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Trailblazers in Conversation with Lorissa Rinehart

This Women's History Month, join LA County Librarian and Director, Dr. Skye Patrick, in conversation with Lorissa Rinehart, author of Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied the Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress.

Skye and Lorissa will be discussing Jeannette Rankin's incredible, unprecedented rise from Montana farm girl to United States Congresswoman, claiming her place in the Capitol years before the ratification of the 20th Amendment granted women the right to vote. We'll be exploring Jeannette's path to victory, her time in the political wilderness, and what it means to be a trailblazer back then and today.

Lorissa Rinehart is a celebrated women’s historian, author, and public speaker. Her writing explores the powerful intersections of women’s history, politics, war, and peace. Her latest book, Winning The Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become America’s First Congresswoman was called "An illuminating biography,” by Publishers Weekly and “Gripping from start to finish,” by acclaimed historian Clara Bingham, Winning The Earthquake is the first authoritative biography of this trailblazing female politician in American history. Her debut book, First to the Front: The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female War Correspondent, received rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, among numerous other publications.

Through her weekly newsletter and podcast, The Female Body Politic, Lorissa offers insightful analysis of contemporary events, drawing on 250 years of women’s engagement in American politics. She is also the co-founder of The Santa Barbara Literary Festival, a two day celebration of writers, readers, and storytellers launching May 2026.

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