The Vanguard

Mary Southard, CSJ, “Bright Wings II
(Courtesy of Ministry of the Arts / ministryofthearts.org)

It’s rare that a monumental institution such as The United Nations sponsors a great forum for the advancement of women. I was, frankly, astonished when I was called some weeks ago to participate, as an artist who is also a philanthropist—an uneasy combination it has always seemed to me, with some inherent contradictions that are hard to solve.

For me, as a writer, objectivity of a certain kind is essential in creating fictional characters. I have written from the point of view of men (although not often), including one tortured violent man in Straight Man; I have written from the point of view of limited or unappealing women, as in my short story “Swings” and my novella, Upstate; I have written from the point of view of Fascists, as in my play, Treason—and indeed I find my greatest and most rewarding challenges in writing from the point of view of characters who do not share my experience or my values. Otherwise, fiction becomes poorly disguised autobiography.

Even in my two memoirs, I am wary of introducing my point of view or championing my feminism. The three women in The Blue Box: Three Lives in Letters—my mother, my grandmother and my great-grandmother—were unapologetic racists and it was challenging to develop an understanding of their point of view, their very personal passion for The Lost Cause.

My next memoir, Little Brother: The Short Life and Strange Death of Jonathan Worth Bingham, to be published by Sarabande Books in 2022, does not reach expected conclusions or even any easily defined conclusion at all. The facts, the few that remain, from my little brother’s life which ended in 1963 tell their own story, and at best I weave them together with some careful suppositions based on our shared childhood.

Of course I’ve used my means, my feminism and my blessed influence to start three not for profits that specifically support women who share my goals: first, The Kentucky Foundation for Women, which for three decades under very worthy directors and boards (I am not involved) makes semiannual grants to artists working for social change—that is, feminism.

Next, the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture at Duke University in Durham N.C., housing growing collections of papers by women artists and activists and sponsoring workshops and fellowships in this field.

And, at about the same time, The Women’s Project and Productions, producing original plays written and directed by women. One of the happiest times of my life was the creation of this not-for-profit in New York with two dear friends, Julia Miles, no longer with us, and Joan Vail Thorne.

The greater challenge is to connect these two arms of my endeavor, the founding of these three not-for-profits and my long ongoing work as a writer.

So I am looking forward to the rare opportunity that will be offered me on June 10th to weave these strands together, and I’m looking forward with even more interest to the fascinating variety of presentations that will make up the program.

I hope some of you will register and join me in the adventure.

The Vanguard takes place June 10, from 10-1 EST via Zoom. To view the agenda and register (free) visit womenforwardinternational.org or to register directly, use this Zoom link.

In Philanthropy, Writing The Women's Project Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History & Culture Kentucky Foundation for Women The Lost Cause