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Martha Ackmann, who earned her PhD in Literature from UMass Amherst in 1988, is a journalist and author whose novel, Curveball, is being adapted for Broadway. The book details the story of Toni Stone, the first first female player in baseball’s Negro League. The play, adapted from Ackmann’s book by award-winning playwright Lydia Diamond, is titled Toni Stone and is being performed by the Roundabout Theatre Company, one of New York’s premiere theatrical repertory groups.

Ackmann has published multiple books and has been featured in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and the Los Angeles Times. Ackmann has also contributed to New England Public Radio, CNN, National Public Radio, and the BBC. She recently retired from her teaching position in the Gender Studies Department at Mount Holyoke College. To learn more about her or her work, please visit her website.