Podcast appearances and mentions of Lorene Cary

Beloved writer, educator and social activist Lorene Cary joins us on this episode.  She's the author of a beautiful memoir called, "Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century". It's received rave reviews including one from O, the Oprah Magazine which called "Ladysitting" simply, “Radiant”.  Her website is https://www.lorenecary.com/

"Every stage of life is critical ..an opportunity to deepen our intimacy." ~Lorene Cary An intimate conversation with author, educator, advocate and playwright Ms. Lorene Cary who discusses the healing power of the arts and her memoir, Ladysitting. Ladysitting details the challenges and frustrations of being a caregiver to a "less than perfect", "not ready to die" "still wants to be independent" grandmother. If this resonates with you, you will enjoy our conversation. Ladysitting has been produced into an opera. It will premier as a play at the Arden Theatre, Philadelphia PA this January, 2024.

Best-selling American author Curtis Sittenfeld discusses her acclaimed debut novel, Prep. Set in an exclusive boarding school in north-eastern America, Prep is an insightful, caustic and funny coming-of-age story and a savage dissection of class, race, and gender. Clever, aspirational Lee Fiora is fourteen years old when her father drops her at the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts that she has won a scholarship to. Both intimidated and fascinated by her classmates, she becomes a shrewd observer of, and ultimately a participant in, their snobby culture and rituals. She forms intense friendships with other girls; complicated relationships with teachers and an all-consuming infatuation with a boy from the cool crowd, all of which leads to conflicts with her parents back home in the mid-West, from whom Lee feels increasingly distant. Other novels about boarding schools mentioned in this programme include Make your Home among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet, Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School by Kendra James and Black Ice by Lorene Cary. (Photo: Curtis Sittenfeld. Credit: Jenn Ackerman)

Beloved writer, educator and social activist Lorene Cary joins us on this episode.  Her most recent book is a beautiful memoir called, "Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century". It's received rave reviews including one from O, the Oprah Magazine which called "Ladysitting" simply, “Radiant”.  Her website is https://www.lorenecary.com/   We're excited to tell you about another great product from our sponsor, Ritual.  It's called Synbiotic+ and it's a daily 3-in-1 clinically-studied prebiotic, probiotic, and postbiotic designed to help support a balanced gut microbiome.  Ritual's Synbiotic+ provides two of the world's most clinically studied probiotic strains to support the relief of mild and occasional digestive discomforts, like bloating, gas, and diarrhea.  Synbiotic+ and Ritual are here to celebrate, not hide, your insides. It's time to listen to your gut!  Ritual is offering our Nobody Told Me! listeners 10% off during your first 3 months.  Visit ritual.com/NTM to start Ritual or add Synbiotic+ to your subscription today.

As a child, Carole Hopson spent hours lying on the grass in her grandparents' backyard watching the planes arrive at Philadelphia International Airport. However, it took decades for Carole to pursue her dream of becoming a pilot. Today, Carole flies a Boeing 737 for United Airlines as a First Officer. Black women make up less than one percent of all certified pilots, and Carole is one of them. Carole's story is one of inspiration, bravery, chasing dreams, and taking risks. Before becoming a pilot, Carole spent decades working in various corporate careers from journalist to an executive-level employee in human resources. Carole stepped away from her corporate career to pursue her dream of flying, and it has taken her to places she couldn't have imagined.In this episode, Sylvia and Carole talk about Carole's journey from corporate careers to commercial pilot, Carole shares the inspiration behind her book A Pair of Wings, Carole talks about her non-profit The Jet Black Foundation, and she discusses the importance of representation in aviation.  Topics Include:- The history of Bessie Coleman's life- The process behind writing A Pair of Wings- How Carole's and Bessie Coleman's stories parallel each other- Career timeline and getting her commercial pilot's license later in life - What it's like to be a female African American commercial pilot- Experience gaining confidence as a minority operating a regional jet - Relationship with the public as a minority pilot- Family planning and motherhood- Carole's philanthropy, Jet Black Foundation, and the 100 pairs of wings initiative - And other topics…Carole Hopson flies a Boeing 737 for United Airlines as First Officer. Carole is also the author of the historical fiction novel A Pair of Wings (2021).  Before her career as a pilot, Carole was a journalist, writing for publications such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Tribune, and the Bergen Record.  In 2021, Carole founded The Jet Black Foundation, a non-profit with the mission to help diversify the aviation industry. The Jet Black Foundation is currently working on the 100 Pairs of Wings project, with the goal to increase the representation of women of color in the aviation industry.Resources Mentioned:A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson: https://www.amazon.com/Pair-Wings-Inspired-Pioneer-Aviatrix/dp/173551117X The Jet Black Foundation: https://www.jetblackfoundation.org/  Carole Hopson on Oprah's Daily: https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a37762199/pilot-career-change/  Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson: https://www.amazon.com/Sisters-Arms-Novel-Kaia-Alderson/dp/0062964585 Ladysitting by Lorene Cary: https://www.amazon.com/Ladysitting-Year-Nana-End-Century/dp/0393635880 The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead: https://www.amazon.com/Nickel-Boys-Novel-Colson-Whitehead/dp/0385537077 Connect with Carole:carolehopson.com Stay ConnectedSignup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights. Be bold, be brave, and fly.Website – https://www.whenwomenfly.com/Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest –

