Publications

Showgirls of Las Vegas

The iconic Las Vegas showgirl graces the pages in this pictorial history for the Images in America series for Arcadia Publishing. I was fortunate to interview several women, some who were the very first showgirls. Along with interviews, my research for the book included accessing hundreds of images from Special Collections at my alma mater, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Several men and women who worked in entertainment and media during the heyday of Las Vegas also shared their documents, books, photographs, and much more. The experience of writing this book is one of my greatest accomplishments. For one, it is my first published book, but mainly because of the friends I made in the process. When Showgirls of Las Vegas was published in 2013, there was one remaining showgirl stage show still performing on the Las Vegas Strip. Its final show was in February 2016. The Las Vegas showgirl has left a lasting impression, one that will remain a part of the glorious history of the world’s most popular entertainment destination.

True Stories Volume VII

In her essay, My Mother, My Daughter, Me, found in True Stories, The Narrative Project, Volume VII, Lisa Gioia shares how the road to motherhood brings out the lioness in her. When her doctor refuses to comply with her wishes for natural childbirth, she takes a drastic step and becomes a mother on her own terms. Her story chronicles how intimidating the authority of the medical establishment can be, yet the innate power of a mother can overcome any challenge.

True Stories  Volume VI

When Lisa applies to and is accepted into a first-of-its-kind college program that allows her to realize the dream of working with exotic animals, she embarks on education and training that changes the course of her life. She discovers that living a dream comes with difficult challenges as well as great joy.

In her essay, My Exotic Life, found in True Stories, The Narrative Project, Volume VI, Lisa shares her experience going from wide-eye girl to a woman finding strength and resilience. The animals that sustained her during a lonely childhood and during her two years in the animal program taught her lessons she relies on to this day.

For Daddy, with Love

In this book, Lisa’s essay, It’s Complicated, shares her conflicting feelings about the father she never knew. Lisa became a historian specializing in personal storytelling of others mainly due to the experience of researching her own tragic family history. A decades-long search for understanding of why and how her father destroyed their family revealed uncomfortable and undeniable truths that have helped her come to some semblance of healing. For Daddy, with Love (published by Verthandi, 2010) is a compilation of essays about the impact a father has on a daughter’s life. Lisa’s father’s influence has been powerful and profound, even from his grave.

Articles

An Oral Historian’s Path to Mount Charleston