This mini episode of The Write Question is actually an excerpt of a much longer conversation with Lorissa Rinehart, author of Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress, which publishes this Tuesday, November 4, 2025 (St. Martin’s Press).
Note: Absent from this excerpt, but included in the extended conversation, forthcoming, is Karen Sterk, the CEO of the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, which empowers women to complete their college degrees by offering grants to those age 35 and older.
Lorissa will be touring Winning the Earthquake in Montana, sponsored by the Jeannette Rankin Foundation:
- Thursday, November 6th, at the Missoula Public Library at 3 p.m.;
- Saturday, November 8th, at the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls at 6 p.m.; and
- Sunday, November 9th, at the Lewis & Clark Library in Helena at 2:30 p.m.
For more information about these events, about Lorissa, or about Winning the Earthquake, head to lorissarinehart.com.
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The Write Question team for this excerpt was Lauren Korn, host, co-producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, co-producer, editor, and sound engineer. The Write Question’s 2025-2026 season is supported by a co-op of four independent bookstores, encouraging a lifetime of learning through storytelling and conversation: Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana; Montana Book Co. in Helena, Montana; Fact & Fiction Books in Missoula, Montana; and Bookworks of Whitefish in Whitefish, Montana.
Additional funding for The Write Question comes from members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
