The American Woman Project

How This Project Was Born

  • A woman in a yellow and white dress standing beside a vintage brown car with a South Carolina license plate, parked on a sidewalk next to a garden and trees.

    Dream it.

    It all started in a tiny book store in Rome, Georgia, in 2015, at one of my first signings for my first (and only one at this point) book, North Georgia Moonshine. It was three hours of few visitors, intense silence and filled bookshelves. The reality of a new writer. There came a point when Len and I realized that it would be us for the remainder of the time. 

    Fighting boredom, I started roaming through books. Do-dads. Old magazines. And then I found LIFE, December 1956. 

    A special issue on the American Woman, Her Achievements and Troubles.

    A bargain once-upon-a-time at $.35, the cost had sky-rocketed to $2.00 for this faded issue. I had to have it. The portraiture was amazing and the information, classic. The ads reminded me of my childhood and it was as if I could place my mother in ever single image. THIS was who she was. She was an American Woman with achievements and troubles.

    ​For years, I had dreams of recreating the section that graced the front of the issue—10 American women, all photographed by Howell Conant. Each from a different locale within the United States, LIFE surmised that this is what made their character unique and was a reflection of all women in that geographical region. 

    ​The writer in me wanted to know the backstory of these women, but only a few sentences were provided. The photographer in me adored the image capture which actually, told more than those few sentences. 

    ​As time passed, the project continued to float around in my head, and finally, I decided to jump. I began meeting women who i knew would be perfect subjects. Their stories were unique. Everything they did portrayed strength, individuality and charisma. They left marks on my memory. It was a sign.

    Now is the time. 

  • Woman in a black jacket and white tulle skirt standing on a grass lawn, smiling, in front of a garden with plants and decorative flowers on a white wooden wall.

    Understand it.

    Here is the description by LIFE of these women "with regional variations" in 1956:

    All-American Girl

    Lively

    Healthy

    Devoted to the Outdoors

    Fresh, Good Looks

    Women at their Pinnacle

    Fresh-Faced

    Wholesome Effect

    Flirtatious Smile

    Traditional Southern Belle

    Quick and Easy Smile

    Sophisticated City, Warm Attractiveness

    Plain Spoken with a Casual Grin

    Composed

    Cosmopolitan Elegance with Luxuriant Good Looks

    Satined Stylishness, Tailored and Fashionable

    "Naturalness is a universal quality of U.S. beauty."

  • Plan it.

    Whether you or I agree with these descriptions in 2025, the world certainly did in 1956. By the time the project is complete, it will be 70 years and 2026. My goal is not to prove or disprove any of the thoughts but rather to illustrate through imagery the authentic woman of the 21st century. All women. Young and old and all those in-between. Ordinary and extraordinary. Different cultures, races, religions, beliefs. Diverse professions from dress designers to chefs to brewers to corporate executives to community activists to ministers to waitresses to college students to teachers to ANYONE!

    Get the point? 

    There's no mold for this project. 

    Through this experience, I hope to meet extraordinary women, develop my storytelling skills, hone my photography skills, and through it all, tell stories.

    The end result? Who knows for sure, but I'm hoping for a book or a gallery showing. When I dream, I dream big. 

    ​Won't you be part of this project? If you're interested, contact me here!

    ​Let's share who you are right now during this time in history. I promise, we'll have fun.

  • Create it.

    Details and locations coming 2026. To be notified of schedule and locations, contact us.

A woman standing barefoot on a sandy beach in the evening, wearing a red towel or dress, with mountains and the sunset in the background.
A woman wearing a white space suit with a smiling expression, set against a backdrop of cloudy skies.
A woman with short, curly hair smiling at the camera, crouching in a desert landscape with mountains in the background. She is wearing a blue jacket and yellow pants, with one knee bent and her hand resting on her chin.
A woman in a pink ball gown holding a bouquet of white daisies, standing near a large column with a background of trees and greenery.
A young woman with short hair, wearing a red and blue plaid shirt and jeans, is sitting cross-legged on the ground in a forest, holding a shotgun and smiling at the camera.
A woman with brunette hair leaning on the window frame of a light blue vintage convertible car, smiling gently at the camera.
Smiling woman in a cowboy hat sitting on dirt with a white horse beside her, wearing a saddle and bridle, outdoor setting.
A young woman standing outdoors near a stone wall, looking over her shoulder at the camera, wearing a light-colored sweater and a plaid skirt.
A woman with short hair wearing white gloves and a white fur coat, standing outdoors at dusk with a city skyline in the blurred background.
A woman in a white strapless gown with earrings and a bracelet, standing indoors near a glowing orange lamp with a textured surface, with framed photos or artwork on the wall behind her.
A woman lying on a bed covered with multiple patterned carpets, resting her head on a pillow, looking at the camera.
A woman with dark hair styled in an updo, wearing a light blue sleeveless top and dark pants, sitting on a large stone in front of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
A young woman with wavy blonde hair and light-colored eyes, resting her chin on her hands, looking at the camera with a slight smile.
A woman dressed in traditional African attire, seated outdoors on a sandy surface, with a tree and body of water in the background, wearing a yellow dress and elaborate headpiece adorned with flowers and jewelry.
A woman in a purple gown and tiara standing in front of a tapestry with a landscape scene depicting people walking in nature.
A woman with short blonde hair and a striped sleeveless top sitting at an outdoor table.
A vintage black and white photo of a woman in a sleeveless dress using an old-fashioned medical ultrasound device, with two young girls standing nearby and watching.
An article titled 'Modern Marriage' discussing causes of divorce, gender roles, and expectations in modern relationships, accompanied by text and column layout.
Vintage black-and-white advertisement showing a smiling woman driving a car with a young girl in the passenger seat, both enjoying the drive on a modern asphalt highway.
An article titled "She Has Strength Based" with a black-and-white illustration of women on a journey, some rowing a boat through a rugged landscape, titled "Pioneer Experience."
A black and white magazine page with a headline reading "SHE NEEDS SOME YEARS OF GRACE" by Emily Kimbrough and a photo of a woman working in a laboratory. The article discusses women's achievements and societal roles.
Page from a magazine showing a black and white photograph of women and the title "WHAT U.S. WOMAN" with a subtitle "Three eminent authors gauge her position." There are also photographs of three women at the bottom labeled Mary Ellen Chase, Margaret
Black and white photograph of a woman in the foreground, looking at the camera, surrounded by a crowd of people in the background.
A vintage humorous illustration depicting a woman trying to fight off a giant black mouse, with a group of women in the background watching the scene.
Black and white photo of a large, crowded formal gathering in a banquet hall, with numerous women, many seated at round tables and some standing, dressed in vintage clothing, and a few men, in a historic setting.