAmericanHERstory.com
Performance Description:
Bring one, two or three monumental women to your event, LIVE in person, via Zoom, or in the soon to be launched film.
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton gives her speech from 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention
- Sojourner Truth gives her speech from 1851, “Ain’t I a Woman?”
- Susan B. Anthony gives her 1872 speech, “Are Women Citizens?”
Click here to learn more
“Informative and inspiring –another message that is that even ONE person really can make a difference in the world.” – Connie J, SuperHeroines, Etc.
“Rebecca Now performed as Elizabeth Cady Stanton for a program I coordinated at the Missouri History Museum. Her performance was illuminating and engaging. Our guests responded well to her well-researched and entertaining performance. The Museum would love to have Rebecca back in the future!” –Aaron Poelker, Public Programs Coordinator, Missouri History Museum.Now booking for the 2019-2020 suffrage centennial celebrations.Contact Rebecca Now for details and availability
ANITA HAWKINS NOWLEN
P.O. Box 30338
Indianapolis, IN 46230-0338
Phone: 317-722-1540
Website: www.SimplyAnita.com
Email: Anita@SimplyAnita.com
Description: Enlightening, engaging, and empowering Anita Hawkins Nowlen brings a high level of energy with every speech and seminar she presents. Her ability to connect with her audience is what makes her memorable. She brings warmth, humor and a delivery style that leave audiences wanting more. Each speech is customized with her audience in mind.
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Speaking on the 2024 theme "Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion", Anita will share stories of women who went from unknown to renown…ordinary women who stepped outside of their comfort zone and became change agents because each was driven by their inner voice telling them, “Enough is Enough!”
Anita will discuss the challenges and triumphs these ordinary women faced that made them become extraordinary because of their peaceful approach.
Lastly, Anita will offer tools and strategies to help you recognize your personal vision, and how to move it into action.
In addition to being a dynamic keynote speaker, Anita is a workshop facilitator and Life Coach. Anita created and presented a powerful seminar for several U.S. Army Installations in Germany, as well as the Army Corp of Engineers here in the United States, in celebration of Women’s History Month.
Anita Hawkins Nowlen is a Certified Diversity Trainer and a Certified Women’s Leadership Coach, with an advanced certification with special emphasis on the “Times Up” and “Me Too Movement”. She is an author in an anthology called, “How to Survive When Your Ship is Sinking: Weathering Life’s Storms” and a contributing writer for other published books.
Anita says, “There is one common thread that links us together and that is the desire to be valued as a person.
It is because of that link her personal mission is “to enlighten, encourage, and empower purposeful and fulfilled living in the lives of others.”
Anita is available to speak throughout the year for other Special Emphasis Groups.
ANNE PASQUALE Living History
200 Pinehurst Ave, Apt 1E
NY NY 10033
Phone: 917-881-7149
Website: www.livinghistoryprograms.com
Email: apasqnyc@aol.com
Performance Description: Anne Pasquale's Living History Programs. Offers participational Women's History Programs for audiences of all ages. This year's show roster includes: The Legendary Lady of The Overland, Calamity Jane America's First Female Reporter, Nellie Bly The Revolutionary, Deborah Sampson Helen and Me, the Story of Annie Sullivan Macy and Helen Keller Liberty Belles, Stories and Songs of Immigration A free 45 minute walk-about is offered with every assembly. Or with any of our shows you can follow up with a 5-day residency ending in a final primary source presentation created and performed by all participants. Live music, join-in re-enactments and historical fun, highlight every presentation. The performers are body-miked and can accommodate audiences up to 500 in number. Fees prior to travel are: $500.00 for a single program and $700.00 for two performances back to back.
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SALLY PERKINS
99 N. Hawthorne Ln., Indianapolis, IN 46219
Phone: 317-345-4117
Email: sally.perkins@gmail.com
Website: http://www.sallyperkins.net
Performance Description: A top-selling show with sold-out performances at the 2018 IndyFringe Theatre Festival, Digging In Their Heels is a unique, high-energy, surprise-filled story of women’s 72-year battle for the vote. Imagine Susan B. Anthony and her spicy pals with i-Pads, Uber and Twitter! Through her highly visual, engaging, accessible performance, storyteller Sally Perkins keeps audiences in the palm of her hand, laughing, marveling, and learning from those who paved the way for women today. Pure edutainment and inspiration!
Click here to learn more and to view Video
“. . . a whirlwind lesson on the history of the suffrage movement, complete with all the modern technology you can think of. While she presents us with an intimidating amount of data, it is presented in a cheery light and it is not until the end of the show that you realize how much you have actually just learned.” –Wendy Carson, Plays With John & Wendy
LENGTH: One hour. Talk-back options available.
