Ellen Goodman, a stylish writer with a humanizing touch on any issue, public or
personal, is an American original.
Her abundant talents - intellect, wit, style, news judgment - set her apart
with an elan uniquely her own. Her Pulitzer Prize commentary appears in more
than 450 newspapers, making her one of the two most syndicated columnists in
the United States.
One of those rare writers and thinkers who senses emerging shifts in our public
and private lives, Goodman alters perceptions of confounding issues. "She
takes current events and sees their universal truths," says the Norfolk
Virginian-Pilot.
Goodman has been an innovative force in American journalism. She once said, "I
think readers need to be less alienated from editorial pages" and made them so
by expanding the debate on op-ed pages. She has commented on the tumult of
social change and its impact on families, and shattered the mold of men writing
exclusively about politics. She is widely acclaimed as a voice of sanity, and
readers depend on her to help them make sense of their changing lives and
relationships.
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Commentary, Goodman has won
many other awards, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors
Distinguished Writing Award in 1980. She received the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil
Rights Award from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights in 1988. In 1993,
at its Seventh Annual Exceptional Merit Media Award Ceremony, The National
Women's Political Caucus gave her the President's Award. In 1994, the Women's
Research & Education Institute presented her with their American Woman Award.
Goodman's first job was at Newsweek as a researcher, at a time when only men
became writers. She landed a job as a reporter for the Detroit Free Press in
1965 and, in 1967, for The Boston Globe where she began writing her column. Her
column was syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group beginning in 1976.
Goodman's first book, "Turning Points", detailed the effect of the changing
roles of women on the family. Five collections of her columns have been
published: "Close to Home"; "At Large"; "Keeping in Touch"; "Making Sense"; and
"Value Judgments". She is also co-author with Patricia O'Brien of "I Know Just
What You Mean: The Power of Friendship in Women's Lives".
"The Political is (Too) Personal, The Media is (Too) Polarized, and Television
News is an Oxymoron."
Ellen gives a bird's eye view on what's happening today in the era of food
fight journalism, red and blue politics, bloggers and screamers.
"Whatever Happened to the Women's Movement?"
Ellen offers a witty and wise report on the state of American women, men and
families. How and why we got stuck and where we go to now.
Women and Health:
Women play many roles in the evolving story of health care in America. They are
family caregivers, the intermediaries between children and doctors, husbands
and doctors. They make most of the family decisions about medical care. At the
same time, women are patients and research subjects, sometimes for better and
sometimes for worse.
In the past decades we've seen enormous change in all these areas. We've seen
women becoming half the medical students. We've seen nurses struggling to gain
more respect for their roles. At the same time, we've seen women as patients
coping with the research on hormones. The magic pill that was supposed to keep
them young forever now appears to be a danger more than a help.
Women and Social Change: A Progress Report
Ellen offers a witty and insightful "progress" report from the turbulent front
lines of social change. From the myth of Supermom thru the myth of Superwoman,
from the halls of Congress to the privacy of the bedroom, she talks about
changing American values and analyzes what's happening with men, women and
families in today's society.
The Function of Media in a Free Society: Is The Personal (Too) Political?
A 30-year veteran journalist, Ellen takes us from a time when the press
shielded the private lives of an FDR and a JFK to the time when the personal
has become public with a vengeance. What do we make of cable TV food fights and
scandals of the day? Ellen argues for the importance of balancing and deepening
the media.
Sex and Sense:
Ellen has long written and talked about sex and values, about the transition
from a double standard to a single standard to no standards at all. In this
presentation, she sets down a path through the struggles of parents and
children, men and women, with a deep concern for women's reproductive freedom.
Since the terrorism attacks of September 11 and our horror at the Taliban's
hostilities toward women, these concerns take on a special relevance and
urgency.
Women and Friendship:
Ellen and Patricia O'Brien, authors of the New York Times Best Seller, "I Know
Just What you Mean: The Power of Friendship in Women's Lives" have treated
audiences to a lively discussion of the importance of this under-rated
relationship in women's lives. As a duet, they show as well as describe this
connection.
