Lorraine Harrell

Lorraine Harrell is the author of Creating a Map of Your World and Obama's Hope: Our Youth Envisioning the Future, an award-winning poet, playwright and journalist, and a Certified Creativity/Empowerment Coach. She is the recipient of the Grand Prize Nikki Giovanni/McDonald's Literary Achievement Award -in poetry, an Illinois Arts Council grant in poetry, and a Mary Roberts Rhinehart grant in playwriting.   She is a former Chicago Tribune writer for TempoWoman.  She was publicist for award-winning filmmaker Darryl Roberts with his 1989 film "The Perfect Model," and publicist for the 1993 award-winning film "It's In the Bag," with filmmaker Angela DeJoseph.  A winner in the 1991 and 1993 Midwest and California Warner Brothers/Lorimar TV Comedy Writer's Workshop, for her TV spec scripts for "Married With Children," "Seinfeld," "Home Improvement" and "Roseanne." Her play "Wishing Well," was selected for the 1998 Los Angeles Theater Center Wordsmith playwriting competition and dramaturg. 

Her play "Women Hold Up Half the Sky," a dramatic monologue, showcasing: the late Playwright/Activist, Lorraine Hansberry, the late Feminist attorney Flo Kennedy, the remarkable educator, congresswoman, activist boss lady, Shirley Chisholm, Feminist Lawyer Gloria Allred, Activist/Professor Angela Davis, the incredible Lena Horne, Dorothy Height, Activist and founder of the National Council of Negro Women, and the legendary dancer Isadora Duncan), the revolutionary child educator, Dr. Emmi Pikler, the brilliant and prolific writer and author George Sand, (born as Aurore Dupin) and the illuminating writer/author Isabelle Allende, model Ophelia DeVore-Mitchell and broadcast journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault debuted at the Pasadena City College, in California (2002); which was attended by the infamous Feminist Lawyer Gloria Allred, along with her daughter, Lisa Bloom.  Lorraine was also later interviewed by Ms. Allred on the Gloria Allred KABC radio talk show. 

September 9, 2011 - Lorraine is the Moderator & Host for the "Stop the Brainwash Campaign Live Broadcast Forum." (10 a.m.-12 Noon) for more info., e-mail: info@creativeodysseyenterprises.com

March 27, 2011 - Lorraine was interviewed on The Extra Forum with host Andrew T. Carr  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/extraeffortforum/2011/03/27/creating-a-map-of-your-world

August 7, 2011 - Lorraine was the featured Poet at "Praise on the Lake," in Chicago, hosted by AM Prayer Call leader Janine Ingram.   

August 23, 2011 - Lorraine was the featured speaker for her presentation "Living Your Purpose," on AM Prayer Call. (712) 432-0900. Access: 77219                         

In May 2010, Lorraine collaborated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health in celebrating and promoting National Women's Health Week, and the eight-week "Woman's Challenge," an online physical activity program which began on May 9-July 3, 2010.   Her company, Creative Odyssey Enterprises also received a Proclamation from National Women's Health Week for her excellent promotional efforts for promoting physical activity and for the May 17, 2010 broadcasting of "The Benefits of Healthy Living," on her hour long radio talk show Heart of A Woman Show.   Additionally, Lorraine participated in the Nation's first National Physical Activity Plan on May 3, 2010, by sending a letter to local officials and informing them about the Physical Activity Plan, and promoting public awareness of the plan. 

Tune in to Heart of A Woman - Provocative Internet Radio Talk Show, every Monday at 10:00 a.m., afterwards 24/7 streaming.    

In 2006, Lorraine was selected as one of the Chicago Public Radio: Chicago Matters, WBEZ - Ear To The Ground Writer/Reporter, in which she wrote and reported on the historical and current role black churches played in the Chicago Public School System, "Amazing Grace."  The completed 10½ minute documentary included interviews with Senator Jacqueline Collins, Rev. Al Simpson, Rev. St John Chisum, and several others, and can be heard online. Produced by WBEZ's Julia McEvoy.

In 2005, Lorraine was selected for a Soul Mountain Retreat three-week writer's fellowship via the poet Laureate of Connecticut: Marilyn Nelson.  Lorraine was also selected as a finalist in the 2005-10^th Annual Juried Reading with the Poetry Center of Chicago for her poem "The First Sky is Inside you." 

Lorraine has written six stage plays: Wishing Well, A Magician's Heart, In My Mother's House, The Halloween Party and Women Hold Up Half the Sky.  She is the author of a collection of poetry - Women Hold Up Half the Sky (Infinity Press 2002).  Her nonfiction book Creating a Map of Your World, published April 2008.  Obama's Hope: Our Youth Envisioning the Future published 2009.

Lorraine is contracted with Divine Divas, in which she conducts several workshops on Creating a Map of Your World, and "Authenticity: Living an Authentic Life." 

The Divine Divas first conference was launched in the beautiful islands of Trinidad, West Indies, in April 2008.

She is currently working on a book of essays: Creative Living: Cultivating the Spirit of Joy, Fun and Laughter, Crown Her with Sky: A Poetic Biography of the Life & Art of playwright/activist Lorraine Hansberry, and From the Raging Moon I Dance: A Poetic Biography of the Legendary Josephine Baker, and a series of one-act plays titled "Bewitching Brew."  In 2011, Lorraine will give herself permission to create the space to work on her two novels in progress: The Life I'm Walking Toward and The Face of My Heart.  Her third non-fiction book in progress is: Creative Dreamers: Purposeful, Passionate Women for Social Responsibility (a collection of interviews with 40 courageous, spirited, notable and groundbreaking women whose compassion and generous mission for social responsibility impact the quality of life, uplift and empower people, particularly women and children, to live a purposeful life.)  

Lorraine received a 2007 grant along with the Community Film Workshop, from the Chicago Foundation for Women to produce a trailer for her documentary - Heart of Darkness: Violence Among Teen Girls. Her forthcoming book: Sassy, Succulent, Savoring Quotes for Empowering Women (Fall 2011).

Lorraine has been published in Essence Magazine, The Chicago Tribune (TempoWoman), Sunbury 10,  Nommno: Remembering Ourselves Whole, Kaleidoscope: Women at Work, and Chicago Poetry.com.  She has been profiled in Jet Magazine, The Chicago Sun-Times, (Kup's column), Screen Magazine, featured on Harry Porterfield's Someone You Should Know, WNIB radio, The Heartbeat of Trinidad-Radio for Women, Mutual Black Radio Network, The Pasadena Gabriel Journal, and the Pasadena Weekly and the L.A. Sentinel.  Partial list of TempoWoman profile articles on: Novelists: Dori Sanders and Marita Golden, actress, community activist, Marla Gibbs and Dr. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, professor, sociologist, at Harvard University, and author and recipient of the MacArthur "genius grant."  My article, "Family Legacy:  Sara Lawrence Lightfoot Revels in Real Lives," was selected as one of the top 50 of 100 of the Chicago Tribune's Most Popular Articles & Stories.  http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990/aug/19

Lorraine is a graduate of Columbia College with a B.A. in Broadcast Communications/Filmmaking, and the University of Southern California with a MFA degree in Playwriting and minor in Cultural Anthropology.  Lorraine is a Lorraine is a dynamic motivational speaker, and educator.  Her presentations are entertaining, insightful and informative. She shares her own challenges, stumbling blocks and triumphs.