voting rights & Women’s history
k-12 author visits
Votes for all!
America’s democratic journey
Jasmine will lead students in a high energy election to decide which song will be played during the dance party. But there’s a catch: only some kids get to vote. Is this fair?
This will lead to a discussion about questions like: What is democracy? What does it feel like when someone else can vote, but you can not? How can those who are excluded make change?
Now, the excluded students will advocate for themselves. Then, all the students will have the right to participate in the election.
Jasmine will read an excerpt from her book, Dare to Question: Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote. At the end of the visit, the dance party will begin!
Planning your visit
First:
Download my
Author Visit Kit
for Young Audiences>
OR
Download my
Author Visit Kit
for Adult Audiences >
Then:
Contact me Below or Email me for scheduling and honorarium info >
podcast interview
the children’s book review
voting rights & women’s history
author visits for adultS
How Carrie Chapman Catt
Reinvented suffrage
and won the vote for women
“I’d rather see my wife dead in her coffin than voting.”
This was the sentiment of many husbands when Susan B. Anthony handed the reins of the National Woman Suffrage Association to Carrie Chapman Catt at the turn of the century. By then, the suffrage movement, advocating a women’s right to vote, had been limping along for decades. At turns scoffed at and ignored, The Cause had little credibility among either women or men.
Catt’s vision was to question the movement’s identity, transforming it from dour and stern to creative, exciting, inclusive, and fun. Along with her partner, Mollie Hay, Catt grew The Cause from a few thousand to more than two million members, in the process leading everyday women to question what they could do and become. Discussion and signing of Dare to Question: Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote (2023, Union Square Kids) to follow.
jane austen
author visits
for adults
jane austen, creativity,
and persistence
Author Jasmine A. Stirling will speak about what Jane Austen’s life teaches us about creativity and persistence, with a special emphasis on how the myth of the creative genius vs. the reality. As Austen’s life shows, creativity requires a supportive community, a rootedness in place, time, financial stability, a willingness to improve, discipline, and consistency—often over decades—in order to mature. A reading from her upcoming picture book biography of Jane Austen, A Most Clever Girl, and Q&A will follow.
Pride & Prosperity:
women, money
and jane austen
Author Jasmine A. Stirling will speak about Jane Austen’s legacy, with a special emphasis on how the rights of women—in particular the ability to create financial independence—have evolved since the Regency period. We’ll discuss how women’s limited economic freedoms impacted Jane Austen, leaving her dependent on the charity of her male relatives after her father died, and the devastating impact that had on her writing. We’ll also touch on Austen’s frank treatment of money in her novels—a hallmark of her writing—and what that tells us about Austen as a person and an artist. A reading from her upcoming picture book biography of Jane Austen, A Most Clever Girl, and Q&A will follow.
Jane austen:
the heroine’s journey
Join author Jasmine A. Stirling for a discussion of how Jane Austen’s life story reflects the archetypal heroine’s journey. She’ll discuss the phases that Austen went through on her path to greatness: innocence, mentoring, loss of innocence, wisdom, and mastery—and how these phases mirror those in ancient stories such as the myth of Cupid and Psyche. A reading from Jasmine’s upcoming picture book biography of Jane Austen, A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, and Q&A will follow.
For young people
Imagination Unleashed:
Keep Creating, Keep Going!
Author Jasmine A. Stirling will engage students in an exploration of how someone becomes a great artist, filmmaker, musician, painter, or video game designer. We’ll discuss how persistence and constant improvement help someone master any new skill, even (and especially) a creative one. We’ll discuss creativity in the context of Jane Austen’s life and journey to find her voice, followed by excerpts from A Most Clever Girl and Q&A.
Jane Austen:
Literary Rebel!
Author Jasmine A. Stirling will engage students in playacting, book reading and games. What was life in Regency England like for women? What has changed? What has not changed? What would you like to see change for women in the future? We’ll talk about how Jane Austen challenged ideas about women in her books, followed by excerpts from A Most Clever Girl and Q&A.
From Ballroom to Boba:
a brief history of tea
(Great for tea parties)
Let’s talk about tea through the ages, whether served to nobility in ancient China, at Japanese tea ceremonies, during Regency balls, to Pooh Bear with his elevenses, or to you, at your local boba shop. How was tea tied to colonialism? What’s your favorite tea drink today? We’ll discuss tea in the context of Jane Austen’s time, followed by excerpts from A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice and Q&A.
Photo by Allison at Some the Wiser