Dear Followers, During the past couple of weeks there has been a lot of attention devoted to the fact that Bob Dylan just won the Nobel Prize for literature. After all, it’s unusual for an iconic recording artist to receive such a prestigious award. But today, I would like to introduce you to the woman who is considered to be the first journalist who has ever won the Nobel Prize in Literature—a Belarusian investigative journalist who is a … [Read more...]
235: The Self-Empowered Woman: Anne-France Dautheville
September 13, 2016 By
Dear Followers, Just like you, I’m always on the lookout for stories about inspiring women. Last month, while I was working my way through a pile of reading material, I learned about a French woman who made headlines back in 1972, and now—at the age of 72—this “pioneer” has made headlines once again. The creative director of The Fashion House “Chloe,” Clare Waight Keller, was inspired for her fall 2016 collection by Anne-France Dautheville. … [Read more...]
230: The Self-Empowered Woman: Inventions by Women
January 23, 2016 By
Dear Followers, In honor of THE 17 TRAITS OF SELF-EMPOWERED WOMEN, here’s a list of important contributions made by (relatively un-applauded) females. How lucky we all are to benefit from their brainpower! The Car Heater: We all owe our thanks to Margaret A. Wilcox who invented the car heater in 1893! (She also invented a combined clothes and dishwasher). Monopoly: This popular board game was designed by Elizabeth Magie in … [Read more...]
228: The Self-Empowered Woman: Women In Hollywood
October 24, 2015 By
Dear Followers, As moviegoers, we like to think that conditions have never been better for women in the film industry. Unfortunately, gender bias is alive and well in Hollywood, as well as on our TV and movie screens. In fact, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is currently responding to a request from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) regarding the tendency of major studios, networks and talent agencies to hire men over … [Read more...]
227: The Self-Empowered Woman: Mother Teresa
September 5, 2015 By
Dear Followers, Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances, I was unable to make a Facebook posting for Mother Teresa’s birthday on August 26th. So, for my penance, I have decided to create a Self-Empowered Woman blog for today (September 5th, 2015), which is the 18th anniversary of her death. At the time, the world was in mourning for Princess Diana, whose funeral took place on September 6th, 1997. Mother Teresa (whose birthname was Anjeze … [Read more...]
226: The Self-Empowered Woman: Zainab Bangura
August 20, 2015 By
Dear Followers: Today I would like to introduce you to an amazing woman who works at the United Nations as part of the effort to help abused women around the world. When Zainab Bangura was a little girl in Sierra Leone, her father wanted to marry her off when she was only twelve years old. Because her mother refused to agree, her father walked out on the family. As a result, her mother supported herself and her daughter by selling whatever she … [Read more...]
224: The Self-Empowered Woman: Big Eyes
December 26, 2014 By
Dear Followers, There haven’t been any blogs for the past six months because I was hard at work finishing my newest book (a memoir) titled “One Woman, Four Decades, Eight Wishes.” But since the “Big Eyes” movie (which stars Amy Adams) opened on Christmas day, it seems like this would be a good time to reprise the latest blog about artist Magaret Keane. http://www.marilynwillison.com/223-self-empowered-woman-margaret-keane/ More blogs will … [Read more...]
221: The Self-Empowered Woman: Ida Tarbell
May 20, 2014 By
Dear Followers, Last month, I was lucky enough to attend a lecture by Doris Kearns Goodwin, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Bully Pulpit, and meet her afterwards. Naturally, the moment I got home I immersed myself into her joint biography of Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft. Since my father was born in 1903, the events in her book were of special significance to me--I even have Daddy's original teddy bear, the popular childhood … [Read more...]
212: The Self-Empowered Woman: Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2014 By
Dear Followers, Happy Valentine's Day! My creative friend, Sonia Cooper, assembled this graphic as part of her tireless efforts to help promote The Self-Empowered Woman. I thought it was so pretty that I wanted to share it with all of you as my way of saying "Thank You" for being so supportive over the years. This afternoon, I spoke to a South Florida group of National Association of Professional Women about the 17 traits of high-achieving … [Read more...]