Our guest on this episode is beloved writer, educator and social activist Lorene Cary. She is the author of several books, including "Black Ice", "The Price of a Child" and "Pride". Lorene's most recent book is a memoir called, "Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century". It's received rave reviews including one from O, the Oprah Magazine which called Ladysitting simply, “Radiant”. Thanks to our sponsor of this episode! --> AirMedCare Network: AirMedCare Network provides world-class air transport services to the nearest, appropriate hospital or trauma center. AMCN Members have the added value of knowing their flight expenses are completely covered when flown by an AMCN provider. For as little as $85 a year, it covers your entire household, every day, 24/7, even when traveling. AMCN is the largest medical air transport membership in the country, covering 38 states. For just pennies a day, you can worry less about what matters most. This is security no family should be without. Now, as a Nobody Told Me! listener, you'll get up to a $50 eGift Card when you join. Visit www.airmedcarenetwork.com/nobody and use the offer code NOBODY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For as long as humans have had voices, trauma has been told and processed through stories, poetry, and music. In this episode, we speak with author Lorene Cary, Senior Lecturer in English, and poet Fatemeh Shams, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, on the ability of words to move people, create a community, and help us to heal.Guests:Lorene Cary, Senior Lecturer, Department of EnglishFatemeh Shams, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations***Produced by Susan AhlbornNarrated by Alex ScheinEdited by Alex Schein and Brooke SietinsonsInterviews by Jane Carol and Alex ScheinTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and MG & Ma'tthue Raheem for “Vote that Jawn” rapIllustration and logo by Marina MuunIn These Times is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences. Visit our series website to learn more and listen to the first three seasons of In These Times: web.sas.upenn.edu/in-these-timesVisit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and alumni: omnia.sas.upenn.edu 

For as long as humans have had voices, trauma has been told and processed through stories, poetry, and music. In this episode, we speak with author Lorene Cary, Senior Lecturer in English, and poet Fatemeh Shams, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, on the ability of words to move people, create a community, and help us to heal.Guests:Lorene Cary, Senior Lecturer, Department of EnglishFatemeh Shams, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations***Produced by Susan AhlbornNarrated by Alex ScheinEdited by Alex Schein and Brooke SietinsonsInterviews by Jane Carol and Alex ScheinTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and MG & Ma'tthue Raheem for “Vote that Jawn” rapIllustration and logo by Marina MuunIn These Times is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences. Visit our series website to learn more and listen to the first three seasons of In These Times: web.sas.upenn.edu/in-these-timesVisit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and alumni: omnia.sas.upenn.edu 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and since the pandemic, many people have been keeping stock of what's important in their life. This week Bridging Philly sits with motivational speaker and life coach Joy Morgan of Joy Morgan Motivates as she gives advice and insight on moving past pandemic challenges. Our Newsmaker of the week highlights Dr. Esther Castillo and her efforts in launching the Support the Chinese Immigrant Families Wellness Initiative and the continuance of bridging the gap between marginalized communities through education. The Philly Rising Changemaker is a West Philly native, writer, and activist Lorene Cary. Cary uses her craft to preserve stories, especially Black legacies for the next generations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

West Philly native Lorene Cary goes by a number of titles — she's a bestselling author, a playwright, a mother, and a senior lecturer at University of Pennsylvania. Not just during Women's History Month in March, but nearly 365 days out of the year, she uses her craft to preserve stories, especially Black legacies, for future generations.

