A gender-inclusive anthology of poetry and prose that addresses the physical and psychological act of being “grabbed,” or in any way assaulted.The #MeToo movement, the infamous Access Hollywood tape, and the depraved and hypocritical actions of celebrities, politicians, CEOs, and other powerful people have caused people all over the nation to speak out in outrage, to express allegiance for the victims of these assaults, and to raise their voices against a culture that has allowed this behavior to continue for too long.The editors asked writers and poets to add to the conversation about what being “grabbed” means to them in their own experience or in whatever way the word “grabbed” inspired them. What they received are often searing, heart-rending works, ranging in topic from sexual misconduct to racial injustice, from an unwanted caress to rape, expressed in powerful, beautifully crafted prose and poetry.The writers represented here, some very well known, such as Rita Dove, Jericho Brown, Eileen Miles, Ana Menendez and Sapphire, as well as some newer voices not yet fully discovered, have mined their collective experiences to reveal their most vulnerable moments, and in some cases, to narrate moments that they have had previously been unwilling or unable to speak of. What results is a collection of emotional, hard-hitting pieces that speak to the aftermath of violation—whether mental, emotional, or physical.

Purse Strings

Grabbed: Poets & Writers on Sexual Assault, Empowerment & Healing

Today's guest is Doris Weatherford, author of the new book Victory for the Vote. She has been publishing books on women's history for over thirty years. Her first was FOREIGN AND FEMALE: IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN AMERICA, 1840-1930. Published in 1986, it was revised and expanded in 1995. KIRKUS REVIEWS said of it, “absorbing chapters full of quotations from original letters and diaries…meticulous research, vibrant reading.” That book grew out of her questions in a course on immigration at Harvard, and her second book, AMERICAN WOMEN AND WORLD WAR II (1990), grew out of an argument between a WAC and a WAVE at an early NOW meeting in the Boston area. Both were written after Weatherford moved to Florida, where she has lived more than thirty years.The World War II book also won good reviews, including this comment from LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Fascinating and immensely readable…General readers will enjoy…and will be amazed.” Weatherford has found the most amazing thing about this book to be the fact that it was translated into Japanese. Later books were AMERICAN WOMEN’S HISTORY: AN A-Z (Prentice Hall, 1994), which has some 700 brief essays on individuals, organizations, issues, and events. MILESTONES: A CHRONOLOGY OF AMERICAN WOMEN’S HISTORY(Facts on File, 1997) places women in the context of the nation's development, beginning in 1492 with the fact that Columbus used maps that he obtained from his mother-in-law.  She will be attending the Miami Book Fair this November – the 15th through the 22nd -- which can be live-streamed for easy and safe access.

American Women And World War II

Michele Molitor has helped thousands of clients break through barriers to success – she is an experienced Executive Coach, a best-selling author, Founder of Nectar Consulting, and a Rapid Transformational Therapist.

Nectar Consulting With Michele Molitor 

Pain into power with Sydney Williams. Today's Guest is a former collegiate athlete and competitive skydiver, Sydney, unexpectedly found herself on the receiving end of a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, while grappling with unresolved trauma from a decades-old sexual assault, she set out on a mission: turn her pain into power. Two hikes across Catalina Island and 80 miles later, she founded Hiking My Feelings to help others tap into the mind-body connection and healing power of nature that helped kick her self-limiting beliefs and disease into remission.  Having more than 12 years of marketing experience with Fortune 500 companies and emerging brands, Sydney serves up her “truth juice” style of storytelling to break wide open tough conversations with practical, powerful content and experiences. Over the years, she’s been featured on the SXSW stage, as well as in Huffington Post, Psychology Today, US News & World Report, and numerous other publications. Today, she is the author of Hiking My Feelings: Stepping Into the Healing Power of Nature and travels across the country empowering others to summit their personal mountains on their way to becoming Well Beings.

