Women's Media Group upcoming events

New York Cinefest with Yona Deshommes and Georgia McBride (April 26, 2026)

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Sunday, April 26, 8 p.m. ET

Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, NYC

WMG members only; purchase tickets on your own using the link below

WMG board member Georgia McBride has a film premiering at New York Cinefest on Sunday, April 26, and we want to be in that room with her!

Georgia produced Regression, a psychological horror film from writer-director Melissa Vitello. Regression follows a grad student who, after the unexplained death of her best friend, becomes haunted by an eerie manifestation of the past. Desperate for answers, she and her roommates turn to past life regression hypnotherapy—only to uncover connections far deeper and darker than any of them imagined.

Attend the premiere with Georgia, fellow Board member Yona Deshommes, and other WMG friends to see storytelling at its finest, support a female-led movie, and applaud Georgia's success as producer.

Attendees need to buy their own tickets in advance. Tickets cost $22.34 and can be purchased here. Plan to arrive by 8 p.m. so we can all sit together.

WMG’s Small Group Socials are a long-standing tradition and remain one of our most popular program series. This is a wonderful way to facilitate meaningful connections among members. If you have any specific questions, please reach out to the host directly. All member contact information can be found in the Member Directory.

Women and Money: Navigating the Pay Gap (April 28, 2026)

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Tuesday, April 28, 12-1 p.m. ET

Free for WMG members; $15 for non-members (Zoom)

Maintaining financial wellness in today's turbulent economy can feel like an impossible job. The task is even more arduous for women, with 2025 studies placing the global gender pay gap around 20%. Though that divide is closing, its existence means there is still work to be done to ensure equal pay for equal work.

Join Women's Media Group for a timely discussion about the relationship between gender, race, and pay equity. We will be joined by a panel of industry leaders to explore the real challenges women face—and the strategies that actually work to get the compensation we deserve.

Meet the speakers:

Sophia Reynoso is a seasoned advertising professional with over 20 years of experience leading multi-channel marketing campaigns and producing award-winning work for a variety of top-tier brands, clients, and categories. Throughout her career, Sophia has served as Director of Advertising for the Americas at Louis Vuitton and led multidisciplinary teams at globally renowned agencies including Mediacom (WPP), Translation, and Havas. Sophia actively serves as an executive advisor at Until There Are Nine, a career intelligence platform that provides strategic guidance to women in an effort to close the pay and promotion gender gap. Sophia is a passionate advocate for empowering professionals to accelerate their career growth.

Mori Taheripour is a globally recognized negotiation expert, a 12-time award-winning faculty member at the Wharton School, a highly sought-after speaker, and the author of Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly. With more than 20 years of experience in negotiations and sports business, Mori's impressive roster of clients includes the Goldman Sachs Foundation, Equitable, Google, Live Nation, Major League Baseball, Medtronic, the National Basketball Players Association, the National Football League, PwC, The Timberland Company, United Parcel Service, the US Agency for International Development, Wasserman, Wells Fargo, and the White House Fellows Program.

Meet the moderator:

Francesca Donner is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Persistent, a women-run, independent media organization. Founded in 2024,The Persistent covers the world—from politics to money to culture to health—through its twice-weekly newsletter, as well as events, conversation, and community. Francesca is the former gender director at The New York Times and a founding member of its Gender Initiative. She was also editor of In Her Words, a newsletter and column which drew an audience of around 300,000. Prior to The New York Times, Francesca served as a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal, where she focused on business and leadership. She was also an executive editor at Quartz, a leading business publication, and she was a founding editor of Forbes’ ForbesWoman initiative.

Refunds available up to 48 hours before the event. No refunds for cancellations made within 48 hours of the event.

Women in Book Publishing: Past, Present, and Future (May 06, 2026)

Wed, 06 May 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Wednesday, May 6, 6-8 p.m. ET

WMG members only, $30; WMG Scholars $15

To be held in a private apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Address to be shared with program registration confirmation. Space is limited.

