Happy Women’s History Month from Chanticleer

Women’s History Month began being celebrated nationally in just 1981

And back then it was only Women’s History Week! As a woman owned company, Chanticleer is a big proponent of Women’s History Month. Generally the month is about celebrating and recognizing the accomplishments of women throughout history. It also is the month where we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th. You can read more about current events happening with Women’s History Month here.

The 2022 National Women’s History Theme
“Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope”

President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation in February 1980 declaring the Week of March 2nd – 8th 1980 as National Women’s History Week.

“From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.” President Jimmy Carter’s Message to the Nation.

What Exactly is International Women’s Day?

The origins of the holiday may surprise you. The Socialist Party of America celebrated decided February 28, 1909 would be the first National Women’s Day. The day was meant to honor immigrant women who went on strike.

The day gained international recognition just the following year, and has focused in the last century on equal rights for women and suffrage, and then evolved to include a greater focus on working class women of color. For an excellent deep dive into a fuller history of International Women’s Day you can read this article from the Washington Post here.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is Break the Bias — #BreakTheBias – focusing on creating a gender equal world.

Women in Words

One of the most famous recent examples of a woman in the world of words is Amy Schneider on the hit show Jeopardy! She made history not only as the second longest streak holder (behind Ken Jennings), but also is the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions and as the most successful woman to grace the show with both a 40-game streak and $1.3 million in winnings!

When asked why she specifically did so well at the wordplay questions Schneider said, “I think a lot of it comes from doing crosswords for years, it’s given me practice at thinking of words as both a concept and a collection of letters at the same time.”

Now Amy has quit her former job as a software engineering manager. She’s sitting down to focus on one of our favorite activities: writing a book! It’s wonderful to see a woman go so far in such a popular television program.

Women at Chanticleer

Recently we were excited to share the good news of Dr. Janice Ellis being featured across the nation as she discussed the recent decision surrounding the next Justice for the Supreme Court. If Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed, she will be the fourth woman on the court and the first Black woman ever appointed to the US Supreme Court. You can read our report on Dr. Ellis’s full article here.

Here is a link to our Homage to the Suffrage Centennial – Women’s Rights, Suffrage, the 19th Amendment post that celebrates the 100 Year Centennial Celebration of the 19th Amendment.

Click on the above link to read more about these amazing women: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Matilda Electa Joslyn, Alice stone Blackwell, Belle Squire, Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrel, and Harriet Tubman.

Wyoming Territory Women could vote in 1869.

It would take until 1920 for the 19th Amendment to pass that would allow women to vote.  ANOTHER 51 YEARS!

Now let’s dive into some of our favorite recent reviews of books written by women:

PAUSE
By Sara Stamey
First Place Winner in Somerset Awards

Sara Stamey’s Pause features a hero who defies gravity, a scintillating setting, and a lovely backdrop for this riveting story.

This story is about women: strong, weak, abused, cherished, divorced, cancer survivors, mothers, sisters, friends, frenemies. It is a book about survival and hope, about getting back to self to reemerge into a life worth living.

Meet Lindsey, a fifty-two-year-old divorced woman going through menopause, living alone with her two cats, and worrying about her 1 and ¾ breasts. Readers will be hooked from the very beginning with the first of many poignant and funny journal entries. Here is Lindsey’s reality: a middle-aged woman suffering hot flashes that sear her skin and cause spells of nausea, who suffers PTSD from an abusive spouse.

Continue reading here.

THE ALOHA SPIRIT
By Linda Ulleseit
Grand Prize Winner in Goethe Awards

In Linda Ulleseit’s novel The Aloha Spirit, we meet the plucky heroine, Dolores, as her father leaves her.

“Dolores’s father deemed her useless when she was seven. Neither he nor her older brother, Pablo, ever said that, but every detail of their leaving told her so. Papa had tried to explain the Hawaiian custom of hānai to her. All she understood was the giving away, leaving her to live with a family not her own.”

