Joan L. Cannon

Rose Madeline Mula: If You Can’t Stand the Heat

Rose Madeline Mula Writes: “It was with considerable trepidation, therefore, that I entered the kitchen of my hostess, the legendary actress, Joan Fontaine, one long-ago Thanksgiving morning, to offer my assistance. Acting was not Miss Fontaine’s only talent. Not by a long shot. She was also a hole-in-one golfer, a prize-winning fisherwoman, a hot air…
An Undocumented Childhood by Rose Madeline Mula

Rose Mula Writes: Some people never leave home without their American Express card; I never leave home without a camera. Digitized pictures of the twenty-five countries and forty-plus states of America that I’ve visited since my first tour of exotic New Hampshire constantly flash on my computer monitors and digital frames throughout my home, helping…
Julia Sneden Wrote: Love Your Library

Julia Sneden Wrote: My mind’s eye can still see the face of the Children’s Librarian, although I have long since forgotten her name. We will be wise to continue to back up our knowledge of history and literature and art and science with hard copy. She kept up with my reading level, suggesting writers and…
Julia Sneden Wrote: If The Shoe Fits … You Can Bet It’s Not Fashionable

Julia Sneden Wrote: My mother was a mini Imelda Marcos. She kept upwards of 40 pairs of shoes well into her 80’s, and was crushed when she had to give up high heels following a heart attack at the age of 89. Her sole criterion in buying shoes was style, not comfort, and she was…
Joan L.Cannon Wrote: A Family Inheritance: More Than ‘Things’ … Emblems of Our Lives

Joan Cannon wrote: As one advances in years, one accumulates possessions the way a caddis fly larva accumulates grit. The glue that makes us carry it all along with us is in a way self-secreted as well. However, it’s psychic rather than physical — emotional rather than material. Perhaps the most obvious example is a…
Julia Sneden Wrote: Old Dogs, New Tricks

Julia Sneden wrote: At the age of 37, I started a new career as a kindergarten teacher. My first day on the job, the lead teacher, who was in her 70’s and scared me every bit as much as she scared the children, watched me writing a note. “You’ll have to change the way you…
Joan Cannon Writes: Finding the Right Excuse; Committing Words to Paper Because …

Joan Cannon Writes: Think of the poets and novelists and playwrights whose words sink into the consciousness of thousands and even millions and remain there, as emblems, guides, beacons of hope or warnings of disasters, and the excuse (as if one is needed) presents itself. Maybe there’s information or a revelation for some unknown viewer…
Joan Cannon Asked: What is a Book Club? An Old-Fashioned Book Report? A Program Given By an Author? What Is the Accepted Practice?

Joan L. Cannnon wrote: A year or so ago, I was invited to attend a tea given by the combined membership of all the book clubs in the town where I now live. A presentation was scheduled for the proprietor of the much-loved local independent book store cum gift shop. She is a legend in…
Via the White House: The Council on Women and Girls Blog

In addition to the Affordable Care Act, the Council fought hard to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and although it was defeated, we will continue to advocate for equal pay for women. In addition to the Affordable Care Act, the Council fought hard to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and although it was defeated, we…
Relive 2010 Through the Year in Pictures – and Look Ahead to 2011

The Year in Pictures is an old and always interesting idea. Having started my career at Time Magazine in the Picture Department, I’m always drawn to those compilations. And to the process of choosing, a difficult one in winnowing down the immense collect…
A Child’s View: 19th-Century Paper Theaters

Before the availability of children’s periodicals and mass-produced toys, a rather unique and enchanting entertainment for children emerged during the second decade of the 19th century. Small tabletop theaters constructed out of printed paper, adhered to cardboard and mounted on a wooden frame introduced a unique visual entertainment into homes.
Mojo: Interactive Calendar of Motion Picture and DVD Release Dates

One of our favorite sites tipped us off to a site named Box Office Mojo, whose parent company is IMDb. Resource Shelf termed its features: “Impressive, interesting, and useful.”
Music: New York Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve Gala

Live From Lincoln Center. The New York Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve Gala celebrates the romantic music of Tchaikovsky conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert with pianist Lang Lang heralded as the “hottest artist on the classical music planet” by The New York Times.
Shopping for the Snowed In

We did finally try our Shea Moisure Organic Raw Shea Butter Wash with …. wait for it … Frankincense & Myrrh! It gives off a marvelous aroma which, in the midst of winter, is comforting and appealing. It’s listed as Anti-Aging, (isn’t everything n…
Jo Freeman Reviews Reconstituting Whiteness: The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission

On August 18, 1966, I was a civil rights worker in Mississippi when the Jackson Daily News devoted two-thirds of an editorial page to outing me as a “professional agitator” with Communist associations. Over 30 years later I learned that this material was prepared by the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, an official agency using taxpayer…
New Year’s Peeve!

When I was young, I hated New Year’s — the whole shebang, beginning with New Year’s Eve. The forced gaiety. The pressure to be happy! It was all so depressing. The worst part was that if I didn’t have a date for New Year’s Eve, it cast a pall on the next twelve months.
Census: Redistricting and Women-Owned Businesses

“As business owners, women in 2007 had a major impact on the nation’s economy, employing more than 7.6 million workers.” Nearly half of all women-owned businesses operated in repair and maintenance; personal and laundry services; health care and social assistance; and professional, scientific and technical services.
Combat Stress In Women Veterans Receiving VA Healthcare and Disability

Furthermore, many of the Women Veterans Coordinators and claims processors we spoke with stated that they often felt unprepared to communicate effectively with veterans who may be distressed or emotional during discussions regarding their Military Sexual Trauma-related disability claims.