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The WNBA: Connecting, Educating, Advocating and Leading Since 1917!
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Vol 80 Number 3
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Spring 2017
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President's Letter
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Dear WNBA Community, 
It is exciting to be publishing
The Bookwoman during
Women's History Month, when the national spotlight is focused on
the contributions of women to society.
In the United States, Women's History Month can trace its own interesting history to the first International Women's Day in 1911, and through the years to 1987, when, after being petitioned by the
National Women's History Project
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Congress passed
Pub. L. 100-9
which designated the month of March as Women's History Month.
This year, as part of our centennial celebrations, the WNBA is releasing our signature program, "Celebrating Women's Voices: 200 Books to Read and Talk About."
These are
two lists of books penned by women--100 in fiction/memoir/poetry and 100 in nonfiction--that the WNBA community considers to be the most influential books penned by women.
During Women's History Month, we are putting those lists to work with the WNBA's "Book-A-Day Women's History Month Program"--sending a book-a-day to the president and his staff. Selected based upon their literary importance and their cultural and social impact, the list will also be sent to members of Congress and other key officials.
The program is a reflection of a 1956 WNBA initiative, when we sent a book-a-day to President Dwight D. Eisenhower--a gesture to the president who was recovering from a heart attack. The aim of the modern program is to help enlighten our new leaders as they seek to address the broad themes and complex issues that make up the landscape of the United States and the world. It includes such masterworks as Willa Cather's My Ántonia, Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns, and Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August.
We hope that you will all enjoy these lists and encourage you to share them with your colleagues, local libraries, and your representatives.
There is a lot to share in this issue of The Bookwoman: WNBA at ABA's Winter Institute to promote NRGM, our chapter centennial fundraising challenge, SF member, Renate Stendahl's evocative memoir, and fabulous photos of WNBA marching in solidarity across the country as well as updates on our centennial celebrations and initiatives.
Thank you all for your support of the WNBA and the incredible work you do to promote women in the book world. Your support is essential to the health of the organization as we move into our second century of connecting, educating, advocating and leading.
With best regards,
Jane Kinney Denning
WNBA National President
"
Women's History is the primary tool for women's emancipation"
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Announcements and Upcoming Event Alerts
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It's been a very busy few months for the national organization, with new appointments to the national board, and major initiatives which have been years in the planning finally coming to fruition.
National Secretary
Céline Keating (NYC)
Céline Keating is a New York-based writer and editor. She is the author of novels
Layla and
Play for Me
and her short fiction has been published widely in literary journals. She is the recipient of several writing fellowships and was the first-place winner in the Hackney Literary Awards for short fiction (2014).
Céline's career was in publishing, both book and magazine. She has served on the board of the environmental organization Concerned Citizens of Montauk since 1990, and on the New York board of WNBA-NYC since 2015.
National Membership Chair
Caitlin Morrow (NYC)
Caitlin Morrow graduated from Pace University's MS in Publishing Program, receiving her master's degree in December 2015. During her time at Pace, Caitlin became involved with the Women's National Book Association, serving as a UN Youth Representatives.
As an undergraduate, she majored in international studies and was an active member of the Model UN Club; two roles she feels helped her prepare for this journey. She currently works at Macmillan as a Special Markets Coordinator.
WNBA's UN Youth Representative
Shimma Almabruk (NYC)
Shimma Almabruk is a graduate student at Pace University's MS in Publishing Program. She was awarded two merit-based scholarships: the President's Graduate Scholarship and the David J. Pecker Publishing Scholarship. During her undergraduate studies, Shimma focused on, and wrote research papers about how the media affected and shaped perceptions about the outside world, especially Muslims.
Born and raised in Libya, and as the daughter of a diplomat, Shimma has always aspired to work at the UN, so she was delighted when the opportunity arose to serve as the
Youth Representative for the WNBA
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A Book-A-Day for the White House!
In honor of Women's History Month and WNBA's "
Celebrating Women's Voices," this March we are sending a book-a-day to the White House.
The initiative was inspired by a similar program in 1956, when WNBA sent a book-a-day to a convalescing
President Eisenhower.
