The Annotated Table of Contents and Bios for Women Writers Week 2022

In honor of Women's History Month, I am happy to present the dynamic female writers for Women Writers Week 2022. We are featuring their articles and reviews all week, and wanted to acquaint you with each of them in this annotated table of contents. Here are our featured writers in alphabetical order, accompanied by links to each of their articles published (and, in some cases, republished) this week... 

BETH ACCOMANDO

Beth Accomando covers the arts and pop culture in San Diego for KPBS. She is also host of Cinema Junkie podcast where she shares her addiction to film and, with her Geeky Gourmet videos, her love for making themed food to go with movies. She also creates programs films through Film Geeks San Diego.

Essay: Women Film Editors: Shedding the Cloak of Invisibility

SARAH KNIGHT ADAMSON

Sarah Knight Adamson is an entertainment freelance writer and the weekly film and TV critic for the nationally syndicated radio show Hollywood 360 Radio Network; she’s heard on 90 Salem Radio Network News/Talk stations, including WNYM-New York, KRLA-Los Angeles, and WWRC-Washington DC. As the former weekly Regional Arts and Entertainment columnist for the TribLocal newspaper, a Chicago Tribune subsidiary, her interview with Roger Ebert appeared in print. She’s also written for Chicago magazines. You can find additional information on her website: www.SarahsBackstagePass.com. 

Interview: Mary Beth Sobolewski: The Heart of Ty Beanie Babies

JENNIFER KEISHIN ARMSTRONG

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong is the author of seven pop culture history books, including New York Times bestseller Seinfeldia; Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted; and Sex and the City and Us. Her forthcoming book When Women Invented Television will be published in March 2021. Jennifer has helped many other writers make the transition from “aspiring” to the real deal. 

She loves helping fellow writers so much that she co-hosts a podcast about it, #Authoring! Packages include setting up your writing career, writing a book proposal, writing a non-fiction book, and more. As a journalist and critic, Jennifer contributes regularly to such publications as Buzzfeed News, Refinery29, Billboard, Lion’s Roar, Entertainment Weekly, Vice, Vanity Fair, New York Times Book Review, BBC Culture, Smithsonian, The Verge, Lit Hub, and many more.

Book Excerpt: When Women Invented Television

NANDINI BALIAL

Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Nandini emigrated to Texas with her family in 2000. While attending New York University, she interned for New York One, BBC America, and the International Emmys. After graduating in 2014 with a degree in cinema studies, Nandini made an ill-advised move to Los Angeles to work in post-production. 

After ten years in various parts of the country, Nandini returned to Fort Worth, where she grew up, and currently works as a writing tutor to immigrant and refugee high school students in the public school system. Her chief interests are her dog Apollo, baked goods, television, American literature, mass transit, and leftism, not necessarily in that order. Her writing can be found at AV Club, The New Republic, Men's Journal, Pacific Standard, Vice, Queen Mob's Tea House, Lit Hub, LA Review of Book.

TV Review: The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

Republished TV Review: Inventing Anna

LAURA BOYES

Laura Boyes is the programmer and host for the Moviediva Film Series at the Carolina Theatre of Durham, NC.  

Her film essays may be read at www.moviediva.com.

Essay: Swashbuckling Women

MONICA CASTILLO

Monica Castillo is a freelance writer and University of Southern California Annenberg graduate film critic fellow. Although she originally went to Boston University for biochemistry and molecular biology before landing in the sociology department, she went on to review films for The Boston Phoenix, WBUR, Dig Boston, The Boston Globe, and co-hosted the podcast “Cinema Fix.” 

After a stint as an Entertainment Reporter for International Business Times, she’s back to freelancing for RogerEbert.com, NPR, Village Voice, Tribeca Film, Paste Magazine, Remezcla, among others. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Women Film Critics Circle, and served as a co-chair of the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Monica has traveled to a few film festivals, met a couple of living legends, and has some great stories about hitchhiking to red carpet premieres. She can usually be found online talking about the film she just watched.

Republished Review: The Power of the Dog

OLIVIA COLLETTE

Olivia Collette enjoys picking pop culture apart from her perch in Montreal. She spends far too much time watching cool choreographies and superhero/LOTR nerds on TikTok, but regrets nothing.

Essay: Pink Skies Ahead: Manic Pixie Dream Girls, Mental Illness, and Memory

KAYLEIGH DONALDSON

Kayleigh Donaldson is a critic and pop-culture writer based in Dundee, Scotland. 

Her work can be found on Pajiba.com, Uproxx, IGN, SYFY, and various other outlets.