SEE A SAMPLE: Take a look at this preview video:STORYTELLER:Sally Perkins holds a PhD in rhetorical studies from the University of Kansas where she studied women’s right rhetoric. She now travels throughout the country performing stories of all sorts to audiences of all ages and is often commissioned to research, craft, and perform historical stories. Most recently she performed at the 2018 Indianapolis Spirit & Place Festival, the 2018 Tennessee Haunting in the Hills Festival, and the 2018 Festival of Ghost Stories at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
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CHRISTY PLEASANT
Phone: 704-962-0443
Email: Info@HistoricPerformanceEvents.com
Website: www.HistoricPerformanceEvents.com
Eliza Lucas Pinckney - Performance Includes: Biographical film and a live performance: “Tea with Eliza,” produced for colonial curricula, women’s empowerment, STEM education and women leadership.
Bio: Eliza Lucas Pinckney earned her place in the world of men in the early 18th Century. At age 17 her business acumen, scientific applications and women’s intuition were rewarded with the cultivation of Indigo and its coveted blue dye. Eliza’s efforts brought in one third of the income to the Royal Colony of South Carolina. President George Washington requested to be her pallbearer and she was the 1st woman entered into the S.C. Business Hall of Fame.
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Bio: HMS Queen Charlotte – at age 17 in Germany, Charlotte advocated for peace in a letter to the King of Prussia, asking him to stop his wars. This letter so impressed Britain’s Queen Mother that Charlotte was quickly betrothed to the young King George III. As Queen, Charlotte served as the Patroness of Botony and the Fine Arts; she supported Mozart, the Royal Academy of Art, and charity and education for young women. Queen Charlotte decorated the first magical Christmas tree, starting the tree trimming traditions celebrated today.
Molly Bloom - Performance includes: The live performance of “Molly Bloom’s Soliloquy”, with violin music, produced for Bloom’s Day celebrations, literary or Joycean events and women’s studies.
Bio: Molly Bloom - Joyce’s wife and muse, Nora Barnacle, inspired his fictional character Molly Bloom. Nora and Molly did and said what they wanted, revealing truth, innocence and their ignorance.
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GWENDOLYN QUEZAIRE-PRESUTTI
Email: gwendolyn@woventales.com
Website: https://www.creativeground.org/profile/gwendolyn-quezaire-presutti-0
Phone: 860-212-6129
Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti’s portrayal of historical women introduces untapped history, drawing on a wide array of primary historical resources. For the past 20 years Gwendolyn has engaged audiences with performances giving voice to real life accounts, struggles, self-determination, and triumphs of women she portrays. Each performance infused with her unique finger print giving an integral portrait of a historical event or person. An award-winning artist, in recognition of the quality and range of her work . Received Theatre in Museums/Theater and Interpretation Techniques Certification at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
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Performance Description: If I Am Not for Myself Who Will Be for Me During the fall of 1796, George Washington’s final months in office, Oney Judge Staines, a slave, escaped the Executive Mansion in Philadelphia. There is always an underside – hidden from sight the more unpleasant or reprehensible side that needs to surface to give an integral portrait of a historical event or person. Oney’s story is one such story. Her voice gives the informative accounts needed to appreciate her struggles, self-determination, and triumphs of her life. Her account was not a stereotypical runaway account.
I Can’t Die but Once Harriet Tubman a woman of unique qualities and abilities even though she was illiterate, kept an unblemished record of vigilance, legacy of sacrifice and struggle. Harriet Tubman weaves a tale of truth, pain; courage and determination that take the audience into her life -enslaved – eventual escape and the United States Government asking for her unique talent – evading capture behind enemy lines. They enlisted her as a scout and spy for the Union cause and she battled courageously behind enemy lines during the Civil War. The elementary school version may be more palatable, but the real Tubman is far more inspiring.
Looking Things Over Zora Neale Hurston considered one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature, an American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, and anthropologist. After going to Florida in 1927 to collect folklore, and after years of organizing her notes published Mules and Men in 1935. Zora, not only did she love writing the folklores she enjoyed telling them. Zora celebrated the African American culture of the rural South, because she believed that black people had wonderful stories that the world needed to hear, and she told them proudly.
Reviews:
“We truly appreciated your stellar performance at Lincoln Financial Group. From the earliest moments you captured everyone’s rapt attention and kept us focused on the story the entire time. We will certainly keep you in mind in the future!” – Robert Moarcas Lincoln Financial Group Hrtd.
I am writing to express my appreciation of Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti’s impersonation of Harriet Tubman. She was Brilliant! Her passion for history and her admiration for Harriet Tubman’s courage and accomplishments clearly come through. I want to thank her for “breathing life” into this incredible person. – Thomas Kemintzer Adjunct Professor Long Island University
“I truly enjoyed your performance (Harriet Tubman). You did a super job and you so impressed me on how totally you disappeared in the character. You were mesmerizing!” – Suzanne Fonda Owner of Historical Entertainments
A few days ago, I attended your portrayal of Harriet Tubman at the Port Washington, New York, and Public Library. Wow! What an impressive presentation! I felt like it should be a Broadway show. You were so good that I was wondering if I was really at a free performance at a local library, and then feeling guilty about it, because you should be on Broadway! – Sincerely, E. Suter, Ph.D.
