Tucson Festival of Books

Melissa Ludtke



Stan Grossfeld

Melissa Ludtke was a reporter for Sports Illustrated and Time and edited Nieman Reports at Harvard University. Her books include "On Our Own," "Unmarried Motherhood in America," and "Touching Home in China." Her latest book is "Locker Room Talk." She has received the Yankee Quill Award and Mary Garber Pioneer Award and was a Nieman Fellow and a Prudential Fellow at Columbia University. 

Visit website | Facebook Instagram

Awards: Yankee Quill Award and Mary Garber Pioneer Award


Scheduled events:
No Glass Ceilings Here!
Someone had to be the first woman, whether as a pilot of color, reporting from a men's locker room, or entering the C-suite after secretarial education. Come celebrate these women who fought traditional gender roles and became extraordinary through the lens of history.

Koffler Room 218 (Seats 142, Wheelchair accessible)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sat, Mar 15, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Memoir / Essays / Creative Nonfiction
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - UA Campus Store Tent (on Mall) (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelists: Carole Hopson, Vanda Krefft, Melissa Ludtke
Moderator: Lupita Murillo
Breaking Barriers
In this session, we will learn more about three people who broke through significant cultural and institutional barriers to help set the stage for the sports world we know today.

Integrated Learning Center Room 150 (Seats 155, Wheelchair accessible)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sat, Mar 15, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Sports
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelists: Mirin Fader, Melissa Ludtke, Howard Megdal
Moderator: PJ Brown
She Had a Shut and Open Case
Until 1978, major league baseball prohibited woman sportswriters from entering locker rooms to interview players after games. It was Melissa Ludtke who changed that. Her equal-rights case in federal court opened the doors ... and the floodgate of woman journalists who have followed.

Arizona Daily Star Stage (Seats 250)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sun, Mar 16, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Sports
Signing area: Signing - Arizona Daily Star (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelist: Melissa Ludtke
Moderator: Elvia Verdugo

Book:
Locker Room Talk
A Woman’s Struggle to Get Inside
Memoir / Essays / Creative Nonfiction
Rutgers University Press
August 2024
ISBN 9781978837782
374 pages