The books have been carefully selected based on their literary importance and their cultural and social impact. A copy of the
full list will also be sent to members of Congress and other key officials.
More information is available on our centennial
website.
Celebrating Women's Voices: 200 Books to Read and Talk About
100 fiction, memoir, and poetry titles, and 100 nonfiction titles that the WNBA community considers to be the most influential penned by American women. Lists available
here.
Centennial Fundraising Chapter Challenge
Your
contribution, if you are a WNBA member, will be credited to your chapter. Those chapters whose members have the highest participation rate and contribute the highest total will earn 20 percent to use toward their involvement in the Centennial, such as sending a member to the NYC celebrations in October 2017. Find out about more ways to give
here.
Centennial Cocktails!
 Throughout the year, the WNBA is minting new "Centennial Cocktails." Developed by members of the national board and by individual chapters, attendees at the October 2017 festivities will be the testers and taste-makers! By informal straw poll, a favorite, or two, will be chosen. Contact your chapter president for more information.
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NRGM Sponsor
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National Board
Vacancy
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Publicity/Communications Chair
Members in good standing with experience in communications and publicity are invited to apply for this very important position on the national board.
Responsibilities include promoting high-profile initiatives like the
Pannell Award, the
WNBA Award, and the numerous upcoming cenntenial events in print, online and TV outlets. You'll be required to prepare press releases, maintain publicity lists, and advise chapters of how best to publicize their events.
The position is voluntary but comes with the prestige of joining the board of a nationally respected non-profit now entering its hundredth year. It offers hard-to-find experience that can make all the difference on a résumé.
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Join The Bookwoman Team
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Editors Wanted!
Memb
ers in good standing are invited to apply to join the editorial team of The Bookwoman, the official publication of one of the oldest and most prestigious book organizations in the United States.
These voluntary Assistant Editor positions are a great opportunity to enhance your online publishing experience and boost your résumé.
Responsibilities include creating content, liaising with chapter correspondents, compiling, editing, and formatting the online publication in Constant Contact. (Experience is great but training will be given to successful applicants.)
Email Nicole Ayers at:
newsletter@wnba-books.org, with "Assistant Editor Position" as the subject line. Include your name, contact information and WNBA chapter.
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WNBA's Executive Officers
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President
Jane Kinney Denning (NYC)
Co-Vice Presidents
Sarah "Bebe" Brechner (Nashville)
Rachelle Yousuf (LA)
Secretary
Céline Keating (NYC)
Treasurer
Nicole Pilo (Charlotte)
Immediate Past President
Carin Siegfried (NYC)
Complete list of the national board available on the national
website.
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A wonderful selection of WNBA-branded goods is now available on
Zazzle.com!
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Corrections
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The wrong image was used in an obituary for Nashville's Carolyn Daniel in the Chapter and Member News Issue (Vol. 80, No. 2a.) of
The Bookwoman. We would like to apologize for the error and any confusion or concern it may have caused.
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Important information for Bookwoman Correspondents
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Summer Issue: Member lists due May 26. (Please update your membership on the national database.)
Chapter/Member Issue: Submissions due June 5. Member lists updated by June 17.
Chapter news should be limited to 150 words. Please include the names of people in photos from left to right, and photo credit, if applicable.
Member News is limited to 20 words per item. Include book art if available. If not linking to author's/publisher's website, please link to Indiebound first.
Please contact your chapter's Bookwoman correspondent to have your news included with your chapter's submission. We do not accept individual news items.
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WNBA at the Winter Institute
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| Kristen Knox |
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WNBA joined 500 independent booksellers and a who's who of publishers, authors and others in the book industry for the
American Booksellers Association (ABA) annual
Winter Institute, held this year in Minneapolis, January 27-30. In addition to education sessions on every aspect of bookselling and store owning or managing, the convention allows people who offer bookstores a service to come in and meet with interested booksellers in a dedicated "consultation station," which is where WNBA fits into the convention.
This is the third year in a row that WNBA has been represented at Winter Institute, building relationships aimed at bringing both NRGM and the WNBA to the attention of a wider sphere of book professionals and readers across the country, and showing booksellers the marketing opportunities NRGM and particularly GGR selections offer them.