“I thought it was spellbinding …she is a phenomenal storyteller, I have seen other storytellers and non-fiction narratives, but she (Quezaire-Presutti) is so believable that I wanted to see her again.” – said Jones as reported by Estefania Souza of Wicked Local Roslindale, MA.
“I was so impressed by it that I invited some people (too the Roslindale performance),” – said Jones, who saw Quezaire-Presutti in Jamaica Plain on June 15.
I highly recommend Ms. Quezaire-Presutti. Not only can she educate and entertain, but she is able to tailor her programs to her audience making adjustments to them depending on whether she is working with children, teens, or adults. She is a consummate professional, but she enthralled our audience from the moment she entered the hall. The audience responded immediately and hung on every word, and the Q&A at the end of the program brought it all together. It was a brilliant success. – Andrew Bowers, Pres., Littleton Lyceum Committee www.littetonlyceum.org
Thank you so very much for the outstanding presentation you made today…so many employees have approached me and told me how much they enjoyed the presentation! You could hear a pin drop in the room, people were really focused on every word you uttered. You surely have a gift and we rarely can get a glimpse of the personal impact of slavery from the vantage point you provided. There is a buzz around this place that you get the Delta Dental Academy award for the year! – Connie Roy-Czyzowski, SPHR, CCP, Vice President, Human Resources
The Performance: Each historical characterization performed in period costume and is 45 to 60 minutes in length. The Space: A stage is never required, however, a certain amount of space for the performance and several set pieces. A platform, or stage if available, increases the viewing pleasure of the audience, especially for large groups. The Options: Q/A in character and/or out of character is always welcome. Travel: International Fees: Call for information.
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MIRIAM REED
Website: www.miriamreed.com
Email: miriam@miriamreed.com
ONE-WOMAN POWERFUL WOMAN PERFORMANCE SUSAN B. ANTHONY: Says A Word Anthony (1820-1906) recalls her life as an earnest, and for a time, a frivolous, young woman and the events that brought her to meet Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Shortly thereafter, Anthony became a full-time worker for woman’s rights‚—her right to the control of her own person, her right to ownership of her wages, her right to the guardianship of her children—and finally, her right to woman’s suffrage. “Miriam brings to life this historically important woman in a way that inspires a passion for social activism”-Nancy Kilham, Ashland, OR
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MARGARET SANGER: Radiant Rebel 1940 At a press conference in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Margaret Sanger relates her experience as a pioneer of legal contraception, her second marriage, her encounters with local officials and with international figures such as Gandhi. ” A gripping portrayal.” – Wilkes University, Wilkes Barre, PA
MARGARET SANGER: Radiant Rebel 1916 Sanger (1879-1966), in an after-dinner speech, recounts growing up in a large and poor family and seeing her mother die young after a lifetime of consumption and seventeen pregnancies. As a nurse on the Lower East Side, Sanger cared for women who endured illegal abortions that were too often fatal. At a time when doctors were jailed for giving advice on contraception, Sanger recalls the daring steps she took to change the law, to make contraceptives legal and freely available to women. A huge success…Your show opened their eyes…to Sanger’s contribution to the Woman’s Movement. —College of Charleston, SC
MARGARET SANGER: HER LIFE IN HER WORDS ( Barricade Books 2004) “I want…to express my appreciation for such an important, inspiring, and detailed account of this remarkable woman. Thank you. Your work reminds me of the importance of knowing our history. The topic could not be more important than it is today.” Molly Murphy MacGregor, Executive Director, National Woman’s History Project The book deftly showcases Sanger’s grit and determination. Publishers Weekly
HURRAH FOR WOMAN SUFFRAGE! Forty-minute Music CD, History Booklet with Song Lyrics, & Work Study Questions $15.00 A GREAT learning tool for my U.S. History Class. —Barbara J. Rozek
MIRIAM REED proudly earned her doctorate in Comparative Literature (UCLA 1980) and discovered how little she knew. Specifically, she had no idea who Elizabeth Cady Stanton was. Galvanized by her own ignorance, Miriam determined to save other women from such ignominy and launched her one-woman performances to educate and entertain, calling her solo plays “Women’s History 101“ With her savings, she wrote Margaret Sanger: Her Life in Her Words (Barricade Books, 2003) Miriam lives with her Border Collie, Marnie, in Ashland, Oregon.
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8537 Sonoma Highway
Kenwood, CA 95452
Website: rebecca-rosenberg.com
Email: Rebecca@rebecca-rosenberg.com
Performance Description: “Champagne Widows battle pandemics, mental illness, wars, laws against women owning businesses, and even Napoleon to forge champagne empires.” Champagne geek, lavender farmer and triple-gold award-winning author, Rebecca Rosenberg presents a riveting visual presentation of the three women who revolutionized champagne making from 1800 to 1950, Veuves (widows) Clicquot, Pommery and Bollinger.
