Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Daisy Bates
My professor who does work in Australian Aboriginal land rights has gotten really excited about the project. We are going to do another sit down after the break where she claims she will give me anything biographical that I might need. I
Sunday, December 17, 2006
meeting
so sorry i was not at the meeting. i honestly just woke up for the day feeling extemely ill. progress is going well, i have selected a few quotes for at least three of the women (mead, angelou, kyi) and will write my explanations for both after teh 18th, my last final
Friday, December 15, 2006
Progress
Hi Everyone,
I started doing my research on Oprah Winfrey and there are many quotes to choose from but I'm concentrating on reading about her life and career before I start thinking about quotes. I'm currently reading "The African-American Century: How Black Americans have shaped our Country", "The Black 100" A Ranking of the most influential Afr-Americans" and "Oprah Winfrey speaks: Insight from the world's most influential voice".
See you all soon,
Michelle
I started doing my research on Oprah Winfrey and there are many quotes to choose from but I'm concentrating on reading about her life and career before I start thinking about quotes. I'm currently reading "The African-American Century: How Black Americans have shaped our Country", "The Black 100" A Ranking of the most influential Afr-Americans" and "Oprah Winfrey speaks: Insight from the world's most influential voice".
See you all soon,
Michelle
Monday, December 11, 2006
progress
I am very excited to work on gathering research for the journalist Amy Goodman, co-founder of the radio show "Democracy Now" ("probably the most significant progressive news institution that has come around in some time" ). I have not exactly worked up a storm of research as of yet, but this winter break should be pretty relaxing and I should have plenty of time to work on gathering that perfect quote.
Given that WBAI is located right on Wall Street, I am trying to set up a time to interview Amy Goodman. I have explored the official website of Democracy Now and WBAI and was unable to find Amy Goodman's e-mail listed, but was able to obtain more general emails and contacts. I will go about the process of setting up an interview time for sometime during break. Recently I borrowed a book that she co-authored, The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them, from the library. She also writes a weekly column called "Breaking the Sound Barrier" which I plan to sift through for quotes.
Right now, I think that the quote I find that embodies her life and work will probably involve such issues as media distortion and the role or calling of the journalist--something along the lines of "Going to where the silence is. That is the responsibility of a journalist: giving a voice to those who have been forgotten, forsaken, and beaten down by the powerful. " I am still in the process of acquiring research and hopefully setting up an interview to speak with her personally, to get more a sense of who she is and what she is fighting for. I am also listening to the radio archives of her radio show.
A meeting on Sunday would be feasible for me, but I would not be able to stay for longer than about an 1/2-1 hr--due. of course, to finals.
--Veronica
Given that WBAI is located right on Wall Street, I am trying to set up a time to interview Amy Goodman. I have explored the official website of Democracy Now and WBAI and was unable to find Amy Goodman's e-mail listed, but was able to obtain more general emails and contacts. I will go about the process of setting up an interview time for sometime during break. Recently I borrowed a book that she co-authored, The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them, from the library. She also writes a weekly column called "Breaking the Sound Barrier" which I plan to sift through for quotes.
Right now, I think that the quote I find that embodies her life and work will probably involve such issues as media distortion and the role or calling of the journalist--something along the lines of "Going to where the silence is. That is the responsibility of a journalist: giving a voice to those who have been forgotten, forsaken, and beaten down by the powerful. " I am still in the process of acquiring research and hopefully setting up an interview to speak with her personally, to get more a sense of who she is and what she is fighting for. I am also listening to the radio archives of her radio show.
A meeting on Sunday would be feasible for me, but I would not be able to stay for longer than about an 1/2-1 hr--due. of course, to finals.
--Veronica
progress
I am still doing a lot of work for the project, just haven't had time to sit down and list it all given finals. For San Suu Kyi I have 3 quotes that stand out for me:
"Free men are the oppressed who go on trying"
"The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit"
"It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination to persever in the struggle; to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths; to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear."
I plan on writing an actual report on why I have chosen these quotes out of others after finals (the 18th) for many of the women.
I have great Margaret Mead stuff, and am currently reading "Growing Up in New Guinea" which is insightful in terms of Mead as an individual and woman, and also a revered anthropologist.
the Sunday meeting works for me
"Free men are the oppressed who go on trying"
"The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit"
"It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination to persever in the struggle; to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths; to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear."
I plan on writing an actual report on why I have chosen these quotes out of others after finals (the 18th) for many of the women.
I have great Margaret Mead stuff, and am currently reading "Growing Up in New Guinea" which is insightful in terms of Mead as an individual and woman, and also a revered anthropologist.
the Sunday meeting works for me
Notice of our Next Meeting
Christiane Amanpour for MaryAlice
A welcomed Winter break is approaching fast for all of us!
I suggest that we meet this coming Sunday, December 17th at 2 pm at Columbia just like the last time. That day, I will have to be on the Upper West Side by 4 pm and I am sure that it will be very convenient for all of you too. If everyone is available, remember that someone will have to sign me in.
On the agenda: review of schedules and progress report discussion.
Hope you can all make it. Looking forward to seeing you all.
Mireille
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Colette - Response
Natalie:
Research combined with a keen intuition led you to select two compelling quotes.
In part because it resonates deeply with me but also based on my own reading of Colette’s novels and about her life and work, I am partial to the first one ( as I think you may be too). More importantly, as a defining quote, it could satisfy our search criteria for the book.The second quote is a glorious délire on the act of writing and highlights Colette’s poetic and singular writing style as you so justly described. Her relationship to the word would be worth noting here. She was passionate about words, they held a real fascination for her from their shape and their sound to all the interpretation possibilities they offered. She had a unique gift of infusing life into words in a way that appealed to all the senses.
Considering the arduous task of interpreting her words in a foreign language, your efforts at translating those passages are commendable. Really!
Your interest in the writing process and the themes of rebirth and becoming in Colette’s oeuvre guided your selection and that is clearly established.
From here, you need to be able to justify your choices. Either one of those quotes might be the right choice but why? How do they define Colette, the woman, the novelist, the mime, the columnist, drama critic, etc…? She was born the last quarter of the 19th century and traversed two world wars. Think about the status of women at the turn of 20th century Europe. Consider the times she lived in and what made her accomplishments remarkable. These were extraordinary times. She led a fascinating life but what made it so and how? What did she contribute to her time? Placing Colette in a rightful context will help you justify your selection and help us better understand and appreciate your choices. We need to know who Colette is and, more importantly, we need to have a real feel for who she was when reading your final quote presentation.
If you keep in mind the mission of the project: "To instruct, inspire and increase awareness of women’s essential contribution to our societies past and present " it should help you.
Great work so far Natalie. Bon courage pour la suite!
Mireille
Friday, December 01, 2006
Colette
Hi everyone! I just wanted to send an update concerning my research on Colette. I have found a number of good quotes from a variety of sources, including Colette’s numerous literary works and an interview she gave in 1954. Here are two that I find particularly promising for the book – please feel free to send any and all comments!
1. L’heure de la fin des découvertes ne sonne jamais. Le monde m’est nouveau à mon réveil chaque matin et je ne cesserai d’éclore que pour cesser de vivre » (Colette en 1954 à propos du Blé en herbe)
My preliminary translation :
“The final hour of discovery never sounds. The world is new to me every morning when I wake up, and I will only cease to be born when I cease to live”
Note on the translation: “éclore”, translated here as “to be born”, also evokes the natural world in French, specifically the “birth” of plants and animals. Eclore can mean “to hatch” or “to flower”. In the case of an idea, it means “to take form.” I’m worried that the English translation of “born,” while correct, misses the “blossoming” quality underlined in the original. If anyone has any ideas on how to improve this, please let me know!