GGR works especially well for
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Susan Walker
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independent booksellers because they complement and expand ABA's own
Indie Next program of bookseller-recommended titles. Even booksellers who buy for their stores and who are very up-to-speed on current and forthcoming books tell us that we bring new titles to their attention which they might have missed otherwise!
In addition to the booksellers, we also met with a few publishers to remind them of the benefits to them and their authors if their books were selected for our list, and to other vendors like Paz and Associates, Edelweiss, Ingram, and others who can help promote the program and increase its visibility.
Winter Institute brings in some wonderful authors as keynote speakers;
Roxane Gay,
Lesley Stahl,
Ann Patchett, and
Kim Scott were this year's speakers. Although we weren't able to make any of those talks as we were busy at the WNBA consultation station, we did get to see the very popular
Andrew McCarthy signing his new YA novel for a line that snaked all the way around the ballroom floor.
At the end of the convention, we packed up our things and left the snow behind, but we came back to Charlotte with some wonderful ideas on how to make our program even more valuable to stores, knowing that we've spread the enthusiasm for NRGM, GGR and WNBA a little bit further.
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| The Whole Story |
Researched and Compiled by Nicole Ayers (Charlotte)
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Nicole Ayers |
In this edition, we meet the team behind the new memoir by German-born author Renate Stendhal (SF), about her time in Paris at the end of the 1970s when
"women were in fashion and every woman, straight or gay, fell in love with women."
 "What was it like to be in Paris at the end of the 1970s when women were in fashion and every woman, straight or gay, fell in love with women? Author Renate Stendhal will tell you. She's right there at the famous
cafés and notorious nightclubs, the gossip-rich salons and wild parties.
"Recently escaped from her German family and student husband, she ekes out a living as a cultural journalist in Europe's most cultured city. She walks Paris at night dressed as a boy, has friends and lovers among artists (Meret Oppenheim) and writers (Christiane Rochefort, Monique Wittig), and falls under the spell of the mercurial actress Claude, who has all of Paris talking. At the same time, she finds herself in the crosshairs of an alluring stranger who seems to appear everywhere and nowhere at once. There are mysteries with and without clues: Is sexual obsession a way to avoid the risk of love?
"Come to Paris with Stendhal and celebrate bohemian life and romance. No matter what age you are, you'll be young and in love again when you reach the last page." ~
Kiss Me Again, Paris
 Renate Stendhal is the award-winning author of the photo biography Gertrude Stein: In Word and Pictures. After growing up in Berlin and Hamburg, she lived in Paris for almost two decades, pursuing ballet and underground theater, translating American women authors, and writing cultural reviews for German radio and press. Stendhal has published several books in Germany and in the United States, three of them co-authored with her life companion, Kim Chernin.
She has a passion for country living with Kim, two dogs, and a small orchard, and she still loves to opine about opera and ballet, reviewing culture for diverse magazines.
Small is Beautiful
I've published with some of the Big Five and also tried DIY publishing with Amazon/Kindle. But for my memoir, Kiss Me Again, Paris, I had a different path in mind: small house, local. Small would allow for difference, boldness, something out of the ordinary. Local would allow me to be part of the book design process from day one.
I'd fallen in love with
IFSF Publishing in San Francisco, a house of literary, exquisitely produced books. I had met the publisher, Brooks Roddan, and reviewed his book,
Monsieur Ambivalence, a book I much admired. I wanted my book to have a similar look, showcasing the many vintage photographs I had brought from Paris. I knew Brooks would not shy away from this story of erotic madness that befell Paris in the late seventies.
With Brooks and Tom Ingalls, his chosen local book designer, there were frequent powwows at cafés and at Ingalls Studio, everyone teaming up to give form to the spirit of the book. Writing can be a long, lonely process. I couldn't dream up a more exciting
end-spurt than being part of a local, artistic bookmaking team.
