Feminists, full-speed ahead!
Friday morning I went to a breakfast sponsored by WAND where
Ellen Goodman interviewed Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. Niki spoke about taking advantage of doors that opened just ahead of her and how opportunities may come by chance but we choose to take advantage of them. When asked about her legislative priorities she said her top priority was battling sexual assault in the military. She has been told by women in the service that some fear their male colleagues more than they fear the enemy. The aggressive environment seems to exist in the service academies and every branch of the military. Disturbing.
Then after work I rode the Acela down to New York and had a late dinner at
Artisinal before turning in for the night at Carlton on Madison. I was in the city to attend Catherine Orenstein's seminar:
How to write to change the world? I also managed quick stops at Bryant Park, School Products and M & J Trimmings, but the class was really the standout.
I implore all of my smart, witty, excellent women readers to take part in this workshop as soon as possible. At work we examine the reasons women do not run for office and I was amazed that the very same language is used by women who think they are not qualified, bold, talented enough to be part of the public discourse. We say that women often need to be recruited, so consider yourself asked! At the very least, go to the website and poke around the links. They are very generous about sharing resources.
The Op-Ed Project—featured by The New York Times, Katie Couric and The San Francisco Chronicle—is an initiative to expand public debate, with an immediate focus on enlarging the pool of women experts who are accessing (and accessible to) the nation's key opinion forums – which are a gateway into public debate, a hub of thought leadership, and feed all other media – and are overwhelmingly dominated (85%) by male voices. See testimonials, sign up for upcoming seminars, or contact us to schedule a seminar or keynote for your organization.
HOW TO WRITE TO CHANGE THE WORLD: The Op-Ed Project Seminar (open to the public, women only). In this seminar you will learn how to make a bold, fair, persuasive case for the ideas and causes you care about. You'll learn how to generate winning ideas, craft a powerful argument, use news hooks, address potential critics, pitch ideas, preach beyond the choir, think bigger and make a bigger impact on the world. This seminar is not just about writing op-eds, it's about empowering you to find your voice and make a difference. To register, go to www.theopedproject.org.
UPCOMING SEMINARS:
Los Angeles: Saturday, June 20, 2009, 10am-5pm
New York: Monday and Tuesday, July 13 and 14, 2009, 7pm-9:30pm (2 Days)
Washington DC: Saturday, July 18, 2009, 10am-5pm
Chicago: Saturday, July 26, 2009, 10am-5pmShout Outs
Lake Effect: Two Sisters and a Town's Toxic Legacy by Nancy A. Nichols (She was in my class on Saturday)
Thank you for bringing attention to this. I'm amazed to see there is still such a disparity in the number of women holding office or even being proactive in government by writing letters, etc.
P.S. Did you go to Flanders for the bike race, or are you just teasing us with those pictures in your previous post?
Posted by: Debby | May 20, 2009 at 10:52 PM