Sandi Klein's Conversations with Creative Women

Kelsey Crowe

What if you find yourself faced with a life altering situation with no resources - no one to lean on, or help you navigate those rough waters? That's exactly what happened to Kelsey Crowe. When she was 21, Kelsey lost her mother and only known relative, to mental illness. Falling apart and losing your core, can be a tall order. This prompted her to write an instructional manual - and....thus Help Each Other Out was born. Sometime later, Help Each Other Out, the organization was formed. Its goal is to bring empathy into public spaces with art and conversation. You'll want to listen to this conversation.

Carla Kaplan

Carla Kaplan, Professor of American Literature at Northeastern University, introduces us to "Miss Anne", the collective term used to describe a group of white rebellious, romantic, risk taking women who were part of the Harlem Renaissance, but until now, mostly relegated to the sidelines. Seven years in the making, her book, Miss Anne in Harlem, brings their stories to light. They're fascinating and amazing. This is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Lacey Schwartz

Lacey Schwartz is the director and subject of Little White Lie, a riveting, powerful, emotional documentary that traces her upbringing as an only child in a white, Jewish family in upstate New York. However, it was during her freshman year in college that she learned the truth.  When confronted, her mother finally acknowledged having had an extra-marital affair...and that her biological father was in fact, black. Lacey, who is also the CEO of Truth Aid, a company that makes movies, produces multi-media content and performs educational outreach on social issues, makes for a fascinating conversation.

Karen Pearl

With a small but dedicated professional staff and 8,000 volunteers, God's Love We Deliver provides 4,600 meals each weekday to people in the New York City metropolitan area who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. The person overseeing this critical lifeline is President and CEO Karen Pearl. Learn all about this amazing operation that's been around for 30 years.

Carrie Rich

Young people can change the world, especially when they're matched with experienced leaders. That's the philosophy behind the Global Good Fund, founded in 2011 by Carrie Rich, who has worked tirelessly to make the world a better place. Her grit, determination, and refusal to take 'no' for an answer makes her a real force to be reckoned with. Tune in and be inspired.

Wendy Crawford

On a summer day in 1984, while driving to the airport for her first international modeling gig, 19 year old Canadian Wendy Crawford was hit by a drunk driver. Wendy never walked again. As she struggled to come to terms with life as a quadriplegic, Wendy saw the need to develop a way to raise awareness of, and become an advocate for, women facing physical challenges. So, in 2002, she founded mobileWomen.org, an online magazine that provides information and a community for women in wheelchairs. Her story is one we all need to hear.

Keren Taylor

Never underestimate the power of a girl and her pen. It's that philosophy that propelled Keren Taylor to start WriteGirl, an non-profit literacy program for underserved 13-18 year old girls in the L.A. area. Since its inception in 2001, it has helped hundreds of teens find their voices/calling and in 2013, Michelle Obama presented Keren and WriteGirl with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the highest honor given to such endeavors. And just this year, Keren was selected a CNN Hero for her creative efforts to help young people. She is truly an inspiration.

Natasha Silver Bell

Born and raised on a farm in the Midwest, Natasha Silver Bell struggled with undiagnosed learning disabilities. Despite those obstacles, she became a star athlete, entered a local beauty pageant and at 19 won Miss Michigan USA. Being selected in the top 6 of Miss USA, led her to New York where she worked as a Ford model. That glamorous, exciting time was also marked by an eating disorder and substance abuse. Natasha managed to turn things around and "move to the winning side." And so today, the divorced mother of 3 and former addict, is a certified Addiction Recovery Coach who works with individuals to help them create healthy lifestyles, make positive choices and find their authentic selves.

Cindy Cooper

There's not a whole lot of down time for Cindy Cooper, awarding winning playwright, journalist and author. So far she's written 14 full length plays and several non-fiction books. As a journalist, Cindy writes frequently about social justice and human rights - her articles appearing in dozens of newspapers and magazines, websites and anthologies. Obviously....there's a lot to talk about!

Jessica Dermody and Lolita Brinkley - Life Without Parole

Meet Jessica Dermody, producer/director/writer and actress Lolita Brinkley. Their paths have come together in the production of Life Without Parole. The powerful 6-character play is based on the original transcripts and testimonies of inmates at the California Institution for Women at Chino who were convicted of killing their abusive partners. Jessica's the director, Lolita - one of the cast members. Our conversation extends well beyond the play to include their lives on stage, as well as in front of and behind the camera.