 | I'm really looking forward to my second annual Oregon SCBWI Conference on May 17th & 18th. Everyone was so generous with their knowledge last year! If you're a children's book writer or illustrator in Oregon or Southwest Washington, I recommend attending the conference. And if you haven't already joined SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators)—do it. You get a discount on the conference, and the connections and support you receive are invaluable. Such a coincidence that this year's theme happens to be Wagons Ho! I've been working on a picture-book biography about Oregon Trail pioneer and suffragist Abigail Scott Duniway over the past year... |
A short bio on Abigail: Born in 1834 and raised on a farm near Groveland, Illinois, Abigail and her family hit the Oregon Trail in April of 1852. When her mother and youngest brother died along the trail, Abigail was forced to face the brutality of life early on. A harsh fact she couldn't accept was that women’s and minorities’ life choices were so limited. One of nine siblings, Abigail was the one her father entrusted to keep the trail diary. In fact, Abigail’s writing skills served her well throughout her life: She wrote the first novel to be printed west of the Rocky Mountains, she had careers as a teacher and businesswoman, she founded and edited a newspaper, she wrote and delivered speeches for the Women’s Suffrage movement. Abigail became the driving force behind getting Oregon women the vote in 1912, eight years before the 19th Amendment was passed, granting all U.S. women the right to vote.
As we approach the 2020 centennial of the 19th Amendment, I hope Abigail's story strikes as much of a chord with readers as it has with me. In the words of one of Abigail's fictional characters: “When women's true history shall have been written, her part in the upbuilding of this nation will astound the world."
I love sharing 19th and 20th century history, especially about women whose sacrifices are making such a difference in our lives today. As Abigail wrote in her autobiography: “The young women of today, free to study, to speak, to write, to choose their occupation, should remember that every inch of this freedom was bought for them at a great price. It is for them to show their gratitude by helping onward the reforms of their own times, by spreading the light of freedom and of truth still wider. The debt that each generation owes to the past it must pay to the future.”
As we approach the 2020 centennial of the 19th Amendment, I hope Abigail's story strikes as much of a chord with readers as it has with me. In the words of one of Abigail's fictional characters: “When women's true history shall have been written, her part in the upbuilding of this nation will astound the world."
I love sharing 19th and 20th century history, especially about women whose sacrifices are making such a difference in our lives today. As Abigail wrote in her autobiography: “The young women of today, free to study, to speak, to write, to choose their occupation, should remember that every inch of this freedom was bought for them at a great price. It is for them to show their gratitude by helping onward the reforms of their own times, by spreading the light of freedom and of truth still wider. The debt that each generation owes to the past it must pay to the future.”
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