Throwback Thursday: Women in World War II
I recently finished reading The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan. It is a fascinating look into a town that never existed on any map but had a HUGE influence on the outcome of World War II. Although not all of the residents were women, of course, the story is told through the lives of several different ladies who found themselves at this historic place.
A Story of Transformation
I recently attended the Pittsburgh Opera production of a new American opera, As One, that featured two of their Resident Artists. As One tells the story of Hannah, a transgender protagonist, who makes the transformational journey to happiness while navigating a world that does not always understand. This opera has the potential to challenge and even change the listener.
Wonder Woman, Her Creator, and His Lovers
Dr. William Moulton Marston created the Wonder Woman comics in 1941. But you probably haven’t heard of him unless you’re a comics aficionado. That can be easily remedied if you pick up The Secret History of Wonder Woman. I promise you, dear reader, that you will learn everything you never wanted to know about this man and his family life.
On Body Mods
With the increasing popularity of piercings, tattoos, and other forms of body modification in our modern culture, I often find myself wondering: What is the history of body modification in … Continued
All Hands on Tech: Using Technology to Get Your Child Ready to Read
There are so many wonderful resources available for children and caregivers to use together to work on those five early learning practices—reading, writing, singing, talking and playing. It’s never too early or too late to help your child start developing these skills.
Gene Luen Yang Challenges Us to Read Without Walls
I recently had the great pleasure of meeting award-winning author Gene Luen Yang during his Words and Pictures visit hosted by Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures. In addition to chatting with him in the green room about favorite manga, the joys of mentoring teens and how the heck metal fuses with glass (I had just come back from a road trip to the Corning Museum of Glass!), I was also able to ask him four library-related questions as well as introduce him to the stage!
Here We Are: Feminists from All Walks of Life Share Their Stories
Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World is more than just a how-to guide for feminism. It’s a gathering of voices, experiences and perspectives. It’s an invitation to join the feminist party, and all are welcome!
Margaret Atwood, the Dark Queen
It feels like it may never be warm again. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’m doomed to shivering, sniffling, bundling up, waiting out the awful, bitter torture that … Continued
My Year of Reading Memoir: Tangles by Sarah Leavitt
I chose Tangles: A story about Alzheimer’s, My Mother, and Me by Sarah Leavitt. Tangles is 1) a graphic memoir, 2) was written by a woman, 3) was published in 2012 (just hitting the five year mark), and 4) has only 832 ratings on Goodreads. I feel really fortunate though that it fit my criteria, because Tangles turned out to be a profoundly affecting story of a daughter losing her mother and a mother losing herself.
Yes, Women Are Funny
When Women’s History Month was approaching, I thought I was going to write about Gloria Steinem, leader of the second wave of feminism and co-founder of Ms. magazine. Her book, My Life on the Road (2015), is definitely worth a read. But I decided to focus on women who are living the lives that second wave feminists fought for. It is still a struggle in a man’s world, even in Hollywood. But being a feminist doesn’t mean you can’t laugh.