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Welcome to a series of conversations featuring some of the world’s greatest athletes. Over the course of two weekends, hear from the world’s fastest woman Tatyana McFadden, breaking star Sunny Choi, basketball legends Dawn Staley and A’ja Wilson, fencing icon Ibtihaj Muhammad, and hammer thrower extraordinaire Janee’ Kassanavoid. Listen only on the Womanica Feed.

Masako Togawa (1931-2016) was a crime novelist, singer, and club owner. She created a chanson salon called the Blue Room, which catered to LGBTQIA+ artists and music enthusiasts during a time of legal discrimination, violence, and prejudice against queer people in Japan.

Maria Irene Fornés (1930-2018) was one of the leading figures in the Off-Broadway movement in New York, often called the one of the “greatest and least acknowledged” playwrights of her generation. As a talented playwright and director, she wrote over 50 works for the stage. As a teacher, she created space for other members of the theater community to experiment with the form.

Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) was a poet, professor, and social reformer. She authored the poem “America the Beautiful,” which was adapted into a song and adopted as an American anthem. Katharine was also at the forefront of the settlement house movement alongside her life companion and fellow professor, Katherine Coman.

Edythe Eyde (1921-2015) was an author, songwriter, and activist. In 1947, she published the first-ever lesbian publication in North America – at a time when doing so was illegal. While she published primarily under pseudonyms, Edythe Eyde has been recognized in recent years as a pioneer in the LGBTQ+ movement for her activism and wide-ranging cultural contributions.

Etel Adnan (1925-2021) was a poet, novelist and painter, once named “arguably the most celebrated and accomplished Arab American author writing today.” Later in life, she received widespread acclaim for her paintings.