SHANNON McKENNA SCHMIDT
Writer & Traveler
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
VIEW ONLINE
With Anna Fierst, Eleanor & FDR's great-granddaughter, and Kirsten Strigel Carter, Deputy Director of the FDR Library, at
Val-Kill, Eleanor's home in Hyde Park, NY.
In-person kickoff event with David Michaelis, the author of ELEANOR, in New York City.
...with Christopher Gorham, author of The Confidante
At the
National
WWII
Museum in
New Orleans...
Roosevelt Reading Festival,
June 24, 2023
It was quite a crowd of Eleanor fans
at the FDR Library's annual reading festival. C-SPAN was on the scene recording the event. Click here to view.
Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, September 21, 2023
It was an honor to team up with renowned Eleanor biographer Blanche Wiesen Cook to discuss THE FIRST LADY OF WORLD WAR II in a very special venue—the NYC townhouse where Eleanor and Franklin once lived. Click here to view on YouTube.
The Roosevelt Story: Conversations,
March 16, 2023
In honor of Women's History Month, I discussed Eleanor Roosevelt's journey to the Pacific theater with William Harris, Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Click here to view.
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National World War II Museum,
March 1, 2024
I teamed up with Christopher C. Gorham, author of THE CONFIDANTE, to talk about Eleanor Roosevelt and Anna Rosenberg, two extraordinary women who played pivotal parts during WWII. Our session was part of "Our War Too," a symposium in conjunction with the Museum's exhibit about women in service. Click here to view.
White House Historical Association,
January 18, 2024
A fun and informative History Happy Hour about "Eleanor Roosevelt: Traveler, Adventurer, and the First Lady of World War II" included visuals of archival materials along with the "Citrus Got Real" cocktail mixed on camera. Click here to view.
Rancho Mirage Writers Festival /
Writers Series, March 21, 2024
Just as they do every week to support the featured author, book lovers in this fabulously literary community turned out in full force to hear about Eleanor's journey during a 45-minute talk with archival materials. Click here to view.
At the Woman's National Democratic Club, Washington, D.C., with Rosalyn Coates, Garner Chandler & Anna Fierst.
The NY Junior League went all out for their member luncheon, from the red-white-and-blue decor to a meal featuring some of Eleanor’s favorite foods along with South Pacific influences and items that would have been available in 1943 during wartime. (There is even a ration coupon on the carton.) Eleanor got her start in advocacy while she was a member of the NY Junior League.
Friends of the National World War II Memorial, March 16, 2024
After my presentation, part of the Friends' Monthly Conference Series, historian and author Alex Kershaw moderated a very lively Q&A session. Click here to view.
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Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation, March 11, 2024
A presentation was followed by a terrific
Q&A moderated by Education Specialist
Erik Wright. Click here to view.
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With author Denise Kiernan at Little Jumbo in Asheville, NC. The featured cocktail was "The Brave" in honor of Eleanor.
Rancho Mirage, CA, is a town of booklovers and history buffs, as evidenced by this amazing audience at the Rancho Mirage Writers Series.
The First Lady of World War II: Insights from the Author,
November 15, 2023
A webinar hosted by the National Museum of the Pacific War—with visuals! Click here to watch.
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History Happy Hour/Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, October 22, 2023
Cocktails and conversation! It was a lively hour talking with historians Rick Byer and Chris Anderson. Click here to view on YouTube to hear about Eleanor's journey--and find out why a Manhattan was my Happy Hour drink of choice.
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The Little Point Bookshop, May 13, 2023
I had a fun, lively discussion with Kelly Coyle Crivelli, the owner of the Little Point Bookshop in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, about THE FIRST LADY OF WORLD WAR II. Click here to view.
PREVIOUS EVENTS
April 2, 2025: Virtual guest at the Rotary Book Club in New Paltz, NY, to discuss The First Lady of World War II.
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December 10, 2024: ElRo Day at the Eleanor Roosevelt High School, New York City, as a guest speaker along with Anna Eleanor Fierst, Eleanor and FDR's great-granddaughter, and Laura Shapiro, the author of What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women and the Food that Tells Their Stories.
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August 15, 2024: Fe league, virtual members event, in conversation with Rebecca J. Sanford, author of The Disappeared,
about Eleanor Roosevelt: Allyship & Advocacy.
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May 11, 2024: Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Hyde Park NY, presentation followed by a discussion with Kirsten Strigel Carter, Deputy Director of the FDR Library, and Anna Fierst, Eleanor & FDR's great-daughter.
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April 27, 2024: Montclair Literary Festival, Montclair State University, NJ, "Herstories" panel discussion with authors Anastasia Rubis (Oriana), Elizabeth B. White (The Counterfeit Countess), and Dana Rubin (Speaking While Female).
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April 23, 2024: Woman's National Democratic Club, Washington, D.C., members luncheon, presentation with visuals and Q&A.
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March 21, 2024: Rancho Mirage Writers Festival / Writers Series, Rancho Mirage, CA, 45-minute speech with visuals.
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March 16, 2024: Friends of the National WWII Memorial, Monthly Virtual Education Conference Series.
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March 11, 2024: Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Madison, WI, virtual event, presentation with visuals and Q&A.
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March 1, 2024: National WWII Museum, New Orleans, LA, "Our War Too": Women's History Symposium, presentation with visuals
and a panel discussion with Christopher C. Gorham, author of The Confidante.
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January 18, 2024: White House Historical Association, History Happy Hour, virtual event, presentation with visuals and Q&A.
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January 11, 2024: New York Junior League, NYC, members luncheon, presentation with visuals and Q&A.
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November 15, 2023: National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredericksburg, TX, virtual event, presentation with visuals and Q&A.
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November 12, 2023: ​CRAFT: Authors in Conversation with author Denise Kiernan, Little Jumbo, Asheville, NC.
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October 22, 2023: History Happy Hour with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, virtual conversation event.
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October 12, 2023: Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, NY, Endowed Roosevelt Lecture Series, 45-minute speech with visuals and .
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September 21, 2023: Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, NYC, in conversation with Blanche Wiesen Cook, historian and Eleanor Roosevelt biographer.
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July 19, 2023: Bryant Park Reading Room, NYC, presentation and Q&A, co-sponsored by the New York Historical Society.
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June 24, 2023: Roosevelt Reading Festival, Hyde Park, NY, hosted by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, presentation and Q&A.
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May 31, 2023: Radnor Memorial Library, Wayne, PA, presentation with visuals and Q&A, co-sponsored by Main Point Books.
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May 24, 2023: Hingham Public Library, Hingham, MA, in conversation with Mary Anne Donaldson.
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May 13, 2023: Little Point Bookshop, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, in conversation with bookshop owner Kelly Coyle Crivelli.
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May 9, 2023: Barnes & Noble Tribeca, NYC, in conversation with David Michaelis, the author of Eleanor.
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May 3, 2023: Browseabout Books & Lewes Public Library, virtual event / in conversation with Paul Sparrow, former director of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum.