Gay Courter

Last updated
Gay Courter
Gay Courter portrait.jpg
BornOctober 1, 1944 (1944-10) (age 79)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education Antioch College (BA)
Notable worksThe Midwife
SpousePhilip Courter
Children3
Website
www.gaycourter.com

Gay Courter (born October 1, 1944) is an American author. Her first non-fiction work, The Beansprout Book (1973), [1] introduced beansprouts to American supermarkets and the general public. She eventually became known as "The Pied Piper of sprouting." [2] Her works have been translated into several languages, including French, Spanish, and Swedish. [3] [4] [5] Courter is one of the first women writers to write a published novel on a word processor. [6] [7]

Contents

Biography

Courter was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Leonard M. Weisman, an international businessman, and Elsie Spector Weisman, a social worker. She is the elder of two daughters.[ citation needed ]

Courter attended schools in Taiwan, Japan, and the United States and was homeschooled by her mother during their travels. She graduated from AB Davis High School and received a B.A. in Drama/Film from Antioch College in 1966.   

From 1967 to 1970, she worked in the documentary and educational film business in New York with Harvest Productions, ACI Films, and Concord Productions. In 1972, Courter co-founded Courter Films and Associates with her husband Philip Courter. [8] Together, they produced more than 200 documentary, educational, and corporate films.  

Courter has been a vocal supporter of children's rights. [9] She was a Guardian ad Litem in the Florida Courts for 25 years. Her non-fiction book, I Speak For This Child: True Stories of a Child Advocate, led to television appearances on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and 20/20.[ citation needed ]

Courter is also a travel writer for Creators Syndicate [10] and other outlets. [11] She is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association, The Authors Guild, and the Writers Guild of America.

Courter lives in Crystal River, Florida with her husband. [12] They have three children. [13]

Diamond Princess

In February 2020, Courter was one of 3,700 passengers and crew quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was held in port at Yokohama, Japan during the coronavirus outbreak. In an interview with The New York Times, Courter questioned the efficacy of keeping passengers quarantined on board the ship, where the virus was rapidly spreading. [14] The Atlantic published a piece by Courter, detailing her trip to Asia, her time on the Diamond Princess, and her experience in quarantine once back in the United States. [15] Courter feared she and her husband would suffer from symptoms of PTSD. [16] Their experiences later became the book Quarantine! How I Survived the Diamond Princess Coronavirus Crisis. [17]

Gay Courter works on her IBM System/6 while writing her book, The Midwife. Gay Courter working on System6.jpg
Gay Courter works on her IBM System/6 while writing her book, The Midwife.

Literary styles and themes

Courter has written novels in both the first person and third person narrative styles. Many of her stories are based in places where she lived, such as central Brazil and Israel; people she has known, including her paternal grandmother, who was a Russian midwife; and Israeli spies, who were family friends. Her father was an arms merchant for Israel [18] and purchased an aircraft carrier for their navy.

Film producer

Together with her husband, Gay has produced more than 200 documentary and educational films [19] for more than thirty years. [20]

Their PBS productions include Freedom From Famine: The Norman Borlaug Story (Mathile/PBS 2009), [21] Solutions Micro.doc series (WEDU/PBS, 1998), Where’s My Chance? The Case for America’s Children (WEDU/PBS, 1994), [22] and The Florida Water Story (WEDU/PBS, 1988). [23]

In 1995, Courter received special recognition from the Florida Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television, Inc. for her work on Where's My Chance? The Case for Our Children, which also won an Emmy award. Courter received her second Emmy from the National Academy of Arts and Television Sciences, Suncoast Chapter, for a series of public service announcements called Solutions for America’s Children.[ citation needed ]

Advocacy

Gay Courter sits alongside Charles Gibson at ABC's Good Morning America in February 1995 with several youth Courter helped get adopted Gay on Good Morning America.jpg
Gay Courter sits alongside Charles Gibson at ABC's Good Morning America in February 1995 with several youth Courter helped get adopted

Since becoming a Guardian ad Litem in Florida, Courter has advocated for children on a local and national level. [24] Her 1995 book, I Speak For This Child, brought worldwide attention to the issues of children languishing in foster care. Courter and her husband shifted the focus of their company to documenting the plight of foster children and produced over 75 films on the subject.

