Kristin Lems

Kristin Lems is an American musician, singer-songwriter, feminist, and author/educator in the field of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL).

Early life and education

Lems grew up in Evanston, Illinois and started singing at a young age.[1] She has an A.B. from The University of Michigan (1972). She earned master's degrees in West Asian Studies (1975) and Teaching English as a Second Language (1983) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She earned a Doctorate of Education in Reading and Language from National College of Education at National Louis University (2003).[2] She spent time on a Fulbright fellowship training teachers in Algeria.[3] In 1993 Lems joined the faculty of National Louis University, and as of 2022 she is a professor there.[2]

Biography

Lems' is known music and musical performances, for advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment, and for her work within the teaching of English as a second language.

Lems organized a local Womenfolk's Festival in Illinois that occurred on November 16, 1973.[4] After that she became lead organizer for the first National Women's Music Festival that was held on the campus of the University of Illinois in 1974.[5][6][7] Lems founded the festival because she wanted to provide more opportunities for women to perform,[8] and she was particularly motivated after attending a folk festival with no women artists[9] She continued as the lead organizer through 1978.[10][11]

Lems has performed in concerts around the United States, and is primarily known for the singing in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, most notably with her song the Ballad of the ERA.[12][13] In 1978 she described her goal of bringing music both to people who are politically motivated and women in general.[14]

Selected works
  • Lems, Kristin (2005). "Music Works: Music for Adult English Language Learners". New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 2005 (107): 13–21. doi:10.1002/ace.185. ISSN 1052-2891.
  • Lems, Kristin (2010). Teaching reading to English language learners : insights from linguistics. Leah D. Miller, Tenena M. Soro. New York: Guilford Press. ISBN 978-1-60623-471-6. OCLC 551734926.
  • Rasinski, Timothy V.; Blachowicz, Camille L. Z.; Lems, Kristin (2012-04-15). Fluency Instruction: Research-based Best Practices. Guilford Press. ISBN 978-1-4625-0441-1.
  • Lems, Kristin (2018). "New Ideas for Teaching English Using Songs and Music". English Teaching Forum. 56 (1): 14–21. ISSN 1559-663X.
  • "The Social Power of Music". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. p. Ballad of the ERA. Retrieved 2022-10-22.[15]

Awards and honors

Lems received the Humanist Heroine Award from the American Humanist Association in 1994.[16] In 1996 the Freedom from Religion Foundation awarded her with their Freethought Heroine Award.[17] In 2021, the Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/Bilingual Education awarded Lems the Elliot Judd Outstanding Teacher Award.[18]

See also

References
  1. Lauerman, Connie (October 6, 1995). "MOVING AHEAD FOR KRISTIN LEMS, LIFE AND MUSIC ARE BOUND TOGETHER". Chicago Tribune (pre-1997 Fulltext); Chicago, Ill. [Chicago, Ill]. p. 5 – via ProQuest.
  2. "Lems, Kristin | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | Tampa, Florida". nl.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  3. Merli, Melissa (7 October 2007). "A fresh insight into the N-word". News Gazette; Champaign, Ill. [Champaign, Ill]. pp. F-1, F-2 – via ProQuest.
  4. Basile, E. (1973, Nov.16). Women protest, set their own folk fest. The Daily Illini p. 22, 30
  5. Willis, E. (1974, June 24). Rock, etc. Women's Music. The New Yorker 95-97
  6. Schmitz, M. & Edelson, C. (1975, July) Music Festival. off our backs 6 (6), 1, 18.
  7. Marigold. (1974). National Women's Music Festival, 1. Paid My Dues Quarterly Journal of Women & Music 1(3), 14-29; Dean, D. (1975). The Second National Women's Music Festival. Paid My Dues a journal of women and music no. 5, 22-27.
  8. WORLAND, GAYLE (19 June 2008). "WOMEN'S FESTIVAL PICKS MADISON". Wisconsin State Journal; Madison, Wis. [Madison, Wis]. pp. B3 – via ProQuest.
  9. Morris, Bonnie J. (2016). The disappearing L : erasure of lesbian spaces and culture. Internet Archive. Albany : SUNY Press : State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-6177-9.
  10. Near, H. (1990). Fire in the Rain...Singer in the Storm. William Morrow and Company, 120.
  11. Knecht, R. (1976, April 30). Kristin Lems - an Amazing Individual. The Daily Illini, 21.
  12. "But we're not going to go away". The Winona Daily News. 1982-08-29. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  13. Campbell, Sherita (1981-03-22). "Women's movement gets a singer's point of view". The Star Press. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  14. Mitchard, Jacquelyn (1979-04-20). "Music, politics weave same tapestry". The Capital Times. p. 47. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  15. Reviews for The Social Power of Music
    • Moran, Pat (May–June 2019). "Power of the People!". Acoustic Guitar; San Anselmo (316): 90 – via ProQuest.
  16. "Annual Humanist Awardees". American Humanist Association. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  17. "Freethought Heroine Award - Freedom From Religion Foundation". ffrf.org. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  18. "Elliot Judd Outstanding Teacher Award - Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages - Bilingual Education". www.itbe.org. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
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