Akron Life February 2023

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[ Managing Editor | Kelly Petryszyn | kpetryszyn@bakermediagroup.com ]

Super Women

Join us in celebrating female friendship and empowerment.

In this issue, we feature influential women who have been honored as part of the Women’s History Project of the Akron Area and commemorate the centennial of the Akron Woman’s City Club. Rather than saying they are self-made, peo ple I’ve interviewed typically credit their achievements to the help of others. When I wrote a piece on former U.S. poet laure ate Rita Dove, I discovered that a teacher at her alma mater, Buchtel High School, introduced her to a poet, and that helped spark her interest in poetry. I’ve always known that I wanted to be a journalist, and many people got me here. I started pursuing my dream as a part of my high school newspaper staff under the guidance of my teacher, Stacie Leatherman. My stories were painfully fluffy — students’ takes on their dream careers and parking lot traffic — but it cemented that I could do this as a career. My Kent State University journalism professors have been huge influences. Carl Schierhorn was a helpful guide on the Daily Kent Stater staff, and his wife, Ann Schierhorn, taught a magazine class through which I submitted my story on record stores’ comebacks that made an Akron Life cover in 2011. Barb Hipsman Springer pushed me out of my comfort zone when it came to hard news, and she remains supportive. My photography professor David LaBelle and lecturer Gary Harwood deepened my passion for visual storytelling, and Harwood helped me on a special project that made the Record-Courier . I’m in city and regional magazines because professor Jacquie Marino introduced me to them and advised me on producing my

first student publication when I was editor of The Burr Magazine. She’s still a resource for career advice and recruiting interns. A number of my friends work in journalism, including Kelly, Regina and Nicole, and it means a lot to be able to talk with other journalists and trade notes on stories. The support of female mentors and friends has helped me develop confidence in being a leader in a time when men still hold the majority of leadership positions and I’m navigating the challenges of being a working mom. I found these bonds are key when I interviewed Schultz in 2020 about her spec tacular novel, “The Daughters of Erietown,” which I highly recommend. The protagonist developed female friendships, and that helped her escape the weight of the past and regain a sense of self to move forward. The Woman’s City Club story discusses sis terhood. The club has helped its members create relationships that have carried them through their lives. It’s vital to the commu nity, but its membership is down. It needs more support from the younger generation. That downward trend is nationwide, as there are far fewer social dining clubs for women than there were decades ago. Still, the Woman’s City Club has persevered. It turns 100 this month, making it one of the oldest in the country and the last in Akron. With Women’s History Month in March, it’s important to pay tribute to the legacy of the club and the notable women we featured. Our area has produced groundbreaking women, and like me, they wouldn’t have found success without the support of others.

Kelly and Nicole

I’ve been fortunate to speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz a few times. We became Facebook friends after she shared an article I wrote about her appearance at Brews & Prose in Cleveland. But a comment she made when I spoke to her after an arts panel I covered during the Republican National Convention has stayed with me. After I told her I was then a Cleveland Magazine associate editor, she encouraged me, saying something to the tune of, We need more female editors in journalism . It helped me reflect on the fact that I am a woman in leadership, which is meaningful. As Akron Life managing editor, I’m thankful to lead the edit team with assistant editor Alexandra Sobczak, and we strive to represent many perspectives.

[ Managing Editor Kelly Petryszyn is an adventure seeker, forever a dreamer and an avid supporter of #TeamFiona. ]

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