Lorene Cary is an author, playwright, creative writing professor at UPenn, activist, mother, daughter, granddaughter, & so much more.  Her latest extraordinarily moving book is Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century. From cherished memories of childhood weekends with Nana to the reality of the year she spent “ladysitting,” her stories are of their time together and five generations of their African American family.  Cary captures the ruptures, love, and forgiveness that can occur in the family as she bears witness to her grandmother's vibrant life. Connect with LoreneHer website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vote that Jawn, The Gospel According to Nana (one-act opera libretto based on Ladysitting), On Oprah.com  Connect with Marci·       Website, Patreon, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Facebook Group.·       Permission to Heal - YouTube.·       Permission to Land  (memoir) - Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, audiobookPermission to Heal Bookshop - Buy books from the episodes & support independent bookstores.  The Permission to Heal podcast is a passion of mine. I need your help to bring more inspirational episodes to the world; please consider becoming a patron through PATREON. This is where your PATREON subscription comes in. With your subscription, you get perks and swag and the meaningful contentment knowing you are helping me get PTH to the people who need it. Support the show Support the show

Kathryn interviews Author Mark Borg Jr., PhD. Many of us encounter the same challenges over and over, even when our circumstances change. Perhaps we find ourselves having similar relationship problems with every partner we choose, feeling isolated no matter who we are surrounded by, or internalizing a sense of failure no matter how many successes we accumulate. If ‘crazy' is doing the same thing while expecting different results, it seems that many of us are unwittingly engaging in crazy behavior. Of course, most of us do not want to admit to our own craziness. But, what if, by confronting and understanding our unhelpful behavior, we can learn how to embrace healthy and fulfilling relationships with ourselves and others? Offering relatable case studies and revealing exercises for self-reflection, Mark Borg Jr. PhD helps us recover the lost parts of ourselves so that we can embrace new levels of self-acceptance and a deeper connection with others. Borg, a psychoanalyst practicing in NYC and a community and clinical psychologist, is a supervisor at the William Alanson White Institute. Kathryn also interviews Author Lorene Cary MA. From cherished memories of weekends she spent as a child with her indulgent Nana to the reality of the year she spent ‘ladysitting' her now frail grandmother, Lorene Cary journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Brilliantly weaving a narrative of her complicated yet transformative relationship with Nana?a fierce, stubborn, and independent woman, who managed a business until she was 100?Cary looks at Nana's impulse to control people and fate, from the early death of her mother and oppression in the Jim Crow South to living on her own in her NJ home. Cary, a senior lecturer at U Penn, author of two memoirs and three novels, has written for Time and Newsweek and been featured in O, the Oprah Magazine.

Kathryn interviews Author Mark Borg Jr., PhD. Many of us encounter the same challenges over and over, even when our circumstances change. Perhaps we find ourselves having similar relationship problems with every partner we choose, feeling isolated no matter who we are surrounded by, or internalizing a sense of failure no matter how many successes we accumulate. If ‘crazy' is doing the same thing while expecting different results, it seems that many of us are unwittingly engaging in crazy behavior. Of course, most of us do not want to admit to our own craziness. But, what if, by confronting and understanding our unhelpful behavior, we can learn how to embrace healthy and fulfilling relationships with ourselves and others? Offering relatable case studies and revealing exercises for self-reflection, Mark Borg Jr. PhD helps us recover the lost parts of ourselves so that we can embrace new levels of self-acceptance and a deeper connection with others. Borg, a psychoanalyst practicing in NYC and a community and clinical psychologist, is a supervisor at the William Alanson White Institute. Kathryn also interviews Author Lorene Cary MA. From cherished memories of weekends she spent as a child with her indulgent Nana to the reality of the year she spent ‘ladysitting' her now frail grandmother, Lorene Cary journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Brilliantly weaving a narrative of her complicated yet transformative relationship with Nana?a fierce, stubborn, and independent woman, who managed a business until she was 100?Cary looks at Nana's impulse to control people and fate, from the early death of her mother and oppression in the Jim Crow South to living on her own in her NJ home. Cary, a senior lecturer at U Penn, author of two memoirs and three novels, has written for Time and Newsweek and been featured in O, the Oprah Magazine.

