When my first (serious) book was published, Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich, I began to receive invitations to speak at various sites around the country, from universities and colleges to book clubs to high schools to Holocaust organizations and Jewish Community Centers, and to churches and synagogues – this in addition, of course, to bookstore readings. In fact, I used the travel opportunities to research my next book, Hey, Waitress! The USA from the Other Side of the Tray. The existence felt at times jarring, to address a college class about women’s roles in the Third Reich on one afternoon, then within hours to interview an immigrant waitress about her life or a Native person about his. But I relished both assignments.
Although I never set out to be a public speaker, I know my subjects so well and feel so passionately about them, that I feel completely comfortable literally with all audiences, or all so far. As a point of pride I never use a set speech, but mold the talk – often illustrated with otherwise unpublished photos – to fit the requirements of whoever invited me, whether a professor or a minister, a student group of various factions, an association of Holocaust survivors, or I hope, people interested in the endlessly compelling stories regarding Native Americans.
The following is a partial list of educational institutions where I have either taught a class or given a public lecture, or often, both.
American University (Wash, DC)
Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, Ca.)
Duke University
Gettysburg College
Harvard University
Monroe Community College (Rochester, NY)
Ohlone College (Fremont, California)
Pace College (NYC)
Park College (Parkville, Missouri)
Pratt College (NYC)
Rollins College (Winter Park, Fla.)
Rutgers University
Shepherd University (W. Va.)
Stanford University
Univ. of California at Berkeley
Univ. of California at Santa Barbara
Univ. of Eastern Oregon
Univ. of Mississippi
Univ. North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Univ. North Carolina at Greensboro
Univ. of Puget Sound (Tacoma, Wa.)
Univ. of Southern Illinois
Washington University (St. Louis)
Wellesley College
If you are interested in having me speak on the three main subjects about which I know something – German women of the Third Reich, American waitresses, or contemporary Native American life (or even what it was like to write for the big boys at CBS News), please contact me directly.
Contact Alison for inquiries and availability.
