Tuesday, March 25, 12:30-2:00 p.m. ET (Doors open at noon)
In person: Barbetta Restaurant, 321 W 46th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenues (an iconic women-owned restaurant on Restaurant Row)
$65 for members; $75 for non-members; $25 for active Scholars
Lunch included
Reporting and commentary from a feminist perspective is increasingly urgent on the many issues consuming the spotlight—from the role of government, to women’s health and safety, to the economy, and so much more. WMG is proud to announce a second collaboration with Ms. magazine in our series exploring the important role of women’s voices and stories in journalism.
The inaugural event in this series last fall featured several of the legendary founders and early leaders of Ms. sharing their experiences and wisdom on the eve of the presidential election. Now, we are heeding the advice of those visionaries to “stay diligent, not just vigilant,” and focus on the present – and future – of feminist journalism. A panel of distinguished women journalists will address the crises facing our democracy and a free press and explore how women’s media can steer and influence the national discourse. Ms. and WMG are united in the mission to continue to ensure that women’s voices are represented and prioritized as stories get reported and policy gets made. Join us for this important conversation.
Moderator:
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf serves as executive director for strategy at Ms. and is a contributor to and editor of 50 Years of Ms.: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine That Ignited a Revolution. A passionate writer on and advocate for issues of gender and politics, Jen was dubbed the “architect of the U.S. campaign to squash the tampon tax” by Newsweek. Her 2017 book Periods Gone Public: Taking a Stand for Menstrual Equity was lauded by Gloria Steinem as “the beginning of liberation for us all.” In 2025, she authored A Citizen’s Guide To Menopause Advocacy. In addition to Ms., Jen’s writing has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, TIME, Oprah Daily, and MSNBC.com, among others. She currently leads NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center and is a weekly gender contributor at The Contrarian.
Panelists:
Carol Jenkins is an author, women’s rights activist, television host, and Emmy-winning television reporter who spent nearly 25 years as an anchor and correspondent for WNBC-TV in New York. In 2006 she became the founding president of the Women's Media Center, a nonprofit organization working to raise the visibility of women and girls in media. Carol is President and CEO of the ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality, sister organizations dedicated to the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment. She hosts Black America, an award-winning show profiling Black leaders across various fields to gauge their experience in a time of turbulence and breakthroughs.
Lindsay Peoples is editor-in-chief of The Cut, the premier women’s media brand, and co-founder of the Black in Fashion Council. Lindsay was editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue from 2018 to 2021, during which time the publication launched Generation Next, a mentorship initiative which invited six diverse designers to showcase their lines at New York Fashion Week. Prior to joining Teen Vogue, Lindsay spent five years as an editor at The Cut and New York Magazine. She won an ASME Next award in 2017 during her first stint at The Cut, honoring outstanding achievement by magazine journalists under the age of 30. Lindsay was the recipient of the 2022 Pratt Fashion Visionary Award, and has been celebrated among Business of Fashion’s BoF 500, Black Enterprise’s 40 Under 40, Forbes’s 30 Under 30, and the Root’s 100 list of most influential African Americans.
Katherine Spillar is the executive editor of Ms., where she oversees editorial content, and Ms. Classroom, an innovative digital textbook resource used in hundreds of college and university programs across the country. She co-founded and serves as the Executive Director of Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization dedicated to women’s equality, reproductive health, and non-violence. Prior to co-founding the Feminist Majority Foundation, Katherine served four terms as President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Organization for Women. She is currently a commissioner on the Los Angeles County Women & Girls Initiative.
Bess Wohl is a filmmaker and playwright whose plays have been produced on and off Broadway, regionally, and internationally. Her feature film debut, Baby Ruby, starring Noémie Merlant and Kit Harington, premiered at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival and was released by Magnolia Pictures. Bess is an associate artist with The Civilians, an alumna of Ars Nova’s Play Group, and the recipient of new play commissions from Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Her newest play, Liberation, is a New York Times Critic’s Pick that explores the goals, successes, and failures of the women's liberation movement. It will be playing at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre until April 6th.
This is one of ⭐️WMG’s 50th Anniversary marquee events. ⭐️ Over the past five decades, our New York-based nonprofit has brought together women in media to collaborate with, learn from, inform, and mentor one another. Our 50th Anniversary marquee events embrace WMG’s core mission of women’s empowerment.
This event is co-sponsored by Ms. magazine
Ms. magazine has been at the forefront of feminist journalism for half a century—it was the first national magazine to make feminist voices audible, feminist journalism tenable, and a feminist worldview available to the public. Today, Ms. remains the most trusted, popular source for feminist news and information in print and online. Its time-honored traditions—an emphasis on in-depth investigative reporting and feminist political analysis—have never been more relevant, bringing a new generation of writers and readers together to create the feminism of the future.
All proceeds from this event support the Women's Media Group Educational Foundation. If you are unable to attend but would like to make a donation, click here.
Cancellation deadline: March 20 at 5:00 p.m. ET. No refunds for cancellations made after this time.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Wednesday, April 2, 12:00-12:30 p.m. ET
WMG members only; FREE
Please come to the WMG 2024 Annual Business Meeting on April 2 from 12:00-12:30 p.m. ET via Zoom.
