“We need to start now to be better; it does not matter in what direction we choose to begin.” - Barbara Calzolari
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This interview series celebrates women whose work and lives advance the position of women in the world. The common thread that connects the featured women is that they use their own gifts, talents, time, successes, or platforms to create opportunities and care for other women. I was inspired to build this City of Women by a historic figure who has been my muse in both calligraphy and writing: Christine de Pizan, a medieval scribe, illuminator, poet, writer, and political thinker. In The Book of the City of Ladies, (published ca. 1405) de Pizan wrote, “Together we must construct the houses and buildings inside the walls of the City of Ladies which my sister Reason has now put up… don’t hesitate to mix the mortar well in your inkpot and set to on the masonry work with great strokes of the pen.”
De Pizan, a prolific writer, used the power of ink and pen to criticize gender inequality and most incredibly, she earned money for her work, a brave and rare undertaking at a time when women’s roles were predominantly confined to the household. She is without peer during the era within which she was writing.
Christine de Pizan is an inspiration to me. She was an intelligent, strong woman who wanted to build — ideologically and physically — a society that valued women as equals. I want to build our community around de Pizan’s concept. However, I prefer calling the community I’m creating a “City of Women;” the word “lady” seems an anachronistic term better suited to a woman of a high social and economic status in medieval times. I intend our City of Women to be a place to introduce inspiring women and turn inspiration into action. Please join me!
“We need to start now to be better; it does not matter in what direction we choose to begin.” - Barbara Calzolari
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