Republished Essay: The Case for The Card Counter's Tiffany Haddish as One of 2021's Best Performances

CHAZ EBERT, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of RogerEbert.com

In addition to being the Editor-in-Chief of Rogerebert.com, Chaz Ebert produces television and movies at Ebert Productions and Black Leopard Productions, and appears in the film "Life Itself" about her late husband, Roger Ebert. She heads the Ebertfest Film Festival now in its 22nd year.  She awards the Golden Thumb and Ebert Humanitarian Awards at Ebertfest, and the Toronto and Chicago International Film Festivals to filmmakers who exhibit an unusually compassionate view of the world. 

Her civic interests include programs to help break the glass ceiling for women and people of color, and to provide education and arts for women, children and families. Some of the programs are administered through the Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation. Other grants and support are made to Ebert Fellows programs at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana (where she helped to endow the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies),  Sundance Film Festival,  Film Independent Spirit Awards -Project Involve,  the Hawaii International Film Festival-Young Critics Program, the Telluride Ebert/TFF University Seminars, the Chicago International Film Festival- Ebert Director Awards, and the Columbia College Links Journalism Awards in conjunction with the Chicago Urban League. Her mission: to encourage more Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion and Kindness (FECK) in the world. She is a member of the African-American Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. She was chosen as the Beethoven Laureate for the International Beethoven Project, and was awarded the 2022 Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award by the Black Reel Awards. She serves on the boards of the Lincoln Presidential Foundation, The Lyric Opera, After School Matters and The Shirley Ryan Ability Lab. 

Essays: The Annotated Table of Contents and Bios for Women Writers Week 2022, Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Erica Ford's LIFE Camp, Introduction to Women Writers Week, Living Legend Floyd Norman: An Animated Life Now Available on the Criterion Channel, Women Writers Week 2022: Table of Contents

LAURA EMERICK

The former arts editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, where she worked with Roger Ebert for more than 20 years, Laura Emerick is the digital content editor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Essay: Scene Stealer: A Tribute to Isabel Jewell

CRISTINA ESCOBAR

Cristina Escobar is the co-founder of LatinaMedia.Co, a digital publication uplifting Latina and gender non-conforming Latinx perspectives in media. A member of the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association, she's a Rotten-Tomatoes approved critic and writes at the intersection of race, gender, and pop culture.

TV Review: Abbott Elementary Is Bringing Earnest Back

MARYA E. GATES

A native of California and of the internet, Marya E. Gates graduated with a degree in Comparative Literature and French Literature from U.C. Berkeley and an MFA in Screenwriting from the Academy of Art University. She has worked in editorial and social media for Warner Archive Collection, Rotten Tomatoes, Turner Classic Movies, FilmStruck, and NetflixFilm. 

She is the creator of #Noirvember and #AYearWithWomen. Her specialties include women directors (past, present, future), film noir, silent film, and classic Japanese cinema. She’s seen over 7,500 films—and has the receipts to prove it.

Reviews: Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Republished Review: The Weekend Away

ROXANA HADADI

Roxana Hadadi is a pop culture writer and film critic with particular interests in feminism, labor and class, and Middle Eastern representation. Her work can be found at Pajiba, The A.V. Club, Chesapeake Family, Bright Wall/Dark Room, and other publications. 

She is a member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, the Online Film Critics Society, and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and is a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She holds an MA in literature and lives outside Baltimore, Md. You can follow her on Twitter at @roxana_hadadi. 

Republished Review: Flee

JOYCE KULHAWIK

Joyce Kulhawik, best known as the Emmy Award-winning Arts & Entertainment Critic for CBS-Boston (WBZ-TV 1981-2008), has covered local and national events from Boston and Broadway to Hollywood, reporting live from the Oscars, the Emmys, and The Grammys. Kulhawik is currently President of the Boston Theater Critics Association, a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, and the Boston Online Film Critics Association.

Nationally, Kulhawik has co-hosted syndicated movie review programs with Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin. She regularly lectures on film, and annually judges the “48 Hour Film Fest” in Boston. Look for her reviews at JoycesChoices.com.

Essay: Why We Need to Talk About Cosby

TOMRIS LAFFLY

Tomris Laffly is a freelance film writer and film critic based in New York. She regularly contributes to Time Out New York, Film Journal International, Film School Rejects and RogerEbert.com, and her byline has appeared in Indiewire, Variety and Vulture, among other outlets. 

She has a special interest in the awards season and women in film, covers various film festivals throughout the year including New York Film Festival, Sundance and Telluride and tweets from @TomiLaffly.

Republished Reviews: CODA, Fresh

CHRISTY LEMIRE

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who is proud to have her work appear at RogerEbert.com. She co-hosts the podcast "Breakfast All Day" and is a regular critic for shows on both of Los Angeles' NPR stations: KPCC's "FilmWeek" and KCRW's "Press Play With Madeleine Brand." She's also a correspondent for the arts and entertainment show "The SoCal Scene" on Spectrum News 1. 