Spend 30 minutes with Co-Presidents Jodi Brockington and Jennifer A. Perry, and members of the board, in an abbreviated virtual meeting to:
We value your time and participation, and hope to see you there!
Thursday, April 17, 6:00-8:00 p.m. ET
Grae Wellness, 89 5th Avenue (between 16th & 17th Streets), Suite 808, New York
$30 WMG members; $39 for non-members
Join Michelle Garside, author, speaker, and co-founder of Soul Camp Creative, for a transformational evening to celebrate the evolution of your professional identity, honoring where you stand today and the growth that awaits you.
This event provides the opportunity to reflect on your current strengths, embrace your evolving purpose, and connect with a community that understands the power of authenticity. With Michelle’s guidance, you will gain the clarity and resilience needed to step into your next chapter with confidence.
Michelle has worked with thousands of authors, consultants, creatives, founders, and entrepreneurs to redefine their brands and reposition themselves in powerful ways. Typically, her breakthrough brand sessions are valued at $3,500, but attendees will receive an exclusive laser coaching session as part of their attendance fee.
Whether you want to pivot, reposition, or start something entirely new, this evening will give you the tools to move forward with clarity and purpose.
Now is the time to reclaim your power, find your direction, and step into the next version of yourself. Join us for an evening of transformation, connection, and possibility.
Refund Policy
Earlier than 48 hours before the event: If you know you'll be unable to use your ticket more than 48 hours before an event, you can request a full refund by emailing info@womensmediagroup.org, OR you can donate the fee to the nonprofit Women's Media Group Educational Foundation by not requesting a refund.
Within 48 hours before an event: No refunds. These ticket fees will automatically be converted to a donation to the Women's Media Group Educational Foundation.
Tuesday, April 22, 12:00-1:15 p.m. ET
Free for WMG members; $15 for non-members (Zoom)
This discussion explores how digital newsletters on platforms like Substack and others have transformed the media landscape, creating new opportunities for independent journalists and content creators. Our panelists will examine the factors driving this shift—from declining trust in traditional media to new subscription models that allow direct creator-audience relationships. We'll discuss the economic viability of newsletter-based journalism, the challenges of building sustainable audiences, and what this trend means for the future of news, commentary, and specialized content. Join us for insights on how these nimble, focused publications are redefining what it means to be a journalist in the digital age.
Founder of Kathleen Schmidt Public Relations, Kathleen Schmidt, is a strategist who applies her in-depth experience in all aspects of the industry, including as a publicist, literary agent, acquisitions editor, and ghostwriter, to every project she takes on. Her career encompasses 30 years of creating and directing impactful and strategic global media, marketing, and branding campaigns for politicians, A-List celebrities, athletes, and high-profile personalities. To date, she has worked on 50 New York Times bestsellers, and her clients have continuously appeared in top-tier national print, broadcast, and radio outlets such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, Vogue, ELLE, Financial Times, Vanity Fair, GQ, and Sirius XM.
Marisa Kabas is a Brooklyn-based independent writer and reporter. After watching the journalism infrastructure crumble over the last decade, she decided that she needed to have a place where she could share her work and thoughts no matter what. Thus, her newsletter and website, The Handbasket, was born. She has deeply covered former Congressman George Santos, the police raid on a small Kansas newspaper, and Elon Musk’s antisemitism.
Jo Piazza is a bestselling author, podcast creator, and award-winning journalist. Jo is the national and international bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance, We Are Not Like Them, You Were Always Mine, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, The Knockoff, and How to Be Married. Her work has been published in ten languages in twelve countries, and four books have been adapted for film and television. Jo's podcasts have garnered over twenty-five million downloads and regularly top podcast charts. Her new book, Everyone is Lying to You, will be published by Dutton in July. Her newsletter, Over the Influence, can be found on Substack.
Leigh Stein makes fun of what the internet is doing to us. She is the author of six books, including the critically acclaimed satirical novel Self Care and a gothic novel titled If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You, forthcoming from Ballantine in 2025. She has written culture pieces and personal essays for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker online, Airmail, Allure, ELLE, BuzzFeed, The Cut, Salon, and Slate. Her newsletter, Attention Economy, can be found on Substack.
Kat Tenbarge is an award-winning independent journalist. She writes Spitfire News, a newsletter covering internet culture, politics, and media. Much of her reporting focuses on gender, violence, and pop culture. Kat has broken major stories containing sexual assault and harassment allegations against influencers and celebrities. She covers AI and the growing impact of nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes, as well as social media smear campaigns against abuse victims. Before founding Spitfire News, Kat worked as a tech and culture reporter at NBC News. Before that, she was a senior digital culture reporter at Business Insider.
All proceeds from this event support the Women's Media Group Educational Foundation.
Refunds available up to 24 hours before the event. No refunds for cancellations made within 24 hours of the event.
We are pleased to introduce Member Talks. Member Talks are an opportunity for any WMG member to contribute to the professional development, enjoyment and personal interactions of WMG members.
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Women's Media Group Educational Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible as allowed by law.
