War Requiem
“But cursed are dullards whom no cannon stuns,That they should be as stones.” from Insensibility by Wilfred Owen Gaza City Mahmud Hans AFP Getty Images When I was a young girl, I…
In 1971, a Woman Could Not:
I graduated from high school in 1971. The following list is of NINE things a woman couldn’t do in 1971. In 1971 a woman could not: 1. Get a Credit…
Black Towns: A Symbol of Political Freedom and Economic Opportunity
From Maine to California, thousands of communities across the United States historically practiced - and in some cases, still practice - a form of racial segregation by excluding racial or…
The End, 1963
November 22, 1963. Friday. "Today our concern must be with that future. For the world is changing. The old era is ending. The old ways will not do."- John F.…
Some Fantasy
As you will learn in my book, Rain Dodging, when I was younger I had a closet fantasy of being a cocktail waitress. As a young teacher, I fantasized about a…
Talking Boards?
Norman Rockwell cover May 1, 1920, The Saturday Evening Post. The Ouija also known as a spirit board or talking board is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the…
How De We Know Where We Are?
How do we know where we are? How can we find the way from one place to another? And how can we store this information in such a way that…
Ride the Wave
“A feminist is merely a woman who refuses to accept the notion that women’s power must come through men.” —Erica Jong Feminist history can be divided into three waves.…
Mad Marge
In Rain Dodging, I introduce you to a handful of early feminist warriors. Here’s one: Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle Bettman / Getty Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, died at…
Will you still love her now she’s 64?
On March 9, Barbie was 64 years-old. In her first year, 300,000 were sold for $3 each. Over the last 60 years, Mattel Inc. has sold over a billion Barbie…