A third-generation Los Angeles native, she is a member of the LA Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Film Critics Association. You can find Christy's writing at ChristyLemire.com. She's also on Twitter @christylemire and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/christy.lemire2. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here.

Review: Gold

Republished Reviews: The Batman, Licorice Pizza

MARY BETH MCANDREWS

Mary Beth McAndrews is currently a Digital and Communications Specialist for the Humane Rescue Alliance, Washington, D.C.'s only open access shelter. She creates video content that highlights adoptable animals, as well as HRA's various community programs. She is also the senior editor for Much Ado About Cinema, a senior contributor for Nightmare on Film Street, and co-host of the Scarred For Life podcast. She has bylines online and in print for outlets such as Polygon, Bloody Disgusting, Bitch Mag, Daily Grindhouse, Grim Magazine, and Girls on Tops. 

Previously, she worked for National Geographic and Discovery Communications in social and digital media. She received her Master's of Arts degree from the University of Chicago in 2019. While there, she focused on cinema and media studies and gender studies. When she's not writing, she's scouring the Internet for the next weird horror movie to watch or bothering her cat, Zucchini. 

Review: Ultrasound

NELL MINOW, Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com

Nell Minow reviews movies and DVDs each week as The Movie Mom online and on radio stations across the US. She is the author of The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies and 101 Must-See Movie Moments.

Her articles have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Kansas City Star, USA Today, Family Fun, Daughters, Parents, and three editions of The Practical Guide to Practically Everything. She has been profiled in the New York Times, the Economist, Forbes, the Chicago Tribune, Working Woman, CFO Magazine, the Ladies Home Journal, Washingtonian Magazine, and the Chicago Sun Times, and has appeared as The Movie Mom on CBS This Morning, Fox Morning News, NPR, and CNN. She is the founder of Miniver Press, a publishing company specializing in non-fiction ebooks and print books about the arts, music, sports, history, and culture. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the University of Chicago Law School and her wonderful husband allows her to have a "10 best movie" list with 20 movies on it.

Review: The Adam Project

Interview: Every Character Has All These Layers: Graham Moore on The Outfit

Republished Reviews: Lucy and Desi, tick, tick...BOOM!

Republished Tribute: Betty White (1922-2021)

GABRIELLE MOSS

Gabrielle Moss is the author of Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction. Her work has been published in the New Yorker, GQ, Slate, BuzzFeed, the Daily Beast, and elsewhere. She has seen Heathers 47 times and she refuses to be ashamed.

Essay: The Legacy of ‘90s Teen Girl Murder Films

FARRAN SMITH NEHME

Farran Smith Nehme has written about film and film history for Sight & Sound, the New York Post, Barron’s, the Wall Street Journal, Noir City, Criterion, Film Comment, and the Village Voice, as well as for her blog, Self-Styled Siren. 

Her novel Missing Reels, about the search for a lost silent movie, was published in 2014.

Republished Essay: Sun-Kissed Tension: On the Staying Power of Deray’s La Piscine

SHERIN NICOLE

Sherin Nicole might be a covert agent, it’s rumored the CIA offered her a scholarship (but that's classified). By day, she's an agent provocateur as Chief Creative & Marketing Officer at idobi Network. By night, she writes fiction and produces content for the Geek Girl Riot radio show and the Black Reel Awards, as well as for publications like Blcklst.com, RogerEbert.com, and for the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ). 

Essay: Lady Villainy: A Feast of Wicked Iconoclasts

ABBY OLCESE

Abby Olcese is a film critic and writer based in Kansas City, where she is the film editor for The Pitch Magazine. Abby is a regular contributor to RogerEbert.com, /Film and Crooked Marquee, as well as Sojourners Magazine and Think Christian, where she writes about the intersection of popular culture and spirituality.

Reviews: The Lost City, The Seed

Republished Essay: Bardcore Noir: Joel Coen, Shakespeare and The Tragedy of Macbeth

SHEILA O'MALLEY

Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Along with Rogerebert.com, her work has also appeared in Film Comment, The Dissolve, Masters of Cinema, Movie Mezzanine, Flavorwire, Capital New York, Fandor, Press Play, and Bright Wall/Dark Room. She has contributed video and print essays for various releases from The Criterion Collection. 

O’Malley wrote the narration (read by Angelina Jolie) for the Governors Awards Lifetime Achievement tribute reel to legendary actress Gena Rowlands. O’Malley also wrote the narration for the Governors Awards tribute to editor Anne Coates, played at the 2016 Governors Awards. O’Malley writes about actors, movies, and Elvis Presley at her personal site, The Sheila Variations. A short film she wrote, "July and Half of August,” premiered at the 2016 Albuquerque Film and Music Experience. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here.