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Rebecca can speak to your club via zoom or in person.
Rebecca’s historical novels about these women garnered 2022 EDITORS CHOICE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY. The novels are available at bookstores and Amazon, or wholesale through Ingram Content Group.
CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS, First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot
https://www.amazon.com/Champagne-Widows-First-Woman-Clicquot-ebook/dp/B09D2HTJY9
MADAME POMMERY, Creator of Brut Champagne
https://www.amazon.com/Madame-Pommery-Creator-Champagne-Widows-ebook/dp/B0BSSKGQRX
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WENDY ROUSE , P.H.D.
San Jose, California
Email: Wendy.Rouse@sjsu.edu
Website: https://nyupress.org/9781479828531/
Description: Wendy Rouse is an Associate Professor in history whose research focuses on the history of women and children during the Progressive Era. Her most recent book, Her Own Hero: The Origins of the Women's Self-Defense Movement explores the early twentieth century roots of the women's self-defense movement and its connection to the suffrage movement. Rouse is presently working on a project highlighting the role of LGBTQ suffragists in the campaign for women's right to vote.
Lecture topics:
- Queer Suffragists and the Campaign for the Vote
- Fighting Like Amazons: Suffragists and the Self-Defense Movement
- The Youngest Suffragists: Children and the Fight for the 19th Amendment
- Suffrage Warriors: The ExtraOrdinary California Women Who Campaigned for the Vote
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CYNDEE SCHAFFER
The Journey of Mollie’s War from Inspiration to Publication
Email: cyndeeschaffer@gmail.com
Website: http://mollieswar.com
Performance Description: Cyndee Schaffer discusses her mother’s WWII experience as a WAC (Women’s Army Corps) by taking you on a journey from inspiration to publication in her presentation about “Mollie’s War” and the first women in the military during World War II. “Mollie’s War,” co-authored by Cyndee and her mother, Mollie Weinstein Schaffer, is a memoir that takes you on the romantic and always frightful journey of a WAC during the height of WWII who followed the troops into England, France and finally Germany with the Army of Occupation. It is a story woven around the collection of letters (photos and memorabilia) that Mollie wrote home to her family during WWII along with historical commentary concurrent with the letters. It details Mollie’s experiences assigned to the Medical Intelligence division of the U.S. Army.
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Presentation includes a PowerPoint slide show and a DVD of a recruiting movie produced by Warner Bros studio, “It’s Your War, Too” in which Mollie had two cameo appearances. Presentations are for all ages and are adapted according to the audience. Some comments by groups who have attended presentations: Women’s group: Your PEO program was such a delight for all of us Tuesday evening. From the beautiful display to the informative PowerPoint to your articulate script to the fascinating recruitment film, we learned so much. Your process encourages us all to look for those interesting family stories to tell. AAUW group: We were unbelievably honored to have you come and tell your remarkable story of your mom and WWII. Our group was completely mesmerized by your presentation. Yes, I am sure that it is always a little sad to tell your mom’s story especially since her passing, but it is truly the most wonderful way to honor her deeds and accomplishments. We are extremely blessed to have you tell her story and you couldn’t do a better job of keeping her spirit alive.
Institute for Continued Learning: I believe that Mollie’s War had special meaning for me because it provided me with a rare vicarious encounter with loving family dynamics and a long and close mother-child relationship, which I never had the opportunity to experience. Few books I have read have had the lasting impression on me than yours has, and I never pass up the chance to recommend it to others. It has been a joy to have become acquainted with you, and a privilege to have been able to help present your wonderful story to my colleagues. You are a truly delightful person, and I will long have fond memories of my good fortune to have met you–and your dear mother. Cyndee Schaffer 1-847-917-4125 Author of “Mollie’s War” http://www.mollieswar.com Fiscal 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Road Scholar from Illinois Humanities: http://www.prairie.org/program s/ihc-road-scholars-speakers-bureau Silver Award in the Nonfiction Book Awards: http://nonfictionauthorsassoci ation.com/category/bookawards/ read about Mollie’s War in North Shore Weekend magazine: http://issuu.com/jwcmedia/docs /tnsw_w28# Audio Version of “Mollie’s War” is now on the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
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BETTY JEWELL SLATER - New Listing Information
Phone: (628) 300-6716
Email: info@bettyjewellslater.com
Website: www.bettyjewellslater.com
Virtual presentations available
Performance Description: Black Matriarchs of History - As a fresh approach to public speaking, I help individuals and organizations identify and break through limiting systems, ideas, and beliefs. My monologues of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Bessie Coleman, and Mary; Mother of Jesus make a creative and energetic presentation.
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The performances are available for libraries, schools, corporations, universities, civic, and religious groups. They are especially appropriate for women’s meetings, Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebrations in January, Black History Month in February, National Women’s History Month in March; and any time you need a unique presentation to support your individual program.
