Women of the Palouse is a book project that explores the lives of the women who had a great impact on WSU, Pullman, and the Palouse—but because of their gender, their role in the region has been understated or entirely overlooked. This panel will include several contributors.

Kathy Meyer, Professor Emerita at WSU and member of the Whitman County Historical Society Board, will present highlights from her chapter on Colestah (c. 1800 – 1865), a member of the Yakama Tribe who was a medicine woman, warrior, and one of the five wives of Chief Kamiaken.

Trevor Bond, Associate Dean of Digital Initiatives and Special Collections at WSU Pullman, Holland/Terrell Libraries, will present highlights from his chapter on Ida Lou Anderson, one of WSU’s first female professors and an invaluable mentor to Edward R. Murrow.

Katy Whalen, Associate professor in the Department of History and Assistant Director of the Roots of Contemporary Issues Program, will present highlights from her chapter on Ruth Slonim, former Professor of English, who established a poetry series featuring internationally renowned poets, and who had her own international reputation as a poet and scholar.

Donna L. Potts, Professor and Chair of the English Department, and a member of the Neill Public Library Board, will present research from her chapter on “Lost Women of the Library,” about the founders of Neill Public Library, whose names were until recently regarded as “lost to history.”

Jana Argersinger, a long-time editor of scholarly journals and essay collections at WSU focused on nineteenth-century American literature and culture, will discuss Carol Ryrie Brink, born in Moscow, Idaho, and the author of the Newbury Award-winning novel, Caddie Woodlawn.

Presented by the WSU Center for Arts and Humanities