Pain Into Power

Karen started Montanya about 11 years ago and since then she's built a rum brand that is distributed in 44 states in the US and in seven countries. Just this past year Montanya was named to two B Corp Best For The World Lists—Best Overall and Best for the Environment. Her premium craft rum distillery is located in Crested Butte, Colo. When Karen began the craft distillery Montanya Distillers in 2008, she was the only female in a male-dominated industry in the US. This impacted her ability to gain respect, buy materials, sell her products, be safe from sexual harassment, and be taken seriously in her work.It also impacted the willingness of banks to lend her money, the willingness of investors to get involved, and venture capital firms to say yes. Karen watched male colleagues with smaller and less successful companies access resources regularly denied to her. Yet she persisted, stayed focused, and refused to let circumstances deny her success. Now, after more than a decade in business, her company produces double-digit growth annually, and she is one of the larger private-sector employers in her community.

Montanya Distillers With Karen Hoskin

Our guest today Julia Flynn Siler is a New York Times best-selling author and journalist. Her new book, The White Devil’s Daughters: The Women Who Fought Against Slavery in San Francisco’s Chinatown, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in May of 2019. The New York Times Book Review named it an “Editors’ Choice.” She is also the author of Lost Kingdom: Hawaii’s Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America’s First Imperial Adventure and the The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty. She will be at the Miami Book Fair coming up November 17-24. As a veteran correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek magazine, Ms. Siler spent more than two decades in the Europe and the United States, reporting from a dozen countries. She has covered fields as varied as biotechnology, cult wines, puppy breeding, and a princess’s quest to restore a Hawaiian palace’s lost treasures. A graduate in American Studies at Brown University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Ms. Siler began her career as a staff correspondent for BusinessWeek, working in the magazine’s Los Angeles and Chicago bureaus. She wrote stories on everything from White Castle “sliders” to the roiling futures markets for the New York Times. By taking classes at night during that time, she earned an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. In 1993, she was awarded a fellowship to teach business journalism in Prague, where she organized a speaker series at the Center for Independent Journalism, a not-for-profit organization supported in part by the New York Times Foundation. Ms. Siler then served as a London-based staff correspondent for BusinessWeek, where she was a member of BusinessWeek reporting teams that won a National Magazine Award, a Deadline Club award, as well as other honors. As a longtime London-based foreign correspondent, she wrote about family business dynasties, millionaire dons at Oxford and Cambridge, and Virgin founder Richard Branson, among other subjects. Toward the end of her years in London, she joined the Wall Street Journal as its European management correspondent, traveling throughout the region to report stories. During that time, she did post-graduate work in finance at the London Business School. After returning to the U.S., one of the first articles she wrote for the Wall Street Journal was about the turmoil within the Mondavi family’s wine empire. It ran as a front-page story in June of 2004. That story led to her book The House of Mondavi, published by Penguin’s Gotham Books in 2007. A New York Times bestseller, it was honored as a finalist both for a James Beard Award and a Gerald Loeb Award for distinguished reporting and is now in its twelfth printing. Over the years, Ms. Siler wrote many feature stories for the Wall Street Journal out of its San Francisco bureau, and helped produce WSJ.com videos to accompany some of these stories. Her critically acclaimed second book, Lost Kingdom, was also a New York Times bestseller. Ms. Siler was a 2013 recipient of the Ella Dickey Literacy Award, named in honor of a beloved librarian, and was honored at a ceremony in Missouri in April 2013. In August of 2016, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Ms. Flynn Siler a “Public Scholar” grant for 2016-2017 to support her forthcoming book, “The White Devil’s Daughters: The Women Who Fought Slavery in San Francisco’s Chinatown.” In June of 2017, the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism announced that Ms. Siler had been awarded a Mayborn Fellowship in Biography to support her new book. She was also named a Logan Nonfiction Fellow at the Carey Institute for Greater Good, where she spent the fall of 2017 completing her manuscript. Ms. Siler is a longtime member of the San Francisco-based writing group North 24thWriters, whose members have published fourteen nonfiction books as well as hundreds of articles and essays in major magazines, newspapers and literary journals. She is also a member of the San Francisco Writer’s Grotto. She has taught journalism at the University of London’s Birkbeck college and leads nonfiction workshops at the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley as a staff member. She has appeared as a commentator on the BBC, CBS, CNBC, National Public Radio, and elsewhere. She has worked as an on-call producer for KQED’s Forum. Her stories and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Oxford Encyclopedia on Food and Drink in America. She served two terms on the alumni board of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and currently serves on the boards of San Francisco-based Litquake Foundation, which produces an annual literary festival and year-round events, and on the board of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley. She is also in her second term as a member of the Council of the Friends of the Bancroft Library at U.C. Berkeley. She has served for several years as a nonfiction juror for the Commonwealth Club’s California Book Awards. She was born in Palo Alto, California in 1960 and she and her family live in Northern California, where they are frequent visitors to their local public libraries.

