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Writing About Women + Friendship in Little Milestones
For the past several years, I’ve watched a PBS show called Call the Midwife. It’s a series based on the memoirs entitled Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End by Jennifer Worth, a district nurse and midwife who was living in the East End of London during the 1950s. The show intermingles birth and birth issues experienced by a group of midwives consisting of nurses/midwives and nuns, with the theme of women friendships at the core of all these characters who live together in Nonnatus House. When I first came across this show, I was mesmerized. In my own life, I’d experienced some ill-fitting friendships and was…
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How ‘Call The Midwife’ Helps Us Better Understand Female Friendships
* PBS offers a lot of great programming, and I’ve been delighted with several shows that have become my favorites, from Downton Abbey to Mr. Selfridge to Grantchester; the writing, sets, plot lines, and characters keep me coming back. One show that is a must-see for women is Call the Midwife, now in its 5th season, that focuses on the nuns and midwives of Poplar, East London, and their struggles and triumphs. The show is based on the memoir by Jennifer Worth. I’ve said it from the beginning: the thing I like best about the show is it focuses on women’s friendships, the sincerity of them, and what makes and…
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The Man Who Kissed My Hand
First, let me state the following: I have never had a man kiss my hand as a gesture of introduction. That all changed yesterday when I was leaving campus; I was introduced by a colleague to an Irish gent who assists with our university’s travel abroad program in Ireland. He was visiting from across the pond, checking out our campus, and meeting folks. When we were introduced, the gentleman said, “May I?” I put out my hand for a shake, which he turned over to the top side, brought to his lips, and proceeded to kiss. I smiled. In this day of “women in the boardroom,” “women in power,” “women…
