Sheila O’Connor’s book, “The Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments, Facts and Fictions,” is inspired by her search to find the story about her unknown grandmother who was incarcerated in Sauk Centre, MN in 1935 with the sole crime of being pregnant at 15. Not only did Sheila unearth family secrets that now make sense, but she also discovered a world in which young pregnant girls were treated as criminals, shamed into silence and erased from history.  Musical guest singer/songwriter Jonatha Brooke & playwright Laurie Flanigan Hegge were first introduced by my husband, Ron Peluso, recently retired as the long-time Artistic Director of the History Theatre. Struck by Sheila’s work, he asked if Jonatha and Laurie would be interested in collaborating on a musical bringing to life Sheila’s quest for the truth about V and so many girls like her.  Though they had never met, they immediately bonded through their shared love of Sheila’s commitment to find the evidence of V. We hear songs from their powerful musical this gives V a voice.  Autumn Mason, a doula with the Minnesota Prison Doula Project was originally a client personally experiencing the trauma of incarceration, family separation and prison birth. She shares insights into what is possible now for supporting incarcerated parents.  Plus, reflecting on the rounding up of immigrants, Silvia Pontaza imagines Emma Lazarus’ poem in Spanish and Zippy Laske, with host Sue Scott, bring us an updated “Dear Mitch,” a letter to all the older white guys in power.

• Island of Discarded Women Episode #44 was directed and produced by Sue Scott
• Cast: Laurie Flanigan Hegge, Silvia Pontaza, Zippy Laske & Sue Scott
• Written by Sue Scott & Zippy Laske
• Special Guest is Sheila O’Connor
• Guest contributor is Autumn Mason
• Musical guest is Jonatha Brooke with playwright Laurie Flanigan Hegge
• Original songs: “Hymn of Days,” “Matrons of the Wayward,” “Trouble,” “Bastard Nation,” “Solitary,” “Kindness of 15,” “Waltz for June,” “I’ll Take it From Here,” and “Shadows in the Water,” music & lyrics by Jonatha Brooke.  Book by Laurie Flanigan Hegge
• “Dear Mitch” music & Lyrics by Zippy Laske. Spoken word segments written by Sue Scott
• Live Real-Time Captioning by Erica Cook
• Live Audio Engineering by John Robinson
• Production assistance by Lexi Carlson
• Volunteer is Carolyn Denton 
• Photos by Bonni Allen
• Mixed & Edited by Sue Scott
• Mastered by Tony Axtell
• Episode #44 opening: Excerpt from “Love Yourself” music and lyrics by Amanda Grace. From our July 2025 show
• The “Give Back” opportunity for this show, chosen by our guest Sheila O’Connor, is the Minnesota Prison Doula Project.  https://www.mnprisondoulaproject.org/

The post Ep. 44 Evidence of a Life – LIVE – with Sheila O’Connor, Jonatha Brooke, Laurie Flanigan Hegge & Autumn Mason appeared first on Island of Discarded Women live show & podcast.