Center for Women in Leadership

Samantha Irby. Photo Courtesy of Los Angeles Times.

Who is she? Samantha McKiver Irby is a comedian, author, and blogger. She runs the blog bitches gotta eat, which transitioned into her first book of essays. She currently has two books, Meaty and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. In 2016, FX announced that they had purchased the television rights to her memoir (Meaty) and her blog with the intent to adapt them into a series.

What does she do? Samanda Irby grew up in Evanston, Illinois. The youngest of three daughters by more than a decade, she had a difficult relationship with her parents; her father, an alcoholic, was rarely present in her life, while her mother worked as a nurse at a nearby hospital. She grew up poor, as she writes in both books, and did what she could as a child to make ends meet. She worked frequent babysitting jobs in order to buy school supplies and lived on canned vegetables and pastas for most of her childhood.

Irby attended college for two years, but dropped out after the death of her parents. She moved back to the Chicago area and settled in the far north neighborhood of Roger’s Park. It was here, at the behest of a close friend, where she began to write her blog, bitches gotta eat. The blog discusses her personal life and comments on broader cultural issues, and it has received notable recognition for its humor and pointedness.

Irby’s writing was picked up by Curbside Splendor Publishing, an independent Chicago publisher. Pieces from her blog were then selected and turned into essays to comprise Meaty, her memoir and 2013 book. The book was then republished in 2018 with Vintage Books. Sam Irby has co-hosted on The Sunday Night Sex Show, performed in The Paper Machete and Story Club, and written for The Rumpus, In Our Words, and Jezebel.

In 2017, Irby’s second book, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, was published to critical acclaim. Put out by Vintage Books, it made The New York Times best-seller list for paperback fiction.

Why watch? Irby’s first book, Meaty, is in development for adaptation as a television show on FX called Guts and Glory with comedian Abbi Jacobson and writer Jessi Klein. Irby is also a writer for the television adaptation of Lindy West’s Shrill. Irby’s voice is hilarious and powerful, and she continues to comment on ongoing political and cultural happenings. We can’t wait to see what her blog produces next.

Carmen Maria Machado. Photo by Art Streiber.

What does she do? Carmen Maria Machado is an American short story author, essayist, and critic. Her writing is frequently published in The New Yorker, Granta, and Lightspeed Magazine. Her story collection Her Body and Other Parties, published in 2017, was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. It also won the 2017 National Book Critics Circle Award John Leonard Prize. Her stories have been reprinted in Year’s Best Weird Fiction, Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, Best Horror of the Year, The New Voices of Fantasy, and Best Women’s Erotica.

Who is she? Raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Machado was born to Cuban and Austrian immigrants. She earned her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has since received fellowships and residencies from a variety of foundations: the Michener-Copernicus Foundation, the Elizabeth George Foundation, the CINTAS Foundation, the Speculative Literature Foundation, the University of Iowa, the Yaddo Corporation, Hedgebrook, and the Millay Colony for the Arts.

Machado has said that her writing is influenced by Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, Angela Carter, Kelly Link, Helen Oyeyemi, and Yoko Ogawa. Her fiction has been called “strange and seductive,” often drawing from elements of science fiction and fantasy. She writes frankly about sexuality, spinning queer identities into everything from ghost stories to fairytales. Her essays, short stories, and criticism have been published in The New Yorker, Granta, The Paris Review, Tin House, Lightspeed Magazine, Guernica, AGNI, National Public Radio, Gulf Coast, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Strange Horizons, and other publications.

Why watch? Machado’s debut short story collection earned international attention. Though she has an established career as a writer of criticism and essay, Machado’s success in fiction increases the likelihood of her publishing another fantastically successful collection. Her political and cultural commentary is always astute and thoughtful, making her an excellent voice to follow in tumultuous political times.

Madeline Miller. Photo by Stephanie Diani.

What does she do? Madeline Miller is an American novelist. Her debut novel, The Song of Achilles, won the Orange Prize for Fiction, making Miller the fourth debut novelist to win the prize. Miller spent ten years writing the book while she worked as a Latin and Greek teacher. Her second novel, Circe, was released in April of 2018 to widespread critical acclaim. One of the most anticipated books of 2018, Circe is a #1 New York Times bestseller.

Who is she? Madeline Miller was born on July 24, 1978 in Boston. After growing up in New York City and Philadelphia, she attended Brown University, where she studied the Classics. She achieved her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Brown, then when on to teach Latin, Greek, and Shakespeare to high school students. Additionally, she studied at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought, as well as the Yale School of Drama. Her major literary inspirations include the likes of David Mitchell, Lorrie More, Anne Carson, and Virgil.

The Song of Achilles, Miller’s debut novel, was released in September of 2011. The book was a labor of love; it took ten years to write. Miller discarded a completed manuscript five years into the writing project, then started again from scratch. Set in Greece, The Song of Achilles tells the story of a love affair between Achilles and Patroclus—both major characters in Homer’s Iliad. Miller wanted to explore Patroclus’s character and his place within Achilles’ story.

The Song of Achilles was the winner of the 17^th annual Orange Prize for Fiction after being named the “dark horse” candidate by several literary critics. The book was also shortlisted for the 2013 Chautauqua Prize. Her second book, Circe, is still very new at the time of this publication. However, already a #1 New York Times Best seller and one of the most anticipated books of the year, we expect it to do well in the awards circuit for 2018. Miller currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts teaching and writing.

Why watch? Miller’s dedication to craft and voice make her one of the most interesting novelists of the time. Her reimagining of Homeric characters breathes new life into the ancient texts, sparking a newfound interest in the classics. Though Miller’s books take years to write, we expect to see more award-winning work from her in the future.

Meghan Markle at the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum. 2018. Photo by Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images.

What does she do? Meghan Markle is an American actress and humanitarian. She was a counsellor One Young World, an international charity, and spoke at their 2014 annual summit in Dublin. She is concerned with gender equality and modern slavery and has traveled to Afghanistan and Spain as part of the USO Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff tour. She is a global ambassador for World Vision Canada and has worked with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Markle also portrayed Rachel Zane on the legal drama series, Suits. She is engaged to Prince Harry, making her the first woman of color to join the British royal family.

Who is she? Born in Los Angeles, Markle grew up in Hollywood. Her parents divorced when she was just six years old. Her first venture into activism came at age 11, where she successfully campaigned to get a company to change a national television commercial that she viewed as sexist. She was profiled by Linda Ellerbee on Nick News. She later earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in theater and international studies from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. In school, she worked as a freelance calligrapher to support herself, and she interned at the US embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In her early career, Markle had small guest rolls on television shows such as General Hospital, Century City, The War at Home, and CSI: NY. In 2011, she won the role of Rachel Zane on the USA Network Show Suits. While filming, Markle was also the founder and editor-in-chief of a lifestyle website, which profiles women professionals. In June of 2016, Markle began a relationship with Prince Harry, who is fifth in line to the British throne.

Why watch? Markle is transitioning out of her life as an actress and into a place within the British royal family. Her engagement to Prince Harry is nontraditional—Markle is divorced, an American, and a woman of color. The couple engagement announcement prompted commentary on the significance of Markle’s race and status, and periphery members of the royal family have made both sexist and racists comments regarding the bride-to-be. We are interested to see just how much discussion on royalty and race Markle sparks.

Maggie Nelson. Profile image originally posted by author on Amazon.

What does she do? Maggie Nelson is an American writer. Her best-known work, The Argonauts, has won several awards, including the New York Times Notable Book and the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. In 2012, she won a Creative Capital Literature Fellowship, in 2011 an NEA Fellowship in Poetry, in 2010 a Guggenheim Fellowship in Nonfiction, and in 2007 an Andy Warhol Foundation/Creative Capital Arts Writers Grant. You could say she’s talented.

Who is she? As a young adult, Nelson studied English at Wesleyan University, where she was taught by American writer Annie Dillard. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, she attended the CUNY Graduate Center; here, she wrote a dissertation called, “Women, the New York School, and Other True Abstractions,” which was published by the University of Iowa press in 2007. Her first foray into criticism, this dissertation earned Nelson national acclaim—she explores the heteronormative 1950s and 60s New York Abstract Expressionist movements, calling attention to female artists and gay male poets.

After earning her degrees, Nelson began a fruitful career in teaching. She has taught at the Graduate Writing Program of the New School, Wesleyan University, the School of Art and Design at Pratt Institute, and CalArts. Currently, she is a professor of English at the University of Southern California. A prolific writer, Nelson has written five nonfiction books and four books of poetry.

Why watch? In 2016, nelson won a MacArthur Fellowship. Her written work includes important thought on art, feminism, queerness, sexual violence, the history of the avant-garde, aesthetic theory, and philosophy. Nelson is as close to a public intellectual as we’ve ever seen, and we cannot wait to see her next published piece of criticism.

Lindy West. Photo from lindywest.net

What does she do? Lindy West is a writer, comedian, and activist living Seattle, Washington. A former writer for online publication Jezebel, West is the author of the essay collection Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. In the past, she has written for The Daily Telegraph, GQ, the New York Daily News, Vulture.com, Deadspin, Cracked.com, MSNBC, and The Guardian.