If you’d like me to create a specialized program for your event, please inquire about it when you contact me.
Speaking Topics:
Rosa Parks:Mrs. Parks made a stand by sitting down. She can teach your team how to make a bold stance when doing the right thing.
- Overcoming Fear
- Teamwork
Harriet Tubman:Harriet freed herself from slavery; and then returned to free others.
- Break Free From Fear & Self-Limitations
- Teamwork
- Strategic Planning
- Taking Consistent Action
Mrs. Coretta Scott King:Mrs. King tenaciously worked to make her husband's birthdate a national holiday. Mrs. King can speak about setting a BHAG'S - Big Hairy Audacious Goals and doing the work to see them come to fruition.
Goal SettingStrategic Leadership
Bessie Coleman:Bessie Coleman never took "no" for an answer. She can talk about the importance of persistence.
- Never Stop Pursuing Your Dream
- Never Take No For An Answer
Mary, Mother of Jesus:
- The Power of Love
- Resurrection Sunday
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JEANE SLONE, Historical Author
Phone: 707-696-4847
Email: info@jeaneslone.com
Website: http://jeaneslone.com/
Performance Description: PowerPoint presentations and discussion of amazing, powerful women of the 1940’s who have been left out of history! After the bombing of Pearl Harbor our men left to join the service and our women had to step up and take over their jobs.
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- American combat nurses during WW II. Learn about the brave women working in jungle and underground hospitals, on planes, trains, and ships. The combat nurses faced danger, human suffering, imprisonment, and discrimination.
- American Women war correspondents who risked their lives going went behind enemy lines in WW II.
- American women spies during WW II. Learn about their extensive training and dangerous missions.
- Women on the home front: the Wendy the Welders, Rosie the Riveters and Japanese American interns in the Tanforan horse stables in San Bruno, CA.
5.The Women Airforce Service Pilots who ferried over 77 types of aircraft from the factories to 134 Army Bases. Thirty-eight pilots died and never left the United States.
6. Choose all five subjects in a synopsis of each category in an hour PowerPoint presentation.
Biography:
Jeane Slone is a member of the Pacific Coast Air Museum, Santa Rosa, CA and a 15-year member of Redwood Writers Club, a branch of the California Writer’s Club. She received the Jack London award for service to the club. Ms. Slone has a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education and teaching certificate. She has taught several history classes at Sonoma State University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and is a member of the National Women’s History Alliance.
Ms. Slone has distributed local author’s books since 2010.
She is the owner of ESL Publishing, a dedicated company that prints quality textbooks for second-language learners. www.eslpublishing.com
Ms. Slone is the daughter of parents who both served in the Army during WW II. She has published five historical novels all of which are historically accurate with a composite of real characters.
She Flew Bombers During WW II, winner of the national 2012 Indie Book Award. Available also as an audio book through audible.com.
She Built Ships During WW II, also available in an ESL version with workbook.
She Was an American Spy During WW II.
She Was a Photographer Behind Enemy Lines. Finalist in the Indie Excellent Book Awards.
She Was a Combat Nurse During WW II.
To purchase the historical novels: www.jeaneslone.com.
A Hollywood producer has optioned for the historical novels to have a TV series produced titled, War Gals: Unsung American Heroines.
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ELLEN SNORTLAND
2591 Fair Oaks Ave #112
Altadena, CA 91001-5074
Phone: 626-798-8421
Cell / Text: 626-354-8421
Email: ellensnortland@mac.com
Websites:
http://beautybitesbeast.com
http://nowthatshesgone.com
Performance Description: Ellen has two separate events that she offers:
- A screening of Ellen’s award-winning documentary feature Beauty Bites Beast (BBB) followed by a Q&A with Ellen and/or a mini self-defense workshop
- A performance of her acclaimed one-woman show Now That She’s Gone (NTSG) followed by a Q&A
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Ellen Snortland is a lawyer, teacher, author, columnist and author book coach. She is a regular opinion columnist for the Pasadena Weekly and her writing has been featured in major US newspapers and magazines for decades. Ellen has also been a speaker, journalist and delegate for major United Nations World Conferences such as the Women’s Conference in Beijing and Conference Against Racism in South Africa, and the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City. An instructor and on the board of the 501c3 IMPACT Personal Safety of Los Angeles, Snortland is the author of “Beauty Bites Beast: The Missing Conversation About Ending Violence,” a how-come book about women’s personal safety that was featured on Dateline NBC. She is the director, writer and producer of the award-winning documentary film version of “Beauty Bites Beast,” based on her book of the same name. Ellen is also the co-author of “The Safety Godmothers,” along with fellow self-defense expert Lisa Gaeta. Ellen’s TEDx talk explores her mission to empower people through self-defense: http://tinyurl.com/tedx-ellen.
Snortland lives in Altadena, CA, with her husband, Ken Gruberman, and their 3 naughty dogs.
