Eve Merriam mingled poetry for children with devastating social criticism for adults, like her Inner City Mother Goose, which became one of the most banned books of all time.
Highly unusual for her time, Sara Landau not only made a name for herself as a respected economist, but paired her scholarship with inexhaustible volunteerism both in her community and through national organizations.
A member of the famed Algonquin Round Table, Beatrice Kaufman made an impact on the American literary scene both for publishing important modernist writers and for writing her own subversively feminist stories and plays.
Miriam Karpilove’s wildly popular Yiddish stories explored the tensions and frustrations Jewish women faced at the turn of the century—the desire for secular education, the hunger to participate in a wider culture, and the hardships of immigration.
Told that women could only write movies about dating and relationships, Fay Kanin defied conventional wisdom to write award-winning dramas about subjects ranging from prostitution to deaths in Vietnam.
Called the “grandmother of American puppetry“ for her definitive history of puppets and marionettes, Helen Haiman Joseph was also known for her own practice of the craft as a talented designer and director.
Edith Somborn Isaacs made an impact on New York City both through her own volunteerism and by successfully running her husband’s campaigns for public office.
Called the “'Top Man' on Broadway” by the New York Woman, Theresa Helburn created a venue for great American playwrights as director of the Theatre Guild and played a key role in the history of the modern American musical.
Nora Glickman’s writing and translation captures the experience of straddling multiple worlds, exploring Jewish communities in Latin America and Latin American communities in the US.
Admired for her darkly comic wit by writers like Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, and John Ashbery, Jane Bowles became the center of an avant-garde circle in Morocco.
Hailed as “the Divine Sarah” and celebrated around the world for her acting talents, Sarah Bernhardt lived as vivid a life as any character she portrayed onstage.
Sue Alexander wove her life into the children’s books she wrote and helped create a support network for other creators as a founding board member of the international Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