Publisher
Brooks Roddan
The designation "small press" should delight us, presuming, as it does, the existence of intelligent writers and readers intent on seeking out the extraordinary, realizing how rare the extraordinary is. The smaller the press the better, so small that the book a small press publishes might have been made by one writer for one reader. But this is an ideal; it's enough that a small press can publish, independently, work that deserves to be published. It's all quite alchemical--the transformation of original material into an object--the book--that could only have been that book, so that writer, editor, designer, and printer become one. Renate Stendhal's
Kiss Me Again, Paris is soon to be out in the world, published by the small press, IFSF Publishing! Will the success the book deserves follow? Whatever the case, a small press is a small press is a small press.
Editor
Author and Writing Consultant
 Renate and I have edited each other's books ever since we met. At that time, Renate's work, written in English as a second language, had a soft sort of Germanic echo, an atmosphere more than anything you would call an error. I never wanted to eliminate these echoes, although friends of ours who read her repeatedly "corrected" them. I changed them back. Over time her work became more and more English, as if English was teaching her how to write like a native speaker. The temptation arose again to remove what remained of the slight foreign flavor; I consistently opposed this temptation--even to her, who had by now become sensitive to it. I stood by my judgment as an editor and therefore you will find it here, this gentle inflection, in Kiss Me Again, Paris, very subtle now, but a distinctive part of her story-telling voice.
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Renate's Assistant
Andrew MacDonald
 The independent publishing house affords the writer an opportunity to "go rogue," to be audacious with content, style, and structural approach. To make art, in other words. There's something to be said for pushing boundaries. As Renate's assistant, I feel encouraged to think outside of the box when it comes to things like website design, marketing, and promotion. I'm proud to be a part, however small, of
Kiss Me Again, Paris's transition from final manuscript to book pages. I think it an audacious work that will find its audience. Save the pie graphs and profit margin algorithms for people in suits. I want to read things that move me--to make me fall in love, as Renate's characters do, with the human condition, in all its maddening forms.
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Designer
Tom Ingalls
 Our approach in the design of the book was to highlight the cinematic style of both the writing and the content itself. This drove us to focus on the scale of imagery and playful page compositions to create a refreshing reading experience.
As we proceeded with layout and design, the word, image, and layout process became one of storytelling and pacing. The result was a sensual surprise. The author was a passionate and expressive collaborator. This integrated interaction of design team and writer has produced an exceptional book; one that will stand the test of time.
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Publicist
Sharon Donovan
 Renate was smart to get started early, because when you're working with a small press, there are a number of pieces that need to be pulled together. It's very DIY, and it takes time. Eight or ten months in advance of publication, we began discussing the audience, promotional materials, and messaging for this book.
We wanted to make sure that our rollout of the book and its publicity campaign would compete in the marketplace. And I think we succeeded in making sure that all the pieces came together and that we had a good base on which to launch the book. Once you get the nuts and bolts down, it makes the creative part of working with a small press more accessible and enjoyable. It was a pleasure working with Renate, whose story is funny, edgy, and romantic all at once.
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Reviewer
Anna Hamilton Phelan
Screenwriter of Mask, Gorillas in the Mist, and Girl, Interrupted
 Most memories fade to smoldering embers. Renate Stendhal's recollections have remained a bonfire. The tapestry of her remembrances had their genesis in her rejection of a former life and the embrace of a new authentic one. Details of her years living in Paris are carved into her psyche. She takes us with her to the cafés where the fragrance of a passing woman would turn heads. We hear the murmur of the Seine. We see the dark shadows under a bridge and the glow of a cigarette as a rouged mouth draws on it.
There's an old adage that says memories worth remembering are remembered. Whoever coined this must have had Renate Stendhal in mind.
The Whole Story was compiled by Assistant Editor Nicole Ayers (Charlotte). Nicole is the editor behind
Ayers Edits
, where she combines her love of reading with the fun of wordplay. When she's not marking up manuscripts, she's chasing the little people in her life, snuggling with her dog, or seeking new adventures with her husband. Sometimes you'll even catch her at a yoga class if she's not hiding with a good book.
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Women's March
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By Liberty Schauf (NYC)
WNBA-ers have a long history of taking part in marches to highlight issues they feel strongly about, beginning with those for women's suffrage before the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
More than a century later, women of all backgrounds, beliefs and political opinions took to the streets once again, and in unprecedented numbers, to focus attention on the many different issues affecting women's lives today. Here are some of the images and impressions that WNBA members shared with us of marches in their neighborhoods, and a couple from marches which paved the way for the rights that we enjoy today.