The White Devil’s Daughters: The Women Who Fought Against Slavery in San Francisco’s Chinatown

Jennine Capo Crucet, author of several books, including My Time Among the Whites, which is featured at the Miami Book Fair coming up November 17-24. Jennine is a contributing opinion writer for the NY Times. Her novel, Make Your Home Among Strangers, was an NYT Editors Choice book, the winner of the 2015 International Latino Book Award and was cited as the best book of the year by numerous media outlets. It’s also been adopted as an all-campus read at over 25 American universities. Jennine is the author of award-winning short stories as well. She is an associate professor in the Dept of English and Institute for Ethnic Studies at the Univ of Nebraska.

Make Your Home Among Strangers

Laura Berger, PCC has captivated and inspired tens of thousands of leaders and professional superstars to balance peak performance with a gratifying life. Her mission has spread prolifically through her dynamic talks, workshops, media appearances, executive coaching, and bestselling autobiographical jungle caper Radical Sabbatical: A Hilarious Journey from a Stifling Rut to a Life Without Boundaries. Her columns in Forbes, Psychology Today and Huffington Post as well as appearances on ABC, Huffington Post Live, The Dr. Oz Show with Deepak Chopra, CNBC, US News and World Report, Yahoo Finance, Self Magazine, The Miami Herald, and podcasts across the country showcase her Four Pillars of Success to pose tough questions and motivating a-has.

The Rise Of Woman In Corporate Boardrooms

Kelli Jaeck's holds a Master’s degree from Oregon State University in Communication and Adult Education, where she taught Leadership and Public Speaking. She received her Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from Oregon Health Sciences University in 1996. The author of the Amazon best seller: Martinis amp; Menopause Strategies, Science and Sips that Empower Women to Beat the Hormone Groan, she also writes a popular blog about women’s health. Her information is accessible and easy to understand while offering useful, practical tips to feel better and live better. Kelli is committed to health and wellness. She lives it, writes about it, speaks about it, and empowers others about it! Kelli delivers fast-paced, engaging keynote speeches and workshops that provide a plan for personal and professional resilience with self-care strategies to slay burn-out. Kelli quickly connects with audiences, shares inspiring personal stories, and innovative, research-based content. All this, and she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Kelli speaks to women who are burned-out, stressed out, and maxed out. Focusing on women’s health and wellness issues, her programs educate and celebrate women, encourage open dialogue, and provide attendees with self-care strategies to show up as their best selves - at home and at work. She currently speaks at conferences around the world on a wide variety of health and wellness topics and is an active member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), Oregon Chapter Board of Directors. She is a leader in the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and was the national president in 2014-15. Her charitable spirit keeps her busy throughout the United States as a board and committee member. She serves on several local, state, and international organizations.

Martinis & Menopause Strategies: Science and Sips that Empower Women to Beat the Hormone Groan

Today on Purse Strings we are joined by Sophia Sunwoo of Ascent-Strategy. Sophia is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in Social Entrepreneurship, a Forbes 30U30 All-Star Alumni, an ELLE Magazine Impact2 Awards Pitch finalist, and a Fred Alger Finance Award winner. Through Ascent Strategy, Sophia has helped large nonprofits open offices in new countries, increased sales by 50% within 3 months of diagnosing a client’s blocks, raised millions in funding, and has helped launch countless startups in the social impact, product, and tech industries. Sophia built her first company when she was 19 years old and sold it before her 23rd birthday. Before her exit, she helped grow the business to 250 major retailers worldwide, and designed a brand that would attract celebrity clientele, as well national coverage in press outlets such as People Magazine. In 2011, Sophia co-founded Water Collective, a non-profit founded to fix and prevent broken water projects in the developing world by building community ecosystems of water maintenance care. Since 2012, the organization has secured clean water for over 76,000 people in West Africa and has been recognized by Forbes, DevEx, African Business Review, and ELLE Magazine. Sophia holds a BBA in Business and Design Strategy from Parsons School of Design and the New School, and her Masters in International Economic Policy at Columbia University. 

