editing – On Screenwriting and Media with Dr. Rosanne Welch

Rosanne Presents on Shaping Global Cultures Through Screenwriting – Stephens College [Video]

Recently, I was asked to make a short presentation to the faculty of Stephens College about the newest book I edited alongside my dear friend and Screenwriting Research colleague Rose Ferrell. Shaping Global Cultures Through Screenwriting: Women Who Write Our Worlds.

I was happy to discuss the inspiration for the book, which came from a conversation Rose and I had during a conference. That’s one of the best things about gathering for conferences – the casual conversations that create new collaborations.

I was also happy to discuss the way we arranged the book in “Worlds” because continents are the easiest classification. I give a quick thumbnail of one chapter in each of those Worlds to highlight what type of social or legal advocacy the screenwriter in discussion addressed. It was lovely to be reminded of all the interesting stories told by the writers of each chapter and to appreciate the cultural diversity of storytelling around the world that Intellect made possible by publishing the book.

Chapters cover a spectrum of storytelling from artists offering a window into how women around the world use the screen to advocate for social or legal change. For example, the Samoan performance artist Angela Tiatia, known for her 2014 work, ‘Walking the Wall.” Tiatia displays her Malu Tatau tattoo, which symbolizes the preservation and documentation of cultural practice and identity in online spaces.

One chapter focuses on a junior Pacific Islander lawyer who created a music video calling on the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on climate change, a matter of concern as rising sea levels threaten the homes and histories of island communities. Other readings in the book examine the film “Kajillionaire” by Miranda July as a platform for imagining queer utopias, the transformative power of the female gaze in the Italian documentary “Trial for Rape,” and the frequently ignored creative roles and contributions that women make behind the scenes of the beloved children’s television show “Bluey.”

It was a pleasure to make this presentation for my colleagues. I hope you enjoy it, too.

A boxful of books arrives. What could it be?

It’s always exciting when a new box of books arrives on our doorstep. I’m proud to say I’ve been working on so many projects that I sometimes don’t know which book will be in the box during my unboxing.

That was the case this week when a new box arrived and I expected it to be Sally Ride: Breaking Barriers and Defying Gravity, written by Jackie Perez, an alum of our Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting program. That’s because I edited her book as part of the ‘Women Making History’ series by Bloomsbury which I co-edit with my friend and colleague Dr. Peg Lamphier.

So far, we’ve edited and published new biographies of everyone from

Eleanor Roosevelt (by our good friend Keri Dearborn)

AND

Dolores Huerta (by our Mt. San Antonio College colleague April Tellez)

WITH the next in line to publish in April 2026 being:

Sandra Day O’Connor: How an Arizona Cowgirl Became the First Woman Supreme Court Justice By Nancy Hendricks (who we met when she wrote entries in our first encyclopedia Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection

All the biographies come out in hardback first for a higher fee and in 18 months will be released in paperback for lower fees.

So what’s the new book that did arrive? It was Shaping Global Cultures through Screenwriting: Women Who Write Our Worlds which I edited with my friend and Screenwriting Research Network colleague Rose Ferrell.

What’s it about? I think the back of the book says it all:

Shaping Global Cultures through Screenwriting: Women Who Write Our Worlds is a powerful testament to the undeniable impact of an international collection of female screenwriters. Spanning film, television, virtual reality, games, and digital media, these case studies showcase instances when women have used screenwriting to challenge injustice and give voice to communities across the globe. Acknowledging global disparities in wealth and power, the book exposes screenwriting as activism, which shifts attitudes and alters lived experiences. Whether about gender and race or war and colonization, or other serious issues, each chapter reveals the deep connections between storytelling and social change. More than just a study of the craft, this is a celebration of the women writers who use their artistic lens to educate and empower others.

