"Iran’s alarming crackdown on women" by Qanta A. Ahmed | 30 August 2012
In “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” Azar Nafisi captured perfectly the conflicts facing the Iranian woman under the post-revolutionary regime as she wrote of mentoring young women studying English literature, including Nabakov’s notorious “Lolita.”
"Women's long battle to define rape" by Estelle B. Freedman | 24 August 2012
When U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri used the phrase “legitimate rape” to defend his opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest, President Obama fired back, saying that we should not “be parsing and qualifying and slicing” types of rape. Yet for most of our history, that is precisely what Americans have been doing. Our legal definition of rape has evolved over centuries, and clearly, we’re not done fighting over it.
"Trolling for trolls in Disney World and the real world" by April Alliston | 27 August 2012
You may have thought trolls were those fairytale ogres who lurked under bridges once upon a time, or maybe those vintage naked plastic dolls with the big shocks of brightly-coloured hair that are so ugly they're cute.
"In shunning African refugees, Israel ignores Exodus' call not to 'oppress the stranger'" by Maya Paley | 27 August 2012
Israel was established as a haven for survivors of genocide. But it is now confronting a problem that puts that historical legacy to the test, and the results so far are dismaying.
"The State of Aging: Prisoners and Compassionate Release Programs" by Toni Maschi | 23 August 2012
When 69-year-old Betty Smithey was released from Arizona State Prison last week after serving 49 years for murdering a 15-month-old child, walking with a cane, she gave a face to a population that often goes unnoticed -- the aging men and women in our prison system.
"I had the honor and privilege of being surrounded by twenty truly amazing women (five of whom were lawyers, myself included), ranging in age from 30-60 and coming from all corners of the globe. One woman (Opinion Page Editor at the Sydney Morning Herald) flew in from Australia. Another woman (a veterinarian) flew in from Guelph, Canada; her sister (an Episcopalian minister) flew in from Santa Fe, New Mexico. I feel like I am part of a movement (aka the Op-Ed Project) and it is truly gaining momentum. No turning back now! Thanks again for making this possible. I'll be sure to let you know when my first piece hits the news stand." -–Arlene M. Roberts, speechwriter, editor of "Eloquent Delivery - 150 Great Speeches by Female Activists and Political Leaders from Cady Stanton to Chisholm to Clinton"
"Frankly, the session with Catherine Orenstein was one of the best of its type I have heard and this was not my first. In fact, I approached the session in a rather dubious frame of mind, but Catherine converted me almost immediately." -–Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, Dean, University of the Pacific McGeorge Law School; former general counsel of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency
"Katie was a tough, superb teacher. After class one day, I mentioned that I had inadvertently worked for a company which was helping students cheat. Katie strongly encouraged me to write about it and helped me submit my piece. A week later, "Writing Wrongs" was published on the front page of the Outlook section of the Washington Post. Along with the tremendous feedback I received, the piece opened many doors for me. I am thankful for Katie's support in what I hope will be a life-long career in journalism." --Bess Kargman, accepted by Columbia Journalism School after publishing her op-ed
"After I read about Catherine Orenstein's seminar I got up the nerve to write my first op-ed piece ever. Her advice was so helpful that my first editorial appeared in the Boston Globe - after which I was invited to be on NPR. Two weeks after I finished the seminar I placed my second op-ed in the Chicago Tribune. The response has been very positive and several people have suggested I write a book!" --Zine Magubane, Associate Professor of Sociology at Boston College.