Founder and Principal at Ascent Strategy

Today on Purse Strings we are joined Dr. Michele Meek PHD. Dr. Meek is a writer, filmmaker, and Assistant Professor in Communication Studies at Bridgewater State University. She recently presented her TEDx talk “Why We’re Confused About Consent—Rewriting Our Stories of Seduction,” in which she explains how moments in movies and television blur consent with coercion. Her most recent book Independent Female Filmmakers—A Chronicle Through Interviews, Profiles and Manifestos is currently available with the publisher Routledge or on Amazon. Also, read her recent op-ed “It’s not just the Oscars: The Library of Congress fails women filmmakers too,” in Salon, and check out the documentary feature she worked as associate producer on, Salvage, which premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival. 

Why We’re Confused About Consent—Rewriting Our Stories of Seduction

Our guest today is Michelle Ward, founder of When I Grow Up. She has been offering dream business guidance for creative women as The When I Grow Up Coach since 2008. You may have seen or heard her in New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, Etsy, Newsweek, Freelancers Union, USA Today, the Forbes Top 100 Websites for your Career List or 150+ other media outlets. She’s the co-author of The Declaration of You, which was published by North Light Books, and the teacher of Create Your Dream Career and Ditch Your Day Job, which were watched by tens of thousands of people live on CreativeLive. When she’s not coaching, teaching or speaking, she can be found building a fort for her little girl, sitcom-binging with her husband, or belting out show tunes.

When I Grow Up

One in four women experience some form of sexual assault, and the #MeToo movement empower women to take back their voice and shatter the power paradigm. With that said today's guest is April Kirkwood, author of working my way back to me, a memoir that brings readers up close and personal to her journey back to wholeness. As a therapist and author, April helps others past their pain and create a new life where they are stronger as a result.

Working My Way Back To Me

Rhonda Moret, founder of Elevate For Her , a professional development organization with tactical programming designed to help women claim their value and step forward from inferiority, with drive, passion, and action to achieve their goals-- stemming from learning and education. From humble beginnings, growing up as a Latina woman in South Central Los Angeles, Rhonda was the first woman in her family to graduate from college and has forged a path of empowerment for women after her. As a branding and marketing expert, Rhonda directed campaigns for Google, Nike Golf, the PGA of America, Universal Studios, and Subway as well as working with high profile personalities including Tiger Woods, Billie Jean King, best selling author Robert Kiyosaki, and even Donald Trump. Over the course of her professional career, Moret's work and viewpoints have garnered media attention as she has been interviewed by The Washington Post, Adobe’ s CMO. com, The Business Journal, PBS, USA Today, and several other media outlets. Moret's most recent venture, Elevate for Her, has her focused on helping women elevate the critical business skills needed to reach the upper levels of leadership and management. With offerings including negotiations, leadership, personal branding and communications, Moret views this work as her passion project and an effort to ultimately create greater gender and pay parity in the workplace.

Elevate For Her

Today on Purse Strings we are joined by Peggy Chen, Chief Marketing Officer, SDL. SDL (LSE: SDL) is the global leader in content creation, translation and delivery. For over 25 years SDL has helped companies communicate with confidence and deliver transformative business results by enabling powerful experiences that engage customers across multiple touchpoints worldwide. Peggy is responsible for driving global go-to-market strategy for SDL’s portfolio of solutions.

Driving Global Go-To-Market Strategy

Purse Strings, with Maria Reitan, of TopSail Strategies, is a program focused on marketing to women. Why Women, you ask? Women are the powerful majority in this country, comprising 51% of the population and they are in charge of 80% of all spending, and this number continues to grow. Therefore, as marketers, business owners and advertisers... we need to pay attention to her. Purse Strings will help you not only pay attention, but will also allow you to listen and react.

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