Kathryn interviews Author Mark Borg Jr., PhD. Many of us encounter the same challenges over and over, even when our circumstances change. Perhaps we find ourselves having similar relationship problems with every partner we choose, feeling isolated no matter who we are surrounded by, or internalizing a sense of failure no matter how many successes we accumulate. If ‘crazy' is doing the same thing while expecting different results, it seems that many of us are unwittingly engaging in crazy behavior. Of course, most of us do not want to admit to our own craziness. But, what if, by confronting and understanding our unhelpful behavior, we can learn how to embrace healthy and fulfilling relationships with ourselves and others? Offering relatable case studies and revealing exercises for self-reflection, Mark Borg Jr. PhD helps us recover the lost parts of ourselves so that we can embrace new levels of self-acceptance and a deeper connection with others. Borg, a psychoanalyst practicing in NYC and a community and clinical psychologist, is a supervisor at the William Alanson White Institute. Kathryn also interviews Author Lorene Cary MA. From cherished memories of weekends she spent as a child with her indulgent Nana to the reality of the year she spent ‘ladysitting' her now frail grandmother, Lorene Cary journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Brilliantly weaving a narrative of her complicated yet transformative relationship with Nana?a fierce, stubborn, and independent woman, who managed a business until she was 100?Cary looks at Nana's impulse to control people and fate, from the early death of her mother and oppression in the Jim Crow South to living on her own in her NJ home. Cary, a senior lecturer at U Penn, author of two memoirs and three novels, has written for Time and Newsweek and been featured in O, the Oprah Magazine.

Kathryn interviews Author Mark Borg Jr., PhD. Many of us encounter the same challenges over and over, even when our circumstances change. Perhaps we find ourselves having similar relationship problems with every partner we choose, feeling isolated no matter who we are surrounded by, or internalizing a sense of failure no matter how many successes we accumulate. If ‘crazy' is doing the same thing while expecting different results, it seems that many of us are unwittingly engaging in crazy behavior. Of course, most of us do not want to admit to our own craziness. But, what if, by confronting and understanding our unhelpful behavior, we can learn how to embrace healthy and fulfilling relationships with ourselves and others? Offering relatable case studies and revealing exercises for self-reflection, Mark Borg Jr. PhD helps us recover the lost parts of ourselves so that we can embrace new levels of self-acceptance and a deeper connection with others. Borg, a psychoanalyst practicing in NYC and a community and clinical psychologist, is a supervisor at the William Alanson White Institute. Kathryn also interviews Author Lorene Cary MA. From cherished memories of weekends she spent as a child with her indulgent Nana to the reality of the year she spent ‘ladysitting' her now frail grandmother, Lorene Cary journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Brilliantly weaving a narrative of her complicated yet transformative relationship with Nana?a fierce, stubborn, and independent woman, who managed a business until she was 100?Cary looks at Nana's impulse to control people and fate, from the early death of her mother and oppression in the Jim Crow South to living on her own in her NJ home. Cary, a senior lecturer at U Penn, author of two memoirs and three novels, has written for Time and Newsweek and been featured in O, the Oprah Magazine.

In conversation with Lorene Cary, author of the memoirs Ladysitting  and Black Ice, three novels, and a book for young readers. She teaches at University of Pennsylvania and has written a one-act opera of Ladysitting and a play, My General Tubman. After a 20-year career as a journalist, working at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Tribune, and then as a corporate executive, Carole Hopson followed her dream to become a pilot. Based in Newark, NJ, Hopson currently flies the Boeing 737 for United Airlines as a first officer. Her debut fiction, A Pair of Wings: A Novel Inspired by Pioneer Aviatrix Bessie Coleman, an Oprah Daily best pick for July 2021, is about the exciting life of Queen Bess. Books available through the Joseph Fox Bookshop (recorded 8/12/2021)

C.J. Liu interviews Lorene Cary about her book "Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of her Century". We continue to discuss the rage associated with the loss of power and how this accumulated generation to generation, and how these ancestral traumas are carried in our genes. She describes these maladaptive behaviors as "family curses".Fire It Up With CJ Podcast is brought to you by Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).