Her story starts in 1922; the place, multiethnic, multilingual Hawaii. Papa, a sugar cane cutter from Spain who worked in Hawaii, decides to take his son Pablo with him to seek his fortune in California. His wife died five years earlier. He leaves 7-year-old Dolores with a large family on Oahu in an arrangement called hānai, an informal adoption. Dolores doesn’t know the family well. She feels abandoned, with no idea when or if her father will send for her or return.

Continue reading here.

MYSTERY in HARARE
By M.J. Simms-Maddox
First Place Winner in M&M Awards

In M.J. Simms-Maddox’s atmospheric thriller, Mystery in Harare: Priscilla’s Journey into Southern Africa, a former legislative aide’s wedding day turns deadly.

As the second installment of The Priscilla Trilogy opens, Priscilla J. readies to walk down the aisle in an American church to marry Jonathan. Not the man of her dreams, but the man she believes may be right for her. Love isn’t exactly on the table, but Priscilla hopes it will be in the future.

Before she can even take her vows, her soon-to-be husband is murdered in cold blood in front of her and those in attendance. Priscilla catches a glimpse of the murderer before succumbing to unconsciousness. She’s been drugged, and the kidnappers will confound and surprise readers.

Continue reading here.

ACROSS the DISTANCE
By Christina A. Kemp

In her nonfiction debut Across the Distance, Christina Kemp showcases a collection of eight personal stories that delve into the most poignant relationships throughout her life.

The well-crafted narratives encompass relationships with her parents, brother, childhood friends, boyfriends, and mentors as they moved in and out of her life. Themes of love, loss, distance, self-preservation, and healing rise to the surface.

Within the book, Kemp ponders the course of a romantic relationship as she realizes that love cannot make underlying differences disappear. At thirteen years old, her father died, and Kemp analyzes how she was able to come to terms with his death, reflecting on his kindness and heroic deeds. Several years later, she is diagnosed with the same condition that took her father; she feels as if she carries her father’s memory in the cells of her own body.

Continue reading here.

SOULMATED
By Shaila Patel
First Place Winner in Paranormal Awards

Eighteen-year-old Liam Whelan must balance the pressure and danger of his new role leading his entire empath clan while searching for a fabled ‘soulmate’ in Shaila Patel’s paranormal romance novel, Soulmated.

Since the age of six, guided by his father’s visions, Liam and his family have traveled across the United States, moving from town to town searching for the girl destined to “join” with Liam. However, no empath in centuries has found a soulmated union. No one knows what joining actually means. Liam tires of his parents’ search for what he considers a fantasy girl, but he agrees to give up one more year of his life. The family moves to North Carolina for Liam’s senior year.

Continue reading here.

SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION
By Janice Ellis, Ph.D.
Grand Prize Winner in Nellie Bly Awards

Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D., introduces the journalistic theories of Walter Lippmann in her new non-fiction work, Shaping Public Opinion: How Real Advocacy Journalism™ Should be Practiced.

Walter Lippmann, considered one of the foremost journalists in the field over the last 100 years, was a mentor in absentia of Dr. Ellis in the art of advocacy journalism. During Lippmann’s 40+ year career, his columns were syndicated in over 250 newspapers nationwide and over 25 other international news and information outlets. Lippman focused on the ethical dissemination of information, especially about communities, society, and the world. A theory, which Dr. Ellis calls Real Advocacy Journalism™.

Real Advocacy Journalism™ theory pertains to foundational behavior and ethical standing for those who report on, translate, and share information with the masses. This theory identifies the tension between individualism and collectivism, the private sector and public sector, the ruling elite, and the dormant masses.

Continue reading here.

Thank you for joining us on this adventure of books, and we hope you found a read that will help you celebrate the women in your life!

Looking for more quality time with us?

VIRTUAL and IN-Person –  June 23 – 26, 2022! Register Today!

FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.

Seating is Limited. The  esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887)  has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our 10th annual conference and discover why!

Featuring: International Best Selling Authors: Cathy Ace and  Robert Dugoni along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.