Penny L. Richards, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Center for Disability Studies at the University at Buffalo (beginning 2015); review board, Disability Studies Quarterly (beginning 2015); research scholar, UCLA Center for the Study of Women (1999-2015); president, Disability History Association (2009-2014); one of the founding editors of H-Education (1999-2017) and H-Disability (2001-2017) on H-Net. My degrees are in Geography (BS, 1988, Penn State, and MS, 1990, Wisconsin) and Social Foundations of Education (PhD, 1996, UNC-Chapel Hill). I also earned a North Carolina teaching certificate, now long expired.
At Wikipedia I was an account coordinator for The Wikipedia Library (WP:TWL), 2015 to 2018, and I take care of the Pinterest boards for WikiProject Women in Red. I've worked on two traditional encyclopedias, most recently on the editorial board of the Encyclopedia of American Disability History (Facts-on-File 2009).
If you invite me to be part of an editathon, I'll probably participate virtually, if the subject is even slightly interesting to me. I can't attend too many in-person events, but (when we're not in the middle of a global pandemic) I do try to show up at editathons and other Wikipedia events in Los Angeles, especially if they're on weekend afternoons, and especially if I can take the Metro.
Thanks to Shane Landrum for the push to get a real account.
Note: I am not the romance writer.
In May-June 2017, I wrote 26 consecutive articles, one for each letter of the alphabet, all of them biographies of women. Click through here for the list. It was fun!
In November 2017, I did it again. Because it was so much fun the first time.
In January 2018, I did it again, this time as part of an art activity for Fun-a-Day LA.
In March 2018, I did it again. I know I'll run out of notables with Q and X names eventually, but it's fun when I do find them!
In June 2018, I completed my fifth alphabet run. From Anna to Zelma.
In September 2018, I completed my sixth alphabet run. From Alice to Zorka. I might need to be stopped.
In March 2019, I completed my seventh alphabet run. From Alice to Zona Maie. Some emphasis on Francophone women this round.
In December 2019, I completed my eighth alphabet run. From Alma to Zhay, mostly classical musicians.
In September 2020, I completed my ninth alphabet run. From Adele to Zabetta, this time.
In September 2021, I completed my tenth alphabet run. Mostly US writers this time, from Ada to Zula.
In March 2022, I completed my eleventh alphabet run. Mostly US educators this time, Anna to Zephine.
In January 2023, I completed a twelfth alphabet run, this time doing destubs, many but not all of them related to California, from Annette to Zanzye.
In February 2017, I started 28 articles on African American women for Black History Month. Click through here for details. Some of them were translated for Armenian Wikipedia, and most of them had new images, too.
In February 2018, 20 more: Here's that list.
In February 2019, 24 more: Here's that list.
In February 2020, 19 more: Here's that list.
In February 2021, 30 more: Here's that list.
In February 2022, 25 more: Here's that list.
In February 2023, 22 more: Here's that list.
In February 2024, 25 more: Here's that list.