Aug 09, 2022
Today, we are honored to have Donna Ward as our guest. Donna is the author “She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations on Life”, her memoir, which was published in 2020. From the use of the term “spinster” and its origins, to the lifelong contemplation of crises and the prioritization of lives, we will discuss a range of topics from her touching and impactful essays and life reflections. We will address the support of single people in catastrophic events from climate change, fires and floods, war and invasions, to the COVID pandemic. We will explore the experiences of those who are living alone, single and without children, against the backdrop of proclaimed phrasing “Women and Children First.” Our conversation will include the ways in which current economic and health policies affect single people, given the assumed basic economic unit is a household of two incomes and children. Donna will draw on her writing, lived experience, expertise and current events to highlight the often invisible and potentially dire impact on those who are single and without children, in status quo crisis and policy planning.