Our Women in the World brings to the forefront the untold stories of the women who have shaped and are shaping modern diplomacy.
I share conversations with current and former female diplomats, foreign policy and national security professionals about their often unheralded work, their ambitions, and their personal dreams achieved and deferred.
I believe there is an imperative to trouble the narrative that some people’s skills and experiences are the default and everyone else’s will be defined against them.
The conversations move between each guest’s inner life and the broader sweep of history, aiming to ensure the voices of the women who have dedicated their careers to shaping the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world are amplified and to give them the space to speak for themselves.
Why Subscribe?
This is a reader-driven membership community dedicated to engaging in conversations that are too often overlooked, misunderstood or underreported.
It could not be a more critical or interesting time to dive into global affairs and the United States’ relationship with the rest of the world, but these will also be conversations grounded in the nuanced, lived experiences of women and so are meant to appeal to a far broader audience than those in the national security, foreign policy and news junkie realm.
What you will find here:
The women interviewed here range in age from late 20s to early 80s and their first-hand experiences working in war zones, evacuating embassies under fire, being high-value hostages and being personally attacked will be riveting. Political events will provide the backdrop and guide posts throughout, but these conversations are meant to bring to life the untold stories of those who were and are making difficult decisions, sounding (sometimes unheeded) alarms and representing the United States to allies and adversaries alike. And that means illuminating how they did it.
These aren’t tales of bravery and triumph told in a vacuum. Readers will see themselves in so much of what is happening behind the scenes. These women didn’t have it all. Far from it. These conversations won’t shy away from their sacrifices — both personal and professional, like the decision to pass on an exciting opportunity because a spouse compromised on the last assignment, and the anger and resentment that follows.
With wit and honesty, the women enrich their tales of globetrotting by getting real about exactly how they make it out the door in time for that cocktail party at the palace or are able to join that last-minute boat trip along the Bosphorus sipping Turkish coffee with a military attache.
Opening a window into their most candid, striking and impulsive moments is the only real way to understand the inner lives and motivations of any woman. I hope you will join me and share your own story.
Join the Conversation:
If you’d like to share your story or know someone else who might have stories of her/their own to share, please write to me here: jen@jenniferkoons.com.
Weekly snapshots of women in the world throughout history. After all, this newsletter is meant to spotlight others, amplifying cross-generational contributions—talent, ambitions, challenges and milestones.
The more I learn, the more I wish to share. And learning is a lifelong process. But these snapshots are meant to strengthen our foundations and stoke our interest. Many readers won’t recognize every name. My hope is that after reading though, they may wish to learn them. Only in so doing can you begin to see modern diplomacy laid out in full.
A reporter's notebook from this woman in the world, reflecting, reframing, occasionally regretting and returning to the stories that move me. This looks like sharing personal work published elsewhere; excerpts from Safira and works and recommendations from other writers.
About Me:
I write about women, wonder and ambition and what that looks like at work and in the world. I created and author “Our Women in the World,” a weekly newsletter that brings to the forefront the untold stories of the women who have shaped and are shaping modern diplomacy.
I worked previously as a foreign correspondent and national security editor. My reporting has appeared in THE ATLANTIC, THE NEW YORK TIMES, SALON, THE HUFFINGTON POST AND FOREIGN POLICY, among other publications. I am a Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting grantee for my work on women, children, terrorism and migration in the Sahel.
My nonfiction is represented by Bridget Wagner Matzie at Aevitas Creative Management.
If you’d like to share your story or know someone else who might have stories of her/their own to share, please write to me here: jen@jenniferkoons.com.
