Trailblazer Sponsors Women Voices Series

By

Cahir O'Doherty,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

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HAILED recently as one of America's top corporate women, the author, businesswoman and philanthropist Tina Santi Flaherty recently gave the Writing Center at Marymount Manhattan College $100,000 to launch an important new lecture series called "Irish Voices." It's exactly the kind of financial shot in the arm that can revitalize a college department and excite the interest of a whole new generation of American readers to consider Irish themes and culture.

Working closely with Marymount Writing Series Director Lewis Frumkes, Santi Flaherty has confirmed that the college has secured the participation of legendary Irish writers like Edna O'Brien, Mary and Carol Higgins Clark, Alice McDermott and Nuala O'Faolain, all of whom are scheduled to speak at the college this autumn.

In an interview with Irish Voice Santi Flaherty said, "I want to honor strong women who are creative. Each of the women in this lecture series has, in their own way, displayed the kind of alpha woman tendencies that helped them get where they are.

"But also I am very involved with the American Ireland Fund and of course I am interested in honoring women of Irish heritage. To begin the series we honor two Irish writers who were born in Ireland and two Irish writers who were born here in the United States."

On September 18 at 7 p.m. at the Writing Center at Marymount College, author Mary Higgins Clark will give a public lecture and then participate in a public discussion led by Santi Flaherty, who has worked as a television journalist, and who will interview each writer with a question and answer session to follow.

"The overall name of the lectures series which will occur over the next five years is 'Irish Voices.' But for the autumn opening it will be called 'Irish Women, Irish Desires - Songs from the Soul,'" she says.

"I think that, being half Irish and half Italian myself, these particular writers are both open and strong and can speak directly from the heart, the soul if you will. Not every one is willing to do that, and I find that Irish men and particularly the women are willing to do so. That's one of the reasons that I wish to do it."

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