C.J. Liu interviews Lorene Cary about her book "Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of her Century". Lorene shares her reaction to the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial and the relief that a black person would no longer be killed with impunity. Lorene discusses the power dynamics with each of her family members and the different ways they were vulnerableFire It Up With CJ Podcast is brought to you by Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).

C.J. Liu interviews Lorene Cary about her book "Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of her Century". Lorene shares the "people pleasing" that she has done throughout her life to "fit in" and be liked. Her private school education and carefully choreographed pedigree allowed her the ability to get the same educational advantages that white American's experienced.Fire It Up With CJ Podcast is brought to you by Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).

Ladysitting is on Oprah's must read list for a reason. Author Lorene Cary spent the last two years taking care of her 100 year old Nana. Hear the profound life lessons from this experience.

Lorene Cary is an author, social activist, an incredible story-teller, and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. With this being the weekend to celebrate the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, Lorene shares that she has been reading some of his writings and finding inspiration from them. We read the stories and we find how we are connected and share the same values. www.lorenecary.com

Lorene is a University of Penn lecturer who spent the last year of her 100+ old, spirited Nana's life. From cherished memories of weekends she spent as a child with her indulgent Nana to the reality of the year she spent “ladysitting” her now frail grandmother, Lorene Cary journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Brilliantly weaving a narrative of her complicated yet transformative relationship with Nana.   Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/success-made-to-last-legends--4302039/support.

In the wake of a Black Lives Matter banner being vandalized in Center City, author and lecturer Lorene Cary reflects on the human capacity to see the sacredness in each other.

Kathryn interviews Senior Lecturer at UPenn Lorene Cary, author of “Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century.” She journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Cary captures the ruptures, love and forgiveness that can occur in family as she bears witness to her grandmother's vibrant life. Her work has been featured in TIME, TV Guide, Newsweek and Medium.com. Kathryn also interviews Lisa Garr, owner of Standing Room Only - Audience and Casting Company. SRO has developed a hybrid audience of a small in-person crowd amidst a virtual audience of fans from all over the country. She and her team have provided a live audience of a socially distanced 25 people for the Bill Maher Show, Kevin Hart and MGM. Ms. Garr and all staff members are certified Covid consultants.

Kathryn interviews Senior Lecturer at UPenn Lorene Cary, author of “Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century.” She journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Cary captures the ruptures, love and forgiveness that can occur in family as she bears witness to her grandmother's vibrant life. Her work has been featured in TIME, TV Guide, Newsweek and Medium.com. Kathryn also interviews Lisa Garr, owner of Standing Room Only - Audience and Casting Company. SRO has developed a hybrid audience of a small in-person crowd amidst a virtual audience of fans from all over the country. She and her team have provided a live audience of a socially distanced 25 people for the Bill Maher Show, Kevin Hart and MGM. Ms. Garr and all staff members are certified Covid consultants.

Kathryn interviews Senior Lecturer at UPenn Lorene Cary, author of “Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century.” She journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Cary captures the ruptures, love and forgiveness that can occur in family as she bears witness to her grandmother's vibrant life. Her work has been featured in TIME, TV Guide, Newsweek and Medium.com. Kathryn also interviews Lisa Garr, owner of Standing Room Only - Audience and Casting Company. SRO has developed a hybrid audience of a small in-person crowd amidst a virtual audience of fans from all over the country. She and her team have provided a live audience of a socially distanced 25 people for the Bill Maher Show, Kevin Hart and MGM. Ms. Garr and all staff members are certified Covid consultants.

Kathryn interviews Senior Lecturer at UPenn Lorene Cary, author of “Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century.” She journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Cary captures the ruptures, love and forgiveness that can occur in family as she bears witness to her grandmother's vibrant life. Her work has been featured in TIME, TV Guide, Newsweek and Medium.com. Kathryn also interviews Lisa Garr, owner of Standing Room Only - Audience and Casting Company. SRO has developed a hybrid audience of a small in-person crowd amidst a virtual audience of fans from all over the country. She and her team have provided a live audience of a socially distanced 25 people for the Bill Maher Show, Kevin Hart and MGM. Ms. Garr and all staff members are certified Covid consultants.