It’s a collection of chapters on how female screenwriters have used writing as activism. We read ‘screenwriting’ as any writing that creates something on a screen so that includes an chapter on a Samoan performance artist who has a Malu tatau/tatoo (we had many discussions about using indigenous language without italicizing it to make it not the norm) and did a video called “Walking the Wall” where she showcased her tatua – and I had the chance to write (and therefore learn about) a lawyer in the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change who created a music video urging the advocating for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to create a Resolution asking for an advisory opinion on Climate Change as it’s destroying their Pasifika island homes. Something I knew NOTHING about before. But there are also chapters on Miranda July’s Kajillionaire and queer utopias and Bluey (for children’s TV courses). Anyway, it will be expensive so we can’t use it as a text but I’m hoping enough college libraries buy copies that it’s available to professors and students – and Intellect sells individual chapters suited to particular courses.

If you’re connected to a university or local library, ask them to carry a copy so you – and all others with an interest – can read about everything from myself and my co-writers/co-editors.

Here’s me wishing you a creative weekend!

Friend and editor Anna Weinstein’s book on Shonda Rhimes make Bloomsbury’s Essential New Books list for film students

Congratulations to my friend and editor Anna Weinstein!

The first book in her “Screen Storytellers” series, which is on The Works of Shonda Rhimes is on Bloomsbury’s Essential New Books list for film students.

I’m proud to have a chapter in the book discussing the idea that while most people think Rhimes is ‘only’ a feminist, her writings have always expressed an even wider humanist philosophy.

I can only hope that my upcoming The Works of Susan Harris will make the same list. Look for it in late 2026.

Our New Book: Women Making History: Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Nancy Hendriks – Part of new series from ABC-Clio Edited by Dr. Rosanne Welch and Dr. Peg Lamphier

I’m so proud to present the first book in the 8 book Women Making History series I co-edited with my good friend and colleague Peg Lamphier.

This first book, written by Nancy Hendricks, covers the life of the beloved and brilliant Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman on the Supreme Court whose life inspired the film On the Basis of Sex (produced by my good friend Karen Loop).

What makes books published by ABC-Clio so special is that they include a collection of primary documents, allowing the subject of the biography to speak for themselves. In this case Nancy has chosen to include text from the Notorious RBG’s Congressional Hearing for her nomination alongside her dissent in the case of Shelby County v. Holder in 2013 where she eloquently argued that breaking off pieces of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because it seemed outdated was like “throwing away you umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.”

In Nancy’s book you will read about Ruth’s happy marriage to Martin Ginsburg (one of the most renowned tax attorneys in the country) which you have probably read about, and her year of work in Sweden with the Project on International Civic Procedure, which you probably haven’t heard of yet but which turns out to be a fascinating look at this fascinating woman. Most male lawyers had turned down the job because it meant learning Scandinavian but being RBG she mastered that lickety split.

Many thanks to Nancy for her beautifully poetic writing, to Peg for being a brilliant co-editor – and to RBG for paving the way for women for so, so long. I’ve scanned the inner front page of the book since it’s the page with my and Peg’s series editor credit. What an honor to be asked to oversee this set – and to dwell so long in the lives of these amazing women.

Look out for the rest of the series which will include biographies on the lives of Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem, Ida B. Wells, Helen Keller, Delores Huerta, Eleanor Roosevelt, Wilma Mankiller and Sally Ride.

Description

This book offers both a biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, only the second-ever woman appointed to the Supreme Court, and a historical analysis of her impact in her role.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life in American History explores Ginsburg’s path to holding the highest position in the judicial branch of U.S. government as a Supreme Court justice for almost three decades. Readers will learn about the choices, challenges, and triumphs that this remarkable American has lived through, and about the values that shape the United States.

Ginsburg, sometimes referred to as “The Notorious RBG” or “RBG” was a professor of law, a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, an advocate for women’s rights, and more, before her tenure as Supreme Court justice. She has weighed in on decisions, such as Bush v. Gore (2000); King v. Burwell (2015); and Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018), that continue to guide lawmaking and politics. Ginsburg’s crossover to stardom was unprecedented, though perhaps not surprising. Where some Americans see the Supreme Court as a decrepit institution, others see Ginsburg as an embodiment of the timeless principles on which America was founded.