2013

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Subject: Wednesday, June 5, 2013 noon panel

DRAMATIC WOMEN WHO PLAY WRIGHT

Sponsored by: America Women Writers National Museum
*50 State Project honors women writers in: Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine
For more details, See State-Meant 4 U Page
Time & Place: noon-1:00 p.m. at the McLendon Room of the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20045.

        Mary Hall Surface is an internationally recognized playwright and director specializing in theater for family audiences. Nominated for nine Helen Hayes Awards, she received the award in 2002 for Outstanding Director of a Musical. Surface's plays have been produced in major American venues including the National Gallery of Art, The Folger Theatre, and 15 productions with the Kennedy Center's Theater for Young Audiences and National Symphony Orchestra.
        She believes in "the power of the playwriting pen".
        Surface has published two books of monologues for middle school students, 12 plays, and three award-winning original cast albums of her plays. She is the recipient of the Charlotte Chorpenning Prize from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education for the body of her playwright work, and has been honored by the DC Mayor Arts Awards. She lives in D.C.
        "Write what's in your heart" advises playwright Jennifer L. Nelson, Director of Special Programming at Ford's Theatre. Describing herself as "Texas-born", she came to Washington, D.C. in 1972 to work with the Living Stage Theatre Company, a community outreach program of Arena Stage. She said in a 2012 interview that she "used to be" a poet.
        A graduate of the University of California-Davis, Nelson has served as an adjunct professor in theatre at Georgetown University. Her play "Torn From the Headlines" is the 1997 winner of the Most Outstanding New Play Award from the Helen Hayes Theatre Awards. She also lives in D.C. Her sister Marilyn, is Poet Laureate of Connecticut.
        Playwright Renee Calarco teaches playwriting at GWU and improvisational comedy at the Theatre Lab, and is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America and the DC Area Playwrights.
        Her play Short Order Stories received the 2007 Charles MacArthur Award, and her play The Religion Thing was a 2013 nominee for the same award. Some of her other plays include: Keepers of the Western Door, The Mating of Angela Weiss, and If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. She is an artistic associate with First Draft. She lives in D.C.
        Curtains Up! The play's the thing!
        

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Subject: Tuesday, May 15, 2013 50-state Project

SWEET HOME ALABAMA

Co-Sponsored by: American AWWNM and Alabama Center for the Book
*50 State Project honors women writers in: Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa
For more details, See State-Meant 4 U Page
Time & Place: noon-1:00 p.m. at the McLendon Room of the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20045.

        Although writer-professor Dr.Trudier Harris spent 40 years away from her Sweet Home Alabama traveling and teaching, she always retained 'Bama bones, the topic of her May 15 presentation; part of AWWN's 50-state project to showcase women writers from all 50 states.
        "Alabama has dominated everything I've done and written. Greene and Tuscaloosa County farmers influenced my poetry. My mother's work as a domestic led to my first scholarly book. Alabama's weather, landscape, family tradition and crop cultivation served as reference point, including in my memoir Summer Snow", Dr.Harris said.
        She credits that invisible tether with inspiring her "even more" since she came back to 'Bama in 2009, to serve as an English professor at the University of Alabama. Her specialty is African American literature and folklore on which she has written or edited 24 volumes, as well as numerous scholarly articles. She has received several teaching awards. In 2002 she received the Eugee Current-Garcia Award as Alabama's Distinguished Literary Scholar.
        Her May 15, 2013 presentation is titled: 'Bama Bones: A Black Southerner Talks Place & Creativity.
        Dr. Harris was born in 1948 on a farm near Tuscaloosa, the sixth of nine children of Terrell and Unareed Harris. She holds B.A., MA.and Ph.D. degrees.
        Dr. Harris will be introduced by Dana A. Williams, chair and professor of African American Literature in the Department of English at Howard University.
        "I met Dr. Harris when I was a graduate student at Howard. She has been a wonderful mentor and teacher for so many of us. My grandparents are from Jackson, Alabama," Dr. Williams said.
        Dr. Williams holds a B.A., M.A. and PhD degrees in English from Grambling State University, and Howard University, respectively. She is currently working on a book about author Toni Morrison.
        

