The early nineties opened our eyes to the crisis facing young women in this country, as bestsellers like Reviving Ophelia explored the startling loss of confidence that besets girls at adolescence. In response, the Ms. Foundation created Take Our Daughters to Work Day: a national intervention which became successful beyond all imagination. Every last Thursday in April, for one day, millions of girls experience the adult workplace firsthand. As the Ms. Foundation discovered, girls come away from that experience with important lessons that lead to a lifetime of confidence. These lessons, gathered together in Girls Seen and Heard, can help girls soar when they take their place as women in the world and in the workforce. Girls learn how to make their voices heard, take control of their lives, and invest in their futures. Following practical instructions that reach beyond theory, girls gain the knowledge necessary to collaborate with others; to network and negotiate; to effect change; and to rise to all of life's challenges. An interactive manual for parents of girls of all ages, the book includes a reader's group guide and a resource directory. Published to coincide with Take Our Daughters to Work Day 1998, the messages in this book are indispensable for girls: believe in your abilities, explore your options, command respect. To date, the focus has been on defining the problems that beset girls at adolescence; here, finally, are long-term concrete solutions that will help girls turn their dreams of the future into reality.
I'm a Senior Editor at Third.Age.com. I'm also a seasoned freelancer with a National Magazine Award, scores of bylines in major magazines, and eleven* books to my credit. I've also been on the other side of the desk as Executive Editor of Ladies' Home Journal, Features Editor of Cosmopolitan, and Articles Editor of Bride's. I opted years ago to return to my first love, writing, but my staff jobs taught me a great deal about the business of publishing.
Health and fitness are among my favorite beats. "Ask Dr. Marie: Straight Talk and Reassuring Answers to Your Most Private Questions," my third book with Marie Savard, M.D., ABC News Medical Correspondent, was published in August 2009. I won an American Digestive Health Award.
Relationships are another one of my specialties. I contribute to the "Can This Marriage Be Saved?" column in Ladies' Home Journal and I've written original content on relationships for LHJ.com.
Beyond that, I write narrative non-fiction, psych/self-help pieces, and anything else that piques my interest! My National Magazine Award was for a narrative non-fiction piece in Good Housekeeping called "The Families Left Behind."
I've also been a blogger since before the word was coined. Back in 1997, I was invited to write the New York Dance Scene column on DanceArt.com. I kept that up until 2008 when DancerUniverse.com bought DanceArt and I became a Featured Blogger. Now DanceArt.com has been resuscitated and I'm thrilled to be back home as a Featured Blogger there! My passion for dance began in childhood and led me to a performing and teaching career. Currently, in addition to my writing, I'm the Founder and Artistic Director of Ballet Ambassadors, an arts education company that gives children in homeless shelters and underserved schools the chance to share the stage with professional dancers in adaptations of the classics, original ballets, and world dance productions. Our funders include the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Department of Education, Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, and Con Edison Strategic Partnerships, among others. Please visit www.balletambassadors.org and www.sondraforsyth.com.
I hope you enjoy my work, and I invite you to leave comments including constructive criticism!
Here's a favorite quote of mine by Alexander Pope:
"True ease in writing comes from art, not chance,
As those move easiest who have learned to dance."
Best wishes,
Sondra
*You'll see nine books on my Author page. Those are the ones that I wrote by myself or co-authored as a "with" or "and" byline on the cover. I also ghosted "Fearless Living" for Rhonda Britten and "The Savard System" for Marie Savard, M.D. for a total of eleven books. Beyond that, I sold a romance novel to Dell in 1982 that was supposed to be part of the launch of a multi-author series of trilogies. The line never launched so I got to keep the advance but the novel wasn't published. In addition, I published an e-novel on DanceArt.com in 2000. Finally, I've written original libretti for three ballets. I also choreographed those ballets. They premiered at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Long Island in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