Madam Vice President Elect Kamala Harris’s historic “firsts” are too numerous for a single tweet or headline. The first woman Vice President. The first Vice President of color. The first Vice President Woman of Color. The first Black woman, the first Asian, the first daughter of immigrants, the first HBCU graduate, the first Black Greek sorority sister, the first mom and step-mother to become Vice President-elect. I have so much celebration in my heart right now. A celebration that rests comfortably beside the skepticism I carried for Senator Harris during her bid for president during the primaries, with her problematic record of punitive arrests as a California prosecutor, and the reticence I still have about anyone who proudly refers to themselves as “top cop” in a time when America’s most unifying international movement is Black Lives Matter, a protest against the countless deaths of Black people at the hands of police. For Democrats voting on the issues of equal rights, education, and income disparity, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden were less viable candidates for the presidential nomination than Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who directly addressed the issues that mattered to youth and marginalized communities. Biden’s early promise that he would pick a woman running mate if nominated seemed like a strategic move to ensure he won the primary, which made his eventual choice of Harris — a politician who represents the same ideological side of the Democratic party — both exciting and suspect. There was a sense that progressives were supposed to be excited based on her diversity status alone. And a fear that the Democrats had forgotten how badly that oversimplification of voter expectations had worked Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016. It was 2020 now, and it seemed the Democrats still refused to read the room. In a post-Obama era, Harris’s identity alone couldn’t make her the contender for BIPOC voters, the LBGTQ+ community, and women. We, the people who cheered President Obama when received Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of what it meant for the entire world to see the United States elect a biracial Kenyan-American president, have matured past watching someone become the first at something and labeling it progress. We know that diversity is not monolithic, if for no other reason we have a clearer understanding now that seeing someone in the White House who looks like us is not the same as representation. I’ve still never fully recovered from watching Black Lives Matter protesters get tear gassed in Ferguson while Obama was still in office. As a presidential candidate, it wasn’t enough for Harris to be an autobiography of the American dream, and, in the end, this election wasn't about the American dream. This election was about an American crisis. In voting Joe and Kamala into the White House, making history was inevitable but changing history was much more urgent. We voted to secure the future. When I cheer for Kamala Harris, I’m cheering for the people, Black women in particular, who saw the present and labored to make this year’s election about the safety of our future. I’m celebrating the grass roots organizing of Stacey Abrams, who did not shrink into obscurity after losing her 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia by 77,000 votes but instead devoted the last two years to increasing voter registration in the state by 800,000. The country watched the achievements of Abrams and other BIPOC organizers—like Ilhan Omar in Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib in Michigan, Vote That Jawn founder Lorene Cary with her network of youth organizers in Philly and co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund LaTosha Brown — in real time, as states swung from red to blue. I’m celebrating record voter attendance. The people in neighborhoods across the country, who peacefully stood in line for five hours or more to exercise their right to vote while the President got on TV to openly call for white nationalist militia groups to intimidate people at the polls. One of the poll volunteers in my district thanked us for showing up that day to fight for justice. In Harris's election we are joyful—all of us who see ourselves represented in her, her parents, her sister, husband, and step-children—but we are not naive. At this moment in our country, there are still children incarcerated in cages. The COVID-19 pandemic is still claiming lives and is less contained in the United States than anywhere else. There is still an urgent need to address that many people have suffered and died in America because for generations our government has prioritized unity over equality. We still refer to white supremacists as “nationalists.” And even though Donald Trump spent his last four years as President orchestrating all of these things — or, scarier still, because of it — 55% of white women and 58% of white men still voted for him. More white people voted to ensure the continued suppression of freedom for all people in this country than they did in 2016, when Donald Trump only promised he’d do so. “There is no vaccine for racism,” Madam Vice President Elect Kamala Harris said at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, “We’ve to to do the work.” Those of us who voted for democracy are counting on this. With an election alone, Harris can not distance herself from her record. But we hope judiciously, prudently, that she will not only see the people that voted for her in the eyes of little girls looking up to the first woman elected to serve as Vice President, but she will listen to them.

