MondaySeptember 18th
7pm
McNally Jackson Seaport
RSVP Required — see below
“Ms.—in 1972—normalized being a woman, abortion and all. And here we are, 50 years later, needing that now more than ever.” —Sarah Silverman, comedian, actor, and writer
A celebration of Ms.—the most startling, most audacious, most norm-breaking of the magazine's groundbreaking pieces on women, men, politics (sexual and otherwise), marriage, family, education, work, motherhood, and reproductive rights, as well as the best of the magazine’s fiction, poetry, and letters.
“I’ve been a Ms. reader since its earliest days. The magazine’s bold, boundary-breaking reporting has motivated me, infuriated me, and inspired me. And now this one extraordinary book—50 Years of Ms.—captures it all.” —Jane Fonda, actor and activist
For the past five decades Ms. has been the nation’s most influential source of feminist ideas, and it remains at the forefront of feminism today, affecting thought and culture with a younger-than-ever readership. Ms. was the first U.S. magazine to feature prominent American women demanding the repeal of laws that criminalized abortion; explain and advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment; rate presidential candidates on women’s issues; feature domestic violence and sexual harassment on its cover, long before either was widely understood or acknowledged; and commission and publish a national study on date rape.
Here is the best reporting, fiction, and advertising, decade by decade, as well as the best photographs and features that reveal and reflect the changes set in motion by Ms., along with the iconic covers that galvanized readers.
Featured Contributors:
Katherine (Kathy) Spillar is the Executive Editor of Ms. and editor of and contributor to 50 Years of Ms. Under her oversight, Ms. has increased its investigative reporting and in-depth analysis and today is the largest print and online feminist platform—reaching millions across the globe via the quarterly print magazine, a vibrant and popular website, robust newsletters, the innovative digital textbook resource Ms. Classroom, and programming from Ms. Studios. Kathy is also the Executive Director of Feminist Majority Foundation and Feminist Majority, national organizations working for women’s equality, empowerment and non-violence; one of the founders, she has been a driving force in executing the organizations’ diverse programs securing women’s rights both domestically and globally since its inception in 1987.
Brittney Cooper is a Ms. contributor whose work appears in the 50 Years of Ms. collection and a member of the Ms. Committee of Scholars. She is Professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and Africana studies at Rutgers University and the author of Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower and Beyond Respectability: The Intellectual Thought of Race Women, co-author of Feminist AF: A Guide to Crushing Girlhood and co-editor of The Crunk Feminist Collection and co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective.
Premilla Nadasen is professor of history at Barnard College and a Ms. contributor whose work appears in the 50 Years of Ms. collection. She is a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians, serves on the scholarly advisory committee of the New York Historical Society's Center for Women's History and previously served as president of the National Women’s Studies Association. She is the author of two award-winning books—Welfare Warriors: The Welfare Rights Movement in the United States, and Household Workers Unite: The Untold Story of African American Women Who Built a Movement—and is currently writing a biography of the South African singer and anti-apartheid activist Miriam Makeba.
Camille Hahn is the managing editor of Ms.—and has also served as its research editor, associate editor, features editor, copy editor and proofreader in her 15-plus years with the magazine. Previously, she worked as an associate editor at Bon Appétit.
RSVP Below
In order to keep our events program running in uncertain times, we're asking attendees to hold their place with a $5 voucher, redeemable on the night of the event on any product in store or in our bar & café. If you have a change of heart or plans, write to events@mcnallyjackson.com and we'll gladly refund you and release your spot, up to 24 hours before the event. Thanks for understanding, and for supporting your local bookstore.
