Pederson, Rena

PERSONAL:

Children: Gregory Gish, Grant Gish. Education: University of Texas at Austin, B.S. (with honors), 1969; Columbia University, M.S., 1970.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—rena@renapederson.com.

CAREER:

Journalist, editor, and writer. Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX, beginning 1973, became reporter, features writer, television critic, writer, and op-ed editor, 1986-2002, then vice president and editorial page editor, beginning 2002; American College of Education, director of communications. Also worked in Washington and with the Houston Chronicle, Associated Press (AP), and United Press International (UPI). Served as a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board, 1989.

MEMBER:

American Society of Newspaper Editors, Council on Foreign Relations, National Conference of Editorial Writers (former president).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize; distinguished alumna of Columbia University graduate school; recipient of awards from the Headliners Club (multiple), Dallas Press Club, and AP Managing Editors.

WRITINGS:

(With R. Lee Smith) What's Next? Women Redefining Their Dreams in the Prime of Life, Perigee (New York, NY), 2001.

What's Missing? Inspiration for Women Seeking Faith and Joy in Their Lives, Perigee (New York, NY), 2003.

The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth about Junia, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

A longtime journalist and newspaper editor, Rena Pederson is also the author of books focusing on women in modern life and a book about women during the early days of Christianity. Pederson wrote her first book with the psychologist R. Lee Smith. What's Next? Women Redefining Their Dreams in the Prime of Life focuses on how women can change directions later in their lives, approximately between the ages of thirty-five and sixty. The book includes numerous personal anecdotes from famous women who changed careers or directions later in their lives, including Anna Quindlen, Beverly Sills, and Julia Child. The authors also provide readers with self-assessment tools to help them decide in what direction to go. Charles Reinken, writing in the Masthead, noted that "this is no mad-as-hell-won't-take-it-anymore screed. It is, above all, a joyous celebration of the experience of mature women whose lives take a no-looking-back turn." A Publishers Weekly contributor referred to What's Next? as a "spiritual and practical guide for women seeking change at midlife."

What's Missing? Inspiration for Women Seeking Faith and Joy in Their Lives discusses how women incorporate their religious beliefs into their daily lives, with a focus on women of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths. The author includes numerous interviews from notable women, such as singer Judy Collins, First Lady Laura Bush, and author Karen Armstrong. The author also profiles women from different faiths who have been political and social activists. Maura Casey, writ- ing in the Masthead, noted that the author "speaks to an issue that men and women share—the meaning of life, the meaning of faith, and where its place is in our professional and personal lives."

In The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth about Junia, Pederson writes about a female apostle named Junia who was briefly mentioned by Paul in "Romans." In the process, the author discusses women's role in the early days of Christianity and how early Christian men reacted to women. She also explores how the role of women in Christianity has evolved over the ages. "This is fascinating material," wrote Ilene Cooper in Booklist. In a review in the Library Journal, Anna M. Donnelly commented: "Engagingly written and intelligently documented, this book is recommended as a worthy contribution to all religion collections."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 2006, Ilene Cooper, review of The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth about Junia, p. 29.

Library Journal, November 1, 2006, Anna M. Donnelly, review of The Lost Apostle, p. 83.

Masthead, summer, 2001, Charles Reinken, "Practical Talk on Self-Reinvention," review of What's Next? Women Redefining Their Dreams in the Prime of Life; winter, 2002, "NCEW (Member News: Milestones, Awards, Educational Opportunities)"; autumn, 2003, Maura J. Casey, "Pederson Writes a Gift of Faith," review of What's Missing? Inspiration for Women Seeking Faith and Joy in Their Lives, p. 32.

Publishers Weekly, April 2, 2001, "Prime Women," includes review of What's Next?, p. 58.

U.S. Catholic, January, 2007, Carolyn Osiek, review of The Lost Apostle, p. 45.

ONLINE

Rena Pederson Home Page,http://www.renapederson.com (July 14, 2007).

Sourcewatch,http://www.sourcewatch.org/ (July 14, 2007), "Rena Pederson Is Expected to Join the U.S. Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in Fall 2006."