I chose this quote because the themes of continual rebirth and becoming are central to Colette’s life and work. Colette was a woman who was constantly re-inventing herself. She had several careers, (writer, performing artist, and later, beauty-product designer), was married and divorced 3 times, had numerous love affairs, and in general treated both existence and art as a series of great experiments. “Rebirth” also plays an important role in the experiences of Colette’s fictional characters. For example, in her novel La Vagabonde (The Vagabond), the heroine is named “Renée Néré” which is an anagram in French for the adjective form of the verb “renaître”, meaning to be reborn. The novel chronicles the experience of a woman “reborn” after her divorce from her husband as she seeks to re-define and re-construct her own identity. For Renée, writing is central to this quest. Needless to say, Colette’s La Vagabonde has a strong autobiographical element, and Colette often uses Renée as a vehicle to communicate her own thoughts about life, love and womanhood to the reader. In what is perhaps the most metatextual passage of the work, the protagonist declares her thoughts on writing:
2. Ecrire ! Pouvoir écrire ! cela signifie la longue rêverie devant la feuille blanche, le griffonnage inconscient, les jeux de la plume qui tourne en rond autour d’une tache d’encre, qui mordille le mot imparfait, le griffe, le hérisse de fléchettes, l’orne d’antennes, de pattes, jusqu’à ce qu’il perde sa figure lisible de mot, mué en insecte fantastique, envolé en papillon-fée…
Ecrire…C’est regard accroché, hypnotisé par le reflet de la fenêtre dans l’encrier d’argent, la fièvre divine qui montre aux joues, au front, tandis qu’une bienheureuse mort glace sur le papier la main qui écrit. Cela veut dire aussi l’oubli de l’heure, la paresse au creux du divin, la débauche d’invention d’où l’on sort courbatu, abêti, mais déjà récompensé, et porteur de trésors qu’on décharge lentement sur la feuille vierge, dans le petit cirque de lumière qui s’abrite sous la lampe…
Ecrire ! plaisir et souffrance d’oisifs ! Ecrire ! … J’éprouve bien, de loin en loin, le besoin, vif comme la soif en été, de noter de peindre… Je prends encore la plume, pour commencer le jeu périlleux et décevant pour saisir et fixer, sous la pointe double et ployante, le chatoyant, le fugace, le passionnant adjectif… Ce n’est qu’une courte crise, la démangeaison d’une cicatrice ! …
Here is my preliminary translation (to be revised!) of this passage:
To write! To be able to write! It’s the long reverie before the white page, the unconscious scribble, the games of the quill that turn in a circle around a stain of ink, that nibble at the imperfect word, claw it, [spike][1]it with darts, adorn it with antennas, with paws, until it looses its figure as a word, transformed into an fantastical insect, a fairy butterfly flying away…
To write…it’s the look fixated, hypnotized by the reflection of the window in the [inkpot of money], the divine fever that climbs to the cheeks, to the forehead, while the hand that writes [glazes/freezes] a blessed death onto the paper. It’s also the forgetting of the hour, laziness in the hollow of the divine, debauchery of invention wherefrom one leaves aching all over, addled, but already rewarded, and carrying treasures that one discharges slowly on the virgin page, in a little circus of light that takes shelter under the lamp…
To write! To pour out with rage all the sincerity of the self onto the alluring paper, so quickly, so quickly that sometimes the hand fights and grumbles, overworked by the impatient god that guides it…and to find again, the next day, in the place of the gold branch, miraculously born in a flamboyant hour, a dry branch, an aborted flower…
To write! Pleasure and suffering of idlers! To write!... I feel strongly, more and more, the need, sharp like thirst in summer, to note, to paint… I take the quill once more, to begin the perilous and disappointing game, to grasp and to fix, under the double and sagging peak, the shimmering, the fleeting, the fascinating adjective…this is but a short crisis, the itching sensation of a scar!...
Naturally, I chose this quote because it deals explicitly with writing. The passage illuminates Colette’s view of the writing process: it’s both a joyous and an agonizing activity, full of creative possibility but also of failure. Moreover, the excerpt is a great example of Colette’s singular writing style. We are confronted here with highly original imagery and unconventional pairing of words. The whole passage radiates energy and urgency, and it succeeds in evoking a wide range of emotions, often contradictory: furor desperation, rapture, exaltation. This is Colette at her best.
Natalie
1. L’heure de la fin des découvertes ne sonne jamais. Le monde m’est nouveau à mon réveil chaque matin et je ne cesserai d’éclore que pour cesser de vivre » (Colette en 1954 à propos du Blé en herbe)
My preliminary translation :
“The final hour of discovery never sounds. The world is new to me every morning when I wake up, and I will only cease to be born when I cease to live”
Note on the translation: “éclore”, translated here as “to be born”, also evokes the natural world in French, specifically the “birth” of plants and animals. Eclore can mean “to hatch” or “to flower”. In the case of an idea, it means “to take form.” I’m worried that the English translation of “born,” while correct, misses the “blossoming” quality underlined in the original. If anyone has any ideas on how to improve this, please let me know!
