New Book Showcases "Smith Voices"

Some of the most famous and talented women to have passed through Smith College as students are represented through their essays, prose, poetry, illustrations and art in "Smith Voices: Selected Works by Smith College Alumnae," a volume published last month by the Smith College Press.

Edited by Associate Professor of English Patricia L. Skarda, "Smith Voices" includes works by well-known alumnae such as 1955 graduate Sylvia Plath; 1934 graduate and world-renowned chef Julia Child; Betty Friedan, who graduated in 1942 and went on to found the National Organization for Women; the late Meg Greenfield, a 1952 graduate who became editor of the Washington Post's editorial page; and local writers and artists Jane Yolen, a 1960 graduate who resides in Hatfield; Monica Vachula, also of Hatfield, who graduated in 1973; Northampton's Pamela See, a classmate of Vachula's; and Patricia Tobacco Forester, who grew up in Northampton before graduating from Smith in 1962. In all, 33 authors and 22 artists are represented in the book.

In the introduction, Skarda writes, "The authors and artists represented in this collection are but a few of the Smith College alumnae who have shared the products of their minds and imaginations with the public. The selections here testify to the range of interests and breadth of experiences of women who have in common both Smith College and a demonstrated love of learning that clearly never stops."

"Smith Voices," which was published with endowed funds from 1978 Smith graduate Linda Salisbury, is intended both as a vehicle for showcasing the varied array of women's voices who once studied at Smith and as an award to be granted to outstanding high school students by Smith alumnae clubs throughout the country.

"Smith Voices" is available for $30 at Grécourt Bookshop on Green Street in Northampton.

May 28, 1999