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March 24,1999
P R IN T
Uppity Women of the Renaissance
(C o n a ri Press; 19 9 9 )
B y V icki L eón
In the bonfire-happy fourteenth
to seventeenth centuries, it took
particular courage (and asbestos
undergarments) to be an uppity
women. Nonetheless, author Vicki
León uncovered hissies and home­
makers of every social class who
had the brass to become sheriffs,
spies, soap entrepreneurs, sci-fi
writers, army commanders, and
professional ice skaters. There was
Joan Dant - a humble peddler who
franchised herself into an Avon
empire; wet nurses like Katherine
Elliot, who boldly went into busi-
ness with kings; and Catalina de
Erauso, who dueled, drank, and
cross-dressed her way through
Spain and North America. Women
also wrote peace treatises, founded
utopias, led armies, and got reli­
gious sects from L u th eran to
Quaker rolling. On the intellectual
side. Renaissance women became
hum anists and fought for the
power of the individual; more
brawny types muscled into fields
like carpentry and silver mining.
Author, Leon romps through
the Renaissance in Europe and
Russia, illuminating such action
figures as fiend-pacifer Mrs. Vlad
“The Impaler” Tepes to brewster
Katie von Bora, who kept Martin
Luther’s boat afloat. Their stories
prove that the Age of Discovery
was as rich with lowering feminine
figures as it was with Rembrandts
and Sir Walter Raleighs. As a bo­
nus, you’ll also meet the gutsy gals
who kept Rembrandt solvent and
Sir Walter out of the slammer.
Combining meticulous research,
period artwork, and a wicked sense
of humor, this latest volume in the
Uppity Women series profile 200
daring dames who gave the world
a rebirth it would never forget.
B. Smith’s Entertaining and
Cooking for Friends
(A rtisan; 1995)
B y B arbara S mith
Barbara Smith, founding part­
ner and creative genius behind B.
Smith’s restaurants in New York's
theater district and Washington's
Union Station, shares her enter­
taining style, ideas, and advice.
B .S m ith’s: E n te rta in in g and
Cooking for Friends speaks with
a jazzy rhythm, an urban energy,
and a global perspective as it ad­
dresses the entertaining needs of
a new generation.
In 100 soul-satisfying recipes
and chapters on party events such
as a Cocktail Party for Business
and Pleasure, a Picnic at the
Beach, and a romantic Valentine’s
Dinner for Two, Barbara Smith
defines her appealing approach to
entertaining which, like her popu­
lar bistro, is cosmopolitan and el­
egant, yet casual and fun. She ex­
plains the importance of main­
taining a sense of spontaneity,
being prepared to improvise, and
most im portant, having fun at
your own party.
With authority and hum or,
Barbara leads us through all the
steps of planning a party, from ex­
tending the invitation to deciding
on the menu, selecting the wine
and other beverages, and prepar­
ing your home and yourself for
the event. B arbara’s extensive
travels as a fashion model and her
wide circle of celebrity friends
Women Of The Beat Generation
The W riters, A rtists A nd Muses At The H eart O f A
Revolution
(C o n a ri Press; 1 9 96)
B y B renda K night
Winner of the American Book
Award in hardcover. Women of the
Beat Generation is a one-of-a-kind
collection that reverberates with
the howls, raps, and roars of 40
women writers, artists, and muses
from a fascinating era of Ameri-
can literary history. With riveting
biographies, over 50 rare photos,
and never-before-published writ­
ing, Women of the Beat Genera­
tion is an anthology of the life and
work of some magnificently cre­
ative women who broke with tra­
dition during the rigidly conform­
ist 1950’». This book sheds light on
an am azing array of talented,
iconoclastic women. With illumi­
nating commentary by 1997 Poet
of the Year Anne Waldman and
preem inent Beat scholar Ann
Charters, Women of the Beat Gen­
eration excavates and honors a
long ignored motherlode of our lit­
erary heritage.