Ann Morrisett Davidon

by Lori Hill

Memorial

Writer, teacher and activist Ann Morrissett Davidon lived all over the world: Prague, Israel, Sweden, Paris, Chicago, New York. Philadelphia, too, became one of many physical and spiritual homes to the Ohio native. Besides marrying Haverford physics professor William Davidon and raising two daughters here, she was extremely active in getting women's rights organizations (the Women's Center in Wayne) and peace movements (Main Line Peace Center) off the ground. Over the years, she taught English at local universities, joined the Peace Corps, was a board member or active participant in several local and national social-justice organizations (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, War Resisters League, American Friends Service Committee)—and still found time to write plays. An avid letter writer, Davidon also corresponded with some of the most famous figures in the cultural, musical, literary and antiwar circles of the '60s and '70s—Anaïs Nin, Gore Vidal, Albert Einstein, Lorraine Hansberry, Joan Baez and Philip Berrigan, to name a few.

In May, Davidon passed away of cancer at age 79, but her voice in all of its forms is still revered among those she touched—and, given her vast amounts of personal correspondence, essays, letters to the editor and more, that's a lot of people. Philadelphia Women Writers (PWW), of which Davidon was a longtime member, has organized an evening in her honor. This Sunday at Kelly Writers House, friends and colleagues will read from all manner of her writings. Carolyn Daffron of PWW says her group will read a renga—a series of linked haikus—they wrote for Davidon when she moved to Arizona a year before she died. An informal reception will follow, providing a chance for the surely countless more people Davidon reached to express their appreciation for her life's work.

Memorial for Ann Davidon, Sun., Dec. 5, 4:30 p.m. (readings start at 5), free, Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk, 215-573-WRIT.