Presenting

T he new year is cer tainly off to an interesting star t. With the dramatic political changes and cultural shifts, we are more aware than ever of our differences of opinion while also reminded of the many things we have in common. Last year we witnessed a monumental historic event: A female finally made it to the top of a major political ticket. While she was not ultimately successful, I am confident I will see a woman President of the United States in my lifetime. As the presidential campaign roared along last fall, I began to wonder about the history of women. An Ar t History major in college, I knew the Goddess was a prevalent motif of ancient cultures and matriarchal societies existed. As I began researching ancient civilizations, I was saddened to find that history is not a finite story, but in fact, a subjective tale written by the winners of war. The history I had been taught was woefully one-sided, written from the male perspective for millenniums. Thankfully, many brilliant female scientists and archeologists have begun to tell the full story including how women have shaped humanity from the beginning. I share with you my findings in my ar ticle, When Women Ruled. It is not only a story of the past, but a hopeful glimpse into a possibility of a more egalitarian future. Fur thering this idea of looking to the future with optimism, an examination of the state of our environment—and our role in getting it healthy again—can be found in A Planet in Crisis. With more recent acknowledgment of the issues we are facing as a global community, and actions toward addressing them, we are on the right path to attempting to turn things around. We share the stories of two influential women in our area: Anu Tali and Kelly Flannery. We learn about the unique role of each as a leader within her organization. Anu literally conducts the flow of both the sound and the presence of the orchestra. Kelly, meanwhile, directs and orchestrates events in South Tampa Bay to unite her community and fur ther the mission of the Chamber of Commerce to take the city to the next level. We also look outside our own circle and trace the journeys of Heather Long and Theresa Park, two Women in the News who in a sense are making headlines every day. Heather shapes our perspective on the world around us as a well-respected senior writer and editor for CNNMoney. And the literary world has never been quite the same since Theresa entered the scene. Guided by her savvy business sense and keen eye for new talent that deserves a spotlight (ever heard of Nicholas Sparks?), Theresa's own Park Literary & Media is bringing a wealth of gifted authors and transformative material to the shelves and the screen. As always, we leave you with a bright spot of humor. I share the hilarious—and just a bit disturbing—story of one woman's rite of passage in reclaiming her own personal wor th by truly having The Last Laugh. All the best to you in the new year! From our Founder TAMPA BAY - SARASOTA EDITION Winter 2017 GravitasMag.com $4.95 US For Women with Purpose When Women Ruled Anu Tali, Music Director, Sarasota Orchestra P E O P L E I D E A S S T Y L E C U L T U R E N E W S Life & Loves of Georgia O'Keeffe Explore the Land of Fire & Ice: Iceland gravitas-winter2017-pgs01-09.indd 1 3/1/17 7:33 PM Jules Lewis Gibson Founder & Editor-In-Chief Follow Jules @SeasideJules Visit us at GravitasMag.com to learn about our new Audio Magazines By Jules Lewis Gibson T By Jules Lewis Gibson When Women Ruled he opportunity to write history remains one of the greatest spoils of victory, which explains why women's contributions to humanity have been relegated to the shadows. Historically, signi cant females are seemingly few and far between. Aside from Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Queens Elizabeth and Victoria, women leaders were anomalies—or so we were told. Subscribe at GravitasMag.com | 45 44 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com GRAVITAS-Winter2017-pgs44-51.indd 44-45 3/1/17 6:34 PM 6 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com

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