Female Atlantic Writers From the '70s
See ya later, ‘60s. We’re on the next stop of our tour of nonfiction pieces by female authors in our archives: the swinging ‘70s. This decade saw the Watergate scandal, the end of the Vietnam War, and Star Wars. And the ladies of The Atlantic were there, reporting on politics, culture, and more.
Here’s a list of ten nonfiction works, one per year (and some of them were just digitized for the first time):
Alice S. Rossi’s “Job Discrimination and What Women Can Do About It” A sociologist addresses workplace discrimination. Rossi’s piece is part of the “Women’s Place” issue illustrated above, and we’re planning to do a follow-up note that goes into great detail on that ten-part series. (March 1970)
Sara Davidson’s “Mick Jagger Shoots Birds” A profile of the singer during the Rolling Stones’s 1970 tour of Europe. (May 1971)
Marilyn Coffey leading the Dec ‘74 issue. Read
the newly digitized version of “Our Indifference
to Violence,” based on a 1958 killing spree.
(Adrienne notes a few passages here.)Rachel Scott’s “‘Yes, Sir, This Has Certainly Been Considered a Safe Mine.’” A look at the accident that killed 91 men in the Sunshine silver mine in Idaho. (Dec 1972)
Mary Manning’s “Ireland: A Visit to Belfast” A visit to the “beleaguered city the weekend of what is now known as Bloody Sunday.” (May 1972)
Abigail McCarthy’s “'An American Family' and 'The Family of Man'” A review of the documentary TV series considered the first “reality show” in the U.S. (July 1973)
Claire Sterling’s “The Making of the Sub-Saharan Wasteland” This newly digitized report on a drought in the Sahel region was a finalist for the 1975 National Magazine Award for Reporting Excellence. (May 1974)
Helen Vendler’s “The Difficult Grandeur of Robert Lowell” A profile of the poet and a close look at his work. “Why should such grim books give such pleasure?” Vendler asks. (Jan 1975)
Susan Braudy’s “Francis Ford Coppola: A Profile” A profile of the director while he was experiencing “financial and production problems” with the film ‘Apocalypse Now.’ (Aug 1976)
Doris Kearns (Goodwin) leading the May ‘76 issue Elizabeth Vorenberg’s “The Biggest Pimp of All” Comparing prostitution in different cities in the U.S. and abroad. The byline was shared with her husband. (Jan 1977)
Patricia Painton’s “At Last, the Demise of Gaullism” A report on France “on the eve of its national elections.” (Feb 1978)
Gail Godwin’s “A Writing Woman” She asks,“At what point does regurgitated autobiography graduate into memory shaped by art?” A version of this piece appeared in “The Writer on Her Work,” a collection of personal essays on writing while female. (Oct 1979)
Again, a shout-out to Sage for her assistance on this project. Next up, Nshira is bringing you the rollicking ‘80s ...
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