ReFoReMo Mini-Monthly Writing Challenge: Extraordinary Women in the World

By Janie Reinart

    

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

                                                                       ~Maya Angelou

My last stack of books from the library before it closed due to the pandemic were women's biographies.  It is inspirational to see how each of these women used their ordinary lives not merely to survive, but to thrive.  Your challenge is to research and write about an extraordinary women.

By Bethany Hegedus

In Rise!, Bethany Hegedus shows us a lyrical look at Maya as a child, as a freedom fighter with Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. and finally as a poet of the people. 

"Outside, Maya is quiet. 

Inside, words make music.

Mays memorizes the rhythm,

sways the exquisite dance,

the twisting, turning

conga line language

that pulses across the page."

By Vivian Kirkfield

Just like Ella Kate, Sarah Goode had dreams. She wants her freedom, she wants a family, she wants a successful business. Sarah invents a cupboard bed and is one of the first African American women to receive a patent. Vivian Kirkfield brings this story to life.

"Before the Civil War, Sarah obeyed her owner. 

          Hurry up.

          Eyes down.

          Don't speak. 

Slave were property--like a cow or plow or

the cotton that grew in the master's fields."

By Laurie Wallmark

Dubbed "The Most Beautiful Woman in theWorld,"international movie star, Heddy Lamar preferred  working on inventions. Hedy helped develop a technology called frequency hopping--a ground breaking technology that helps prevent hacking in today's cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices.

"Hedy Lamar led a double life. The public knew her as a glamorous movie star, famous throughout the world. But in private, Hedy was a brilliant inventor, a fact known only to her closest friends."

Find a woman with a passion for changing the world and use your style to write about their life. Make it your mission to accept the challenge. You might even find someone in your family tree.