CPS Lecture #119: Wanda Holland Greene, Deborah Santana, Maria Ramos-Chertok, Marti Paschal, Camille Hayes, and Want Chyi on All the Women in My Family Sing

ALL THE WOMEN IN MY FAMILY SING is monumental and timely as human rights and justice are being challenged around the world. Both written and published entirely by women of color, including the editing, cover design, and promotions, the book empowers underrepresented voices and endeavors to impact the world of book publishing in America — particularly important in an industry that considerably lacks diversity.

JOIN US on Tuesday, September 11, at 7:30 PM for a CPS Lecture with Wanda Holland Greene, Deborah Santana, Maria Ramos-Chertok, Marti Paschal, Samina Ali, and Want Chyi. Six of almost 70 authors and contributors, they will discuss their book of essays: All the Women in My Family Sing.

About Wanda:

Wanda M. Holland Greene is Head of School at The Hamlin School in San Francisco, a mission-driven institution dedicated to best practices and innovation in the education of girls and young women. Prior to her tenure at Hamlin, which began in 2008, Wanda served for eleven years as a senior administrator at The Park School in Brookline, MA.

An experienced leader in education with a powerful voice and presence, Wanda focuses careful attention on academic and ethical excellence, gender equity, performance evaluation, diversity and inclusion, health and wellness, and global citizenship. As a faculty member of the National Association of Independent School’s Aspiring Heads Fellowship, Wanda is an advocate and sponsor for women and people of color who seek leadership positions in education.

About Deborah:

Deborah Santana is an author, business manager, and activist for peace and social justice. Her non-profit, Do A Little, serves women and girls in the areas of health, education, and happiness. With a passion to provide educational opportunities for girls and women, Ms. Santana collaborates with organizations that work to prevent and heal relationship and sexual violence, improve the lives of America's abused and neglected children, and a worldwide community of artists and allies who work for empowerment, opportunity, and visibility for women artists.

About Maria:

Maria Ramos-Chertok grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey, in a purple house that her mother opened as a shelter for battered women and children in the 1970s. Her early life was filled with political activism and exposure to social justice issues.

An avid writer, she published her first article for teens on dating violence in 1993 and continues to write and publish in a variety of genres, including fiction, nonfiction and poetry. She leads The Butterfly Series, a writing and creative arts workshop for women who want to explore what’s next in their lives.

About Marti:

Marti Paschal is a longtime member of Temescal Writers, a Voices of Our Nations alumna and a recipient of residencies at Hedgebrook and Blue Mountain Center. Her writing reflects her Southern upbringing and fascination with conflicts in urban settings and between cultures. A graduate of Stanford Law School, she works in local government and is currently writing her first novel.

About Camille:

Camille Hayes is a communications professional, social change advocate, author, and blogger, covering politics and women’s issues on her blog, Lady Troubles. Her writing has been featured by The Good Men Project, Bitch magazine, and the Ms. Magazine blog, and she’s a former columnist for The Sacramento Bee. Camille holds a B.S. in psychology and a M.A. in English. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and her poodle.

About Want:

Want Chyi has taught composition and creative writing across the United States and in Singapore. She has an M.F.A. in fiction from Arizona State University and was the international fiction editor of Hayden’s Ferry Review. Originally from the Midwest, she now lives in the Bay Area and currently reads for Zoetrope: All-Story.

About CPS Lectures:

CPS Lectures is a free discussion series that takes place in San Francisco. It is a program of the nonprofit The diaTribe Foundation. The series honors the memory of Cyril Patrick Shaughnessy, Jr., Kelly's father, who died in late 2002 and loved discussions and learning.

- RSVP required for this free event. You will be given a chance to donate to the nonprofit, The diaTribe Foundation, when you register - this is completely optional. Thank you to all those who have given to date, which has been very generous and has helped enormously to offset the cost of drinks and food, occasional air tickets to speakers, and low-key management of the event.

- Please share our series with others – you can forward this invite or invite people to sign up at www.cpslectures.org. If you RSVP yes and have to cancel, please do so within 24 hours of our event.

Thank you so much for so much encouragement and support of this series. We so hope to see you on Tuesday, September 11th and we look forward to what we know will be a most compelling discussion.