Caroline Paul has been a pilot since age 20; now in her 50s, as her marriage falls apart, she learns to fly a gyrocopter. From the brave Night Witches who flew biplanes against the Nazis, to the ultralight pilots who believe they can save endangered birds by becoming one of the flock, to the many people afraid to step onto a passenger plane, Why Fly: Seeking Awe, Healing, and Our True Selves in the Sky examines the ways flight, like love, confounds and yet transforms us. Becky Aikman writes the heart-pounding true story of the daring American women who piloted the most dangerous aircraft of World War II through the treacherous skies of Britain in Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II. These pilots broke new barriers in the sky and on the ground, and this book is a detailed account of a remarkable group of women whose lives were as unconventional as their dreams. This session is perfect for history buffs and lovers of the sky.
Photo Credit: Elena Seibert
Becky Aikman is the author of three books of narrative nonfiction: Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II, her memoir, Saturday Night Widows, and Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge. A former journalist at Newsday, Aikman has written for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. She lives in New York.
Photo Credit: Cayce Clifford
Caroline Paul is the author of eight books, including the New York Times bestseller The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure and Tough Broad: From Bird-Watching to BASE Jumping—How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age, as well as the illustrated memoir Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology. She is a longtime member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto.
Her latest book is Why Fly: Seeking Awe, Healing, and Our True Selves in the Sky.
Deborah Omowale Jarmon is a retired civil servant with a 27-year career in the world of air traffic control. She is also the former owner of a bed-and-breakfast in the King William area of San Antonio, Eva’s Escape at the Gardenia Inn, named for the family matriarch. Deborah turned to community advocacy with a mission to connect the African American community to each other, opportunities, and our history. Her work as the CEO/Director of the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, as a board member of Visit San Antonio, and serving on the City of San Antonio’s Airport Advisory Commission provides an opportunity to carry out that mission.
