Across Time and Tables: 10 Women I’d Love to Chat With (Part 2)

After sharing in my previous blog post the five women I'd like to have a conversation with, I'm back with my final five women to complete the list. Now I'm focusing on women who are still living and could, if I were really lucky, speak with me. I considered candidates from different areas of talent and influence. Let's see who I've added.

Women from the Arts

I could have selected so many women for this category, but I landed on three with talents I have enjoyed for many years or only a few (so far).

Mary Engelbreit

Photo 1: Mary Engelbreit / Photo 2: One of my favorite Engelbreit designs, which I own as a poster in my sewing room. / Photo 3: A page from one of Engelbreit's wall calendars.

If this American illustrator's name isn't familiar to you, it's likely you've seen her artwork on one or more products from greeting cards to tote bags to calendars and more. Her highly colored and decorated illustrations often feature people, cute animals, fanciful flowers and foliage, and lots of swirls, curlicues and patterns -- along with famous quotations or inspirational messages.

Mary was fascinated with drawing and art from a young age and even set up her own "art studio" in a closet of her childhood home. She was born and raised in St. Louis and still lives there today. After beginning her career at a local advertising company and then trying to get notice for her illustrations in New York City, Mary began designing greeting cards. Then, in 1982, she created Mary Engelbreit Co., which eventually opened stories in several U.S. cities and then licensed her artwork for products to other companies. She continues to create illustrations.

Because I've been a big Engelbreit fan for more than 30 years, I've purchased several of her greeting cards, prints, figurines, and stickers, and my husband has gifted me her calendars for many Christmases. So, there are a few questions I'd be excited to ask her if I had the opportunity.

Working as an Artist/Illustrator and Business Owner

• You've been drawing for a long time. What continues to inspire you to create new illustrations?

• Do you have favorites among your hundreds of designs?

• What does your creative process look like?

• How would you describe the longevity of your career?

• Why do you think people continue to discover your artwork and connect with it?

Living in St. Louis

• Since you've lived in St. Louis all your life, what do you love most about the city/metro area?

• Why would you encourage others to visit or move to St. Louis?

• How does living in St. Louis influence or inspire your work?

Bernadette Peters

Photo 1: Bernadette Peters / Photo 2: Scene from the 1982 film Annie featuring Bernadetter Peters as Lily St. Regis, Tim Curry as "Rooster" Hannigan, and Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan.

When I think of stage and films musicals, there are a handful of performers who automatically come to mind, and one of them is Bernadette Peters. I suspect I may have seen her as a guest star on The Carol Burnett Show and The Muppet Show in the 1970s, but then later I enjoyed her roles as Lily St. Regis in the 1982 Annie film and the Witch in Into the Woods in 1987, among others. I'm excited that my husband and I have tickets in June when Bernadette will be in concert with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Bernadette has been performing since she was 3 1/2 when her mother put her on a television show called Juvenile Jury. Throughout her career, she has performed in theater productions (debuting on Broadway in Johnny No-Trump in 1967), on television shows, and in more than 40 feature films and television films (including the Mel Brooks film Silent Movie and co-starring with Steve Martin in The Jerk in 1979 and in Pennies From Heaven in 1981). She has also released several six solo albums and several singles. Along with her many performance credentials, Bernadette has collected two Tony Awards and an honorary award, three Drama Desk awards, a Golden Globe Award, and others, including several nominations. Also, four Broadway cast albums on which she performed won Grammy Awards.

So, imagine if I somehow won a contest to have a conversation with Bernadette when she's in St. Louis this summer. I'll be ready with the following questions.

Career on Stage and Screen

• What are your earliest memories of performing? What did you like and dislike about it?

• How did you train to work as an actress and singer?

• What form of performing do you love the most?

• Which roles do you wish you could perform again? Which songs are some of your favorites to perform?

• What do you still want to accomplish in your career?

Outside of Performing

• What motivates you the most about supporting the Broadway Barks annual animal adoption event?

• How did you get involved with supporting the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS organization and how are you active now?

• What are some of the innovative ways that the Standing Tall non-profit educational program benefits children with multiple disabilities in New York City? How are you carrying on your late husband Michael Wittenberg's legacy with the program? (Wittenberg served as director and treasurer of Standing Tall.)

• What other interests do you have that might surprise your fans?

Fortune Feimster

One of my favorite female stand-up comics is Fortune Feimster, who also works as an actress and radio show host. I first came across Fortune's comedy on several comedy radio stations that my husband and I like to listen to on roadtrip drives. Her "confessional" comedic style is hallmarked by stories of growing up in North Carolina and experiences as a lesbian (she came out when she was 25). She established herself in the comedy world in 2010 on the Last Comic Standing television show, followed by several roles on other television shows and in films. Fortune also does voiceover work, including the conspiracy theorist/podcast host beaver named Nibbles Maplestick in the 2025 animated film Zootopia 2. To further keep her busy, she co-hosts the What a Joke with Papa and Fortune radio show on the Netflix is a Joke channel with comic Tom Papas.

Career on Stage, Screen and Radio

• How did you decide to become a stand-up comic? Were you always considered funny by your family and friends?