Beauty Bites Beast Info
Beauty Bites Beast Trailer: http://bit.ly/BBB-Trailer
Beauty Bites Beast Description
Consider that one-third of all women and girls worldwide are assaulted during their lifetime, and chances are they didn’t fight back. Why is this, when females of other species would? Beauty Bites Beast sets out to answer this question and vanquish the barriers to teaching women and girls unarmed verbal and physical empowerment-based self-defense. The film flips ideas about female helplessness, as women undertake the transformative experience of learning verbal, emotional and physical techniques and reclaim their lives. How often can you say with certainty that a movie will save lives? This one already has.
Quotes for “Beauty Bites Beast”:
“I was one of the women who thought self-defense was victim blaming. I had it so wrong. What Beauty Bites Beast showed me, in a truly transformative way, was that self-defense is about agency. My right and capacity to set and protect my own boundaries.
I also believed that self-defense was always violent, for tomboys, not what a nice girl should ever do. Besides, the onus should be on men to change their behavior towards us, right? I had it so wrong again. The film breaks down how self-defense can play a role in true empowerment. You will laugh, you may tear up, but you will definitely walk away enlightened.” — Petra Hand, a UN representative in Iraq and international business consultant
Ellen Snortland and Medal of Freedom winner Dolores Huerta on the set of “Beauty Bites Beast”
Now That She’s Gone (NTSG) Info
Now That She’s Gone: Unraveling the Mystery of My Mother
Written & Performed By: Ellen Snortland
“With a name like Snortland, she’d better be good.”
NTSG Description
“Now That She’s Gone” is the kind of one woman show that people who hate one woman shows love. Juxtapose a sexually liberated and wild daughter thoroughly enjoying life with a stoic Norwegian-American domesticated mother who sounds like she just got off the boat, and you get a flavor of the NTSG smorgasbord.
Full of humor and poignancy as well as human rights and history, NTSG has been performed as a staged reading and as a full stage performance across the country and around the world since 2008. Everywhere the show has been performed, audiences have connected with Ellen and her odd relationship with her mother. There’s the comedy of their intertwined lives, their final touching moments together and Ellen’s uncovering the secret of her mother’s mysterious behavior.
This story is universal in its appeal and reaches across age, gender, race, religion, political affiliation and sexual orientation to bring something identifiable to all who see it: how we relate to the most important relationship in our lives… our parents.
“Now That She’s Gone” was first produced by EMP Theatricals, LLC, at the 2008 NY International Fringe Festival and premiered in Europe at the 2011 Edinborough Fringe Festival.
NTSG Quotes
Gloria Steinem, feminist, journalist, political and social activist says, “Ellen has a gift for being serious and funny, making you laugh and understand at the same time.”
Riane Eisler, author of “The Chalice and the Blade” says, “Ellen’s play is a must see. Her performance is stupendous! The play is funny, moving…like real life; it comes from the heart.”
Nora Dunn, SNL Alum says, “Ms. Snortland delivers a poignant and completely original insight into the mother/daughter relationship that is deeply moving, and often profound.”
Ken Gruberman, multiple Grammy award winner says, “I liked Ellen’s play so much that I married her!”
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ROSITA STEVENS-HOLSEY
Based in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia area, but willing to travel in the continental US
Phone: 202-445-4648
Email: preservingpaulimurray@gmail.com
Website: preservingpaulimurray.com
Instagram: instagram.com/preservingpaulimurray
Performance Description: Speaking engagements sharing stories of historical and pioneering voices, especially highlighting the life journey of her aunt, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. Pauli Murray was a civil rights and women's rights activist before any movement advocated for either - the brilliant mind that, in 1944, conceptualized the arguments that would win Brown v. Board of Education; and in 1964, the arguments that won women equality in the workplace.
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Rosita will give a thought provoking speech (in-person or virtually), plan a multi-faceted field trip and/or school assembly, be a knowledgeable member of a panel to inspire youth and seasoned listeners. Rosita and Pauli's stories will help listeners learn to overcome adversity and achieve one's goals with persistence and determination. Specialized programs for adults include Prosecco with Pauli, an interactive discussion with wine, wisdom and whimsy and Safe Spaces Sessions, a session that may include marginalized people to discuss, process, and heal from the trauma and stress caused by discrimination, racism, sexism and other forms of oppression. Safe Spaces Sessions allows individuals to feel supported and respected for exactly who they are. Fireside Chats hosted by Rosita are modeled after President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and can revolve around the political climate, social issues or lighter topics as requested.
Rosita also hosts a plethora of virtual programs. Coffee Club Zoom will revolve around a topic cultivated by Rosita and the host and will be a lively, interactive discussion with a diverse group of participants. This is also offered as a monthly, quarterly or bi-annual program. Pauli, Tea and Me is similar to Coffee Club Zoom but this program revolves around the life and work of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray.