I chose this quote because the themes of continual rebirth and becoming are central to Colette’s life and work. Colette was a woman who was constantly re-inventing herself. She had several careers, (writer, performing artist, and later, beauty-product designer), was married and divorced 3 times, had numerous love affairs, and in general treated both existence and art as a series of great experiments. “Rebirth” also plays an important role in the experiences of Colette’s fictional characters. For example, in her novel La Vagabonde (The Vagabond), the heroine is named “Renée Néré” which is an anagram in French for the adjective form of the verb “renaître”, meaning to be reborn. The novel chronicles the experience of a woman “reborn” after her divorce from her husband as she seeks to re-define and re-construct her own identity. For Renée, writing is central to this quest. Needless to say, Colette’s La Vagabonde has a strong autobiographical element, and Colette often uses Renée as a vehicle to communicate her own thoughts about life, love and womanhood to the reader. In what is perhaps the most metatextual passage of the work, the protagonist declares her thoughts on writing:
2. Ecrire ! Pouvoir écrire ! cela signifie la longue rêverie devant la feuille blanche, le griffonnage inconscient, les jeux de la plume qui tourne en rond autour d’une tache d’encre, qui mordille le mot imparfait, le griffe, le hérisse de fléchettes, l’orne d’antennes, de pattes, jusqu’à ce qu’il perde sa figure lisible de mot, mué en insecte fantastique, envolé en papillon-fée…
Ecrire…C’est regard accroché, hypnotisé par le reflet de la fenêtre dans l’encrier d’argent, la fièvre divine qui montre aux joues, au front, tandis qu’une bienheureuse mort glace sur le papier la main qui écrit. Cela veut dire aussi l’oubli de l’heure, la paresse au creux du divin, la débauche d’invention d’où l’on sort courbatu, abêti, mais déjà récompensé, et porteur de trésors qu’on décharge lentement sur la feuille vierge, dans le petit cirque de lumière qui s’abrite sous la lampe…
Ecrire ! plaisir et souffrance d’oisifs ! Ecrire ! … J’éprouve bien, de loin en loin, le besoin, vif comme la soif en été, de noter de peindre… Je prends encore la plume, pour commencer le jeu périlleux et décevant pour saisir et fixer, sous la pointe double et ployante, le chatoyant, le fugace, le passionnant adjectif… Ce n’est qu’une courte crise, la démangeaison d’une cicatrice ! …
Here is my preliminary translation (to be revised!) of this passage:
To write! To be able to write! It’s the long reverie before the white page, the unconscious scribble, the games of the quill that turn in a circle around a stain of ink, that nibble at the imperfect word, claw it, [spike][1]it with darts, adorn it with antennas, with paws, until it looses its figure as a word, transformed into an fantastical insect, a fairy butterfly flying away…
To write…it’s the look fixated, hypnotized by the reflection of the window in the [inkpot of money], the divine fever that climbs to the cheeks, to the forehead, while the hand that writes [glazes/freezes] a blessed death onto the paper. It’s also the forgetting of the hour, laziness in the hollow of the divine, debauchery of invention wherefrom one leaves aching all over, addled, but already rewarded, and carrying treasures that one discharges slowly on the virgin page, in a little circus of light that takes shelter under the lamp…
To write! To pour out with rage all the sincerity of the self onto the alluring paper, so quickly, so quickly that sometimes the hand fights and grumbles, overworked by the impatient god that guides it…and to find again, the next day, in the place of the gold branch, miraculously born in a flamboyant hour, a dry branch, an aborted flower…
To write! Pleasure and suffering of idlers! To write!... I feel strongly, more and more, the need, sharp like thirst in summer, to note, to paint… I take the quill once more, to begin the perilous and disappointing game, to grasp and to fix, under the double and sagging peak, the shimmering, the fleeting, the fascinating adjective…this is but a short crisis, the itching sensation of a scar!...
Naturally, I chose this quote because it deals explicitly with writing. The passage illuminates Colette’s view of the writing process: it’s both a joyous and an agonizing activity, full of creative possibility but also of failure. Moreover, the excerpt is a great example of Colette’s singular writing style. We are confronted here with highly original imagery and unconventional pairing of words. The whole passage radiates energy and urgency, and it succeeds in evoking a wide range of emotions, often contradictory: furor desperation, rapture, exaltation. This is Colette at her best.
Natalie
Sunday, November 26, 2006
For the record
This image is for Ngozi and Alex
For the record and for Michelle who could not join us, last Sunday we talked about student life on campus and reflected on the value of education in everyone's life growing up.