Join us for an exclusive members-only evening of book talk, socializing, and insider insight into the world of publishing—past, present, and future. We’re thrilled to welcome Gayle Feldman, longtime WMG member, Rise Fund winner, and journalist, in conversation with publishing leader Madeline McIntosh, co-founder of Authors Equity and former U.S. CEO of Penguin Random House.

At the heart of the evening is Gayle’s highly praised new biography, Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built—a compelling portrait of one of the co-founders of Random House. Lauded by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Publishers Weekly, the book doubles as a cultural history of twentieth-century book publishing, providing a rich backdrop for a fascinating discussion about the role of women in publishing.

Together, Gayle and Madeline will shed light on the often overlooked women who shaped the books Random House became known for—editors, copy editors, publicists, and groundbreaking authors like Gertrude Stein, Ayn Rand, and Toni Morrison. Blending historical knowledge with personal experience, they’ll also explore where publishing is today and what opportunities lie ahead for women in the field.

Come ready to be surprised, amused, enlightened, and inspired—and bring your questions and comments about the roles of women through time in the business of books.

Copies of Nothing Random will be for sale at the event.

Meet the speakers:

Gayle Feldman has written for Publishers Weekly for forty years, including as a senior staff editor. Since 1999, as U.S. correspondent for The Bookseller, she has analyzed the American book business for U.K. readers, and she has contributed features and reviews on books and culture to The New York Times, The Nation, The Daily Beast, and other publications. She is the author of You Don't Have to Be Your Mother and Best and Worst of Times. She received a Public Scholars award from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Madeline Mcintosh is co-founder, CEO, and publisher of Authors Equity, an independent publishing company reshaping the relationship between authors and publishers. Known as a digital publishing pioneer, she has played a key role in the strategic evolution of e-commerce, audiobooks, and ebooks. A former CEO of Penguin Random House U.S., Madeline is known for her commitment to nurturing creative talent during the age of Al. She is President of the Board of Poets & Writers and is the recipient of many accolades, including from Forbes (2021 50 Over 50: Vision list), Girls Write Now (2021 Agent of Change Award), and the UJA (2022 Publishing Titan Award).

Refunds available up to 48 hours before the event. No refunds for cancellations made within 48 hours of the event.

Join the Conversation at Our Online Member Social (May 12, 2026)

Tue, 12 May 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Tuesday, May 12, 6-7 p.m. ET

WMG members only; FREE (Zoom)

Join WMG Co-President Jane Wesman to welcome incoming Co-President Jacqueline Cripps and celebrate the WMG Board at our Online Member Social!

This is a community-building celebration for all Women’s Media Group members. It's a chance to pause, connect, and invest in your professional community. We’ll begin with a warm welcome from WMG’s leadership, then move into facilitated breakout sessions where you’ll introduce yourself, highlight a current goal or challenge, and meet peers whose skills or interests might align with yours.

Afterwards, we’ll bring everyone back together for a wrap-up where we’ll share resources, upcoming WMG programs, and ways to stay engaged—whether you’re seeking a mentor, offering support, or exploring a new idea. The result? A stronger connection to WMG’s thriving network and fresh momentum for your next act in media.

WMG Co-Presidents Jacqueline Cripps (left) and Jane Wesman (right) are hosting this virtual social.

Email us at info@womensmediagroup.org with any questions.

How Three Pages Can Change Your Life: The Fastest Way to Land a Big Book Deal (May 14, 2026)

Thu, 14 May 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Thursday, May 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET

Penguin Random House, 1745 Broadway (between 55th & 56th Streets), Cerf-Lane Room, NYC

$20 for WMG members and partner organizations; $25 for non-members; $10 for active Scholars

Many authors and publishing insiders know this shortcut to a big book deal: publish a standout essay in a major outlet like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, or New York Magazine. It’s far easier to write and publish a brilliant three-page piece than a 300-page book. And that single article, whether fiction or nonfiction, can attract literary agents and editors to you, saving years of searching and rejection and fast-tracking your path to a deal.

