Spotlight on the Advocacy of Dora E. McQuaid
Greetings folks,
It's been busy since I last shared; several book presentations, including a few on Zoom, and some music performances.
This month I'd like to share some information about Dora E. McQuaid - descendant of traveling gypsies, Irish Golden-gloved boxers, and strong women, whose stories and the telling of them prompted her lifelong fascination with the written and spoken word. Dora continues her family tradition of using the personal story to explore memory and conjecture, culture and community, and the connections between the private and the political. Her work embodies the intersections between the arts and activism, service and empowerment.
Dora’s unique blend of art, emotion and service has earned her multiple literary and service honors and awards. To honor her activism addressing sexual and domestic violence, Dora’s image replaced that of former Penn State football coach and convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky in the Inspiration Mural by artist Michael Pilato near Penn State in 2012. In 2018, Dora’s lifetime achievements were acknowledged by her induction into the Wall of Honor by the Unionville – Chadds Ford School District in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where Dora attended middle and high school. Gargoyle Literary Journal nominated Dora’s poem, Tunnel of Love, for a 2014 Pushcart Prize. Dora was also honored as one of the Remarkable Women of Taos, New Mexico during the 2012 celebration of women whose lives and creative spirits have influenced the Northern New Mexico community. In 2011, Dora was awarded the New Mexico Woman Writer’s Fellowship by A Room of Her Own Foundation. Dora’s efforts also garnered a 2003 Pennsylvania Governor’s Pathfinder Award, recognition by the Pennsylvania Senate and a Vagina Warrior Award from the Penn State cast of Eve Ensler’s play The Vagina Monologues, all while serving as faculty at Penn State between 1999 and 2006, among other honors. She has also been awarded several Poet-In-Residence and Artist Fellowship positions with programs including The Harwood Museum of Art and The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico, among others.
You can learn more about Dora here - Dora McQuaid – One Woman’s Voice
I'm in the final stages for taking care of the ongoing issues with the Surviving Spirit Newsletter and sending it out on a monthly basis again. You can read the May issue here at the website - https://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/
And here's the link to the PDF posted at the website - https://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2026-05-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_May_2026.pdf
If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the newsletter or events tied in with book presentations or live performances, please write to me at mikeskinner@comcast.net or from the website - https://www.mskinnermusic.com/contact
Thank you & take care, Michael