When researching the lives of the women in the triptych, all of you will find that education, formal or otherwise played a determining role in helping these women achieve their destiny.
Ngozi: when you have read Jean-Claude Baker's biography of Josephine Baker, I think you should interview Mr. Baker. For one, he is a fascinating storyteller but also, he is both one of Josephine Baker's adoptive sons and an authority on the subject. When you are ready, I will help you set up the interview.
Again, while finding quotes can be fairly easy, it is important to remember that once you have made your selection of one or more, each one of you is expected to justify your choices based upon your own research.
Monday, November 20, 2006
As far as my progress is concerned: I've narrowed down my
focus of women to Mother Teresa, Billie Holiday, and Josephine
Baker. As I continue to progress, I may add more. I've ordered
Josephine, The Hungry Heart, so once that arrives I will take a
close look at some of her influential words/quotes. I'm currently talking
to a professor in Jazz Studies regarding my focus on Billie Holiday.
He has recommended some great books/articles/personal stories, and I'm currently looking at
'The Many Faces of Lady Day'. I plan on scheduling another meeting
with him to gather his resources on Josephine Baker. I have also
spoken with my local parish priest (I'm Catholic) regarding the
life of Mother Teresa. We are currently discussing some of the many
resources to find Mother Teresa's best words. I also plan on looking at a
general reference book entitled 'Quotable Women of the Twentieth
Century'--this ought to serve as a helpful resource.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving :)
focus of women to Mother Teresa, Billie Holiday, and Josephine
Baker. As I continue to progress, I may add more. I've ordered
Josephine, The Hungry Heart, so once that arrives I will take a
close look at some of her influential words/quotes. I'm currently talking
to a professor in Jazz Studies regarding my focus on Billie Holiday.
He has recommended some great books/articles/personal stories, and I'm currently looking at
'The Many Faces of Lady Day'. I plan on scheduling another meeting
with him to gather his resources on Josephine Baker. I have also
spoken with my local parish priest (I'm Catholic) regarding the
life of Mother Teresa. We are currently discussing some of the many
resources to find Mother Teresa's best words. I also plan on looking at a
general reference book entitled 'Quotable Women of the Twentieth
Century'--this ought to serve as a helpful resource.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving :)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Margaret Mead
I have gone to the Columbia anthropology library. There is some great stuff on Margaret Mead and her time at Columbia. I've also met and will meet again, with several of my profs. With Bates, one of my profs did her field work in aboriginal areas of Australia and has been highly influenced and inspired by her. I have already approached her for a meeting, but that will probably not be until next week. Aung San Suu Kyi is not difficult to find quotes or information about online, probably because she is contemporary and a nobel peace laureate.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Meeting
Hi everyone, as for next week's meeting, I am free both Saturday and Sunday afternoon, so I'll happily go with whatever is most convenient for everyone else. See you soon!
Natalie
Natalie
Thursday, November 09, 2006
meeting
Hey everyone!
I have a very busy schedule on Sunday, November 19. I could only meet at 2pm if we met on campus because I have a meeting at 1pm and another at 3:30pm. Is meeting on campus convenient for others?
I have a very busy schedule on Sunday, November 19. I could only meet at 2pm if we met on campus because I have a meeting at 1pm and another at 3:30pm. Is meeting on campus convenient for others?
Sorry!
I'm really sorry that it's taken me this long to post - I've been insanely busy for the past few weeks, especially on weekends. Anyway, I think I'm going to start by researching Annie Sullivan, Golda Meir, and Gloria Steinem (a random group, I know), and see where that takes me. Also, Mirelle, would you mind emailing me the list of women who are on the first panel of the painting? I think I misplaced my postcard.
I'll see you all on Sunday the 19th!
- Hillary
I'll see you all on Sunday the 19th!
- Hillary
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Hey
Sorry so late in posting! I have narrowed my search down a bit to a few women I'd like to research--namely, Indira Gandhi, Virginia Wolf, Meryl Streep, and Maya Angelou. I know that's not narrowing it down too much, but hopefully once I get more immersed in researching these women one or two of them will stand out that really pique my interest. Hope you guys are having fun researching these wonderful women!!
~Veronica
~Veronica
Monday, November 06, 2006
Notice of our next meeting
This image is for NatalieThanksgiving being less than 3 weeks away, I suggest that our next meeting be set for Saturday, 18 November at 2PM at my Studio.