Best-selling author Lorene Cary discusses her new memoir "Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the end of her century." Cary talks about the experience of taking in her 99-year-old grandmother. The book touches on many themes and issues, including aging, family, caregiving, and race.

Keturah chats with author, activist, and librettist, Lorene Cary. They discuss her memoir, Ladysitting, her work at Art Sanctuary and Vote The Jawn, and her experience at ALT’s Composer Librettist Development Program.

The USPS is in the news these days for its (potential) election-related failings. But a novelist and Penn professor remembers it for its beauty

Lorene Cary is an author, Social Activist, Playwright and Lecturer at U Penn. Lorene has a recent memoir, now in paperback: Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century. This is a book rich with language, stories, and in the stories about early American history, African American History, as well as life, aging, care-giving, and self-care. www.lorenecary.org #VoteThatJawn --about bringing young voters to the polls in Philadelphia in 2020

In conversation with Lorene Cary, author of Black Ice, The Price of a Child, Ladysitting and the forthcoming Arden Theatre production of My General Tubman Erica Armstrong Dunbar is the author of the National Book Award finalist Never Caught, the story of Ona Judge, a young enslaved person who risked her life to escape servitude under President George Washington. Named the National Director of the Association of Black Women Historians and the first director of the Program in African American History at the Library Company of Philadelphia, she is the Charles and Mary Beard Professor of History at Rutgers University. Dunbar's latest book is a biography of the runaway enslaved person, abolitionist, Civil War heroine, conductor of the Underground Railroad, and women's suffragist known admiringly as ''Moses.''   (recorded 11/5/2019)

Lorene Cary’s grandmother moves in, and everything changes: day-to-day life, family relationships, the Nana she knew―even their shared past. From cherished memories of weekends she spent as a child with her indulgent Nana to the reality of the year she spent “ladysitting” her now frail grandmother, Lorene Cary journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Brilliantly weaving a narrative of her complicated yet transformative relationship with Nana―a fierce, stubborn, and independent woman, who managed a business until she was 100―Cary looks at Nana’s impulse to control people and fate, from the early death of her mother and oppression in the Jim Crow South to living on her own in her New Jersey home. Cary knew there might be some reckonings to come. Nana was a force: Her obstinacy could come out in unanticipated ways―secretly getting a driver’s license to show up her husband, carrying on a longtime feud with Cary’s father. But Nana could also be devoted: to Nana’s father, to black causes, and―Cary had thought―to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Facing the inevitable end raises tensions, with Cary drawing on her spirituality and Nana consoling herself with late-night sweets and the loyalty of caregivers. When Nana doubts Cary’s dedication, Cary must go deeper into understanding this complicated woman. In Ladysitting, Cary captures the ruptures, love, and, perhaps, forgiveness that can occur in a family as she bears witness to her grandmother’s 101 vibrant years of life.

''A powerful storyteller, frankly sensual [and] mortally funny" (New York Times), Lorene Cary is the author of the novels Pride, The Price of a Child, If Sons, Then Heirs, and the memoir Black Ice. A senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and the recipient of a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, she is the founder of SafeKidsStories.com and Art Sanctuary, a local African American lecture and performance program. In Ladysitting, Cary's irascible 100-year-old grandmother moves in, bringing with her tension, tenderness, and a unique perspective on forgiveness. (recorded 5/7/2019)

WURD host Charles Ellison speaks with bestselling novelist and SafeKids Stories founder Lorene Cary about the power of youth and Vote that Jawn, a citywide effort to get young people to the polls 

Bestselling novelist and SafeKids Stories founder discusses her citywide effort to get young people to the polls.

Lorene Cary discusses her novel Black Ice with Lily Applebaum, Max McKenna, and Zach Carduner.

Host of the Philadelphia Cultural Forum, Community College of Philadelphia, assistant professor Gina Masucci MacKenzie, Ph.D., interviews author and social activist, Lorene Cary. MS. Cary reads from her latest work.

A selection of three readers who have performed on Live at the Writers House, a monthly radio program of the Kelly Writers House, aired on WXPN 88.5 FM Philadelphia. The show began in 1997 and has aired 58 times. Pattie McCarthy and Rodrigo Toscano read poems on 1997 and 1999 shows, respectively; and Lorene Cary reads nonfiction on a 2004 show. Hosted by Al Filreis.