Eve Ensler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eve Ensler
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V in March 2011
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Eve Ensler
May 25, 1953 New York City, U.S.
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Richard McDermott
(m. 1978; div. 1988) |
V, who was formerly known as Eve Ensler (born May 25, 1953), is an American writer, author, performer, and activist. She is well-known for her plays and for starting a global movement to stop violence against women and girls.
In 2011, V received a special award called the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 65th Tony Awards. This award honors people in the theater world who have given a lot of their time and effort to help humanitarian or social causes. V earned this award for creating the V-Day movement. This non-profit group raises money and teaches people about violence against women and how to stop it.
V writes for The Guardian newspaper. She has also been featured in several films. These include V-Day's Until the Violence Stops, the PBS documentary What I Want My Words to Do to You, and the Netflix documentary City of Joy. She often appears in interviews on TV, radio, and podcasts.
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About V's Life
V was born in New York City. She was the second of three children. Her father worked in the food industry, and her mother was a homemaker. V grew up in Scarsdale, a town north of New York City. Her father was Jewish and her mother was Christian. V identifies herself as a Nichiren Buddhist. She says her spiritual practice includes chanting and doing yoga.
V's Education and Family
V went to Middlebury College in Vermont. There, she became known as a strong supporter of women's rights. In 1978, she married Richard Dylan McDermott. When she was 23, she adopted Mark Anthony McDermott. He was her husband's 16-year-old son from a previous marriage. V and Mark became very close. She said their relationship taught her "how to be a loving human being." V and Dylan's father separated in 1988.
In 2010, V shared in an article that she was getting treatment for cancer. She later wrote about her experience with cancer in her book, In The Body of the World. In 2012, V announced that she had been cancer-free for two and a half years.
V's Creative Works
V is a talented writer and playwright. Many of her works focus on important social issues.
Books and Plays
V's memoir, In the Body of the World, was released in 2013. A memoir is a book about a person's own life experiences. Reviewers praised the book for its honesty and powerful message. In 2018, V performed a stage version of her memoir. She performed it as a solo show in New York City.
She also helped write a piece called "Theater: A Sacred Home for Women." This was for a book called Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium (2003). V also made uncredited contributions to the book for Wicked. This is a very popular Broadway musical.
From 2005 to 2006, V toured with her play The Good Body. This play explores why women from different cultures feel pressure to change their appearance. They often feel they need to look a certain way to be accepted by society.
Her play, The Treatment, opened in New York City in 2006. This play looks at the emotional challenges that can come from being part of military conflicts. Her adopted son, Dylan McDermott, starred in this play.
In 2006, V released her first major book written just for print. It was called Insecure at Last: Losing It In Our Security-Obsessed World. In this book, she explores how people live today. She also looks at the steps people take to feel safe. V suggests that people can find freedom by letting go of the idea of "protection." In the same year, V also helped edit A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer. This book is a collection of writings about violence against women.
I Am An Emotional Creature
V's book I Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around The World was released in 2010. This book is a collection of original stories and monologues. It is written about and for girls. The book aims to inspire girls to take charge of their minds, hearts, and curiosity. It became a New York Times Best Seller.
The book was later turned into a play called Emotional Creature. It first premiered in the United States in 2012. The South African production of Emotional Creature was nominated for an award in 2011.
In 2015, V was a consultant for the action film Mad Max: Fury Road. She advised on topics related to feminism and women's issues for the movie.
V's Activism
V is a dedicated activist who works to address issues of violence against women and girls.
The V-Day Movement
In 1998, V created V-Day. This is a global activist movement with the goal of stopping violence against women and girls. By 2010, over 5,400 V-Day events had taken place in more than 1,500 locations around the world.
By 2014, the V-Day movement had raised over $100 million. It also educated millions of people about violence against women and how to end it. The movement has created international campaigns and reopened shelters. It has also funded over 12,000 local programs and safe houses. These programs are in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Egypt, and Iraq.
V also supports the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). She visited Afghanistan when the Taliban ruled the country. She has organized many programs to support Afghan women, including an event called the "Afghani Women's Summit For Democracy."
Since 1998, V has led a writing group at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. This group was featured in the film What I Want My Words To Do To You.
One Billion Rising
In 2012, V and the V-Day movement created One Billion Rising. This is a global protest campaign. Its goal is to end violence and promote fairness and equality for women. On February 14, 2013, which was V-Day's 15th anniversary, women and men in countries all over the world held dance events. They did this to demand an end to violence against women and girls.
Awards and Honors
V has received many awards for her artistic work and her efforts to help others:
- Tony Award: In 2011, V received the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 65th Tony Awards. This award recognizes people in the theater community who have given a lot of their time to humanitarian or social organizations.
- Guggenheim Fellowship Award in Playwriting: 1999
- Lion of Judah by the United Jewish Communities: 2002
Selected Works
Plays
- Conviction
- Lemonade
- The Depot
- Floating Rhoda and the Glue Man
- Extraordinary Measures
- The Good Body
- Necessary Targets
- The Treatment
- Emotional Creature
- O.P.C.
- In the Body of the World
- Wild (book)
Books
- Necessary Targets (2003)
- The Good Body (2004)
- Insecure at Last: Losing It in Our Security Obsessed World (2006)
- The treatment (2007)
- A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer (2007)
- I Am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World (2010)
- In the Body of the World: A Memoir (2013)
- The Apology (2019)
- Reckoning (2023)
Selected Films
- City of Joy (2016)
- Until the Violence Stops (2004)
- What I Want My Words to Do to You: Voices From Inside a Women's Maximum Security Prison (2003)
- Fear No More: Stop Violence Against Women (2002) – interviewee
Images for kids
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V in March 2011
See also
In Spanish: Eve Ensler para niños