Julia, Hillary and Veronica: You have not yet posted your selections. Are you not sure? Have you not decided? Do you need help on making a choice? Let me hear from you, I will gladly help.
Alex: Perhaps discussing Oriana Fallaci with your grandmother will help you determine which woman to begin with.
A quick reminder to all that because we are working as a team, it is important that we all communicate and stay connected. That is a primary function of this blog.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Hello and preliminary list
Hey guys,
I joined the project a little late so i haven't had a chance to meet everyone, but i look forward to working with all of you. I'm posting my preliminary list as well. i know already i have some overlap with natalie, but my eyes are bigger than my...pen? so i probably wont be able to get to all of these by a longshot, and if there is some kind of feud over marguerite duras, im sure we can work it out. i think i will start with either Joan Baez or Oriana Fallaci (my grandmother LOVES her) but the rest are as follows...
Coco Chanel (who wouldnt?), Maria Montessori, Josephine Baker, Rachel Carson, Edith Piaf, Pearl Buck, Coretta Scott King, Simone de Beauvoir, Dorothea Lange, Dyan Fossey, Joan Baez, Queen Noor, Liv Ullman, Oriana Fallaci, Susan Sontag, Marguerite Duras...
I joined the project a little late so i haven't had a chance to meet everyone, but i look forward to working with all of you. I'm posting my preliminary list as well. i know already i have some overlap with natalie, but my eyes are bigger than my...pen? so i probably wont be able to get to all of these by a longshot, and if there is some kind of feud over marguerite duras, im sure we can work it out. i think i will start with either Joan Baez or Oriana Fallaci (my grandmother LOVES her) but the rest are as follows...
Coco Chanel (who wouldnt?), Maria Montessori, Josephine Baker, Rachel Carson, Edith Piaf, Pearl Buck, Coretta Scott King, Simone de Beauvoir, Dorothea Lange, Dyan Fossey, Joan Baez, Queen Noor, Liv Ullman, Oriana Fallaci, Susan Sontag, Marguerite Duras...
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Of interest
Julia: Last night PBS aired a documentary on Burma, also known as Myanmar. Although you haven't posted your list yet, I seem to remember that Aung San Suu Kyi was a definite option for you. If you click on the link, you can read the story and will, later this month, be able to view the video online.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
A word of caution!
Beware, the Excel Document I provided you with corresponds to my research notes and includes 335 names of women or twice as many as are featured in the triptych. You will find it a useful, quick preliminary reference as it contains basic biographical data on their lives and accomplishments. However, as tempting as it may be, that is not the list to choose from. For your selection of women to research, use the numbered lists that match the triptych's numbered outlines -- The list of names for Panel 1 can be found on the postcard. The lists for Panels 2 and 3 were emailed to you.
Ngozi: Jael Mbogo is not included in the final selection but let me suggest you consider the environmentalist Wangari Maathai instead. A Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2004, she is also from Kenya and involved with the United Nations.
Mary McLeod Bethune would be a good subtitute for Patricia Roberts Harris whose name does not appear in the final selection. She played a role as a consultant in the draft of the UN Charter.
This is the end of week one and every member of the team should make sure to post at least one woman they have decided to start their research with.
Ngozi: Jael Mbogo is not included in the final selection but let me suggest you consider the environmentalist Wangari Maathai instead. A Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2004, she is also from Kenya and involved with the United Nations.
Mary McLeod Bethune would be a good subtitute for Patricia Roberts Harris whose name does not appear in the final selection. She played a role as a consultant in the draft of the UN Charter.
This is the end of week one and every member of the team should make sure to post at least one woman they have decided to start their research with.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Hey Everyone!
Hello! Due to my various interests, I've decided to start researching a few women: Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, Jael Mbogo, Mother Teresa, and Patricia Roberts Harris. I will certainly take a look at the book, The Hungry Heart, that Mireille mentioned. I also plan on talking to a few professors that can provide me with good references.
I look forward to working with everyone!
I look forward to working with everyone!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Hi Everyone
I just wanted to let everyone know that I would like to do my research on Oprah Winfrey. I'm also interested in doing research on Toni Morisson and Gisele Hamili.
I look forward to working with all of you.
See you soon!
I look forward to working with all of you.