• Where do you get your inspiration for your stand-up comedy sets?

• What do you enjoy most about acting and what is the most challenging about this work?

• You've already worked in many capacities in show business so far. Do you have other aspirations for your career?

Outside of Performing

• Your legal first name is Emily, and Fortune is your maternal great grandmother's maiden name. Were you called Fortune as a child? If not, when did you decide to use Fortune instead of Emily?

• When you're not working, what other hobbies or interests do you enjoy?

• After you graduated from college, you spent a year in Spain. What was that experience like and would you ever return there to live?

Young Women Who Shine

Not to be overlooked, younger (to me) women make my list of talented and interesting candidates for a good conversation. I also wanted to include an athlete, since I enjoy watching several sports, as well as a writer who can say so much through words, which is a strength I would love to improve in my own work.

Coco Gauff

Photo 1: Tennis player Coco Gauff holds the US Open championship trophy in 2023. (Photo credit: J. Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday RM/Getty Images) / Photo 2: Coco Gauff in action at the 2019 Championships Wimbledon.

When thinking about all the female athletes I admire, several came to mind. American professional tennis player Coco Gauff, however, has captured my attention from the first time I saw her play a match on TV in 2019 when she debuted at the Miami Open and played -- and defeated -- long-time superstar Venus Williams and then proceeded to win three more matches in that tournament. Coco was only 15 years old. Since then, she has reached a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world in singles and No. 1 in doubles. In just six years, Coco has won 11 singles titles and 10 doubles titles -- chief among them the 2023 US Open (singles), the 2025 French Open (singles), and 2024 French Open (doubles with partner Katerina Siniakova). Coco is currently ranked No. 4 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).

Coco started playing tennis at age six, and by age seven her parents recognized her early talent and moved the family back to Florida to pursue better training opportunities -- following a similar model as Serena and Venus Williams. Both of her parents, Cory and Candi, gave up their careers to assist Coco with her tennis ambitions. Her dad has served as her primary coach at times while her mother coordinated homeschooling for Coco.

If we had a chance to talk, I wouldn't want our conversation to seem like another press conference for Coco. I'm certainly no sports reporter. Instead, I hope she would humor an older fan's questions with her usual grace and honesty.

Tennis Career

• What is your typical practice day like when you're not playing in a tournament?

• How easy is it to get to know other tennis players on the WTA tour?

• What do you hope younger tennis players can learn from your career so far? What advice would you give them?

• What brings you the most inspiration during a tough tennis match?

Off the Courts

• I know you're a big anime fan. What fascinates you the most about the genre?

• How much time do you get to spend with your two younger brothers? How often do they join your parents to watch you play at tournaments?

• Who would you like to meet either in the tennis world or outside of it and why?

Amanda Gorman

Photo 1: Amanda Gorman delivering her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the 2021 presidential inauguration ceremony. (Photo credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images) / Photo 2: Posing with her first children's picture book, Change Sings: A Children's Anthem, which was published in 2021. (Photo credit: Amanda Gorman/Instagram)

My final wishlist conversation partner is Amanda Gorman, an American poet, activist and model. My first awareness of Amanda was her recitation of her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden. Both the words and her delivery carried so much significance for the current position the country was facing. I was immediately a big fan!

Amanda grew up in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles along with her mother Joan Wicks, her twin sister Gabrielle and older brother Spencer. She struggled with an auditory processing disorder, hypersensitivity to sound, and a speech impediment. Amanda credits her awareness of these disabilities that affected auditory and vocal skills as the spark that drove her toward reading and writing. The themes of feminism, marginalization, and race provide focus for her writing. In 2016 she was the first person to be named youth poet laureate of Los Angeles, and a year later she published her first book of poetry, The One for Whom Food is Not Enough. Other firsts include being the first youth poet to open a Library of Congress season in 2017, and while attending Harvard University that same year she was named National Youth Poet Laureate. Amanda was asked to read one of her poems at the Super Bowl LV's pregame ceremony in February 2021, and her second book of poetry, Call Us What We Carry, as well as her first children's picture book, Change Sings: A Children's Anthem, were both published in 2021.

I picture a quiet, calm setting for my conversation with Amanda. But the space would still allow for any enormity of thought and expression -- just as I envision one of Amanda's poems. I'm curious to know more about her as a thought-provoking writer and woman.

Your Writings

• How do you approach the writing process? Does it depend on the topic or genre?

• You've written poetry and children's picture books. Are there other genres you'd like to publish?

• How do you explore the topics of your writing before you draft your next poem?

• Poetry isn't the most common form of communication nowadays. How do you hope your poems might change how people view poetry?

Beyond Your Writing

• If you have a day without any professional commitements, how do you like to spend your time?

• You've declared your intention to run for U.S. president in 2036. In what direction would you like to steer the country?

Finish Crafting Your Conversation List!

Now that my list is complete, I encourage you to finalize your own and then consider what you'd like to ask. Perhaps the opportunity for a conversation might present itself. If not, it's still an interesting thought experiment to imagine your conversation partner's responses.

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