Assignment NOLA

In celebration of today's Boston Marathon, we're sharing the dramatic story of the first woman to officially run in the world's oldest annual marathon. Kathrine Switzer’s experience is a revealing illustration of the barriers that trailblazing women athletes had to overcome and of how far girls and women in sports have come in only a few decades. Switzer was a 20-year-old college student at Syracuse University in 1967 when she registered for the race using her initials, K.V. Switzer. Not realizing that she was a woman, who were barred from participating in the Boston Marathon for over 70 years, race officials issued her an entry number.

During the race, marathon official Jock Semple attempted to physically remove Switzer from the marathon after discovering she was female. Other runners, including Switzer’s boyfriend Tom Miller, blocked Semple and she was able to complete the marathon. Photographs of the incident and the story of Switzer’s participation in the marathon made global headlines. Switzer's record-setting run as the Boston Marathon’s first registered female runner came one year after the historic run of Bobbi Gibb, who disguised herself and snuck in to run the marathon in 1966.

After the marathon, Switzer became deeply engaged in efforts to increase girls’ and women’s access to sports and she and other women runners finally convinced the Boston Athletic Association to drop their discriminatory policies and allow women to participate in 1972. Today, nearly half of Boston Marathon entrants are female. Switzer also helped lead the drive for the inclusion of a women’s marathon in the Olympic Games -- a victory which was achieved at long last with the first women's marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

As for the individuals captured in this dramatic moment, Semple later publicly apologized to Switzer and the two reconciled. After the rule was changed to allow women in the marathon, he became a staunch supporter of women racers. Looking back at what she called the “great shoving incident," Switzer reflected, "these moments change your life and change the sport. Everybody’s belief in their own capability changed in that one moment, and a negative incident turned into one of the most positive.”

To share this inspiring story with children, there's a fantastic picture book "Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer's Historic Boston Marathon" for ages 6 to 10 at https://www.amightygirl.com/her-fearless-run

For adults who would like to read more about Kathrine Switzer's inspiring story, we recommend her autobiography, "Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports," at https://www.amightygirl.com/marathon-woman

Girls and women fought for decades for access to sports programs and won a huge victory in 1972 with the passage of Title IX which prohibited s*x discrimination in school sports or other educations programs receiving federal support. To introduce kids to this landmark civil rights legislation and the fierce fight necessary to win this victory for girls and women, we recommend the new picture book "An Equal Shot: How the Law Title IX Changed America" for ages 4 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/an-equal-shot) and "Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX" for ages 9 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/let-me-play)

For an excellent picture book about women breaking athletic records throughout history, we also recommend "Girls With Guts!" for ages 6 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-with-guts

And, for a fantastic t-shirt that speaks to the fact that strength has nothing to do with gender, check out the “I'm not strong for a girl. I'm just strong.” t-shirt for both kids and adults at https://www.amightygirl.com/strong-t-shirt

Photo Credit: Harry Trask, Boston Herald via Kathrine Switzer

Almost time for The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival!

We’re so excited to reveal our program book cover for our 2023 Festival!

It features a French Quarter room with a writer’s desk, with the heart and soul of Tennessee Williams permeating this space. From the book titles to the quote on the paper in the typewriter, “Let’s go down and swim in the liquid moonlight,” our namesake playwright is here. The quote is from the early one-act version of The Night of the Iguana, which was based on a short story Williams wrote, eventually completing it as a full-length play. That final version will be produced by our theatre partners, The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans, as part of our Festival programming.

We’re excited about what’s inside the program book, too—writer’s craft sessions, literary discussion panels, theatre events, the scholar's conference, the tribute reading, and more. TWFest 2023 will be here before we know it, so read through the schedule and get your tickets!

P.S. — Check out the typewriter keys, too!

Six years ago. Storytelling technologies have changed a bit. But Kate Chopin's words still ring true.“I always feel so sorry for women who don't like to walk; they miss so much—so many rare little glimpses of life” bit.ly/3AE5sj9

Discovering New Orleans’ past, present and future with Denise Altobello Discovering New Orleans’ past, present and future with Denise Altobello Denise Altobello is a writer, traveller, teacher and author who grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. When she’s not travelling, she’s exploring her neighbourhood, and her new audio walking tour of the Tremé will give...

New Orleans in October!

The 2021 Jazz Fest lineup is here! This year's festival is taking place over six days, October 8-10 and October 15-17, and WWOZ will again be broadcasting live from the Fairgrounds at 90.7 FM and wwoz.org worldwide.

This year's lineup includes many longtime festival favorites, including Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Irma Thomas, Tank & the Bangas, Rickie Lee Jones, Big Freedia, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, PJ Morton, Samantha Fish, Galactic, Cyril Neville, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Davell Crawford, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, The Radiators, Boyfriend, Doug Kershaw, Kermit Ruffins, Tab Benoit, Leo Nocentelli, Walter "Wolfman" Washington & the Roadmasters, Little Freddie King, George Porter, Jr. & the Runnin' Pardners, Nicholas Payton, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles, Lost Bayou Ramblers, New Orleans Nightcrawlers, and so many more!

Other scheduled performers include Foo Fighters, Dead & Co., Jimmy Buffett, Lizzo, The Black Crowes, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Beach Boys, Ludacris, Elvis Costello, Wu-Tang Clan f/The Soul Rebels, and MANY more.

Check out the full lineup at nojazzfest.com!

📷 Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with the Nevilles at Jazz Fest 2019 by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee

Interesting assignment coming up in November! Diving back into Central City and the role of Dryades Street in desegregating New Orleans in the 1960s.

Inspiration for the future! Civic engagement matters. Brian Mull Jenny Jenny Johnson-Velasquez

Five teens who changed the world - BBC Three Teenagers, including Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Emma Gonzalez and Jack Andraka, who have had a global impact