Every age has strong, independent women who defy the gender conventions of their era to follow their hearts and minds. Eliza Scidmore (1856-1928) was one such maverick. Best known today as the visionary of D.C.’s famous cherry trees, Scidmore was remarkably “modern” for her time – an intrepid world traveler, a prolific journalist and author of seven books, an expert on Alaska and Japan, and the first female board member of National Geographic and an early contributor to its iconic magazine. Join writer Diana Pabst Parsell for a virtual talk about Eliza Scidmore’s life beyond the cherry trees.

About Diana Pabst Parsell

Diana Pabst Parsell is a former journalist and science writer whose forthcoming book chronicles the life of the 19th-century world traveler and author Eliza Scidmore. Parsell has master’s degrees from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and Johns Hopkins University. She has worked at National Geographic – one of her many life parallels to Eliza Scidmore – as an editor at The Washington Post and The Chronicle of Higher Education, and as a writer-editor at the National Institutes of Health, American Association for the Advancement of Science and environmental research centers in Southeast Asia. 

How to Participate

This program will take place on Zoom. To participate, please register online, and we will email you a link and instructions for joining. Simply follow that link at the time the program starts (12 p.m. EST / 9 a.m. PST). When you register, you can also request to receive a reminder email one day before the program with the link included.

About the D.C. Mondays Series

Join local authors, researchers and community members online for lively discussions about Washington, D.C.’s history, politics, culture and more. Browse upcoming programs