Description
Author Judith Mackrell profiled six women who reported from the field during World War II, including Helen Kirkpatrick, Clare Hollingworth, Martha Gellhorn, Lee Miller, Virginia Cowles, and Sigrid Schultz. This was a virtual event hosted by the St. Louis County Library.
Bell Ringer Assignment
- Describe the event that Helen Kirkpatrick witnessed at the Notre Dame Cathedral. Why was her story "plastered" across different news agencies?
- Where was Clare Hollingworth sent in 1939? What event did she witness, and what was her reaction?
- Who was Martha Gellhorn married to, and what impact did this relationship have on her "war writing?" Where did Gellhorn write from and what did she see?
- According to Judith Mackrell, what was Lee Miller's professional background? Describe Miller's publications during the war.
- What "ambitions" did Virginia Cowles have, and what role did her "glamour and charm" play? Who was she friends with, and how did her friends describe her?
- Why was Sigrid Schultz "amazing," according to Mackrell? What did Schultz report on? What did she keep "secret" through her time in Germany?
- CLIP #2: When were women allowed to join the official press corps, and what benefits did this provide to them? Summarize the anecdote that Mackrell shares about Gellhorn.
- CLIP #2: What does Mackrell say about all six of the women she profiled and other female journalists?
Additional Resources
Participants
Vocabulary
- Briefing
- D-day
- Embassy
- Frontline
- Jewish
- Journalist
- Nazi Party
- Notre Dame Cathedral
- Sniper
- World War Two