The current issue

Jane Piirto: Lifetime Achievement Award Winner 2007
Mensa Research Journal vol. 39, No. 1; 100 pages; published winter 2008.

Includes seven articles highlighting the career of Jane Piirto, Ph.D; the TAG Progeny section; reviews of the books Developing and Validating Multiple-Choice Test Items, Third Edition by Thomas M. Haladyna and Adapting Educational and Psychological Tests for Cross-Cultural Assessment by Ronald K. Hambleton, Peter F. Merenda and Charles D. Spielberger, editors; notes, quotes and anecdotes; and guidelines for authors. 

Consider this excerpt from the article "Themes in the lives of successful contemporary U.S. women writers" by Dr. Piirto:

"Successful women writers are similar to writers in earlier studies, and to women creators in general, in that they exhibit the same personality characteristics and drive as men writers, but they also experience the conflict of being women and reconciling family duties with their creative work..... Young women will almost certainly become mothers. The difficulties of combining a career in writing with their nurturing role in the family should not be underplayed. However, as these award-winning women writers demonstrate, it can be done, even without the support of a husband....

"As portrayed by these women, the career of writer is neither glamorous nor lucrative. Depression seems to be present more often than in the general population. In fact, their very difference from the general population seems to spur them on to write about their challenges, from the position of outsiders and critics of society. Despite their challenges, the writers do it, struggling on, writing, writing, writing, motivated by love of words and not by love of money, fame, or influence."

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