The challenge is knowing what to write, how to shape the article, where to submit, and how to make the most of the opportunity once it’s published. In this panel, agents, authors, and editors will break down how it really works and how to turn one great piece into real momentum.

Meet the speakers:

Judy Batalion, originally from Montreal, studied at Harvard, then moved to London to purse a PhD in Art History. She’s written for The Washington Post, Vogue, Salon, and The New York Times, where an essay launched her debut memoir, White Walls: A Memoir of Motherhood, Daughterhood and the Mess in Between. Her second book, The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos, was a New York Times bestseller and won a Jewish Book Award. Her debut novel, The Last Woman of Warsaw, is just out from Dutton. Judy lives in New York with her husband and three kids.

Tiffanie Drayton, originally from Trinidad, is a writer, ghostwriter, mom of two in New Jersey, and a divorce coach who helps women navigate life transitions with clarity and power. She is the author of Black American Refugee: Escaping the Narcissism of the American Dream, based on her viral New York Times Opinion piece. Tiffanie work explores identity, race, and reinvention, guiding women toward more intentional and liberated lives. Follow her on Instagram at @draytontiffanie.

Brooklynite Miya (Mee-ya) Lee is the editor of Modern Love projects at The New York Times, where she evaluates and edits submissions to Modern Love and Tiny Love Stories. She is involved in all other aspects of the franchise, from podcast to television. She’s co-editor of Tiny Love Stories: True Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less from Artisan Press. Before joining the Times, Miya interned at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Art21, and The Delacorte Review at the Columbia Journalism School.

Crown editor Aubrey Martinson aims to publish narrative nonfiction that sparks change and conversation, with a focus on social justice, investigative journalism, science, unknown history, memoir, and pop culture. She's edited award-winning and bestselling authors, including Bridget Read, Frances Mayes, Sarah Hartshorne, Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, Edgar Gomez, Emily Galvin Almanza, Libby Ward, Alexa Hagerty, Leigh Cowart, Geraldine DeRuiter, Megan Kimble, Guenther Steiner, and Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers. Aubrey has also worked with David Wallace-Wells, Brandi Carlile, Timothy Snyder, Michiko Kakutani, Seth Rogen, Eric Idle, and Michael K. Williams.

Kate McKean is a literary agent at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency in Brooklyn. She earned her MA in Fiction Writing at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her work has appeared in Poets & Writers, Electric Literature, and Catapult, and her book, Write Through It: An Insider's Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life, was published by Simon Element. Next month, Sourcebooks will publish her picture book, Pay Attention to Me. She writes the Agents & Books newsletter at agentsandbooks.com. Kate lives in Brooklyn with her husband, kid, and many books.

Danielle Perez was an executive editor at Penguin Random House, where she worked at Berkley, Bantam, and Dutton. She has more than 20 years' experience acquiring and editing fiction and nonfiction by many New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors, including Deanna Raybourn, Simone St. James, Fiona Barton, Patti Callahan Henry, Rita Mae Brown, Jordan Belfort, James Van Praagh, and Susan Shapiro. Danielle is now a freelance editor in Manhattan, where she lives with her husband and their dog.

Meet the moderator:

Susan Shapiro is the bestselling author/coauthor of books her family hates, like The Bosnia List, Lighting Up, and Five Men Who Broke My Heart (from PRH), which was recently optioned for a movie. She writes for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Salon, Newsweek, The Cut, Wired, Oprah Daily, and The New Yorker. She lives with her husband in Greenwich Village and has taught writing at NYU, The New School, and Columbia University’s MFA program, using her practical guides, Byline Bible and Book Bible, to help students of all ages publish. Follow Susan on Instagram @profsue123 or email Profsue123@gmail.com.

Refunds available up to 48 hours before the event. No refunds for cancellations made within 48 hours of the event.