Lisa Congdon Shows Us the Power of Remarkable Women Over 40
The Portland-based author and illustrator’s new book celebrates the accomplishments of women over 40.
By Seattle Magazine Staff October 6, 2017
This article originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
In A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives (Chronicle Books, $19.95), Lisa Congdon explores the accomplishments of some of the world’s most remarkable women—from Julia Child to Cheryl Strayed—through profiles, interviews and essays.
Congdon loved discovering them all, she says, but “I most loved learning about NASA scientist Katherine Johnson. I was completely entranced by her life and work. In 1958, at the age of 40, she became the only nonwhite, non-male member of NASA’s Space Task Group, focused on manned space missions. Until she was nearly 70 years old, she was an essential part of NASA.” (And now, of course, a subject in box office smash, Hidden Figures.)
Talk and book signing, 10/14, 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company, Capitol Hill, 1521 10th Ave.; 206.624.6600; elliottbaybook.com
Follow Us
Studio Sessions: Jo Cosme
The Seattle-based multimedia artist and 2026 Neddy Award winner challenges the postcard version of Puerto Rico and centers the persistence of its people.
Jo Cosme knows how seductive a postcard can be. The Seattle-based Boricua (Puerto Rican) multimedia artist works across photography, installation, video, sound, and interactive elements to examine and pull apart how Puerto Rico is seen, sold, and misunderstood from the outside. Trained in photojournalism, with a BFA in photography from Puerto Rico School of Fine…
Seattle’s Drag Brunch Has History
The city’s Sunday shows started long before the mimosas got bottomless.
There was a time not too long ago, when drag performances—now a mainstay of Seattle’s queer scene—were kept under wraps. And when brunches, complete with singing and dancing queens dressed in dazzling drag as you sipped mimosas, weren’t a Sunday staple. During the 1940s and ‘50s, an era largely shaped by restrictive laws and bias…
Studio Sessions: Sangram Majumdar
Working at the confluence of history, culture, and various painting traditions, UW associate professor Sangram Majumdar is one of this year’s Neddy Artist Award winners.
Discover the art of UW professor Sangram Majumdar, a 2026 Neddy Artist Award winner. Learn about his inspiration and upcoming Seattle exhibition at Cornish.
Rearview Mirror: A Georgian Dinner, Sidewalk Sips, and One-of-a-Kind Clothing
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
A new life for old clothes To celebrate one year in its current studio, the FXRY—a clothing repair service available via in-person appointments, home pickup, or mail-in drop off—is dropping its first collection. A small batch of reworked pieces, Second Mark will feature 13 vintage barn jackets, cropped, chain-stitched, and renewed into a completely unique, one-of-one…