Courter has appeared as an advocate in the press, on national television, and at numerous conferences promoting Court-appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Guardians ad litem, foster and adoptive parenting. [25] [26] She widened her advocacy to litigate for policy and statute change and also to represent the victims of systemic abuse in personal injury and civil rights lawsuits. [27]

Awards and honors

Published works

Novels

Non-fiction

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Child</span> American cooking personality (1912–2004)

Julia Carolyn Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Pickford</span> Canadian actress and producer (1892–1979)

Gladys Louise Smith, known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian actress resident in the U.S., and also producer, screenwriter, and film studio founder. She was a pioneer in the American film industry, with a Hollywood career that spanned five decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah, Duchess of York</span> Former wife of Prince Andrew (born 1959)

Sarah, Duchess of York, also known by the nickname Fergie, is a British author, television personality, and member of the extended British royal family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and a younger brother of King Charles III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Sophie of Bavaria</span> Bavarian princess turned Archduchess of Austria

Princess Sophie of Bavaria was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife, Caroline of Baden. The identical twin sister of Queen Maria Anna of Saxony, Sophie became Archduchess of Austria by marriage to Archduke Franz Karl of Austria. Her eldest son, Franz Joseph, reigned as Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary; her second son, Maximilian, briefly reigned as Emperor of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Bryant</span> American anti-gay activist/singer (born 1940)

Anita Jane Bryant is an American singer and anti-gay rights activist. She had three top 20 hits in the United States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and a brand ambassador from 1969 to 1980 for the Florida Citrus Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland</span> Swedish princess (born 1982)

Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland is the second daughter and youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Upon her birth, she was third in line of succession to the Swedish throne; currently, she is eighth. Princess Madeleine is married to British-American financier Christopher O'Neill. They have three children, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece</span> Danish princess by marriage

Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece, Princess of Denmark, is married to Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, son of King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. Marie-Chantal's husband was the heir apparent to the now defunct throne of Greece, as the monarchy was abolished in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Cypher</span> American film director

Julie Cypher is an American film director best known for being the former partner of musician Melissa Etheridge and former spouse of Lou Diamond Phillips.

A "friend of Dorothy" (FOD) is a euphemism for a gay man, first used in LGBT slang. Stating that, or asking if someone is a friend of Dorothy, is a furtive way of suggesting sexual orientation while avoiding hostility. The term was likely based on the character Dorothy Gale of the Oz series of novels, which have been interpreted as including much queer subtext. Actress Judy Garland, who portrayed Dorothy in the 1939 Wizard of Oz film, is considered a gay icon. Writer and critic Dorothy Parker is thought to be another potential origin of the term. The "friend of Dorothy" euphemism was commonly used throughout the 20th century, but its use has declined in recent decades as LGBT acceptance has advanced.

A legal guardian is a person who has been appointed by a court or otherwise has the legal authority to make decisions relevant to the personal and property interests of another person who is deemed incompetent, called a ward. For example, a legal guardian might be granted the authority to make decisions regarding a ward's housing or medical care or manage the ward's finances. Guardianship is most appropriate when an alleged ward is functionally incapacitated, meaning they have a lagging skill critical to performing certain tasks, such as making important life decisions. Guardianship intends to serve as a safeguard to protect the ward.

WEDU is a PBS member television station licensed to Tampa, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay area. It is owned by Florida West Coast Public Broadcasting alongside WEDQ. The two stations share studios on North Boulevard in Tampa and transmitter facilities in Riverview, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Perkins (reporter)</span> American journalist

Jack Morton Perkins was an American reporter, commentator, war correspondent, and anchorman. He was dubbed "America's most literate correspondent" by the Associated Press.

Martha Moore Ballard was an American midwife and healer. Unusual for the time, Ballard kept a diary with thousands of entries over nearly three decades, which has provided historians with invaluable insight into colonial frontier-women's lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ina May Gaskin</span> American midwife

Ina May Gaskin is an American midwife who has been described as "the mother of authentic midwifery." She helped found the self-sustaining community, The Farm, with her husband Stephen Gaskin in 1971 where she markedly launched her career in midwifery. She is known for the Gaskin Maneuver, has written several books on midwifery and childbirth, and continues to educate society through lectures and conferences and spread her message of natural, old-age inspired, fearless childbirth.

<i>Diamond Princess</i> (ship) Cruise ship

Diamond Princess is a British-registered cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises. She began operation in March 2004 and primarily cruises in Asia during the northern hemisphere summer and Australia during the southern hemisphere summer. She is a subclassed Grand-class ship, which is also known as a Gem-class ship. Diamond Princess and her sister ship, Sapphire Princess, are the widest subclass of Grand-class ships, as they have a 37.5-metre beam, while all other Grand-class ships have a beam of 36 metres. Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess were both built in Nagasaki, Japan, by Mitsubishi Industries.

Gregory Ralph Kingsley is the first American child, who, at the age of 12 years, legally severed ties with his mother. He changed his name to Shawn Russ after the juvenile court judge Thomas S. Kirk "ended the parental rights of his natural mother and allowed [his] foster parents to adopt him".