See you soon!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Hi everyone, I just wanted to confirm that I am currently researching Colette. I'm very interested in working on writers (especially French writers) and dancers. Here is a preliminary list of the women I would like to work on: Gertrude Stein, Virginia Woolf, Sonia Delaunay, Isadora Duncan, Anna Pavlova, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Dunham, Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, Audrey Hepburn, Margot Fontaine, Angela Davis, Alice Walker, and Marguerite Duras. I'm looking forward to collaborating with all of you!
Reminder
This is a reminder that by week's end each one of you is expected to post one definite choice of a woman you will want to study. You may also list a few other names of women you are interested in so as to avoid duplicating searches.
Keep in mind what was said at our last meeting:
MaryAlice: Reading Christiane (not Christine) Amanpour's articles is a very good way to start to get a feel for her. Reading about her will also help you. As one in your selection, you also cited Katharine Graham, a truly inspiring figure. I urge you to read her autobiography (Pulitzer Prize winner) under the title: Personal History.
Natalie, the biography of Colette I mentioned to you is by Judith Thurman and it is called Secrets of the Flesh - A Life of Colette. I highly recommend it.
Hillary: Gloria Steinem was one you mentioned. Perhaps Germaine Greer could also interest you as another voice of feminism.
Ngozi, if Josephine Baker is still one you are interesting in, I would recommend you read Josephine, The Hungry Heart, a poignant account of her life written by one of her adoptive sons Jean-Claude Baker.
Keep in mind what was said at our last meeting:
- The blog is an effective tool of communication which was set up specifically for you to keep a log on your research, but also to make it easy for all members of the team to stay connected.
- You are expected to contribute to the blog regularly as your research progresses and encouraged to share and exchange information, tips and comments among yourselves.
- Do not forget to post a progress report once a month.
MaryAlice: Reading Christiane (not Christine) Amanpour's articles is a very good way to start to get a feel for her. Reading about her will also help you. As one in your selection, you also cited Katharine Graham, a truly inspiring figure. I urge you to read her autobiography (Pulitzer Prize winner) under the title: Personal History.
Natalie, the biography of Colette I mentioned to you is by Judith Thurman and it is called Secrets of the Flesh - A Life of Colette. I highly recommend it.
Hillary: Gloria Steinem was one you mentioned. Perhaps Germaine Greer could also interest you as another voice of feminism.
Ngozi, if Josephine Baker is still one you are interesting in, I would recommend you read Josephine, The Hungry Heart, a poignant account of her life written by one of her adoptive sons Jean-Claude Baker.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Hi everyone! It was so nice to meet all of you yesterday. I just thought I'd take a moment and mention that (if it is alright with everyone) I will start researching Christine Amanpour, CNN senior international correspondent. Not sure yet how I will proceed, perhaps with reading her stories. And just to mention a few other women I am interested in... Graca Machel, Katherine Graham, Jane Campion, Corazon Aquino and the list goes on and on. Okay, talk to you all soon! MaryAlice
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Welcome!
Welcome!
You have just embarked on an exciting journey of discovery and learning that will affect your lives in a deep and meaningful way.
Leading the Way: A Tribute to Women of the 20th Century was conceived as a homage to women and with a mission to instruct, inspire and increase awareness of their essential contribution to our societies past and present.
The book, as a companion piece and a direct extension to the painting, is intrinsically part of its vision. Accordingly, your approach to research must be guided by and adhere to the overall project’s mission.
Leading the Way: A Tribute to Women of the 20th Century's first exposure to the world – first at the United Nations Headquarters last February and at the United Nations’ Palais des Nations in Geneva in July for the 60th anniversary of the Commission on the Status on Women – underscored my belief in the relevance of its mission and strengthened my commitment to diffuse its message internationally.
Now, in sharing my project with you, I am also transferring a share of responsibility. Carrying on the mission of Leading the Way: A Tribute to Women of the 20th Century begins with your involvement and your commitment to the subject of this internship. This book is an adventure that I am excited to share with you. You are the forgers of tomorrow. The World belongs to you and what you will make of that responsibility matters. Your involvement and contribution to your time makes a difference. Your commitment to our project is an opportunity for you to leave a mark and make a difference in that you will contribute to your time an important historical record.
Each one of the lives of these women you will be researching is a master class in History, every one of these women is a building block of our collective Humanity.
It will be hard work I know but I believe this internship can give you as much as you are willing to search and find.
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