Penny L. Richards, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Center for Disability Studies at theUniversity at Buffalo (2015–2024); research scholar, UCLA Center for the Study of Women (1999–2015); president,Disability History Association (2009–2014); one of the founding editors of H-Education (1999–2017) and H-Disability (2001–2017) onH-Net. My degrees are inGeography (BS, 1988, Penn State, and MS, 1990, Wisconsin) andSocial Foundations of Education (PhD, 1996, UNC-Chapel Hill). I also earned a North Carolina teaching certificate, now long expired.
At Wikipedia I was an account coordinator for The Wikipedia Library (WP:TWL), 2015 to 2018, and I take care of the Pinterest boards forWikiProject Women in Red. I've worked on two traditional encyclopedias, most recently on the editorial board of theEncyclopedia of American Disability History (Facts-on-File 2009).
If you invite me to be part of an editathon, I'll probably participate virtually, if the subject is even slightly interesting to me. I can't attend too many in-person events, but(when we're not in the middle of a global pandemic) I do try to show up at editathons and other Wikipedia events in Los Angeles, especially if they're on weekend afternoons, and especially if I can take the Metro.
Thanks to Shane Landrum for the push to get a real account.
Note: I amnotthe romance writer.
I completed the #100wikidays challenge between 10 August and 17 November 2016. Click through for the details. It was fun, I'd recommend it, and I'll probably do it again someday.
In May-June 2017, I wrote 26 consecutive articles, one for each letter of the alphabet, all of them biographies of women.Click through here for the list. It was fun!
In November 2017,I did it again. Because it was so much fun the first time.
In January 2018,I did it again, this time as part of an art activity for Fun-a-Day LA.
In March 2018,I did it again. I know I'll run out of notables with Q and X names eventually, but it's fun when I do find them!
In June 2018,I completed my fifth alphabet run. From Anna to Zelma.
In September 2018,I completed my sixth alphabet run. From Alice to Zorka. I might need to be stopped.
In March 2019,I completed my seventh alphabet run. From Alice to Zona Maie. Some emphasis on Francophone women this round.
In December 2019,I completed my eighth alphabet run. From Alma to Zhay, mostly classical musicians.
In September 2020, I completed myninth alphabet run. From Adele to Zabetta, this time.
In September 2021, I completed mytenth alphabet run. Mostly US writers this time, from Ada to Zula.
In March 2022, I completed myeleventh alphabet run. Mostly US educators this time, Anna to Zephine.
In January 2023, I completed atwelfth alphabet run, this time doing destubs, many but not all of them related to California, from Annette to Zanzye.
In Summer 2025 I completeda thirteenth alphabet run, again doing destubs, from Astrid to Zhenya, for theWorld Destubathon.
In January 2026, I completedWP:26 for '26, with all new articles about women.Here's the list.
In February 2017, I started 28 articles on African American women forBlack History Month.Click through here for details. Some of them were translated for Armenian Wikipedia, and most of them had new images, too.
In February 2018, 20 more:Here's that list.
In February 2019, 24 more:Here's that list.
In February 2020, 19 more:Here's that list.
In February 2021, 30 more:Here's that list.
In February 2022, 25 more:Here's that list.
In February 2023, 22 more:Here's that list.
In February 2024, 25 more:Here's that list.
In February 2025, 22 more:Here's that list.
In Spring 2016, I joined"Awaken the Dragon", an editathon focused on Welsh topics.Click through here for a list of the 36 articles I started during that event (I also destubbed a bunch of others).
Table of contributionshere.
Planning to work onthe list of women inducted into the California Library Hall of Fame by the California Library Association. And here's a list ofEleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship recipients. And here's the list of inductees into theAdaptive Sports USA Hall of Fame. And here's a list ofOlga Jonasson Distinguished Member Award recipients, from the Association of Women Surgeons.
In 2023, I completed a self-imposed "Century Challenge", by writing a new article for a woman born in each of 100 consecutive years (1849–1948). I filled the last blank in the chart on December 7. I might do this again sometime, because it was fun.
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Detail from a chalk art piece I created at Belmont Shore Chalk Art Contest inLong Beach, California, 14 October 2017. I asked passersby, "What's Your Grandmother's Name?" and those names were added to theAlphonse Mucha-inspired piece.
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Useful link:Wikipedia:List of online newspaper archives
| 2025 (2701-2975) |
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| 2024 (2401-2700) |
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| 2023 (2101-2400) |
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| 2022 (1801-2100) |
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| 2021 (1466-1800) |
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| 2020 (1171-1465) |
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| 2019 (839-1170) |
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| 2018 (564-838) |
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| 2017 (301-563) |
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| 2011-2016 (1-300) |
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These are the DYKs from articles I created; I have enjoyed working on several other articles that have become DYK mentions, including most recentlyMary Ridge andWesley Tann.
I don't actively work towards GA or FA status, but occasionally an article I started becomes a GA or a featured article when other folks have polished it up, including these. I love that Wikipedia's collaborative ecosystem allows such blossoming.
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