Library of Congress (Bain News Service)
Hard to believe, but this photo is from 1913. The negative is labeled Rose Sanderson.
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Photo courtesy of Jessica Daitch (Charlotte)
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Jessica Daitch (Charlotte) marched with her friend, sister and Mom to "
demonstrate that women's voices and issues are everyone's issues."
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Photo courtesy of Linda Phillips (Charlotte)
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Linda Phillips (Charlotte) "
Marching gives me hope, not only for now but for my grandchildren's future. It just feels good to stand side-by-side with others of all ages and walks of life who are finally moved to do something."
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Photo courtesy of NC Weil (DC)
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In Denver, Colorado, more than 100,000 people marched on January 21, including NC Weil (DC). "
I saw one person I knew there with her mom & daughter. Lots of men marching, Big Native American group, including the woman in the photo wearing a pheasant feather headdress."
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Photo courtesy of Jenna Blum (Boston)
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Jenna Blum (Boston) joined a Muslim Ban Protest in Copley Square, "
I was so moved to see what looked almost like spontaneous protest springing up virtually overnight. If I thought I could make a difference doing just that every day, I would."
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Abigail Brechner and Bebe Brechner (Nashville)
Bebe Brechner (Nashville) marched with her daughter, Abigail in Las Vegas. "It was bittersweet, as I never dreamed I'd need to march after the activism in the early 1970s, of which I was a part. I was proud that my daughter joined me, but sad because she needed to do so. It has also prompted many good discussions with my daughter and my two sons (all grown now). Rights should never be taken for granted, because they can be removed."
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Kate Farrell (SF) marched in Oakland, CA, "
I wanted to literally stand up and be counted, to make a positive statement about my belief in representative government, to be part of an identifiable, physical statement of pride in our democratic ideals, and as a woman for women's rights. It was wonderful to walk the streets of Oakland with a non-violent, joyful, creative, and diverse crowd."
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Photo courtesy of Humaira Ghilzai (SF)
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Women from Utah, Colorado, Kansas and Oregon hiking to the suffrage march in DC, February 1913.
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Photo courtesy of Jan Krause Green (Boston)
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Jan Krause Green (Boston) has been marching for a long time, "I started marching in the 60's, in NYC, Boston and DC--against the Vietnam conflict and in favor of civil rights and voting rights for all. Then, I marched for the environment over the years and then against the invasion of Iraq. Nevertheless, the march in Boston and the knowledge that women were marching all over the country and the world was very exhilarating."
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Photo courtesy of Nicole Ayers (Charlotte)
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Nicole Ayers (Charlotte) drove to Washington D.C. to march, "The Women's March was a catapult into activism for me. It was empowering to be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people all willing to stand up for issues important to them. And the atmosphere was peaceful and loving--truly amazing."
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Photo courtesy of Mary Grey James (Nashville)
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Mary Grey James (Nashville) took her voice from the page to the streets, "
Being more of a letter-writer than a marcher, I had only participated in one street protest (against the Iraq War) prior to January 21st. Marching through the streets of Nashville that day with 15,000+ other people was one of the most rewarding happenings of my life."
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Liberty Schauf is a bibliophile who would like nothing better than to lay in bed reading all day and night for the rest of her life, if it weren't for that pesky desire to travel the world and experience her own adventures. She reads, YA, middle-grade, sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, mystery, chick lit, comics, historical fiction, and really loves books that contain multiple genres. She is
WNBA-NYC's blog editor
, and has her own blog at
TakingLibertyS.com
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Bookwoman Staff
Editor: Rhona Whitty (NYC)
Assistant Editor: Nicole Ayers (Charlotte)
Copy Editor: Gloria Toler (Nashville)
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Important Copyright Information for Contributors
We only accept articles written by the author or copyright holder. The Bookwoman, website, and other publications of the Women's National Book Association adhere to all local, national and international copyright laws. By submitting an article to us you are granting permission for its use on our website in our resource library (articles), in our member resources area and/or in our magazine and newsletters.
Contributing authors retain all copyrights to their individual works.
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