Who is she? Educated at Occidental College in Los Angeles, West’s career began as the film editor for Seattle’s alternative weekly newspaper, The Stranger. Using this invaluable experience, she launched into a career as a staff writer for Jezebel, where she wrote on racism, sexism, and fat shaming. In 2013, West won the Social Media Award from the Women’s Media Center, stating in her acceptance speech: “I hear a lot these days about the lazy, aimless ‘millennials’ –about how all we want to do is sit around twerking our iPods and Tweedling our Kardashians – and I also hear people asking, ‘Where is the next generation of the social justice movement? Where are all the young feminists and womanists and activists?’ Dude, they’re on the internet.”

In 2015, West co-founded Shout Your Abortion, a social media campaign designed to create a platform for women to share their abortion experiences “without sadness, shame, or regret.” In 2016, she won The Stranger’s Genius Award in Literature.

Why watch? West has recently signed two new book contracts. One is a cultural critique meant to examine how we arrived at this moment in history— “to make some sense of this horrifying quagmire in which we find ourselves,” according to the Hachette press release. The other is a book centered on West’s film criticism. Though neither of these books have titles or confirmed release dates, we are thrilled to see what West publishes.

Lena Waithe at the 2017 Emmys. Photo by Steve Granitz: WireImage.

What does she do? Lena Waithe is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is best known for her role on Aziz Ansari’s Netflix show, Master of None, wherein she portrays a young, African American gay woman named Denise. At the 2017 Emmys, she won an the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for her work on Master of None, becoming the first black woman to receive this recognition. She was a writer for the 2012 Nickelodeon sitcom How to Rock and a producer on the 2014 comedy film Dear White People.

Who is she? Born in Chicago, Illinois, Waithe grew up wanting to be a television writer. She lived on the South Side until she was twelve-year-old, attending Turner-Drew, an Elementary magnet school. From there, she graduated from Evanston Township High School, going on to receive a degree in Cinema and Television Arts from Columbia College Chicago. Waithe’s professional career began with a writing position for the Fox television series, Bones. A place in Variety’s “10 Comedians to Watch” list introduced her to Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang.

Though the producers of Master of Young originally intended for Denise to be a straight white woman, Waithe’s talent helped her achieve the roll of a lifetime. The original scripts were re-written to make the character sound more like Waithe. On the topic of this role, Waithe has said: “I don’t know if we’ve seen a sly, harem pants-wearing, cool Topshop sweatshirt-wearing, snapback hat-rocking lesbian on TV. I know many women I see out in the world who are very much like myself. We exist. To me, the visibility of it was what was going to be so important and so exciting.”

Why watch? Waithe is a smart and poignant writer, earning international acclaim for her work on Master of None. She is the creative force behind the new Showtime series The Chi—a drama about life on Chicago’s South Side. This topical work, combined with Waithe’s wit and comedic grace, is bound to start important conversations in communities nationwide. We also predict more awards in Waithe’s future.

Elaine Welteroth. Teen Vogue Magazine. Photo by Kris Connor.

What does she do? In 2017, Welteroth was named editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue magazine. This promotion makes her the second African-American editor-in-chief in Condé Nast’s 107-year-long history. Additionally, she is the youngest Condé Nast editor in history, receiving her promotion at age 29. Before serving as editor-in-chief, Welteroth was Teen Vogue’s first African-American beauty director. She is credited for the notable increase in the publication’s coverage of politics and social justice.

Who is she? Born in Santa Clara, California, Elaine Welteroth grew up in and around the Fremont area. She graduated from California State University – Sacramento with a major in Mass Communication/Media Studies and a minor in journalism. After college, Welteroth worked as an internship at the advertising, marketing, and public relations firm, Oglivy & Mather, then utilizing that experience to launch into a content producer for SomaGirls.TV. Her first experience in the magazine industry came via an unpaid internship at Ebony magazine. From there, she became the magazine’s Beauty & Style Editor.

Welteroth joined the Condé Nast family in 2011 as Glamour magazine’s Beauty & Style Editor, then as Senior Beauty Editor. She used this position to access Teen Vogue, joining the publication’s team in October of 2012. Four years later, she was named editor-in-chief. Since this promotion, the magazine’s focus has expanded to include politics and social justice, including critical coverage of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The magazine’s direction now emphasizes digital publication and a wide social media presence, expanding content accessibility.

Why Watch? Welteroth is a prolific writer and powerful public figure. Since transforming Teen Vogue into a legitimate source of journalism, she has been featured as a “Woman to Watch” with several publications. In the coming months, she will leave Teen Vogue to be represented by CAA, working to expand her opportunities in film, television, digital, and branding endorsements. A talented public speaker and opinionated and informed individual, we would not be surprised to see Welteroth pursue a career in politics.