Adventures in Feministory

Author Florence Margaret "Stevie" Smith was born in England in 1902. Though her family called her "Peggy," Smith's friends dubbed her "Stevie" after Steve Donoghue, a famous British jockey. Smith was diagnosed with tuberculosis at age five and was in and out of sanatoriums for years, sparking a lifelong fascination with death.

Former First Lady Betty Ford passed away on Friday. She was 93 years old—the same age her late husband was when he passed five years ago. The mega media outlets are doing a decent albeit routine job in acknowledging Betty Ford’s contributions to women’s issues, health & social issues, and addiction issues. This entry, though, highlights her love of dance.

As the WNBA prepares to celebrate its 15th season, let us take a look back at one of the women who paved the way for women's professional and amateur sports today, Billie Jean King.

Space may be the final frontier for many of us, but it's familiar territory for Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. In June of 1963, Tereshkova was chosen—out of more than 400 applicants—to be the first woman to fly in space.

Even in the male-dominated world of classic literature, Sappho has long been considered one of the greatest lyric poets of all time. The scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria named her (in the company of eight men) as one of the nine melic, or musical, poets worth studying, and in a loaded compliment, Plato famously dubbed her "the tenth muse." She served as the inspiration for countless paintings and sculptures, but unlike the mythical muses, Sappho did not exist to facilitate anyone's art but her own.

In honor of Mother's Day, today's Adventures in Feministory is about one of the "mothers" of country music and modern guitar playing: Mother Maybelle Carter.

I am in awe of feminist author and activist Dorothy Allison.

Born in South Carolina in 1949 and now living in California, Allison has attracted numerous accolades in the last thirty years for her six published books. (They include Lambda Literary Awards, ALA Awards for Lesbian and Gay Writing and a ridiculous number of others.) She is the rare writer to reach, in my opinion, wonderful heights in nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, though her two already-released full-length novels, Bastard Out of Carolina and Cavedweller, are her most famous works.

She's last been seen giving sex tips to seniors in Massachusetts. On Wednesday, she's speaking about sex, life, and maybe a little rock 'n' roll at Westfield State University. With more than 30 books in tow, oodles of accolades, and millions of fans, Dr. Ruth is still Dr. Ruth.

Born Umpeylia Marsema Balinton ("Peliya" to her family) in 1935, the artist known as Sugar Pie DeSanto still gets the crowd jumping today with her R&B vocal stylings and dynamic stage shows.

To look in the "Blues" section of most record stores, you'd think it was only men who had troubles worth singing about. This week it is my pleasure to prove this assumption SPECTACULARLY WRONG, with a glimpse at some of the women who have howled, growled, whimpered and moaned their way through the Blues.