A Few Remarkable Women

Christopher Cooper
2025-03-05T15:00:44-05:00

March is Women’s History Month. What better time to acknowledge the achievements of a few remarkable women, past and present, who have made indelible contributions to our culture—and to Levenger.

Lori Leveen, Levenger Co-Founder
Lori Granger Leveen graduated from Vassar College in New York with honors in History and holds a master's degree in International Business from Georgetown University of Washington, DC. Steve and Lori Leveen co-founded Levenger in 1987 with a vision to provide Tools for Serious Readers. “There we were in our new living room, in the house we'd stretched for, and there wasn't enough light so both Steve and I could read," Lori remembered. "We started joking around, fighting for the seat next to Grandma's old dinosaur floor lamp. Then it dawned on us. We started by selling good reading lights, and readers were very responsive because we were the first company that took their special needs seriously.”

Though she stepped back from the business several years ago, Lori continues to live the values of many Levenger employees and customers—reading daily, participating in a book group, supporting libraries, staying curious and continuing to learn and travel. Fun fact: Did you know “Levenger” is a blend of the couple’s last names—Leveen (Steve) and Granger (Lori's maiden name)?

Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile

Cleopatra (69 BCE–30 BCE) was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, known for her intelligence, political acumen and strategic alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Renowned for her charm and diplomacy, she sought to preserve Egypt’s independence amid the expanding power of Rome. Her reign ended with her tragic death, traditionally believed to be by suicide, after Octavian’s forces defeated Antony and Cleopatra, marking the end of Ptolemaic rule in Egypt.

She came, she saw, she conquered the hearts and minds of Rome, Julius Caesar and Marc Antony as one of the youngest and fiercest monarchs who ever reigned over Egypt. The infinite variety of one of the most powerful and memorable female rulers in history is captured in an exquisitely designed Retro 51 pen.

Mary Shelley, Master Storyteller & Iconoclast

Mary Shelley (1797–1851) was a pioneering writer best known for Frankenstein (1818), a novel that not only created the science fiction genre but also explored profound themes of creation and responsibility. An iconoclast of her time, she defied societal norms as an intellectual and author, publishing works that challenged politics, gender roles and philosophy. Beyond Frankenstein, she championed her late husband Percy Bysshe Shelley's poetry and wrote extensively, securing her place in literary history.

Mary Shelley is responsible for creating one of the most frightening creatures in fiction, one who still haunts us to this day. Her groundbreaking 1818 novel Frankenstein singlehandedly pioneered the science fiction genre. LeBoeuf's Frankenstein Fountain Pen commemorates that towering achievement in literature and popular culture.

Marilyn Monroe, Enduring Creative Soul

Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) was a Hollywood icon and trailblazer who challenged the studio system by co-founding Marilyn Monroe Productions, making her one of the first female stars to control her own career. Beyond her status as a cultural and beauty icon, she defied expectations with her sharp intellect, ambition and desire to be taken seriously as an actress, earning critical acclaim in films like Bus Stop (1956) and Some Like It Hot (1959). Her legacy endures as a symbol of both glamour and rebellion against Hollywood’s constraints.

Well-behaved women rarely make history. Unhappy with the roles she was offered after achieving stardom, Marilyn abandoned her contract at 20th Century Fox and established her own production company. A serious Method actor considered difficult to work with (by men), she followed her own creative instincts and today is considered a woman before her time. May the products of Levenger's exclusive Marilyn Monroe Collection inspire empowering ideas in all who discover them. (Look for new Marilyn Monroe accessories later this spring.) Photos by Milton H. Greene © 2025 Joshua Greene.

Pati Jinich, Passionate Renaissance Woman

Chef. Writer. Storyteller. Executive Producer. Creative Professional. Is it any surprise that Pati Jinich considers herself the quintessential Levenger customer? “I love what you do,” Pati says. “Levenger provides classic, high-quality tools for creating new things.” Thanks to Pati, the products in the exclusive collection she’s designed will inspire many of us in our culinary endeavors. Bubbly and vivacious, with a zest for life and a passion that she shares with the world via her best-selling books and James Beard award-winning TV series Pati’s Mexican Table and La Frontera, Pati Jinich is a true Renaissance person of seemingly inexhaustible energy and enthusiasm that’s contagious.

‘Celebrity chef’ is too glib a phrase to describe the achievements of Pati Jinich. A natural born teacher and communicator who awakens in her viewers a passion for food and all that it means to our families, our culture and our lives, Pati is an award-winning broadcaster and best-selling author who lovingly collaborates with Levenger on a variety of products. We look forward to her next Levenger collaboration, How To Write a Cookbook, due out later this spring.

Sue Viders, Tireless Idea Generator

Sue Viders is an author, teacher and lecturer on the art and business of writing. Her Circa Master Class workbooks, Writing a Novel and Writing a Memoir, are derived from an accumulation of knowledge gleaned from over 40 years of teaching and helping aspiring writers bring their ideas to fruition. Her unique methods and techniques for unlocking her students’ creative resources have been described as “brainstorming on steroids” and hailed as “a cure for writer’s block.” Now, as her collection of Master Class writer's tools continues to grow and expand, Sue continues to inspire writers of all levels to express themselves and unlock the creativity within.

Our popular new Master Class series would never have happened were it not for the perseverance of author and writing instructor Sue Viders. She sent us her manuscript for a ‘How-To-Write-a-Novel’ workbook and worked relentlessly for more than a year until the project came to fruition. Now it’s one of our top best-sellers and has spawned a new series of educational workbooks for lifelong learners. Bravo, Miss Sue!