Lorissa Rinehart is a celebrated women’s historian, author, and public speaker.
Her writing explores the powerful intersections of women’s history, politics, and war.
Her forthcoming book, Winning The Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become America’s First Congresswoman, is set for release by St. Martin’s Press in November 2025. Called "An illuminating biography,” by Publishers Weekly and “Gripping from start to finish,” by acclaimed historian Clara Bingham, Winning The Earthquake is the first authoritative biography of this trailblazing female politician in American history.
Her debut book, First to the Front: The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female War Correspondent (St. Martin’s Press), received rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, among numerous other publications.
Through her weekly newsletter and podcast, The Female Body Politic, Lorissa offers insightful analysis of contemporary events, drawing on 250 years of women’s engagement in American politics.
She is also the co-founder of The Santa Barbara Literary Festival, a two day celebration of writers, readers, and storytellers launching may 2026.
The First Authoritative Biography of an American Icon
"Drawing on Rankin’s many interviews, Rinehart imbues her narrative with her subject’s passion and voice. A well-researched biography of a memorable woman."
— Kirkus Reviews
"An illuminating biography... It’s a gripping window into progressive political history and one woman’s defiance of sexist gatekeepers."
— Publishers Weekly
“Gripping from start to finish, Lorissa Rinehart’s page-turning biography brings Rankin to life in all her righteous glory... For readers hungry for political role models, Winning the Earthquake is not just inspirational, but therapeutic history.”
— Clara Bingham, author of The Movement: How Women’s Liberation Transformed America 1963-1973
“A vivid, compelling portrait of a remarkable woman who reminds us that social and political change is grounded in community.”
— Cynthia Richie Terrell, RepresentWomen Executive Director and Founder
Exploring the past, present, and future of women in American democracy
From Okinawa to Vietnam, Dickey Chapelle was First to the Front
“An extraordinary story….Reads like a Hollywood movie.”
— The Wall Street Journal
“Compelling and detailed… a thrilling adventure story.”
— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Jam-packed with colorful details and incisive character sketches, this is a vivid reappraisal of a pioneering journalist.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)