FOIA WOMEN: THRU the LOOKING GLASS

Sponsored by American Women Writers National Museum
*50-state Project honors women writers from Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, District of Columbia For more details, See State-Meant 4 U Page
Time & Place: noon-1 p.m. McLendon room of the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C 20045.

        At noon Wednesday April 17 women who really "know their FOIA stuff" will provide guidance navigating the Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass world of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). FOIA, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 4, 1966, applies only to Executive Branch agencies of the U.S. government.
        Although FOIA's stated purpose is open disclosure, nine exceptions/exemptions to disclosure oftimes bedevil researchers, making the looking glass a bit dim and cloudy.
        The American Women Writers National Museum (AWWNM) panelists include nationally-revered FOIA legend: attorney- journalist Lucy Dalglish, Dean of Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland.
        Dalglish was among the 1996 charter class inducted into the National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame in D.C. In 1995 Dalglish was awarded the Wells Memorial Key, the highest honor bestowed by the Society of Professional Journalists.
         She is a 1980 graduate of University of North Dakota where she began her journalism career as a reporter editor on the Grand Forks Herald. Dalglish segued to the St. Paul Minnesota Pioneer Press, working general assignment, education and the courts, moving up to Night City Editor, and national foreign editor.
         Much sought after, Dalglish speaks frequently across America about First Amendment and media issues. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt, and a Master in Law from Yale.
         Angela Greiling Keane, newly elected 106th president of the National Press Club, has a special interest in FOIA. She said in her remarks at her NPC inauguration event that she intends to feature FOIA during her year as president.
         Keane, transportation reporter for Bloomberg News, holds the B.A. degree in journalism from University of Missouri. She worked four years for Traffic World magazine, and has been at Bloomberg for six years.
         Panelist Angela Canterbury is a veteran of testifying before Congress on whistleblower protections, FOIA, government accountability and related issues. Canturbury, director of public policy for Project on Government Oversight (POGO), has worked with the League of Women Voters, Public Citizens Congress and democracy and civil society programs in Ukraine. She is an honors graduate of the University of North Carolina with a B.A in economics.

Dana Gioia

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Subject: Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Poetry in an Age of Images

Sponsored by: American Women Writers National Museum
Time & Place: 11:30-1:30 p.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20045.

        "Mara was brilliant, beautiful..." begins a stanza of Haunted, a poetic short story with an an O. Henry ending, nestled among the startling variety of poetic form in Dana Gioia's "Pity the Beautiful", his new poetry book which he will discuss Wednesday March 27, 2013 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m.
        He will also read from his recent work which will be available for sale and signing.
        His remarks will include mention of some of America's top-tier women poets.
        Sponsored by American Women Writers National Museum, Gioia's free and open to the public lecture--Poetry in an Age of Images- will be in the McLendon room of the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20045.
        "AWWNM is thrilled to have a poet as renowned as Gioia as our guest," said Janice Law, AWWNM founder.
        Gioia, currently a USC professor, chaired National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) from 2003-2009. In 1992, Gioia, a poet, librettist, translator, and jazz enthusiast, left his marketing executive job at General Foods promoting Jell-O snacks; to write full-time.
        "Gioia exemplifies...commitment to fundamentals of the arts in society, helping millions of Americans experience the positive and transformative power of literature..." wrote one admirer. www.danagioia.net
        In his poignant poem: "Finding a Box of Family Letters" Gioia includes photos. "I wonder what song the band was playing, just out of frame, as the photographer arranged your smiles. A waltz? A foxtrot? Get out there on the floor and dance! You don't have forever."
        Poems of sad/happy romance abound, including translations of the work of Italian writers. Gioia, of Sicilian and Mexican heritage, is also a master translator. Belying the title, his "The Seven Deadly Sins" poem is hilarious.
        Gioia holds a B.A. and M.B.A. degree from Stanford University, an M.A. degree from Harvard, and is the recipient of 10 honorary degrees and numerous literary awards.