Reviews: Calendar Girl, Phoenix Rising

Republished Review: Huda's Salon, The Lost Daughter

KATIE RIFE

Katie Rife was senior writer of The A.V. Club from 2019-2022 and News Editor from 2015-2019. She co-hosted the A.V. Club's film podcast Film Club.

Review: Offseason

JESSICA RITCHEY

Jessica Ritchey is a writer based in the orbit between Washington D.C. and Baltimore. She credits a VHS copy of "Singin’ in the Rain" as her introduction to a love of movies. She has written for several web outlets, and can be found watching foreign classics in rapt silence at the AFI Silver or shouting things with the crowd at B-Fest on Northwestern’s campus. She believes that high and low culture are illusory barriers and that all art and storytelling is truly one big never-ending conversation. She occasionally remembers she has a blog at Sugarbang.

Essay: Why Batman: The Animated Series Remains One of the Best Dark Knight Tales

Republished Essay: The Films of Cocaine Noir

JUSTINE SMITH

Justine Smith is the screen editor of Montreal's English alt-magazine, Cult MTL. She also programs for the Fantasia International Film Festival and Cinéma Moderne in Montreal. 

Review: The Exorcism of God

Essay: Kirsten Dunst, Always on the Brink of Transformation

DOREEN SPICER-DANNELLY

Writer/Producer/Director, Doreen Spicer-Dannelly is best known for Disney Channel’s critically acclaimed animated series, "The Proud Family" where she is credited as Developed by and Supervising Producer. The series was nominated for an Image Award and won the BET Comedy Award in a Children’s Program in 2003. Also for the Disney Channel, Spicer developed and wrote the musically driven film, Jump In!, which broke records in television cable with 8.2 million viewers and Variety deemed the film “...the highest rated MOW ever.”

Spicer’s first junior novel, Love Double Dutch! debuted spring 2018 for Penguin Random House Publishing which Kirkus praises as "A fun, well-paced read bubbling with energy and charming, diverse characters.” Also, Spicer served as Consultant and Writer on the Emmy Award winning Netflix animated series, Motown. Currently, Spicer is the Showrunner and Executive Producer for the animated series, Onyx Monster Mysteries, for Amazon Kids+ and Pocket.Watch.

To date, Doreen Spicer-Dannelly is the first credited woman of color to develop and produce an animated series for the Disney brand with The Proud Family and has recently become one of the first woman of color voice directors on the Amazon Kids+ animated series, Onyx Monster Mysteries. Spicer has several projects in the works with other major studios and production companies in all the genres of kids, teens & family entertainment.

Back in 2010, Spicer independently produced the international tween hit sitcom, The Wannabes Starring Savvy, and served as Showrunner and Executive Producer. The series follows six teens who want to be pop-stars. Spicer was instrumental in licensing the twenty-six episode series around the world which debuted in Australia on ABC 1 & 3 and became their number one kid show as well as on HBO Latin America. The show aired in over 100 countries including Starz Kids & Family US.

In 2013, Spicer made her directorial debut with a musically driven short film, Playground Politix, featuring eight girls and eight boys battle dancing for space at a playground. The short is aimed at gender bullying and premiered at the esteemed LA Shorts Film Fest in 2014. Playground Politix also became the official selection at Dances with Films Kidz, Sunscreen, The Maryland Kids Film Fest and Reel Women UK.

Spicer earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications at the HBCU, Morgan State University with a minor in English through the Warner Bros. Writing Program at the university. Having established expertise in television, animation and film, Doreen Spicer-Dannelly is committed to developing inclusive projects under the auspices of her own company, SpiceRack Productions Inc. 

Republished Essay: Ring the Alarm: The State of Black Kid Joy and What’s at Stake

CIARA WARDLOW 

Ciara Wardlow is a freelance writer and development coordinator at Maven Screen Media, where she’s always searching for great stories highlighting underseen perspectives. As a film critic, her bylines include Pajiba, Film School Rejects, and The Hollywood Reporter. She is also a 2021 Film Independent Project Involve fellow in the executive track. Ciara lives in Harlem with a roommate and a cat. 

TV Review: NBC's The Thing About Pam Should Have Been a Feature Film

Republished Review: Asking For It

Republished Essay: The Burden Hollywood Puts on Black Storytellers (And How to Fix It)

SARAH WELCH-LARSON

Sarah Welch-Larson writes about aesthetics of science fiction and character-driven narratives in film. She is interested in feminist theory and theology, and in stories about agency and creation, particularly regarding cyborgs and androids. She lives in Chicago with her husband, their dog, and about two dozen houseplants.