Header

Sub Navigation

  Close Menu

Article

Indiana Women Who Tell “Our Stories”

March is National Women's History Month, an opportunity to celebrate the role of women in American history.  The month of March was designated as National Women’s History Month after the National Women’s History Project petitioned the U.S. Congress in 1987. Since then, additional resolutions have been passed to continue the annual recognition of women’s achievements throughout history. This year, the National Women’s History Alliance’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” As part of this celebration, women in media (e.g., tv, print, radio, stage, etc.) from the past, present and future are invited to tell their stories.

Indiana has a rich history of women—past and present—who tell their stories. The following are three women who have helped shape Indiana history.

Joyce Brinkman, Indiana’s first Poet Laureate
Joyce Brinkman served as Indiana’s first Poet Laureate from July 1, 2005, through June of 2008. Brinkman began writing poetry at the age of nine.  She earned a Bachelor of Art from Hanover College and went on to publish her poetry across many different mediums. She played an integral part in formal creation of the Indiana Poet Laureate position. Brinkman was named honorary poet laureate by legislation in 2002, and worked with the Legislative Services Agency and Senator Tereas Lubbers to carry the Senate Bill No. 433, on July 1, 2005. Due to Brinkman’s contributions, the Indiana Poet Laureate works with the Indiana Arts Commission to represent and further the art of poetry in Indiana. To learn more about Joyce Brinkman and her time as Indiana’s Poet Laureate, click here.

Jane Pauley, journalist
Jane Pauley is considered one of the best known and most respected women in television news. Born on Halloween in 1950, Margaret Jane Pauley is a fifth generation Hoosier. Pauley attended Warren Central High School where she was a speech and debate champion and went on to earn a Bachelors of Arts  in political science in 1972 from Indiana University.
After college, Pauley started her journalism career at WISH-TV, reporting the news for three years. She then moved to Chicago and became the first woman to co-anchor the nightly news on Chicago television. Shortly after her move, Pauley was called to the national stage to become a co-anchor on NBC’s “Today” show where she remained for 23 years. Since that time, Pauley anchored various shows, including “Dateline,” and had her own daytime television show “The Jane Pauley Show.” In 2001, Pauley released her autobiography “Skywriting: A Life out the Blue,” in which she discusses her bi-polar diagnosis.
Since then, Pauley has re-invested in the Indianapolis community with the establishment of The Jane Pauley Community Health Centers in 2009. These health centers have Federally Quality Health Centers, allowing them to expand services and serve more of the community.

Gene Stratton-Porter, author and photographer
Gene Stratton-Porter was born in the late 1800s in Wabash County, IN. She was the youngest of 12 children and described her childhood as “lived out of doors with the wild almost entirely.” This helped shape her deep appreciation for nature. In 1886, she married Charles Porter and soon after the couple discovered oil on their farmland. Stratton-Porter used these funds to build Limberlost Cabin in Geneva, IN, which still stands to this day.

While living at Geneva, Stratton-Porter wrote nature books and more than half of her 12 novels. She also published photographs of nearby woods and swamps. By 1924, she had sold more than 10 million copies of her books. Stratton-Porter’s work has helped to preserve the legacy of Indiana’s natural history.

Today you can visit Limberlost Cabin, as it has been preserved and sits along the shores of Sylvan Lake . You can learn more about Gene Stratton-Porter and her indelible contributions to Indiana History by clicking here.

Helpful links

  1. PBS has a documentary about Zora Neal Hurston, acclaimed author during the Harlem Renaissance titled “Zora Neal Hurston: Claiming a Space.” The documentary is a biography of the author whose works challenged assumptions about race, gender and cultural superiority and is available in English and Spanish.
  2. Smithsonian Magazine online has an article titled “Decade by Decade: Major Events in Women’s History.”
  3. .Learn more about women from Indiana in the collection titled “Women Behaving Badly,” from the Indiana Historical Society.
  4. Promote and study women who made history by using this toolkit.
  5. Get involved with organizations and charities that support opportunities for women, like the Indiana Commission for Women and YWCA of Indiana

Events in Indiana