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Subject: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 Willa Cather panel

ONE OF OURS: WILLA CATHER
PIONEER & PULITZER WINNER

Sponsored by: American Women Writers National Museum
Time & Place: noon-1:00 p.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20045.

        Nebraskan Willa Cather, the dazzlingly-talented writer (1873-1947) whose compelling, Pulitzer- winner prose preserved forever America's Great Plains culture, romance, adversity and triumph, will be discussed by three nationally-heralded Cather experts on Tuesday, March 26, sponsored by the American Women Writers National Museum (AWWNM).
        ONE OF OURS Cather panel, free and open to the public, is noon-1 p.m. in the McLendon Room of the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20045. No reservations are necessary. A buffet lunch is available for purchase.
        Lora Black, popular (NET) Nebraska Public Radio personality, who is traveling from Nebraska for the March 26 AWWNM event, grew up on a farm in southeastern Nebraska. When she is not working as an extra in national feature films or local theatre, Black hosts a long-time classical music program, which has received Associated Press awards.
        As part of the March 26 program, Black will reference her "Nebraska authors reading/radio project" where, over a period of years, she has voiced over and recorded literature of Nebraska women authors!
        Lt. Col (USAF) Dr. Martha (Max) Despain of Silver Springs is a board member of the Willa Cather Foundation and on the Western Literature Association Executive Committee.
        Despain, who recently moved from teaching English at the Air Force Academy to Media Operations at the Pentagon, wrote her University of Delaware doctorial thesis on: "Time, Memory & Identity in the Literature of ...Willa Cather". Despain focuses on "the influence of landscape and vanished communities" in Cather's work.
        Dr. Joseph Urgo's future wife Lesley, would not agree to marry Urgo until he read Cather's book "My Mortal Enemy" about a marriage! He did. Lesley then said Yes.
        "That was 30 years ago, which is how long both love affairs have been running: the marriage and the fascination with Willa Cather's work", explained Urgo, who is President of St. Mary's College of Maryland. Urgo is the author of "Willa Cather and the Myth of American Migration", and has edited a teaching edition of Cather's novel "My Antonia."
        Moderator will be Leslie Levy, executive Director of the Willa Cather Foundation.

FIRST LADIES' FIRST LADIES CELEBRATE
with a VALENTINE to AWWNM'S First Ladies
FIRST ANNIVERSARY!

Sponsored by: American Women Writers National Museum.
Time & Place: 11:30-1:00 p.m. National Press Club 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor
McLendon Room Washington, D.C. 20045.

        "Celebrating AWWNM's spectacular First Anniversary year, featuring a panel of expert women scholars of America's "real" First Ladies; seems perfect to parallel AWWNM's mission of honoring the eloquent voices of America's dazzling "First Lady": poets, screenwriters, historians, journalists, playwrights, and authors", said Janice Law, AWWNM founder.
        The Valentine Day, February 14, 2013 program will be from noon-1 p.m. in the McLendon Room on the 13th floor of the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW. www.americanwomenwritersnationalmuseum.org
        First Ladies panelists will discuss how spouses of American presidents are portrayed in written works and in exhibitions, as well as First Ladies who were writers and chroniclers of their historical eras.
        "I am honored to help AWWNM celebrate its first anniversary!” exclaimed panelist Lisa Kathleen Graddy, curator of the beloved, ever-popular First Ladies exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Graddy, also Deputy Chair of the museum's Division of Political History curates the museum's women's history collection as well.
        Graddy, co-author of First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image, holds a B.A. degree in history from University of Maryland, and an M.A. degree from Texas Tech University..
        Panelist Patricia Krider is executive director of the First Ladies Library and Education Center in Canton, Ohio which is "devoted to education about the contributions of First Ladies and other notable women in history".
        Founded in 1995 by Mary Regula, the Ohio library, which established an on line bibliography of America's First Ladies, is also a National Historic Site in partnership with the National Park Service.
        Krider Is a magna cum laude graduate of Ashland University, and also holds degrees from Walsh University and Stark State College.
        Panelist Maurine Beasley, an Eleanor Roosevelt biographer, is the author or co author of four books, and a journalism professor emerita at University of Maryland. Beasley is known as "dean of Washington D.C.'s journalism history".
        AWWNM's Valentine-themed Grand Opening, with accompaniment of the Salvation Army brass ensemble, was February 13, 2012.
        "Women, who buy 70% of books sold in America, and predominate in cultural audiences, have enthusiastically embraced the concept of AWWNM as long, long overdue. Our first year, thanks to the support of women and men, is a Wow!", Law said.
        AWWNM is a 501 (c) (3) public charity.
        All AWWNM programs are free and open to the public. At events, a buffet lunch is available for purchase.

