The 2025 Louisiana Book Festival will be held on Saturday, November 1.
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Anita McBride

Home Featured Authors & Panelists Featured Participant Lineup Anita McBride

Anita McBride is director of the First Ladies Initiative in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. Her public service spans more than 30 years in the White House and State Department, including in the administrations of presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush and served as Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush. She has authored numerous articles on first ladies, is a frequent news commentator on the White House, and serves on the board of nonprofit cultural and historic institutions, including the White House Historical Association and the First Ladies Association for Research and Education.

 

Schedule

9:00 am to 9:45 am

State Capitol, Senate Chamber

Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America's History-Making Women

Diana B. Carlin, Anita McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith with moderator Rebecca Boggs Roberts

 

10:00 am to 10:45 pm

Cavalier House Books Tent

Book Signing

Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women

Cognella Press is proud to announce the publication of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America's History-Making Women by Diana B. Carlin, Anita B. McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith. Remember the First Ladies is a groundbreaking book showing the evolutionary role of first lady and its historic importance on the American presidency. The book shines a light on the influential women who broke barriers and made a mark on our country and, at times, our world, during their tenures in the White House.

 

The book includes both biographical and thematic chapters. It examines the influence of first ladies on topics such as civil rights, political campaigns, major speeches, and the White House across the span of the nation's history. Profiles of first ladies bring their histories, achievements, and legacies to life. Readers learn about the development and expansion of the role of first lady, from its origins under Martha Washington through its current iteration under Dr. Jill Biden. The book explores how first ladies have been uniquely positioned to influence American society, policy, diplomacy, and the life in the White House.

 

The three authors write and lecture extensively on first ladies and are founding members of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE).