Author Speaker Series featuring Becky Aikman, author of Spitfires
Saturday, March 7, 10:00–11:30 a.m.
Coachella Valley History Museum, 82616 Miles Avenue, Indio, CA 92201
Admission: Free
The Coachella Valley History Museum debuts a new Author Speaker Series with an event featuring acclaimed journalist and author Becky Aikman, whose latest narrative nonfiction book, Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II, spotlights local heroine Jacqueline Cochran and the daring women pilots of WWII. The free event is Saturday, March 7, 10:00–11:30 a.m., at Coachella Valley History Museum, 82616 Miles Avenue, Indio, CA 92201. Fred Bell, Director of the Palm Springs Air Museum, will moderate a Q&A with the author, and a book signing will follow, with books available for purchase on-site.
Timed to Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day on March 8, and the start of Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, the inaugural event highlights an extraordinary local heroine, Jackie Cochran, a trailblazing pilot who lived in Indio, used Thermal Airport throughout her aviation career, and whose final resting place is at Coachella Valley Public Cemetery. In Spitfires, Aikman discusses Cochran’s wartime role in the high-stakes story of American women who flew for the British Air Force during World War II. As archivist of many of Jackie Cochran’s personal effects, Coachella Valley History Museum will display, exclusively during this event, select artifacts of hers not typically available for public viewing, offering attendees a rare, up-close look at Cochran’s life and legacy.
“Launching this series with a renowned contemporary author whose work celebrates the achievements of a local resident within a global, historical context is exactly what the Coachella Valley History Museum is here to do,” said Ben Guitron, President of the Board of Trustees for Coachella Valley History Museum. “During Women’s History Month, on the eve of International Women’s Day and Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, in partnership with Palm Springs Air Museum, we’re proud to spotlight Becky Aikman, Jackie Cochran, and the courageous women who helped change aviation and wartime history.”
The Author Speaker Series is designed to connect authors with the public and encourage the sharing of compelling stories rooted in the Coachella Valley. It joins the museum's repertoire of educational and entertainment programming offered to the public and its supporters throughout the year. For more information about the museum, visit CVHM.org.
Becky Aikman says she writes about people who are braver than she is. She is the author of three acclaimed books, including her memoir, Saturday Night Widows, currently in development at Netflix. Her narrative nonfiction books are Off the Cliff: How the Making of ‘Thelma & Louise’ Drove Hollywood to the Edge and Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II. She is a journalist who has written for Newsday, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications.
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