As a long-time educator, Rosita enjoys teaching, interacting with and learning from the youth. In addition to Children's Hour Readings, Rosita plays games such as acrostic poetry, and gets kids involved with "Think, Pair and Share", "Buzz Session", brainstorming groups and even light-hearted debate sessions.
Rosita enjoys creating and cultivating new spaces for programs in which community members can come together to discuss life or even brainstorm how to achieve common goals and desires. She will happily customize programs to suit the goals and needs of your adult and/or youth group.
Rosita has presented before the Federal Reserve Bank, various chapters of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Tavis Smiley's syndicated radio program, The Diocese of Atlanta, Meredith College, University of Colorado, Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, Saint Mark United Methodist Church Atlanta, Solidarity and Social Justice Committee, Carolina Friends School, and many more.
More about Rosita: Ms. Stevens-Holsey is a recently retired educator with Prince George's County Public Schools (in Maryland) and now devotes her full time to uplifting Aunt Pauli's legacy, which is her passion project. She accomplishes this through various avenues. Aside from being a supporter and Board Member of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, she has also founded an organization, Preserving Pauli Murray, LLC. Rosita travels the country speaking about her Aunt Pauli via interviews, podcasts, keynote speeches, sitting on panels, giving school assemblies and/or field trips, etc. In addition to this, Rosita has written an award winning biography entitled Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist & Civil Rights Activist, co-authored with Terry Catasús Jennings.
Ms. Stevens-Holsey is also a board member of the National Women's History Alliance (NWHA, which is responsible for what is now known as Women's History Month) and a founding member of the Black Women's History Committee of the NWHA. Rosita is a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW), NAACP and Change the Names Project.
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KATE CAMPBELL STEVENSON
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Phone: 301-622-1588
Email: kcamstev@aol.com
Website: www.katecampbellstevenson.com
Performance Description: Educate, motivate and inspire your audience with Kate’s stirring musical leadership theater productions that feature real women trailblazers who exceeded the expectations of their time. Each 50- minute one-woman show; Women: Back to the Future or Amending America: How Women Won the Vote, or Forging Frontiers: Women Leaders in STEM includes clever onstage costume and makeup changes creating magical transitions between historical periods. 2-4 women featured per show. Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Women Winning the vote with Kate’s Amending America: How Women Won the Vote which was featured at the National Archives opening day (May 10, 2019) of their newest exhibit Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote.
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In Forging Frontiers: Women Leaders in STEM Kate brings to life historic American STEM leaders and also highlights diverse contemporary STEM role models. Meet Rachel Carson – marine biologist, writer and environmentalist; and Louise A. Boyd who led SEVEN Arctic expeditions in the 1920’s and 1930’s! Forging Frontiers helps break through cultural biases, highlights inspiring STEM role models and encourages participants to further explore STEM classes and career options. “If you see it-you can be it!”. Program adapts for audiences 8 years to adults.
Women: Back to the Future includes, a choice of two or three women, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, Rose Crabtree, Alice Paul, Louise Arner Boyd, Rachel Carson…and more. Contact Kate for more information.
JILL S. TIETJEN
8547 E. Arapahoe Road, PMBJ189
Greenwood Village, CO 80112-1430
Phone: 303-796-8204
Email: jill@herstoryatimeline.com
Website: www.herstoryatimeline.com
Description: Co-author of the bestselling and award-winning book Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America and CEO of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Jill S.Tietjen is an author, speaker, and electrical engineer. Tietjen uses highly visual PowerPoint presentations, accompanied by a beautiful banner stand display, to highlight women’s accomplishments from U.S. history and show the relevance of those accomplishments and actions to today’s women. Topics are customized to the audience and include: You Can Do It! The Keys are Passion, Determination, and Persistence; The Power of the Women On Whose Shoulders We Stand; and Women Who Network Change the World. Please visit www.herstoryatimeline.com for book reviews, to see Tietjen in television interviews and on C-SPAN/Book TV, to hear her on the radio (including NPR), and to learn more about the topics.
PAMELA TOLER
Phone: Office 773-643-4084/cell 773-571-1721
Email: pdtoler@sbcglobal.net
Website: pameladtoler.com historyinthemargins.com
Performance Description: Historian and author Pamela Toler is comfortable talking to small intimate groups and packed auditoriums about historical women, including women warriors, Civil War nurses, and historic women journalists. Programs typically run 45 minutes, plus a period for Q & A and can be tailored to a specific group's interests.
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Popular programs include:
Not Like Joan of Arc - Stories about fascinating women warriors you've never heard of, beginning with the oldest known women warriors (from the second millennium BCE). Toler introduces you to a group of women warriors who turned out to be more important than she expected. And she debunks the myth that women have not and therefore cannot be warriors.
In Disguise – Stories of women who disguised themselves as men to enlist in the American Civil War and how they fit into the long lineage of cross-dressing women soldiers.