<i>Nate the Great</i> 31 childrens detective stories by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Nate the Great is a series of 31 children's detective stories written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and featuring the boy detective Nate the Great. Sharmat and the illustrator Marc Simont inaugurated the series in 1972 with Nate the Great, a 60-page book published by Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. Simont illustrated the first twenty books, to 1998; the last ten were illustrated by Martha Weston, Jody Wheeler, or Olga and Aleksey Ivanov "in the style of Marc Simont". Some of the titles were jointly written with Sharmat's sister Rosalind Weinman, husband Mitchell Sharmat or sons Craig Sharmat and Andrew Sharmat. Regarding the series, Marjorie Sharmat has called her husband Mitchell "always my first editor, and it's been a very happy collaboration".

Pemberton v. Tallahassee Memorial Regional Center, 66 F. Supp. 2d 1247, is a case in the United States regarding reproductive rights. In particular, the case explored the limits of a woman's right to choose her medical treatment in light of fetal rights at the end of pregnancy.

The Country Walk case is a Florida 1985 "Multi-Victim, Multi-Offender" child sex abuse case that occurred during the day-care sex-abuse hysteria. Frank Fuster remains imprisoned. His wife Ileana Flores Fuster initially denied any wrongdoing, but following months of interrogations, she testified against Frank and confessed to the alleged crimes, later recanting her confession, then recanting her recantation, and finally recanting that. This case became known because it seemed to have better evidence than other ritual abuse cases, but scientific findings since Fuster's conviction have challenged the evidence. The case, prosecuted by Janet Reno, was profiled in the 2002 Frontline episode "Did Daddy Do It?"

Aurelia Molins or Aurelia Florio (1582–1641) was an English midwife. She is known for being the daughter of the famous lexicographer John Florio.

References

  1. ↑ "The Beansprout Book | Gay Courter" . Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  2. ↑ "New York Post, November 12, 1973". New York Post. November 12, 1973.
  3. ↑ Courter, Gay (1986). Le fleuve de tous les rêves (in French). Montréal?: Laffont Canada. ISBN   9782277021148. OCLC   16041391.
  4. ↑ Courter, Gay (1995). Drömmanrnas Flod. Nattens Drottning.
  5. ↑ Courter, Gay (2008). Flores en la sangre (in Spanish). Alella, Barcelona: Nabla. ISBN   9788493592653. OCLC   433485628.
  6. ↑ "A Screen of Her Own: Gay Courter's The Midwife and the Literary History of Word Processing". Harvard University Press Blog. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  7. ↑ “Word Machines for Word People,” Publishers Weekly, February 13, 1981
  8. ↑ "About Us". www.courterfilms.com. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  9. ↑ "On The Side Of The Child". Newsweek. 1995-02-19. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  10. ↑ "Search Content | Creators Syndicate". www.creators.com. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  11. ↑ "Search Content | Creators Syndicate". www.creators.com. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  12. ↑ "Cruise Comeback: Lessons from the Crystal River couple quarantined on the Diamond Princess". ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  13. ↑ "Bios – Courter Films" . Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  14. ↑ Rich, Motoko; Yamamitsu, Eimi (2020-02-09). "As Virus Cases Rise on Quarantined Cruise Ship, Passengers Are on Edge". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  15. ↑ Courter, Gay (2020-02-27). "I Prepared for Everything, but Not Coronavirus on a Cruise Ship". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  16. ↑ Orecchio-Egresitz, Haven. "These couples spent nearly a month under confinement in a coronavirus quarantine, and yes, they're still married". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  17. ↑ Courter, Gay (2020-11-10). Quarantine!. Post Hill Press. ISBN   978-1-64293-683-4.
  18. ↑ “‘Legal’ Buying of Munitions Admitted by Jewish Agency.” New York Times, January 11, 1948, front page.
  19. ↑ "Courter Films & Associates". www.courterfilms.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  20. ↑ "Producer | Gay Courter" . Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  21. ↑ "Appreciating the Norm Borlaug Documentary 'Freedom From Famine' All Over Again". American Council on Science and Health. 2015-08-25. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  22. ↑ Singer, Glenn (3 December 1994). "Film Focuses on Needs of Children". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  23. ↑ "Cultural Affairs Media - Michael Green Productions - CA Media, Inc". www.camediainc.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  24. ↑ EST, Newsweek Staff On 2/19/95 at 7:00 PM (1995-02-19). "On The Side Of The Child". Newsweek. Retrieved 2019-11-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ "A Lifetime of Difference, One Child at a Time : Courts: In an overburdened system, volunteer advocates keep the focus on one thing--the best interest of those who have been abused, neglected or abandoned". Los Angeles Times. 1995-03-03. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  26. ↑ "Column: Protecting kids, not reuniting families, should be Florida's top priority". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  27. ↑ “On The Side of the Child; Five Years in the ‘Best Interest Wars’.” Newsweek, February 20, 1995
  28. ↑ "Angels in Adoption Awards 1999-2008" (PDF). PoundPupLegacy.org.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.