A Journey of Mirrors:Latina Literary Landscapes

Cosponsored by: American Women Writers National Museum and Letras Latinas of the Institute for Latino Studies at Notre Dame University.
Time & Place: noon-1:15 p.m. National Press Club 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor
McLendon Room Washington, D.C. 20045.

        Poet-Photographer Rachel Eliza Griffiths, whose work has appeared in Oprah Winfrey's O Magazine, will headline a January 29, 2013 lunchtime panel of D.C. area Latina poets.
        A Journey of Mirrors: Latina Literary Landscapes, is cosponsored by American Women Writers National Museum (Janice Law, founder) and Letras Latinas of the Institute for Latino Studies of University of Notre Dame. All AWWNM programs are free and open to the public.
        Joining Griffiths will be D.C. area poets: Carmen Calatayud, Maritza Rivera and Neida Perez. Readings will be in English and Spanish.
        "AWWNM is honored to host these dazzling poets"., said Janice Law, AWWNM founder.
         Publications featuring Griffith’s poetry and photography include: The New York Times, Comstock Review, African-American Review, Poets & Writers. For a complete listing, see www.rachelelizagriffiths.com.
         Griffiths received her MA degree in English Literature from the University of Delaware, and the MFA degree in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, where she currently teaches creative writing. Her most recent poetry book Mule & Pear, won the 2012 Poetry Award of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.
         Carmen Calatayud, who will moderate the January 29 panel, is a local poet and psychotherapist. Her first book is "In the Company of Spirits" from which she will read.          Her son's military service in Iraq is the subject of Maritza Rivera's most recent book of poetry: A Mother's War. Rivera's poetry career, spanning four decades of work published in major American poetry venues, includes judging poetry competitions and her founding of the Mariposa (weekly) Poetry Series in College Park, Maryland.
         Rivera was just accepted to participate in the prestigious 2013 Bread Loaf Writers Conference, to be held in Sicily.
         Neida Perez, a Columbian-American, is a D.C. area community activist, mediator and writer.
        

Also on January 29...

WEST VIRGINIA TAKE ME HOME

Cosponsored by: West Virginia Center for the Book and AWWNM.
Time & Place: 1:15-2 p.m. McLendon room of the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C 20045.

        A dazzling West Virginian who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature ( 1938), who also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932,---Pearl S. Buck; is among the premier West Virginia women writers to be honored at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 29 by the American Women Writers National Museum (AWWNM) in Washington, D.C.
        "West Virginia's former Poet Laureate, the late Irene McKinney, West Virginia Music Hall of Fame honoree Hazel Dickens, and American Book Award winner, novelist Denise Giardina will be showcased along with Pearl Buck," said Janice Law, AWWNM founder.
        The celebration, jointly-hosted by West Virginia Center for the Book, West Virginia Library Commission, and West Virginia Humanities Council in Charleston, will be in the McLendon room of the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 20045. It is part of AWWNM's 50-stae Project to monthly honor four premier women writers from each state.
        "These brilliant women are only a few of the mega-talented American women literati with West Virginia ties", said Susan Hayden, director of the WVa Center for the Book, an affiliate of the CFB in the Library of Congress.
         A poster featuring women writers from West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Washington state, will be featured during January, remaining permanently on the AWWNM website, as part of AWWNM's 50-state Project to monthly honor in D.C., top-tier women writers from four states.
         The AWWNM 50-state event will be held following AWWNM's January 29 noon-1:15 panel of Latina Poets.
        All AWWM programs are free and open to the public.