From Unwanted to Indispensable: The Real Nurses of the Civil War - The story of how thousands of women with little or no experience with nursing volunteered to serve their country during the Civil War, taught themselves how to do the job under adverse circumstance (including hostility from the surgeons with whom they worked), and created a profession that did not exist before the war.
The Dragon From Chicago - The story of Sigrid Schultz, the Chicago Tribune's Berlin bureau chief and primary foreign correspondent for Central Europe from 1925 to January, 1941. She was one of the first reporters—male or female—to warn American readers of the growing dangers of Nazism. It’s a story that includes working around glass ceilings, keeping the news flowing despite tightening controls on the media, outwitting Nazis in Germany, standing up against pro-Nazi sympathizers at home, and dealing with claims of “fake news” on both sides of the Atlantic, plus a little bit of a conspiracy theory.
"Toler blows past all expectations with this thoroughly delightful, personable, and crucially important history of women warriors."--Booklist
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SALLY ROESCH WAGNER
Website: www.sallyroeschwagner.com
Performance Description: Awarded one of the first U.S. doctorates for work in women’s studies (UC Santa Cruz) Dr. Wagner is a founder of the first college-level women’s studies programs to offer a minor (CSU Sacramento) where she currently teaches, along with courses in Syracuse University’s Honors Program.. Dr. Wagner has taught women’s studies courses for 52 years and is the Founder/Director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation. Dr. Wagner’s anthology The Women's Suffrage Movement, with a Forward by Gloria Steinem (Penguin Classics, 2019), unfolds a new intersectional look at the 19th century woman’s rights movement and the Indigenous influence on suffragists.
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The women’s suffrage movement began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, NY and Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton led the fight for the vote until 1920, when women received the right to vote with the 19th amendment.
Is this the story you learned about the women’s suffrage movement? Unfortunately, every part of it is wrong.
- Indigenous women have had political voice on this land for 1000 years, while 2020 marks 100 years since the constitution added women to legal voters in the United States.
- Women voted in the colonies. They lost the right after the revolution when states made it illegal for women – and African American men – to vote.
- Black and white women organized anti-slavery societies a decade before the Seneca Falls convention, where they learned the essentials of organizing they brought to the women’s rights movement.
- Initially women created a women’s rights movement, demanding everything from equal pay to a woman’s right to control her body. After a merger of the conservative and progressive suffrage organizations in 1890 the focus narrowed to a push for the vote.
While the 19th amendment guaranteed women the right to vote, in practice voter suppression laws denied, and continue to deny the vote to citizens.
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MAGGIE WORSDALE
Charleston, SC
Website: www.marthawashington.com
Email: worsdale@aol.com
Phone: 843-203-3383
Description: Professional Actress, Maggie Worsdale, portrays Martha Washington, a woman who wanted nothing more than a peaceful domestic life only to find herself in the unwanted glare of a national spotlight. Through it all, Martha Washington maintained her natural, unassuming presence. Cheerful, attentive, and appreciative: the very model of a President's Lady.
Maggie Worsdale holds a B.A. degree in Theater and English from Marietta College. In 2005, Worsdale began producing traveling literary programs in NY & NJ with a small troupe of trained, professional actors. In 2012, TRAVELING LITERARY THEATER was recognized nationally with the production of “100 Years – TITANIC – survivors and their stories.” In the spring of 2013, after 18 months of research and writing, Maggie began her historical figure portrayal as Martha Washington.
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1- Great Ladies of the American Revolution
Women wanted independence just as much as the men. The impact that ladies had on the revolutionary effort did not take center stage and has been underrated. The involvement of some of these women has not been as recognizable as others but they all had one thing in common, patriotic passion. These women were steadfast, dependable and assisted in every way imaginable, many even risking their own lives and fearing for their personal safety. Martha Washington speaks about a number of these great ladies and what they did for the cause.
2- Martha Washington – HER LIFE
Martha's happy childhood, her courtships, her children, grandchildren, friends, and her heartaches are subject of this one hour lecture. This remarkable life did not unfold as she would have liked but great happiness was found along the way. Determined to be happy and cheerful, Martha made the most of her days on earth and was granted, in her obituary, this grand notation: "
SHE WAS THE WORTHY PARTNER OF THE WORTHIEST OF MEN."
3 - The First, First Lady - Martha Washington
Martha Washington's eight years as the first, First Lady were extremely difficult for her, but she viewed it as a duty to her husband and she learned to make the most of her situation. By the time she arrived at the capital, her husband's secretary, who had lived in Europe, created a series of rigid protocol rules that she found especially limiting of her, particularly the one which forbade her and the President from accepting invitations to dine in private homes. She often felt isolated, lonely, and frustrated with the way the press portrayed her husband. This is an in-depth look at Martha’s eight years as she made her way as the first lady of a new land. There were no guidelines to help her navigate these new political waters. She had only her past experience and common sense to help lead the way.
www.marthawashington.com www.maggieworsdale.com www.travelingliterarytheater.com