Welcome to A Little HerStory

News from Barb: "Hi Midge. I just wanted to let you know I also donated a copy of your book to the Mara Girls Leadership School in the Maasai Mara, and the girls LOVED it. It's now in their modest library. We were not allowed to take any photos because I don't have a formal partnership with them yet -- though I'm working on getting it, so I can help with their library. It's a small private secondary school operated by a foundation in Norway, and they take the best and brightest girls from that region. All of these girls are from remote areas and would probably not be able to go to secondary school at all if it weren't for this opportunity. They have to test very highly to get in and will be

“Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women." Nora Ephron - Commencement Address, Wellesley College, 1996. Still good advice in 2018!

In 2004, Wangari Maathai of Kenya became the first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She got it for 3 decades of hard work in the Green Belt Movement she founded, which has planted 30 million trees in Kenya, help­ing prevent soil erosion and desertification and providing edu­ca­tion and jobs for people who desperately need them. The Green Belt Movement encouraged in people who’d felt powerless an active interest in justice, in fighting for what they and the environment deserve and against “land grab­bing” and exploiting of natural resources. There was a deep care for the land and people of Africa in Wangari Maathai which enabled her to persist against for

Locally, in Cortez, CO around 500 marchers, men, women, children and dogs, marched for human rights and to get out the vote. It was a beautiful demonstration of solidarity and determination.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native, who was born on August 26, 1921, has died in Longview, Washington, according to the New York Times. The California waitress-turned-factory worker began her job at the Naval Air Station in Alameda and was among the first women to be assigned to the machine shop after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941. Then in 1942, 20-year-old Fraley posed for a photograph wearing her signature red-and-white-polka-dot bandana and working on a turret lathe, for a photographer touring the Naval Air Station, where she and younger sister Ada drilled and patched airplane wings as well as operated rivet machines. “The women of this country these days need some icons. If t

Meet a fearless Tradeswoman warrior we are so honored to know... Judaline Cassidy is the first woman plumber to be accepted into the Plumbers Local Union 371 in Staten Island, NY. She is also the founder of Tools & Tiaras Inc, a non-profit she started to expose young girls (and women) to the design and skilled trades available in the construction industry. Through her camps she teaches girls with hands-on projects in carpentry, electrical, plumbing and automotive. This stunning portrait of Judaline was taken at the 2018 Women's March in NYC by budding photographer, Rachel Schultz, our co-founder's 17-year-old niece.

The Book Launch at the Mancos Public Library was wildly successful. Thanks so much to all who came out. It was quite an amazing night! We ran out of chairs and we ran out of books. It was so delightful to see so many of you and have the opportunity to visit with you. You, my friends, are fantastic, and I am deeply grateful to you all. Thanks to the Library, especially Shari and Dana who made it happen. The books have been replenished. They are available locally at Books in Cortez, Maria's in Durango, the Raven House in Mancos, and from me! They are also available at the Balboa Press Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Thank you for all the support!!

Tomorrow, January 18, at 7 pm, there will be an official Book Launch and Author Talk at the Mancos Public Library for They Persisted by Margaret M. Kirk. Join us for a fun evening!

This morning when Barb Macraz, told me that she was bringing six of my book, They Persisted, to Kenya, was a crystalizing moment for me. I was overjoyed. In the moments that followed hearing this news, though, some things became very, very clear to me. This book is about the women that spring from it’s pages, and I have been having doubts, second thoughts about it’s publication. What if people don’t like it? What if it is not widely read? There are typographical errors within the pages! Yes, it is not perfect, but the stories are. I am not perfect, and that is a humbling but essential lesson for me to learn, Furthermore, this book is not now, nor has it ever been about me. It is abou

As of today, Maria's Bookstore has copies of They Persisted! If you are in Durango, drop by and pick up a copy. Thank you Maria's!